Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Orchestra members pay

Author

Message

Stagefryte
Walk-On
Walk-On

Joined: 1/13/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2

Topic: Orchestra members pay
Posted: 2/03/10 at 9:16am

Hi. This may be stepping on sacred ground, but I'd like to ask what other community theater organizations are paying their orchestra members.

We have our orchestra members on site and playing for four rehearsals and one open dress during production week, and nine performances (14 "shows" total). We do not pay high school students, but do pay college students and "adults." Our per show payment is $20.00 per orchestra member.

Are we in the ball park? We're in western Pennsylvania. Thanks!

Edited by Stagefryte - 2/03/10 at 9:19am

IP Logged

Gaafa
Celebrity

Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1181

Posted: 2/03/10 at 8:43pm

G'day Neal

We rearly use muso's as such but this site AACT topic may help?

http://www.aact.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1264992276/1#1

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

IP Logged

Stagefryte
Walk-On
Walk-On

Joined: 1/13/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2

Posted: 2/11/10 at 4:40pm

Thanks for the post and recommendation!

G'Day,

~neal

IP Logged

JoeMc
Celebrity

Joined: 3/13/06
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 832

Posted: 4/25/10 at 7:31pm

Who would want to be a muso at theses stage hands pay;_

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=ema...id=a0oxw90zC9Wc
But as it has been suggested on other forums, unless your great gandfather was a member of this 'Local', forget about trying to jion up.

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

IP Logged

TonyDi
Celebrity

Joined: 9/13/06
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 325

Posted: 4/26/10 at 7:31am

Try this link as well. Varies so much that to define it is futile. Depends on the market, the pool of available musicians and so forth, budgets, unions, etc., etc. But this link might add some info to your arsenal.

http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4452

TonyDi

"Almost famous"

IP Logged

gelcat
Celebrity

Joined: 6/12/09
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 106

Posted: 4/26/10 at 11:42am

it all very much depends on your budget and your area.

We are all volunteer except for 1 and 1/2 employees (overall technical director/designer/venue manager and bookkeeper). The orchestra for our current show is invited to all the cast parties and are welcome to come graze on the munchie offerings that this show's cast provides. (the food situation varies show to show by the participants involved) That, a job well done, and our eternal thanks is their reward for their time and talents.

If we had the budget, we would love to pay people. This theatre has never had that.

www.actorsguildonline.org
Actors Guild of Parkersburg
Parkersburg, WV

IP Logged

JoeMc
Celebrity

Joined: 3/13/06
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 832

Posted: 4/26/10 at 9:07pm

What amases me with Bloombeg link is the amount that stage crew are paid, which I suppose could only happen in NY, of $350 000/year + for doing props?
Me thinks there is more at work thsn just being in a Union?

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

IP Logged

SamD
Lead
Lead

Joined: 6/25/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 39

Posted: 4/26/10 at 10:07pm

We usually set a budget for our music director of $1,400.00. We leave it up to them to find and pay the musicians as they see fit. This is for 6 shows. We have found, with the economy the way it is, that it's getting harder and harder to find anyone to take the job!

IP Logged

TonyDi
Celebrity

Joined: 9/13/06
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 325

Posted: 4/27/10 at 7:17am

I know it's the bane of professional musician's existence....(can you say even the demise of live orchs and available musicians) AND it's also scary and very under-used - yea, even loathed by some....but I saw a performance of Les Mis come through with two percussionists, the orchestra conducter and 6 keyboard players. Then too, I know a few of the Phantom Of The Opera offerings on tour used a LOT of pre-recorded tracks to accomplish a full blown musical. I've even done it numerous times as well. A lot of actors don't like it. I can see why - there are some pitfalls for some people. BUT it's there from the beginning, from rehearsals all the way through every performance, it CAN be parsed out to individual soloists for home practice and such, it's always on time, it never asks for coffee (or union) breaks, it's always in tune, it CAN be adjusted to whatever tempo, key or nuance your singers need or could ever want - and while a bit expensive, doesn't come close in most cases to what you'd have to pay a 20 - 40 piece orchestra - much less even a small half dozen piece band.

I'm an advocate of backing tracks but I TOO love the immediacy, the lush richness of a real orchestra with players expending their air to accomplish good sound. BUT I also realize the limitations of that for a LOT of people and company's budgets. Just too hard to afford live musicians and finding them too - when the pool is so shallow with players who want to earn a few bucks, have some fun, and be appreciated for what they bring to a musical. So I used tracks - which I sequenced by the way at great expenditure of time - and most of the casts I've used - save the one or two dissenters - loved using them. I mean, yeah, it's theater Karaoke - but it's a useful tool. The only viable reason any of the dissenting actors who didn't like it, could come up with, was that if they messed up at least live musicians could hopefully follow and get you back on track (or not). My contention is that actors who do musicals (or any show for that matter) should know their lines, lyrics, melodies, parts or whatever and using tracks is unforgiving....you HAVE to know it cold. THAT was the only argument that they had though - live musicians could CYA!!

ANYway, if you're going to do musicals, then it's the nature of the beast that you're going to have to have the budget to cover things regular shows do not require. Planning well ahead, fund raising or whatever it takes - is the order of the day in those cases...unless you're a wealthy theater company (haven't ever been connected to too many of those) and have a nice reserve to employ.

TonyDi

Edited by TonyDi - 4/27/10 at 7:18am

"Almost famous"

IP Logged

David McCall
Celebrity

Joined: 1/28/09
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 299

Posted: 4/27/10 at 9:59pm

Tracks have volume controls :-)

Many musicians do not, or it is broken :-(

Either you get too loud, or much too loud.

However, we just did Sound of Music with about 40 musicians on the floor in front of the stage. Only 2 actors had wireless and everybody else had to get by with PCCs on the edge of the apron. Every actor that spoke up and spoke clearly could easily be heard. I was quite impressed. I don't have any idea what they were paid.

