Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: directors stipend

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Gaafa
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Posted: 11/25/06 at 11:30pm

G?donya RD!
Honestly having a list of defined payments & the exception of receiving an amount. Is not what we should be about!
No matter how the payment is worded, the amount is of a pecuniary interest in the expectation of being paid an exact dollar value for services rendered. .
We are amateurs [volunteers] who are drawn from the community & promoted to produce theatre. In whatever form each individual wishes to be involved & supported.
Surely our aims & objectives are to nurture from within & utilise our own membership, in preference to offering bait to entice exponents to do ?IT?.
A member who is in a position that precludes others from recieving the same stipend/payment for doing ?it?. Is in my view an act kin to solicitation.
Travelling & out of pocket expenses in being a member. Is an individual choice that each member makes on joining the group.
As RD posted there are always options that the group can explore, when deciding to do a production.
As amateurs it has to be a more satisfying an opportunity, to fossick & hunt for treasures free ?n for gratis, in our own back yard.

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}

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MartyW
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Posted: 11/28/06 at 11:51am

Yes Red, I thought this one would have you out and about, but its an old revised one... But God, VPA seems to have it just as bad or even worse... (although the dollar amounts are smaller)

If only more people had a french to english dictionary and could look up the "meaning" of amateur.

For those stll lacking same, Amateur. For the love of..... to do something that you love....

Amateur Theater.... Hello...

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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tristanrobin
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Posted: 11/30/06 at 8:34am

for what it's worth, I *do* love what I do - and I also love that I get paid to
do it.

Our director and musical director each are paid 1,500
If a straight play, the director receives 2,250
Our stage manager also functions as assistant director 750
Our musical director assistant also is rehearsal pianist 750
Choreographer is paid 750
Set Designer also functions as head carpenter 750

Our directors either do their own costuming or find a volunteer or pay
one out of their stipend

Our pit bands are paid scale

Everyone else is volunteer

We receive several grants which cover our stipend expenses

We live in an area with a plethora of theatres - amateur, regional, college,
professional - and we are only an hour from NYC where there are
hundreds and hundreds of amateur theatres. Without paying, theatres
could not get any qualified personnel. I believe that one has to take the
area and availability of personnel into account before making such
decisions.

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MartyW
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Posted: 11/30/06 at 9:44am

Man and I always thought our stipend scale was off the charts... of course any amount would vary necessarily by the bank account and seat count of the theater in question... If we paid anywhere near those rates we would tank, financially, on every show!.. But still, your rates, our rates, I still have a hard time equating Amateur Community Theater with those kind of pay scales.. ESPECIALLY when it jumps up over 500... I can't find it in me to call that a stipend anymore, and if it ain't a stipend, your a pro... (just one ole fat guys oppinion)....

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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MartyW
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Posted: 11/30/06 at 2:45pm

And I guess I want to p.s. my own post.... This stuff has gotten WAY out of hand. At least thats the way I see it in our theater (and their are several posting members here from my home theater) I am doing a musical right now, and as always, mine are the big ones with 50 + cast and 25 to 30 supporting crew/etc. It is "thought" that I get "paid" $400 for the duty... but it is a privilage... and this is totally by choice, I sink an average of two grand of unclaimed expences from my own pocket... And like I said, I'm ok with that because its my choice and my desire to pump a little extra into a show... As it is, its a 60 mile round trip to the theater.. sometimes for both my wifes car and mine.. but that too is ok... becuase I choose to do it. But in truth, my only pay that's worth anything at all is to be able to sit in our balcony and watch the faces of the audince and thier reactions..

It looks like I won't get that pay, because I have to step up to do the lights. Apparently, the word is out amoung those who don't get paid, that there are no other positions than thiers which are getting paid...

Just for my friends from the home theater, be prepaired... This Will be a topic of discussion in the near future. Other than the musicians that are not necessarily theater types anyway, I am moving for a ban on money!... It corupts the meaning and causes constant bickering...

Rant complete..

