Which is better financially? Touring or Broadway?

[Azuah.]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 10:54pm

I've been wondering this for a while, and was wondering what you guys think.

I think touring is better, because you can basically write off everything you buy, and you get to travel the country/world for free!

thoughts?

[ThankstoPhantom]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 11:58pm

Working on tour can provide many benefits. Housing is payed for, travel is payed for, stipends are often given for some extra living expenses...it's a great way to save up some money.

[Robert Taylor]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 12:00am

I would definitely say touring because you don't have to rent the theater, right?

[Liza + Jesus = Patti]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 12:03am

the theatre gets part of the profit, so technically you ARE renting it.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 12:05am

I'm going to say touring. Only really popular shows that touring companies KNOW will sell tickets tour, so as to make sure the limited runs are basically sold out every night. Sure, there have been a few exceptions. AVENUE Q and HAIRSPRAY have had some difficulty because of subject matter (maybe not so much the latter now, seeing as it's much more popular now than when it first began touring). But the money is basically guaranteed to pour in on tour (what with lowered ticket prices, bigger houses meaning more seats meaning more money to make, accessible theaters for those who can't make it to Bway, etc.) whereas on Broadway you kind of go in expecting the best and if it's a hit, it's a hit. If not, it's not.

So I would say touring.

[Azuah.]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 1:11am

yeah, the thing that interested me the most was everything you could write off. Clothes, food, even buying music!

It seriously seems like the best job when it comes to working in Musical theatre.

[dented146]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 2:31am

From what I've been told, touring shows are generally more profitable but the profits are split between the original producers and the local theater interests. Therefore the original producers end up with less than their cut from the Broadway production

[lesmis]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 6:05am

I know actors get a per diem on tour. Do they use that to pay for hotels, food, etc. or is it just extra money?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 6:38am

It's for hotel and SOME food.

You cannot "write off" everything. You cant write off lodging and food because you are getting a stipend on it. You can't write off entertainment clothes or music since that is for use during your PERSONAL time. (ie. you would still buy clothes if you were home.) You can only write off clothes if you are using it IN the show. (like your own tap shoes for example.)

I don't know if the OP was talking about the producers or the actors doing better financially.

Pay scale for actors is GENERALLY lower on tour. MOST actors still maintain a permanent address for which they are responsible. (some can and will sublet...but not all) I know an actor that had to negotiate HARD to receive the same pay he was already recieving ON B'way for the tour that THEY were pushing for him to do.

[temms]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 9:29am

I think the original poster was asking from the standpoint of the actor, not the production. In that sense, it's a trade-off. On an Equity tour, you make a per diem every week in addition to your paycheck. It's usually around $800/wk, depending on the city (you get a higher per diem in cities like San Francisco that are more expensive). This is tax-free and used for housing and whatever else you want.

Tours in that case don't provide your housing for you - they scout out options and make reservations for the company, but you have to pay. It's up to you whether you want your own room or whether you want to save money and share. Some people with family or friends in a city stay with them for free and pocket their entire per diem. But most actors on tour can bank their whole paycheck and live day-to-day off their per diem, meaning they come home to a much-fattened bank account.

The drawback is not living at home. Touring is a good way to save a big bundle of cash relatively quickly, but you do put your entire life on hold while you traipse from hotel room to hotel room for however long you're out. Most people can only do that for so long until they decide they want to have something like a real life again.

[Azuah.]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 1:37pm

But I heard from a actor on tour that they can write off music and clothes.
He told me that when he got on tour, he bought like $2000 in clothes, and he got to write it off for some reason I can't remember.
and a different actor from the same show got to write off music for some sort of artistic development.

Plus, in one of those spring awakening meet the class interviews, one of the actors wrote that he keeps receipts of lunches and stuff with the cast so he can write it off..

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 1:47pm

"yeah, the thing that interested me the most was everything you could write off. Clothes, food, even buying music!"

If you are a performer, you can always right that stuff off, down to make-up, beauty supplies, DVD rentals, etc. You just have to prove that these items are needed in your performing.

I don't think clothes count, unless you have a good accountant who could write it off as 'audition clothing', but even that has a limit.

[toddlisatyriem]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 4:07pm

I'd say YES - TAX DEDUCTIBLE on the question of clothes. While on tour, the cast is invited to cocktails and appearences most days or nights in each city with local groups. Since these appearences are work related, they could write off a portion of the clothes if they keep reciepts and itneraries of the meet and greets.

As for music.... not sure how they could write that off.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 7:27pm

Ummmm...they don't have those MOST days. And even when they do, it's optional most of the time.