jbg

Hi all,

I was wondering after the thread about the economy and looking for threads on pay (couldn't find any )

How much does a person who has been trained in college who gets a roll....chorus/ensemble get paid? Broadway, traveling shows etc?? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated

JBG

EnjoyTheAdventur

Here are some highlights from an article in last month's Dramatics Magazine.

"There are nearly forty thousand professional actors in the US today--and at the moment, most of them are unemployed.
That's one unsurprising statistic from Artists in the Workforce, 1990-2005, a report released in June by the National Endowment for the Arts. As for film and theatre actors in particular, the population is young, diverse and well educated, almost 60 percent of acators have college degrees, more than double the rate of the labor force as a whole.
The median income for actors in 2005 was $23,400. $26,700 for men and $19,100 for women.
Aspiring stage and film artist can take some comfort in the fat that the number of professional actors hasn't grown much since 1990.
For the full report, go to nea.gov"

onstage

I believe B'way minimum scale for a large musical is currently about $1500; for a tour it's about $1000. Most jobs, of course, would pay less.

alwaysamom

First of all, it doesn't matter if you've "been trained in college". The fact that you have a college degree, in and of itself, is not going to affect your salary.

There are about 40 different kinds of Equity contracts so if you're an in an Equity show, the minimum for Broadway is ~$1600/wk. For an Equity tour, the minimum is ~$1008/wk. plus $700/wk. per diem. These figures will change depending on what your agent can negotiate for you and, of course, your previous professional experience. Non-Eq tours will earn less than this, generally speaking.

mtdog71

If you want current accurate information on minimum salaries in various situations/venues, you can find it on the Actors Equity Association website. Of course, if your name has some value and you have a good agent, sometimes you get paid higher than minimum. Non-Eq shows would pay less. Most college actors I know made between $300 - $600 a week for summer stock/theme park work.

kjgc

Outside of equity - so when you are first starting - you will get paid barely enough to pay your bills. If you are worried about "making a living" doing theatre, please consider the entire picture. The business is brutal, filled with long stretches of unemployment and temp jobs. People do this because they love what they do. The question you ask is perfectly legit, and should absolutely be asked. But the statistics of equity actors do not relate to the number of people who are trying to be working actors. Please understand, many people make a living in the theatre, fewer make a living acting.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics paints an interesting picture...

"The most successful actors, producers, and directors may have extraordinarily high earnings but for others, because earnings may be erratic, many supplement their income by holding jobs in other fields."

"Median hourly earnings of actors were $11.61 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $8.47 and $22.51. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.31, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $51.02. Median hourly earnings were $16.82 in performing arts companies and $10.69 in the motion picture and video industry. Annual earnings data for actors were not available because of the wide variation in the number of hours worked by actors and the short-term nature of many jobs, which may last for 1 day or 1 week; it is extremely rare for actors to have guaranteed employment that exceeded 3 to 6 months."

alwaysamom

This is not entirely true. If an actor is cast as a swing on a non-Equity tour, they can certainly earn more than would 'barely pay their bills'. A typical salary for a swing on a non-Eq tour would be ~$1000, all in, for someone who is a lead, or even in the ensemble, it would be higher. While it's certainly not what an Equity actor would make, even at minimum, it is not that difficult for these kids, most of whom are in their first professional show, to save a good amount of money.

I wish more people realized the absolute truth in this.

momof3singers

kgjc......."The most successful actors, producers, and directors may have extraordinarily high earnings but for others, because earnings may be erratic, many supplement their income by holding jobs in other fields."


What do you recommend to students who wish to have a job in another field? More schooling after their theatre studies or study another field concurrently while in college?

JIJane

Prepare to work in a job where you are NEEDED and it is not hard to find employment. That usually involves professions like office PA, plubming, qualified beautician/heardresser etc. - and gather the necessary qualifications. Once at college studying theatre you probably won't have time, so get your qualifications after that or before. Before is better, as once you have finished your theatre major, you will be concentrating on auditins and trying to get a theatre career going - and paying back student debrs.

jbg

thank you all so much for your replys. It is very interesting and information that I will share with my son and husband. The one thing that I have to say that is hard and sometimes frustrating is when people say "you have to be in this industry only if you have a passion for it" Well, some people really might have that passion, but have other reasons for not feeling that they can do it.

My husband and I have encouraged our son to follow his dreams. He LOVEs the theater and has been told he is good.....not the best at any of the three, but that he is a true tripple threat with a "good look"

We went into this thinking that if we supported him it would all work out ok....just recently my son is the one who is worried. He says although he LOVEs it so much that he wants to eventually have a life and family like he grew up with, and he just doesn't see that happening. Not only financially, but the hours that are worked, having to live in the City, not being able to have what he sees as a normal life with a wife and kids.

I applaud him for thinking this way at 17...its a tough decision, but I guess in the end, we will be glad that we let it be his decision KWIM.

Again, Thanks for your responses....and I'll look forward to more

JBG

onstage

There are many opportunities to participate without trying to pursue theater as a career, and for many, this may be the best option. A friend of mine is a biochemist, as well as being a very talented actor, singer, director, and set designer. He performs evenings and weekends with a number of regional and community theaters, as well as designing sets for the local school system. He takes his work vacations in the summer, and usually performs in several summer stock productions. He makes a good living, and chooses to spend his spare time indulging in his passion for theater.

keepingcalm

jbg
your son sounds a lot like me D. She has been 'working" locally and some regional since 11, but as she is seriously looking at her college decisions has decided a performers life is not for her. SHe is currently hedging her bets and looking at arts administration or similar. THese programs typically have a performance aspect and courses in business. Different schools configure it differently. But she feels this way she will still get some work on performance skills (some programs allow these kids to audition for productions), but she will have another generalizable skill set.

DH and I have applauded her for her self knowledge and thoughtfulness, but I have also told her that I selfishly will miss her performing and hope that she won't reject it if it comes her way. Like your son, D fills a specific niche in many shows and is a very strong dancer and 'good enough' at the others. So we will see.

HoosierMom2012

jbg and keepingcalm - I do applaud your children for their maturity and foresight at such a young age. It takes a certain kind of independent and mature person to consider these issues at this age. I think a lot of kids would, if allowed, enter into this career path and never give it a thought having always been fed, clothed and provided for by their parents.

My D is a college freshman and stresses about being independent and making a living. She understands the risk and is trying to acqure backup skills outside or not on stage for when she finally auditions and attempts to make a living. I do think it comes down to having a passion for it and when people say that I think they are saying you have to weigh the risk and after you do that if you couldn't do anything else then do it. You consider other careers that seem safer, more stable and/or more lucrative. But to use an expression often used by dramatic teens "they'd rather die" than not be in theatre. Or they'd rather struggle to eat, not live in big comfy homes, not drive the Lexus and make all the sacrifices because they see life on stage as worth it and they see life with all those things and not being on stage as just so pale in comparison.

kjgc

I suggest nothing. The majority of that post was a direct quote from labor statistics. I believe people should enter this field because they have a great passion for the art form.

And yes, while some do make decent money in non-equity gigs, the vast majority don't. I'm not focusing on NYC, I was making a comment about acting as a whole - from the world of dinner theatre to very small regional companies.

As for how to supplement your income... who knows. I have friends that write greeting cards, temp, wait tables, do faux painting, etc. etc. all while they pursue their grandest desire - the art of theatre.