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Creating & Managing Productions

A production is the top-level container in ScriptMagic. It holds your script, people, characters, structure, annotations, and blocking — everything related to a single show.

Creating a production

To create a new production, you'll need Production Admin or Company Admin permissions.

  1. From the productions dashboard, click Create Production
  2. Fill in the production details:

Core information:

  • Production name (required)
  • Description (optional)
  • Theatre company (required) — select which company this production belongs to
  • Venue (optional)
  • Rights holder information (optional) — for documenting licensing and contracts

Dates:

  • Production start date — when rehearsals or production work begins
  • Opening date — the official opening performance
  • Freeze date — the deadline after which script and blocking changes are locked

Script & media:

  • Script PDF — upload your master script (see Uploading a Script)
  • Production image — a poster or cover image for the production card
  • Pages before script page 1 — set an offset if your PDF contains cover pages or front matter before the actual script begins

External resources:

  • External links — add URLs to external resources like Google Drive folders, chorus tracks, or reference videos. Each link has a label and URL.

  • Click Save to create the production

Editing a production

Click the Edit button on a production card (visible if you have edit permissions). From here you can update any of the fields above, including:

  • Replacing the script PDF
  • Changing the production image
  • Updating dates and external links
  • Managing who the production is shared with

Warning

Replacing the script PDF may break existing annotations, blocking, and page references. You'll see a confirmation warning before this change is applied.

Deleting a production

Productions can be permanently deleted from the edit screen. This removes the production and all associated files. This action cannot be undone.

Production dashboard

Your productions dashboard shows all productions you have access to. Each card displays:

  • Production image
  • Name and company
  • Venue
  • Opening date with a countdown (e.g., "Opens in 5 days")
  • A celebration banner once the show has opened

Productions are sorted by opening date, with upcoming shows listed first.