paying directors
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Theater Administration
Forum Name: Money Talk
Forum Discription: Questions about fundraising and promotion
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4543
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 1:06am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: paying directors
Posted By: DWCle
Subject: paying directors
Date Posted: 3/24/10 at 8:02pm
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I'm interested in knowing how much you pay the following . . directors - straight plays
directors - musicals
musical directors
stage managers
choreographers
Thank you.
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Replies:
Posted By: JoeMc
Date Posted: 3/24/10 at 11:12pm
We only use the currency of Applause ! So why pay $ as our most valuable reuseable resource in comeatre is people. ------------- [western] Gondawandaland "Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
Posted By: 75director
Date Posted: 3/25/10 at 12:06pm
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At our theatre I'm staff and do most of the directing, however, we do usually hire a guest director for one show a season (currently a 6 show mainstage season). So with that in mind here's the pay for hiring people in: Director - straight play - $1,000 Director - musical - (we don't hire out the directing of musicals) Music Director - $800 Stage manager - don't pay Choreographers - between $300-$500 We also pay the rehearsal accompanist for musicals, that's $300 Whatever you pay will vary depending on your location though. We're in a relatively small community. Up the road 40 miles in a larger city I know the amount of pay for all these positions is much higher. |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 3/26/10 at 12:46pm
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I got "paid" a $50 gift card to a local restaurant for directing a straight play. I certainly wasn't expecting it; all positions (except musicians) are volunteer around here. ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Posted By: KEB54
Date Posted: 3/28/10 at 12:08am
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Boy! This is a huge variable. I guess you set a policy an stick to it.
In my area it varies a lot and the job description varies, too. In the theatre I most direct in it is something like:
directors - straight plays - $1,000
directors - musicals - $1,000
musical directors - $800
stage managers - $250
choreographers - $400
But all the area CT are different.
My wife directs High School as a contracted employee. Hers is:
directors - straight plays -$2,000
directors - musicals - $2,000
musical directors -$750
stage managers - $0
choreographers - $200
But she donates back much of her salary to pay for the lead set builder, costume rentals and building, prop rental and building, and other experts when she needs them such as lighting and sound designers, etc. She seldom realizes half of what she is "paid".
------------- KEB |
Posted By: lparks
Date Posted: 4/01/10 at 3:01pm
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At Bloomington Rep, we pay as follows: Stage Director (Me): $0, which I receive a salary as Artistic Director Musical Director and/or Choreographer: $300 each Resident Production & Design Team (Prod. Stage Manager, Lighting, Sets & Wardrobe): $250-$500 per person, per production, depending on the show. These position are hired on a season-wide 'contract' basis. Production Crew, Workshop Crew and Actors are volunteers. A majority of our production running team, including our resident stage manager, comes from the High School Technical theater Dept. ------------- Landon Parks, Producing Artistic Director, Bloomington Repertory Theatre Co |
Posted By: dramatically
Date Posted: 7/10/10 at 8:19pm
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We paid $400 for directors, $400 for musical directors, $200 choreographers, $100 musicians. The tech director is underpaid at $1600 a year. ------------- http://www.dramaticallycorrect.com - http://www.dramaticallycorrect.com http://www.dramaticallycorrect.com/costumeorganize - http://www.dramaticallycorrect.com/costumeorganize |
Posted By: Theatermama
Date Posted: 8/06/10 at 12:27am
| Totally varies in our town. The bigger professional theaters either pay equity wage or a fair wage. Most community theater is volunteer only. Last year we took on a big project of Babes in Arms and we felt it was important to pay key staff. We set a budget to pay Director (that was me) and Choreographer $800 each, lighting designer about $500, Orchestra director about $300 and sound guy $200 but we were not able to meet desired budget but were able to pay 75% threshhold for these positions and I didn't really get paid - I donated mine back to the community theater as their portion and this was the music director's baby so he didn't take any money at all which would have made each of the others earn less. We even had enough to give small token gifts to the student interns and pay all royalties and expenses. It was the first time in a long time that any postions were paid. The orchestra was all volunteer except teh director. We really hope to do it again with our next spring musical but we never promise any payments - it is just a nice surprise when we can. I tell them we will try to pay a stipend if I can and the more tickets we sell and the more ads we get enables us to do this and it is amazing how much they will help with these things when they know it will benefit them. |
Posted By: Theatermama
Date Posted: 8/06/10 at 10:57am
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I should add, that my parents knew I wasn't really taking money, as part of the reason we do plays is so the homeless community theater has enough to pay our storage rental units and have enough to do other plays so they all chipped in and got me a visa gift card which I was so touched by. I am not used to being paid, I am more used to paying for the priviledge as all most all of our youth theater is tuition based and community theater never has the money for the kind of costumes or set I want so I just get them, thank goodness I have a payroll job to support my theater habit.