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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red diva
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Posted: 11/30/06 at 6:23pm

Couldn't agree with you more, Marty.....did you ever think you'd hear that from me?????

Good luck with bringing it up at a future meeting. I brought it up last month, I think it was, and was VICIOUSLY attacked and shouted down. I'm not sure if you were at that meeting, but I was given the impression that it was a closed subject, that it had been discussed before, and that they were tired of it. BUT....please don't let that deter you from broaching it again. I would appreciate the support, since the only ones at that meeting that seemed to be in favor of going back to no stipends were my hubby and me.

"I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!"

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suzecue1
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Posted: 12/01/06 at 9:29am

In our CT, the directors do not get paid. We do budget $500-1000 for music. This can be divided between the music director, piano accompanist and pit orchestra, or not. We offer it and the director can choose to take it or not. More often than not they say no thanks, because they know that no one else gets paid, and divide it between the pit orchestra players for their time.

On the other hand, our CT offers a children's drama workshop each summer. It is a part of, but run separate from, the CT. Different board, not all CT members, I am the director. All the adult staff get paid the same amount. Now it is a little different from a regular show. The workshops are 2 weeks long, from 9 am to 3 pm for staff, and then 6 shows total. So, those of us who work have to take time off work, or work our vacation time. Most of my staff are teachers, so they are off anyway. We get paid $700.00 per workshop. I kept track of my hours the first year I was director. It figured to be about $1 and hour. But it is better than a stick in the eye.

Sue
*****
So many hats.....so few heads!

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tristanrobin
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Posted: 12/01/06 at 6:37pm

Marty, you seem to have missed an important statement in my post: We
receive grants for stipends. Council on the Arts, Proctor & Gamble, and
Citizens Bank all grant our theatre and the funds are used for stipends. If
we had to pay all the stipends from ticket sales, we wouldn't be able to
pay them either.

Our theatre realized about 15 years ago that without stipends, we
couldn't compete in the community theatre world here. And, as we
couldn't afford to raise ticket prices enough to cover them, we actively
and vigorously pursued grant options. Our grant from the Council on the
Arts, for example, is ONLY good for paying artists. It cannot be used for
anything else.

I look at the amateur theatre just as professional theatre. Hell - they
could get amateurs to work for free on Broadway too! But if they want the
best available, they have to pay. Same with amateur theatre - at least in
my area. There is great competition for directors, designers, and musical
directors. I wouldn't change theatres because one might pay more (heh
heh - unless it was a LOT more LOL) - but I would if ours didn't pay at all
and others did.

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teridtiger
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Posted: 12/03/06 at 9:17pm

We're in Chula Vista, a ten-minute drive from downtown San Diego. We are one of a handful of community theaters still operating on a 100% volunteer basis (i.e., no stipends, no salaries). The grants in the area (and the rest of Southern California) all go to the "biggies" - The Old Globe, The La Jolla Playhouse and the like. By the way, The Globe still operates as a 501c3 non-profit theatre, so the majority of the $$ go to them.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to operate without paying stipends to directors. I am finding it difficult to get "new blood" as far as directors go because it seems that most other theaters pay something. And with gas prices what they are in Southern California, I am considering proposing to the board that we offer some sort of stipend (or 'gas stipend' as another theatre 40 miles north of us calls it). However, with only 60 seats and 18 performances per show (at 6 shows a year), we just break even.

Where does one look for grants specifically offering money to pay stipends?

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eveharrington
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Posted: 12/03/06 at 11:35pm

We are even having talks about starting to give a stipend to the primary set builder and set dresser.

It never ends...

[/QUOTE]

Oh, it will end, just short of actually paying performers no doubt.

"If nothing else, there's applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights."

