We have several paid positions at our community theater.  We have the following positions:

Managing Director: Salaried position whose salary is partially reimbursed by a grant from our city's cultural council.

Education Director: Salaried position whose salary is acquired by our children's theater/camp.  Additional profits are used to maintain the theater expenses.

Directors:  All play directors are paid a stipend of $200.00 according to our policy and procedure manual.  Most directors have used this to pay for a cast party. These payments are managed by our Managing Director, although recently, it was discovered by the Board, that certain directors have been compensated at a much higher rate.  It was understandable for a Musical Director, but this also occurred when comparing apples to apples so to speak.

Musicians:  Generally pay the minimal fee allowed, and accepted.

Note:  We also had a paid part-time technical director, who has since resigned, but this position caused our theater to lose several volunteers who were treated very poorly by the Technical Director.

Hope this helps some individuals.

Nick Charles

A small theatre group just north of here pays the director $500 per show.  They also seem to pay a stipend to the lighting and set people as well as the musical director/orchestra.

Especially in a small community; why is it that people have to be paid?  I realize that sometimes if you need a good orchestra or piano/bass, whatever, that they may not have the same level of interest as everyone else.  But the directors??? Many of them are the same ones that serve on the board and end up either acting in the show or are at least in other shows.

My advice to any new theatre group in a smaller town would be to try your darnedest to find people that don't mind giving you their time.  To me ... that's what community theatre should be.