Growing up in Maryland, Jayla Pollock had never heard of the field of company management. Her career aspirations spanned from a film director to an American Sign Language interpreter to a lawyer. Rather than pursuing those avenues, she’s forged a successful path in the theater and is now the company manager of Broadway’s “Buena Vista Social Club.”
Pollock was first exposed to theater in middle school, when the feeder high school auditioned Pollock and her choir classmates for parts as carolers in their production of “A Christmas Carol.” The dinner breaks during tech week proved to be a revelation for Pollock. “It felt like an eruption of joy, and everyone would talk about something cool that another person did during the earlier rehearsal,” she recalled. “It was the first time I realized that the people other than actors were also students. As someone who hates the spotlight, it was an immense relief that I had options other than performing!”
Through Frederick County Career and Technology Center, the district vocational school where Pollock attended half days for her junior year and fall of her senior year, Pollock took a course in television and multimedia production. She learned that she was, as she said, “better suited to be in an administrative position in an artistic field, and that theater was what called me more.” Then, at Fordham University, Pollock took a class in theater management, taught by production manager Bethany Stewert. Pollock recalled, “I learned that company and general management existed and started applying to internships around the city.”
Pollock served as an audience and accessibility intern with MCC Theater and later a general management intern with Baseline Theatrical. After working as a general management finance associate for Theatre Row, Pollock landed her first company management gig as a BTC apprentice on the 2022 revival of “Death of a Salesman.” Since then, she’s been the company management assistant on “New York, New York” and assistant company manager on “Purlie Victorious,” “Water for Elephants” and “Boop!” She started as associate company manager for “Buena Vista Social Club” in August 2025 and was promoted to company manager in January 2026, employed by management company Foresight Theatrical.
Here, Pollock describes the specific role of a Broadway company manager (CM) and walks us through a detailed account of a two-show day.
What does a company manager do?
Jayla Pollock: My go-to way of describing a company manager is [by comparing the job to] a general manager of a chain. You aren’t the founder or the district manager, but you run the day-to-day operations of ensuring the store opens every day. A company manager processes all of the cash flow: We check payroll submitted by department heads, verify incoming invoices from vendors, keep updated and complete records of all received and payable funds. We provide budgets for various events, rehearsals or performances so the producers can make informed decisions. We research and book travel and housing for any out-of-town activities and provide per diem for those working away from home. We look at the life of the show and see where, throughout the year, we can provide a little bit of joy to the company. Around the holidays and anniversaries, we organize company parties and gifts.
