How do broadway salaries work?

[ace33]

Posted: 8/31/10 at 11:48pm

im sure it's been covered before but i did a quick search and couldnt find much.

I hear people about talking about slaries in "dollars per week" rather than "per year" like most of us normal muggles earn.

Can someone break down what this equates to/how it works?

Whats the average salary for the diffrent types of roles? (i'm not even going to try to understand how the equity union works).

Also, when an actor is out sick etc, does he not get paid?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 8/31/10 at 11:51pm

On a Broadway Production contract (that is any show except for Disney shows, which have different rules), all actors a MINIMUM of $1605 per week. There are several things that can increase their weekly salary:

- Understudy
- Specialty
- High Risk
- Set Moves
-Etc.

[singtopher]

Posted: 8/31/10 at 11:53pm

This should help for most of your questions.

http://www.actorsequity.org/agreements/agreements.asp?code=001

Click on salaries and rates on the right side of the screen.

Because most productions/contracts don't last more than a year, there is no way you can assign an annual salary to the contract of an actor. Hence the weekly rate.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 8/31/10 at 11:54pm

Whoops! I forgot that as of yesterday, actors got a raise. $1,653 is the new minimum weekly salary.

[ace33]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 12:00am

i am guessing this is before taxes?

[singtopher]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 12:08am

Yes. And 10% for agents and 10-20% for managers (if you have one, or both).

[ace33]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 12:18am

ah forgot about the agents and managers... but wow thats a lot for agents/managers! I guess Actors dont make as much money as i thought.

I'm just thinking to myself, "you mean that understudy/ensemble person in the background is making $1600/week minimum?! I'm in the wrong profession!"

(not saying that the stuff isnt easy, but the actors make it look so easy and fun! so im just being envious that i sit behind a desk all day)

[singtopher]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 12:29am

Well, nice work if you can get it. There are around 17,000 equity actors in NY, and if every Broadway theatre had a show running with 25 actors, thats still only about 900 actors employed at that level (0.05% of the actor population). (And understudies often earn more than the person they are understudying)

[bluebubbles]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 12:49am

Does anybody know what constitutes "extreme risk"?

[willep]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 12:54am

Why do understudies earn more?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 1:01am

(1) "Extraordinary risks" are defined as performing acrobatic feats;
suspension from trapezes, wires, or like contrivances; the use of or
exposure to weapons, fire, pyrotechnic devices and the taking of
dangerous leaps, falls, throws, catches, knee drops, or slides.

The salary rates on the Disney Production Contract are the same as the League rates, though you won't find it on the AEA website since the rule book has not been updated since it expired in 2008 and the rates listed are from 2006.

In addition to the percentages taken out for agents and/or managers Equity also takes 2.25% for working dues.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 1:07am

"Why do understudies earn more?"

Understudies will not always be earning more than the person they are understudying, but it is possible for this to happen. They get increases to the minimum for each role covered, as well as a bump in salary (1/8th of the contractual salary) for every performance that they perform in the understudied role.

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 1:16am

These are always my favorite kinds of threads on this board. I get the ART, I get the OBSESSION, and I get the GIRLY FANDOM, but the actual nuts-and-bolts business side of things is fascinating to me, and is the least discussed... probably because so much of it involves private negotiations. I always appreciate the chance to hear more about it.

[mikem]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 1:19am

Not completely on topic, but this seemed like a good place to ask:

Are understudies the only cast members required to have rehearsal after the show opens? My understanding (which may be wrong) is that non-understudies are not required to attend rehearsals after the show opens (although I assume they are required to attend put-ins sometimes). (I am not talking about fight scenes, which are often run through before every performance to avoid injury)

Is understudy rehearsal always once a week, or is it sometimes less often than that?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 1:22am

And remember: the negotiation. The more experience and the more weight your name carries, the more you can start with.

And while 1600 a week might SOUND like a lot, its expensive to live in Manhattan. (I don't know where you sit behind your desk). Not too many young NYers live alone -- roommates are in abundance. In addition to the odds AGAINST you being a working actor, think about how many shows don't even LAST for a year. So there isn't a lot of job security. Not too many b'way actors live lavishly.

[singtopher]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 1:42am

Non-understudies rehearse once the show is up all the time, primarily as part of put in rehearsals. I believe understudy rehearsal is once per week, and they rotate who plays what role in the rehearsal as most parts have multiple understudies and many folks understudy multiple roles.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 1:55am

Non-understudies are allowed to be called up to 8 hours a week for rehearsals. In addition to the aforementioned put in rehearsals they may also be called for brush up rehearsals should the PSM, associate/resident director, dance captain, or fight captain feel there is a note(s) that actually need to be put on their feet and not just talked about. Understudies are allowed to be called an additional four hours above this.

Understudies are typically rehearsed once a week. The actual requirement, as stated in the Production Contract, however, is once every 4 weeks for plays and once every 6 weeks for musicals for each part they are understudying. All understudies, swings, and replacements must have adequate tech rehearsals before they can be required to perform the role in front of an audience. This rehearsal shall include, but not be limited to, rehearsal on the set with such props, lighting effects, mechanical or pyrotechnical devices, weapons, costumes and other cast members as shall be deemed necessary to insure the safety of replacements, Understudies, Swings and the other performing members of the cast.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 2:54am

A visual example of "extraordinary risks".

