Broadway Actors - How is their pay determined?

[dramaparoxysm23]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 8:39pm

My friend brought up this interesting question, and I was wondering how actors on Broadway are paid? Is it a set amount, per performance, seats sold, how well-known they are, or a combination?

[Broadway_Boy]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 10:53pm

I know that the minimun a broadway performer can be paid is about $1500 a week, thats for anyone including ensemble members.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/28/05 at 10:55pm

Equity scale is $1422 per week.

Above the marquee actors get paid a range of prices. Nathan Lane and Matthew broderick are getting $100 grand for Odd Couple.


There are a lot of threads on this already :). Updated On: 12/28/05 at 10:55 PM

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 5:56am

One Hundred Thousand Dollars a week buys an awful lot of impulse items one would reckon...

[DTBG2]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 6:20am

one would..

[respeck]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 6:36am

All I know is Equity sets a minimum for each specific part in every show. So leads and supporting get more than ensemble, or whatever. It's set. Of course this is just minimum so it can go up for more well know actors or if the producers want to pay everyone more I guess. Also I hear that when revivals are done, Equity look at their old settings and increase them with inflation and such.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 10:30am

Yankee Fan: Don't spread rumors. Lane and Broderick have repeatedly said that they are not making anything close to what has been reported. Interestingly the same salary was reported for the second run of the producers AND for Lane's turn in the U.K. None of those reports are true. Just because the press prints it, doesn't make it so.

Yes, they are making more money because they their names are over the marquee and because their contract sets their take, but contracts can be negotiated for a % of the B.O. or for lots of other salary 'adds'. No one knows the particulars of their particular contracts except the producers, their lawyers, agents and the actors. And in many cases, contracts forbid them from discussing the particulars.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 2:52pm

Interesting...

[Jon]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 2:58pm

respeck - you are mistaken. There are only TWO types of minimum salary on Broadway - "Principal" and "Chorus". It doesn't matter how big the role is. If you play a character with a name and lines, you are a principal. There is no minimum salry for lead roles versus supporting roles.

[respeck]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 7:11pm

Really? Well thanks for straightening that out :) I heard that a long time ago from the tour of Kiss Me Kate, I guess it was wrong.

[moowithme111105]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 7:21pm

Yes, they do make a quite good bit of money, but then again, living in New York isn't the cheapest thing either...

Posted: 12/29/05 at 11:59pm

actually jon, i THINK you may be mistaken too.
just because an actor has lines,a name or a song doesn't necessarily mean they are on a principle (white) contract. in les miserables, there are only THREE principle contracs..Valjean, Javert and Fantine. EVERYONE else is on a chorus contract. salaries can STILL be negotiated on a chorus contract, so eponine, marius, cosette, thenardiers, enjolras probably make more but they are on chorus contracts. this means that they can give four weeks notice at any time and leave the show but they can not collect unemployment. white principle contracts CAN however collect unemployment once the contract is up. unless something has changed that i don't know about, thats how it works.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:05am

yup i would definately take Andrew's word for it she knows this stuff, wow that is soooo weird that Eponine, Marius, Cosette, and the Thenardier's are on chorus contracts...i would imagine they all would love to be doing some negotiating

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:08am

i could be wrong ..thats how it USED to be though..i am sure that hasn't changed. i think its a travisty but what can ya do?
i wish that if you had a name or lines you had a principle contract...producers can get away with a lot these days..but equity allows it! what can ya do?!

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:11am

but it could apply differently for every show, could it not?

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:15am

it is different for every show, i was just using les miz as an example. for some reason, they try to do so many shows with the fewest principle contracts. i am sure its a money thing.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:17am

hmm...i find this so very interesting! It probably is a money thing, those producers and their money...*shakes head*

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:23am

damn them!

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:33am

hehe

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:55am

The only thing that's set is the Equity minimum of $1422/week. Everything else is negotiable. So bottom line everyone you see on a Broadway stage is making at LEAST $1422. Principals make anywhere from that up to perhaps $50,000 - 100,000+/week -- though only a TINY number of performers have EVER made that (for example, I would imagine that Billy Crystal was making a few hundred thousand weekly doing his show "700 SUNDAYS" -- considering he was producing it as well as starring in it and it grossed $1 million+ most weeks).

