Posted: 1/7/16 at 8:36am
I know lead actors typically work 7-8 shows a week. How much time is spent in rehearsals and particularly working with understudies to get them ready?
Posted: 1/7/16 at 9:40am
Andrew Chappelle of Hamilton just answered this question on Twitter recently and he said 30-38 hours per week. He is a swing.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 11:25am
I assume they are salaried employees and not hourly.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 11:31am
Nobody asked about salary, Yankeefan. He just asked how many hours they work. They are salaried.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 12:02pm
As with most questions, generalizing is not especially meaningful. The bare minimum hours for Hamilton is probably at least twice that of, say, Hughie. And an actor's involvement in rehearsals and promotional varies allover the place depending on role, stature, and the nature of the show.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 12:41pm
"Nobody asked about salary, Yankeefan. He just asked how many hours they work. They are salaried."
I can read and and know the question that was asked. Is it a crime to ask another one in a thread - wow
Posted: 1/7/16 at 12:48pm
Posted: 1/7/16 at 1:24pm
Kad said: "Actors on a union contract will always be salaried. "''
What's the maximum amount of hours per week an actor can be required to work? I assume there is a limit, but couldn't find anything specific.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 1:55pm
yankeefan7 said: ""Nobody asked about salary, Yankeefan. He just asked how many hours they work. They are salaried."
I can read and and know the question that was asked. Is it a crime to ask another one in a thread - wow
But you didn't ask another one.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 2:09pm
While they are basically Salary workers, they do ,by Union contract, get time and 1/2 for shows that land on Holidays. As to the 30-38 hour work week , I would say 30 hours would be typical and the 38 hour would be more for Put-In's and extra rehearsals.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 2:24pm
The Production Contract salary allows for eight shows per week plus eight hours of rehearsal.
This makes it possible to do a four hour understudy rehearsal on Thurs afternoon plus a four hour put in rehearsal on Friday with the entire company and not pay the actors any extra.
The week would then be: Wed mat/evening, Thurs reh/eve, Fri, reh/eve, Sat mat/eve, Sun mat and off until Tue eve. This is the ideal Broadway actor schedule allowing for the most time off for the actor though many shows do not adhere to it .
Of course, full company rehearsals for a put in are not needed every week and understudy rehearsal may be held on Fri. Does this answer your question?
Posted: 1/7/16 at 2:32pm
as is so often the case here, people have responded with a mix of accurate, inaccurate and semi-accurate information. Since you seem interested, Dave13, I recommend looking at the Production Rulebook in the document library on the equity website. You'll have a good reference to everything, and an awareness that the answer is not a linear one. And as I said before, it is wildly variant depending more than anything on the show's running time.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 3:39pm
Mike Costa said: "The Production Contract salary allows for eight shows per week plus eight hours of rehearsal.
This makes it possible to do a four hour understudy rehearsal on Thurs afternoon plus a four hour put in rehearsal on Friday with the entire company and not pay the actors any extra.
The week would then be: Wed mat/evening, Thurs reh/eve, Fri, reh/eve, Sat mat/eve, Sun mat and off until Tue eve. This is the ideal Broadway actor schedule allowing for the most time off for the actor though many shows do not adhere to it .
Of course, full company rehearsals for a put in are not needed every week and understudy rehearsal may be held on Fri. Does this answer your question?
"
Thank you! That does answer my question. Just getting a sense of the typical actor schedule. Also, Thanks Hogan's Hero. I will take a look.
Posted: 1/7/16 at 7:34pm
Besides length of show it also depends on any calls before shows that a specific show might have. For instance MATILDA calls all performers involved in any of the following things one hour prior to each performance to rehearse for safety: The Swings (Physical Swings not Actors who are "Swings"
, The Gymnastics Scene, and The "Toss"
Posted: 1/7/16 at 7:43pm
Kad said: "Actors on a union contract will always be salaried. "
For a Production Contract, yes, but there are several contracts (Off-Broadway, TYA, and probably a few others) that do have a "Per Performance" option, in which case rehearsals are also paid at an hourly rate.