David M

IP Logged

Other Topics
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Other Topics

Topic: Orchestra members pay( Topic Closed)
	Page of 3 Next >>

Author	Message
Stagefryte Walk-On Joined: 1/13/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Topic: Orchestra members pay Posted: 2/03/10 at 9:16am
	Hi. This may be stepping on sacred ground, but I'd like to ask what other community theater organizations are paying their orchestra members. We have our orchestra members on site and playing for four rehearsals and one open dress during production week, and nine performances (14 "shows" total). We do not pay high school students, but do pay college students and "adults." Our per show payment is $20.00 per orchestra member. Are we in the ball park? We're in western Pennsylvania. Thanks! Edited by Stagefryte - 2/03/10 at 9:19am

	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 2/03/10 at 8:43pm
	G'day Neal We rearly use muso's as such but this site AACT topic may help? http://www.aact.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1264992276/1#1
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

Stagefryte Walk-On Joined: 1/13/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 2	Posted: 2/11/10 at 4:40pm
	Thanks for the post and recommendation! G'Day, ~neal
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 4/25/10 at 7:31pm
	Who would want to be a muso at theses stage hands pay;_ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=ema...id=a0oxw90zC9Wc But as it has been suggested on other forums, unless your great gandfather was a member of this 'Local', forget about trying to jion up.
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

TonyDi Celebrity Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 4/26/10 at 7:31am
	Try this link as well. Varies so much that to define it is futile. Depends on the market, the pool of available musicians and so forth, budgets, unions, etc., etc. But this link might add some info to your arsenal. http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4452 TonyDi
	"Almost famous"
	IP Logged

gelcat Celebrity Joined: 6/12/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Posted: 4/26/10 at 11:42am
	it all very much depends on your budget and your area. We are all volunteer except for 1 and 1/2 employees (overall technical director/designer/venue manager and bookkeeper). The orchestra for our current show is invited to all the cast parties and are welcome to come graze on the munchie offerings that this show's cast provides. (the food situation varies show to show by the participants involved) That, a job well done, and our eternal thanks is their reward for their time and talents. If we had the budget, we would love to pay people. This theatre has never had that.
	www.actorsguildonline.org Actors Guild of Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV
	IP Logged

JoeMc Celebrity Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832	Posted: 4/26/10 at 9:07pm
	What amases me with Bloombeg link is the amount that stage crew are paid, which I suppose could only happen in NY, of $350 000/year + for doing props? Me thinks there is more at work thsn just being in a Union?
	[western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!}
	IP Logged

SamD Lead Joined: 6/25/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 39	Posted: 4/26/10 at 10:07pm
	We usually set a budget for our music director of $1,400.00. We leave it up to them to find and pay the musicians as they see fit. This is for 6 shows. We have found, with the economy the way it is, that it's getting harder and harder to find anyone to take the job!
	IP Logged

TonyDi Celebrity Joined: 9/13/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 4/27/10 at 7:17am
	I know it's the bane of professional musician's existence....(can you say even the demise of live orchs and available musicians) AND it's also scary and very under-used - yea, even loathed by some....but I saw a performance of Les Mis come through with two percussionists, the orchestra conducter and 6 keyboard players. Then too, I know a few of the Phantom Of The Opera offerings on tour used a LOT of pre-recorded tracks to accomplish a full blown musical. I've even done it numerous times as well. A lot of actors don't like it. I can see why - there are some pitfalls for some people. BUT it's there from the beginning, from rehearsals all the way through every performance, it CAN be parsed out to individual soloists for home practice and such, it's always on time, it never asks for coffee (or union) breaks, it's always in tune, it CAN be adjusted to whatever tempo, key or nuance your singers need or could ever want - and while a bit expensive, doesn't come close in most cases to what you'd have to pay a 20 - 40 piece orchestra - much less even a small half dozen piece band. I'm an advocate of backing tracks but I TOO love the immediacy, the lush richness of a real orchestra with players expending their air to accomplish good sound. BUT I also realize the limitations of that for a LOT of people and company's budgets. Just too hard to afford live musicians and finding them too - when the pool is so shallow with players who want to earn a few bucks, have some fun, and be appreciated for what they bring to a musical. So I used tracks - which I sequenced by the way at great expenditure of time - and most of the casts I've used - save the one or two dissenters - loved using them. I mean, yeah, it's theater Karaoke - but it's a useful tool. The only viable reason any of the dissenting actors who didn't like it, could come up with, was that if they messed up at least live musicians could hopefully follow and get you back on track (or not). My contention is that actors who do musicals (or any show for that matter) should know their lines, lyrics, melodies, parts or whatever and using tracks is unforgiving....you HAVE to know it cold. THAT was the only argument that they had though - live musicians could CYA!! ANYway, if you're going to do musicals, then it's the nature of the beast that you're going to have to have the budget to cover things regular shows do not require. Planning well ahead, fund raising or whatever it takes - is the order of the day in those cases...unless you're a wealthy theater company (haven't ever been connected to too many of those) and have a nice reserve to employ. TonyDi Edited by TonyDi - 4/27/10 at 7:18am
	"Almost famous"
	IP Logged

David McCall Celebrity Joined: 1/28/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 299	Posted: 4/27/10 at 9:59pm
	Tracks have volume controls :-) Many musicians do not, or it is broken :-( Either you get too loud, or much too loud. However, we just did Sound of Music with about 40 musicians on the floor in front of the stage. Only 2 actors had wireless and everybody else had to get by with PCCs on the edge of the apron. Every actor that spoke up and spoke clearly could easily be heard. I was quite impressed. I don't have any idea what they were paid.
	David M
	IP Logged