[BosBroad]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 3:40am

(1) "Extraordinary risks" are defined as performing acrobatic feats;
suspension from trapezes, wires, or like contrivances; the use of or
exposure to weapons, fire, pyrotechnic devices and the taking of
dangerous leaps, falls, throws, catches, knee drops, or slides.


So, by this definition, dancers doing certain lifts and being lifted would qualify?

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 3:55am

I suppose it's possible, but I don't infer that from the quoted passage. I don't see anything resembling a lift defined in any of those examples.
Updated On: 9/1/10 at 03:55 AM

[mikem]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 7:41am

Thanks everybody for all of the great information! I'm curious who actually gets a "put in" before their first performance. I assume that the ensemble members do not, but the 1 - 3 main leads in the show do. How about the next 8 - 10 billed performers (the ones after the biggest parts but billed before the ensemble) -- do they usually get a put in?

And do put ins usually happen with plays?

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 7:58am

Are there understudies who don't necessarily attend a performance if they are not performing? (Because they have no role that day and there are standbys to cover every role they cover.) Or for the few roles that has a different performer for the matinees or a night or two a week (Christine in Phantom and the lead of 13 come to mind), is that performer required to attend every performance?

I ask because my dream is not to be a Broadway lead (I'd get terribly bored doing the same show 8 times a week, and I like my day job), but to be an understudy or matinee performer that only shows up for the tune-up rehearsals and for occasional scheduled performances.

Obviously, with no professional experience, I know this could never happen to me personally, I'm just curious if it's theoretically possible given standard practices.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 8:29am

- Generally speaking, ALL performers get a put-in before they perform in front of a live audience.

- "Extreme risk" may also involve things that seem low-key, such as dancing on a raked stage or climbing a ladder.

- Most of the time, members of the ensemble are understudies, so they perform in the chorus 8 times a week regardless. For smaller shows, such as NEXT TO NORMAL, the understudies & standbys do not perform and only have to check-in & be on-call.

- Yes, they make a LOT of money per week, and yes, a LOT gets taken out for agents, managers, and AEA dues. However, there are also two pluses: 1) You are working only about 3 hours per day (unless it's a two-show day) and also get one day off. 2) Almost EVERYTHING is tax-deductable, from the clothes you wear to the meals you eat to the DVDs you watch and the haircuts you get and even your gym membership. It's all tax-deductable, so taxes are like Christmas for many actors. I even know some actors who, in addition to performing at night, and two matinees a week, also have a side job. One of my friends does web & graphic design during the day. Another friend works for a charity organization as a dayjob.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 8:38am

"How about the next 8 - 10 billed performers (the ones after the biggest parts but billed before the ensemble) -- do they usually get a put in?"

Not usually, but a rehearsal might be held for some of their trickier ensemble bits, often just before the show.

"And do put ins usually happen with plays?"

Depends on the play, the size of the part, and who's in the role. The complication of the put-in also varies. It can range from the actor in question and a stage manger, to a full-blown put-in with full cast, orchestra, costume, lights and sound.

"Are there understudies who don't necessarily attend a performance if they are not performing?"

By definition, an understudy is someone already playing a role in the show who covers a larger role, so generally speaking, the scenario you describe isn't really likely, but I don't know about the unusual examples you offer. Evita was another of those, as was A Chorus Line towards the end in the role of Cassie. In ACL's case, d'Amboise's understudies played other roles and so were always present. I think a situation like yours might happen for someone who is a vacation swing - only associated with the show for short periods of time.

ETA due to cross-post with capnhook:

"Generally speaking, ALL performers get a put-in before they perform in front of a live audience. "

I guess it depends on how you define put-in. I have seen actors go on many times with nothing at all other than their own prep work and maybe a little work with a stage manager.

Also, I think that "extreme risk" can be a little more nebulous, as hook points out. Seemingly innocuous things can lead to injury. Working on a raked stage over a long run can do real damage. You can fall off a ladder. Hell, even an extreme costume could, technically speaking, create a risk.


A walk through Tom Hewitt's put-in in Chicago Updated On: 9/1/10 at 08:38 AM

[Pippin]

Posted: 9/1/10 at 9:24am

" 2) Almost EVERYTHING is tax-deductable, from the clothes you wear to the meals you eat to the DVDs you watch and the haircuts you get and even your gym membership. It's all tax-deductable, so taxes are like Christmas for many actors."

That's not EXACTLY accurate. It depends on what your accountant will let you get away with. for example, mine lets me deduct all dvd's, cd's, movies, theatre tickets for "studying: purposes. But, if I wanted to deduct a particular shirt that I used for auditions, I would only be able to wear the shirt for audiitons, not anytime else, it would HAVE to be acting related.

Same with Gym memberships: If I ONLY used it for theatre purposes, it would count as a business expense, but since I also use it for extracurricular purposes, it doesn't count as a sole business expense.

Meals are only deductable if you talk about the business at some point during the meal. It can literally be one sentence, but something has to be said in order for the meal to be counted as a business expense, otherwise, you are just eating in a restaurant, which is what you would be doing anyway regardless of whether or not you are in a show. The exception is on a two show day, or when you are doing media, or anything business related that causes you to be eating at a place you wouldn't otherwise be eating at if it weren't for your job.

I realize some accountants will fudge the facts and let actors claim whatever they want to, but mine doesn't so I don't get to claim everything I would like to.

Updated On: 9/1/10 at 09:24 AM