It's extremely rare for even a "star" to make more than $20K - $50K per week, though some with major names beyond the Broadway arena also get a small percentage of box office if the show is doing well. Performers who have taken over starring roles, but are not "names" beyond Broadway, are "new-ish" and haven't developed a career that includes tv and film, VERY rarely make more than $5000 - 10,000 per week (regardless of what rumors you might hear or what you see on fan websites). Most are in the $2500 to 5000 range.

Updated On: 12/30/05 at 01:55 AM

[jimmirae]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 1:56am

I always wondered about the role of "Eponine" since she is also onstage before Eponine's entrance as one of the hookers in "Lovely Ladies". Was there a lack of ensemble or was it mandatory the actress performing "Eponine" appear as a hooker as well. (Now I am thinking on contract/salary lines...)

[thespian geek]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 3:59am

I don't think it's a "lack" of ensemble, just that the actress was free to do the opening of the show, so they had her be one of the whores instead of hiring another actress. Saves money. :)

My two questions are:

1. Do off-Broadway actors make the same as Broadway? I'd imagine the minimum is still the same, since off-Broadway is Eq, too.. but I'm still curious.

2. How about u/s and swings?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 4:35am

Understudies and swings on Broadway make at least the Equity minimum of $1422 (as I said, EVERYONE on a Broadway stage makes at least that). They make more when they actually go on (not a LOT more -- there's a certain amount per show that they get; I can't remember exactly what, but I recall that it's less than $100). Standbys often make more, depending on experience and "name."

Off-Broadway has a lower pay scale than Broadway (as do regional Equity houses around the country). It's based, more or less, on the number of seats in the theatre -- the rates for each theatre are negotiated individually with Equity, though there are certain basic guidelines. There are LORT (League of Resident Theatres) A, B and C contracts which you can learn more about through Google, if you're really interested.

Actors typically make less than $1000 per week for commercial off-Broadway, though some make more (again "names" can demand a couple of thousand) and, depending on the theatre and the contract, many make much less, especially with the not-for-profit theatres. Making $500-800 per week is not unusual.

There's also something called the Equity Showcase contract which allows Equity members to be part of a play with a limited run, for little or no compensation. Equity-approved "Showcases" are generally only allowed in certain major cities (NYC, LA, Chicago) which have thousands of actors and very little paying work. Equity limits the number of hours of rehearsal time a production can require of its members and the number of weeks of performances an actor acn be contracted for (5, I believe -- if a show is a hit and extends, the producers have to start paying the actors at at least the Equity minimum rate contractually determined for that theatre), but in return, showcases give Equity actors a chance to work, be seen and build their resume. Some shows that went on to success in commercial off-Broadway and Broadway began as showcases and have given many actors their "big breaks." But obviously, the vast majority are just opportunities to act. And I've had friends who ended up winning or being nominated for Drama Desks, Lortel Awards and Obies from their participation in Equity showcases, who made just a few hundred dollars for a couple of months of work.

Updated On: 12/30/05 at 04:35 AM

[loridunn]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 4:46am

Margo thank-you so much. I read a lot of your posts and was waiting for you to come in and solve yet another problem.

[Jon]

Posted: 12/30/05 at 9:15am

There are small Equity regional theatres that pay Equity actors as little as $200 a week. However, they only do 5 performances or less per week, not 8. They are also very limited as far as rehearsal hours, so the perfomers can "keep their day jobs" as the expresson goes.

I work at a theatre that's on a CAT (Chicago Area Theatres) Tier 3 contract. The tiers are determined by potential weekly gross (number seats x ticket price). Equity minimum us $319.75, but we typically pay $350 to $500, depening on the sixze of the role. We are only allowed to do six performances a week, and can only rehearse a total of 30 hours a week (larger theatres on higher pay tiers can rehearse up to 48 hours a week).

Clarification: We COULD add more performances or rehearsal hours if we needed to, but we'd have ot pay overtime.
Updated On: 12/30/05 at 09:15 AM