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Money Talk
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Theater Administration :Money Talk

Topic: directors stipend( Topic Closed)
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Author	Message
Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 11/25/06 at 11:30pm
	G?donya RD! Honestly having a list of defined payments & the exception of receiving an amount. Is not what we should be about! No matter how the payment is worded, the amount is of a pecuniary interest in the expectation of being paid an exact dollar value for services rendered. . We are amateurs [volunteers] who are drawn from the community & promoted to produce theatre. In whatever form each individual wishes to be involved & supported. Surely our aims & objectives are to nurture from within & utilise our own membership, in preference to offering bait to entice exponents to do ?IT?. A member who is in a position that precludes others from recieving the same stipend/payment for doing ?it?. Is in my view an act kin to solicitation. Travelling & out of pocket expenses in being a member. Is an individual choice that each member makes on joining the group. As RD posted there are always options that the group can explore, when deciding to do a production. As amateurs it has to be a more satisfying an opportunity, to fossick & hunt for treasures free ?n for gratis, in our own back yard.
	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

MartyW Celebrity Joined: 2/02/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 555	Posted: 11/28/06 at 11:51am
	Yes Red, I thought this one would have you out and about, but its an old revised one... But God, VPA seems to have it just as bad or even worse... (although the dollar amounts are smaller) If only more people had a french to english dictionary and could look up the "meaning" of amateur. For those stll lacking same, Amateur. For the love of..... to do something that you love.... Amateur Theater.... Hello...
	Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.."
	IP Logged

tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 11/30/06 at 8:34am
	for what it's worth, I do love what I do - and I also love that I get paid to do it. Our director and musical director each are paid 1,500 If a straight play, the director receives 2,250 Our stage manager also functions as assistant director 750 Our musical director assistant also is rehearsal pianist 750 Choreographer is paid 750 Set Designer also functions as head carpenter 750 Our directors either do their own costuming or find a volunteer or pay one out of their stipend Our pit bands are paid scale Everyone else is volunteer We receive several grants which cover our stipend expenses We live in an area with a plethora of theatres - amateur, regional, college, professional - and we are only an hour from NYC where there are hundreds and hundreds of amateur theatres. Without paying, theatres could not get any qualified personnel. I believe that one has to take the area and availability of personnel into account before making such decisions.
	IP Logged

MartyW Celebrity Joined: 2/02/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 555	Posted: 11/30/06 at 9:44am
	Man and I always thought our stipend scale was off the charts... of course any amount would vary necessarily by the bank account and seat count of the theater in question... If we paid anywhere near those rates we would tank, financially, on every show!.. But still, your rates, our rates, I still have a hard time equating Amateur Community Theater with those kind of pay scales.. ESPECIALLY when it jumps up over 500... I can't find it in me to call that a stipend anymore, and if it ain't a stipend, your a pro... (just one ole fat guys oppinion)....
	Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.."
	IP Logged

MartyW Celebrity Joined: 2/02/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 555	Posted: 11/30/06 at 2:45pm
	And I guess I want to p.s. my own post.... This stuff has gotten WAY out of hand. At least thats the way I see it in our theater (and their are several posting members here from my home theater) I am doing a musical right now, and as always, mine are the big ones with 50 + cast and 25 to 30 supporting crew/etc. It is "thought" that I get "paid" $400 for the duty... but it is a privilage... and this is totally by choice, I sink an average of two grand of unclaimed expences from my own pocket... And like I said, I'm ok with that because its my choice and my desire to pump a little extra into a show... As it is, its a 60 mile round trip to the theater.. sometimes for both my wifes car and mine.. but that too is ok... becuase I choose to do it. But in truth, my only pay that's worth anything at all is to be able to sit in our balcony and watch the faces of the audince and thier reactions.. It looks like I won't get that pay, because I have to step up to do the lights. Apparently, the word is out amoung those who don't get paid, that there are no other positions than thiers which are getting paid... Just for my friends from the home theater, be prepaired... This Will be a topic of discussion in the near future. Other than the musicians that are not necessarily theater types anyway, I am moving for a ban on money!... It corupts the meaning and causes constant bickering... Rant complete..
	Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.."
	IP Logged

