Define professional?
If you mean that he is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers society of America, then they will dictate what the minimum pay would be. Currently, under the tier agreement, the amount of pay varies based on the number of performances, audience size and ticket price. The SDC tier agreement can be viewed here: http://sdcweb.org/images/pdfs/contracts/tier%20agreement%20and%20form%20with%20cover%20rev%2010-28-09.pdf

If he is not a member of the union, then there is no "going rate". It depends on what your theatre can afford and what he is willing to work with.

As for your other rates, they seem on par - depending of course upon the current going rates in your area. It's best to look around at other companies to see what they might pay. Music director pay seems a little high to me, but that again is based on the area I am located... Our pay rate for a music director is $800.

PS) Just for your perusal - The minimum pay for a SDC director under the tier is $1,500. 

Best of luck to you!



Edited by lparks - 8/09/10 at 11:38am

We have never offered box office shares, we don’t usually have money to share.  I do not require staff to sell tickets or ads but they certainly are welcome to if they want. I share my budget with them of what the costs are without payment to anyone and what tickets sales look like if we sell 100% (rare), 75%, 50% and 25% of house.  It is rare to pay anyone in Community theater and if anyone gets paid it is usually lighting designers and maybe musicians as you usually have to get them if they aren’t part of your company.

I always give each area a budget they can spend and reimburse their expenses.  We don't sign contracts it is just a collaborative effort.  The only staff I have ever paid was for “Babes in Arms” and that was because the music director who was the one who started this whole thing felt it was very important.  He and his family also put up all the upfront money so we could afford to do this large of a show. Neither of us actually took any money – I let mine stay with the theater company. We only gave large stipends (they were certainly worth more) to the key people we had to have to produce this size of a show.

Generally when I do theater - I am the director, costumer, stage manager, set designer etc.  Maybe 2 of us team together to make a show happen without all of the staff.  We put on small shows, use family to get the jobs done and cast as many people who auditioned that we can. It is pure community theater.   It is all about the process and the product we can create as a team. I try to do the best job I can with what I have to work with. 

 

It was very nice to make enough money even with having to pay rent and insurance and royalties to be able to pay the choreographer, orchestra conductor, lighting designer and sound technician something and still have a little money left over to pay our trailer rents until the next show goes up.  I have never had that happen before.

 

I certainly am not telling people they should do any of this, I am telling what I did and what worked for me in a show I actually produced.

Yeah, you're working with a more substantial budget than most Community Theatre programs.  That kind of budget is more in line with a low-pay non-union company from my experience... something that pays the actors some nominal amount as well (say, $20-30 per performance, though usually a longer run).

To the topic at hand, my one paid directing gig was for a park district program, another person and I split the director chair, with her acting as choreographer, me as vocal director, and we kind of split the typical AD duties.  I got paid $300 for that.

To be honest, I didn't know I was getting paid until they emailed to ask for my mailing address so they could send the check.  Shows how in it for the money I am.