Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Fair pay for a costumer?

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   I realize this might be a tricky subject, but I turn to the experts to help me.  What is a fair salary for someone who is costuming shows for a local high school?  Would you pay them a flat fee, plus the costs of acquiring or building the costumes?  Or an hourly fee?  Or a per costume fee?  And what would that fee be?

I am costuming for a local high school, and when I ask about pay, the director says 'you just let us know' - this is extremely awkward, as I have NO idea if I should be asking for hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars, what?  I've costumed Aida and Urinetown, and made (after the expenses I laid out myself for all the costumes) about $200 per show - I KNOW that's not right - that comes to about $1 per hour.  But what's right?

Help!

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Dondero Walk-On Joined: 5/04/08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Topic: Fair pay for a costumer? Posted: 2/19/10 at 12:38pm
	I realize this might be a tricky subject, but I turn to the experts to help me. What is a fair salary for someone who is costuming shows for a local high school? Would you pay them a flat fee, plus the costs of acquiring or building the costumes? Or an hourly fee? Or a per costume fee? And what would that fee be? I am costuming for a local high school, and when I ask about pay, the director says 'you just let us know' - this is extremely awkward, as I have NO idea if I should be asking for hundreds of dollars, thousands of dollars, what? I've costumed Aida and Urinetown, and made (after the expenses I laid out myself for all the costumes) about $200 per show - I KNOW that's not right - that comes to about $1 per hour. But what's right? Help!

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gelcat Celebrity Joined: 6/12/09 Online Status: Offline Posts: 106	Posted: 2/25/10 at 1:43pm
	The great conumdrum - though no one ever makes a decent 'hourly' wage in theatre. What are they paying sets and lights? You need to be getting at least as much as the set designer if that person is paid. Your pay, (with withholdings if possible), should be paid out separately from the actual costume budget. Consider what you would charge to work for someone for a day - knowing that yes, you will probably work more than 8 hours some days, but only spend 4 hours another day sourcing materials or hitting the thrift store on your lunch another day. What is comfortable for you to accept as a day rate? This could be $80 a day to over $300 a day. Depending on what you are doing, these are very typical day rates in the industry. Is there a costume shop and equipment provided? Is said workspace and equipment worth a cr*p? If you have to do everything at your house, on your equipment, then make sure you're compensating for the use of YOUR items. Depending on the show, how much will need to be built, and what is pulled/rented? Figure a base rate for the actual 'design and coordination' work - your work doing script and character analysis, sketching, working with the director determining the look of the show, working up the costume plots, etc. Then consider a labor rate for actually pulling everything together. Obviously this organization has budget if you have actually gotten paid anything in the past. You know what they had for your budget in the past. Sometimes it's hard to ask for what you think you're worth, but you can't let them undervalue you either. Anyway, good luck. Marsha
	www.actorsguildonline.org Actors Guild of Parkersburg Parkersburg, WV
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Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup

Topic: Fair pay for a costumer?( Topic Closed)