I have been paid to costume here in town starting at $100 and going up to $400 for the summer musical camp where I purchase and create costumes for 25-30 students some in mulitple costumes. (I have been doing this for 7 of the last 8 summers) I get a $10 per costume budget and Goodwill is my friend. This year was at the low end of pay as all I had to do was coordinate what the kids brought in and do just some minor sewing and designing but I also stayed at camp as a kid wrangler of sorts for 4 weeks and $100 - least amount I was ever paid and I paid for both of my boys to be there as well (usually I get one tuition free). For Babes, one of my parents did the costumes and she didn't want to be paid, it was her donation as her daughter was one of my leads and she appreciated that I was trying to do a merit based, not a tuition based show with kids. Often I just costume shows I direct to save money and I like to do it. I use high school talent alot especially for sound, and stage managing and sometimes lighting and they are thrilled to do it and if you can give them gas money, they think that is great and it really helps build their resume.
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Posted By: lparks
Date Posted: 8/08/10 at 5:34am
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Call this my lack of experience - I do not agree that people should be offering box office shares (which is essentially what this is). That's about like telling the McDonalds worker you might pay him if HE sells enough Hamburgers. If your realistic marketing plan does not include enough income to pay people, then you should not make any mention of pay. If you do great, surprise everyone! That is just my opinion on the matter, which can be applied to ANY profession, not just theatre. Am I the only one who's see's it this way? ------------- Landon Parks, Producing Artistic Director, Bloomington Repertory Theatre Co |
Posted By: Pied Piper
Date Posted: 8/09/10 at 10:59am
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We are a non-profit that produces one show per year. Are these staff figures out of line?
Director..................................$4,600.00 Music director .......................$1,500.00
Costumer..............................$500.00 Choregrapher........................$300.00Assistant director..................$300.00
Script writer...........................$200.00
Children's coordinator............$100.00
The director is a professional from Indianapolis. There are three performances and about 20 rehearsal dates. |
Posted By: lparks
Date Posted: 8/09/10 at 11:17am
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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 - 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! ------------- Landon Parks, Producing Artistic Director, Bloomington Repertory Theatre Co |
Posted By: Theatermama
Date Posted: 8/09/10 at 11:31am
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Wow, is that what a professional director gets? $230 a rehearsal? Once the show is in peformance it is your Stage Manager's job - is he also acting as stage manager? - you don't have that person listed.
That seems a bit high to me for the Director, is that what he/she asked for or what they are being paid in Indianapolis?
I think the rest of the figures look similar to what I have seen in Bloomington, the music director is also a little higher than I have seen but depends on what they are doing. If they also need to be at every rehearsal and are teaching the music - I think the director and music director should be closer together in salary.
As a costumer of 26-30 kids in a summer camp musical for the last 8 years, I have been paid anywhere from $150 to $400 but our directors for those shows made under $2000 and the Music director made the same or maybe a couple of hundred less for a 3-4 week all day summer camp that produced a full show at the end. It has been different every year. So that is really all I have to draw on. I was on the board of a long standing theater company (celebrating 30 years) for several years and I do not remember the budget for any traveling director to be that high either.
Sure makes me want to be a professional director though.
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Posted By: Theatermama
Date Posted: 8/09/10 at 11:41am
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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. |
Posted By: Pied Piper
Date Posted: 8/09/10 at 12:31pm
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Not sure on what membership(s) she may belong to, but she's been director in the Indy area for more than 20 years.
Our group is not a community theater, per se. The local education foundation first hired this director 15 years ago to do a local musical fundraiser feature local "talent" (usually 20 to 30 adults/high school age performers and 40 to 60 8th grade and under - most of whom this is the only show they do that year). The foundation dropped it, another organization did it for two years and then stopped and our group formed a year ago to do the show and raise money for arts-related causes and scholarships in the community.
Our total budget is about $13,000 (really about $11,500 since a commerative T-shirt for cast members and DVD sales to cast members is a wash in terms of expense/revenue). So we're looking at nearly two-thirds of our budget going toward creative salaries - which seems high when you're a non-profit trying to raise money to do arts things in the community.
I am the board treasurer, and the main two people who "founded" the group have not shared past records. The director sent the salary schedule to the producer (and our board president) on the day of the first performance. He had no idea what the salaries were going to be prior to that e-mail.
In reviewing some posts in this and other forums, we're paying our director twice as much as the highest amount I've seen.
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Posted By: Rorgg
Date Posted: 8/18/10 at 12:42pm
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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. |