How hard is living while being a performer?

The current minimum for any performer on Broadway is $1422 per week.

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Much easier than the alternative.

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1422 is a pretty reasonable amount I think. There is always room for a little more money but around a $73K a year salary is pretty good. That's also really good for the average age of the people who probably get paid that (Guessing that a lot of the chorus/swing members are in their mid-20s-ish)

actually most of the people on Broadway are in their 30's maaaaybe late 20's. The real hardcore dancers maybe are in their 20's but there are plenty of actors in their 30's. Also keep in mind that with Bush in office taxes are rediculous. So there's a huge chunk that comes out for taxes. Then there's union fees, agent fees etc. I mean when it's all said and done it's no where near that. Add to the cost of living in NYC, the fact that an actor's entire time goes into performing, and the fact that MOST actors don't work non-stop on broadway, you can start to realize that while being a performer on broadway will get you a decent living, they are not rolling in the dough.

On what planet is $1422 a week not that much? I don't make that much in a month.

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Well you probably have your job continuously, Broadway actors don't. Also the American Dollar goes a lot less further in New York than it does in a lot of places. Like I said before after all the fees an actor is prob making about $1000 per week. 52,000 a year in NYC really isn't a lot of money beleive me. When you've got a home and family to take care of it's not much.

that may seem a lot of us suburbans, but how much is the average rent cost in NYC? do most ppl live in the city? etc.

Well, If you aren't doing it because you love it, then go be a Doctor or Lawyer. The real honor is waking up and knowing you are blessed to be doing what is in your Heart. "What I did for Love".

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Maybe you guys don't realize how much it costs to live in the New York City area, but most apartments are very expensive. And if you have a family, and need more than one bedroom, the price steadily increases.

$1400, or around there, is difficult to live on if you live in New York City.

I've lived pretty close to the bone on around $30 thousand give or take a couple thousand) a year for many years in NY, and it ain't easy. I'd take $1422 per week ANYDAY over the jobs I've had up to now.

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For our Broadway talent, $1422 is a disgracefully low salary. Lawyers starting at the big Manhattan firms are making $125,000 to $150,000 a year and our top level theatre talent should be receiving at least the same.

A decent modern one bedroom apartment with a doorman in NYC can easily run $2500 a month. Add to that voice, dance and acting lessons. Head shots. Demo CDs. Money for a stylish wardrobe for publicity and press shots.

It's a very tough business, to stay constantly working amidst so much competition, ever more youthful than you are. Most actors have to grind a second job just to pay rent, which gives them no ownership or equity investment in the long run.

And those actors managing to raise a family at the same time deserve a lot of support and respect. European countries have more support and subsidies for artists, and it is unfortunate that the United States does not. For example, some European countries sponsor the arts to the tune of $18 or more per annum per person of population. In the U.S. with the NEA so decimated, it is less than 50 cents.

nomdeplume, Very few people who live in New York can afford to live in a modern one bedroom apartment because yes, they do cost $2500 on average. A lot of adults live in 500 square foot studios in a walk up building with no amenities and do their laundry at the corner laundry mat. That's one of the sacrafices you make for living in NYC. Don't expect to live in an apartment similar to any other city. Only those who work in the finance, law firm, etc. fields would live by themselves in a nice, modern one bedroom apartment. I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for a minimum of $1400 a week. I know actors work very hard and it takes a lot of luck and drive to actually get a Broadway show but if you make it to that level, you are paid VERY well.