red diva Celebrity Joined: 5/15/06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 199	Posted: 11/30/06 at 6:23pm
	Couldn't agree with you more, Marty.....did you ever think you'd hear that from me????? Good luck with bringing it up at a future meeting. I brought it up last month, I think it was, and was VICIOUSLY attacked and shouted down. I'm not sure if you were at that meeting, but I was given the impression that it was a closed subject, that it had been discussed before, and that they were tired of it. BUT....please don't let that deter you from broaching it again. I would appreciate the support, since the only ones at that meeting that seemed to be in favor of going back to no stipends were my hubby and me.
	"I've worked long and hard to earn the right to be called Diva!"
	IP Logged

suzecue1 Star Joined: 9/19/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 90	Posted: 12/01/06 at 9:29am
	In our CT, the directors do not get paid. We do budget $500-1000 for music. This can be divided between the music director, piano accompanist and pit orchestra, or not. We offer it and the director can choose to take it or not. More often than not they say no thanks, because they know that no one else gets paid, and divide it between the pit orchestra players for their time. On the other hand, our CT offers a children's drama workshop each summer. It is a part of, but run separate from, the CT. Different board, not all CT members, I am the director. All the adult staff get paid the same amount. Now it is a little different from a regular show. The workshops are 2 weeks long, from 9 am to 3 pm for staff, and then 6 shows total. So, those of us who work have to take time off work, or work our vacation time. Most of my staff are teachers, so they are off anyway. We get paid $700.00 per workshop. I kept track of my hours the first year I was director. It figured to be about $1 and hour. But it is better than a stick in the eye.
	Sue ***** So many hats.....so few heads!
	IP Logged

tristanrobin Celebrity Joined: 4/25/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 704	Posted: 12/01/06 at 6:37pm
	Marty, you seem to have missed an important statement in my post: We receive grants for stipends. Council on the Arts, Proctor & Gamble, and Citizens Bank all grant our theatre and the funds are used for stipends. If we had to pay all the stipends from ticket sales, we wouldn't be able to pay them either. Our theatre realized about 15 years ago that without stipends, we couldn't compete in the community theatre world here. And, as we couldn't afford to raise ticket prices enough to cover them, we actively and vigorously pursued grant options. Our grant from the Council on the Arts, for example, is ONLY good for paying artists. It cannot be used for anything else. I look at the amateur theatre just as professional theatre. Hell - they could get amateurs to work for free on Broadway too! But if they want the best available, they have to pay. Same with amateur theatre - at least in my area. There is great competition for directors, designers, and musical directors. I wouldn't change theatres because one might pay more (heh heh - unless it was a LOT more LOL) - but I would if ours didn't pay at all and others did.
	IP Logged

teridtiger Star Joined: 10/24/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 69	Posted: 12/03/06 at 9:17pm
	We're in Chula Vista, a ten-minute drive from downtown San Diego. We are one of a handful of community theaters still operating on a 100% volunteer basis (i.e., no stipends, no salaries). The grants in the area (and the rest of Southern California) all go to the "biggies" - The Old Globe, The La Jolla Playhouse and the like. By the way, The Globe still operates as a 501c3 non-profit theatre, so the majority of the $$ go to them. It is becoming increasingly difficult to operate without paying stipends to directors. I am finding it difficult to get "new blood" as far as directors go because it seems that most other theaters pay something. And with gas prices what they are in Southern California, I am considering proposing to the board that we offer some sort of stipend (or 'gas stipend' as another theatre 40 miles north of us calls it). However, with only 60 seats and 18 performances per show (at 6 shows a year), we just break even. Where does one look for grants specifically offering money to pay stipends?
	IP Logged

eveharrington Celebrity Joined: 8/28/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 198	Posted: 12/03/06 at 11:35pm
	We are even having talks about starting to give a stipend to the primary set builder and set dresser. It never ends... [/QUOTE] Oh, it will end, just short of actually paying performers no doubt.
	"If nothing else, there's applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights."
	IP Logged