community theater vs. regional theater — Page 2

If the "actors" fill out their income tax returns and put "Dentist", "Lawyer", "Car Salesman", or anything other than "actor" in the space marked "occupation", then it's a community theatre.

True, there are community theatres that "look" better than most of the regional theatres out there. The Omaha Community Playhouse has a facility that rivals the fanciest regional theatre in the country. They pay everyone EXCEPT the actors. I recently say an ad in one of the trde publications. They were looking to hire a resident costume coordinator. The job pays $65,000 a year. The directors, choreographers, and designers are well paid. The sets are Broadway quality. The shows DON'T run one or two weekends. They run six shows a week for four weeks.

In the 1970's, there were three Equity dinner theatres in Omaha. By the 1990's they were all gone. They couldn't compete with the Community Playhouse, which can put 50 people on the stage and not worry about paying them.

Gotta throw my $.02 in on this one.

In my opinion there are two types of community theatre. The first is the local "insert town name" Theatre Guild. They usually do one maybe two shows a year. Both are big musicals, usually standards. The only people paid are the technical staff (Directors, Choreographers, Set/light designer)and the cast is not compensated. The cast is usually filled with people who loved doing their high school musicals because it was "fun" and a big party. They usually don't like doing work and only view this as fun, don't get me wrong it can be both, but the work shoudl come first. These people may be your local dentist, paperboy, secretary or shop owner. There is very much the high school musical feel to this kind of community theatre and it can be fun, but don't always expect quality, just a lot of enthusiasm(sp?). Also the shows are usually performed in the local high school auditorium.

The second example is slighty more professional. The company produces a full season. Usually has a more professional name to its company and has its own playhouse. The season will consist of 5 or 6 productions of mostly plays but maybe 1 or 2 musicals. Everyone is paid. Actors get a stipend, or honorarium(sp?), it's usually not much for the actors but its something for their time ($200-$800 usually). The productions are fully supported by local companys and the sets and costumes usually show the financial backing the theatre receaves. The actors tend to be a bit more serious, however like the above example every theatre has their Divas who play roles they have no business playing. Also alot of these actors have moved back from NYC after modest success but have now gotten married and have kids. Other actors are on their way up and many make it. This tends to be a great experiance and usually worth your money.....sometimes the productions put on are better than the local Regional theatre for various reasons.


Don't knock community theatre. There are about 3 or 4 in my city that fit the second mold and these 3 or 4 have produced the likes of Nicolette Hart, Michael Parks, Janine Lamanna, John Bolton and Steve Rosen(Spamalot!), Taye Diggs and Phillip Seymore Hoffman.

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Updated On: 9/20/05 at 10:01 AM

First of all, not all professional theatre's are Equity. In Chicago, most of the theatre's are non-equity. There was actually a recent article on Performink.com in regards to this. I'm sure it's still there if you look for it. In Chicago, many, many, many of the non-equity theatre's also do not pay (or pay maybe a $50 bonus at the end of a run). These are considered professional theatre's, though, so, again, what is the real difference between community theatre and regional theatre? It's not the equity issue, and it's not the payment issue. And you can't go by what you put on your income tax return. Most Chicago actor's have to work day jobs (desk jobs), and since that is where the majority of their income comes from, that is what they put down on their tax returns--administrative assistant, waitress, secretary, mailroom clerk, etc.). Check out the Performink article--it has some interesting perceptions on the whole thing.

Here come a rant:

Jon,

$250 a week is an insulting rate to pay anyone, let alone an actor. I'm sure you have people who will accept it (especially poor NYC non-eqers), but that does not make it right.

There are a number of non-equity houses that pay their actors over $500/week. many of the non-eq tours are paying close to Equity scale production rates for principles, plus benefits. I'm not saying being non-union is right, but...as someone who is in charge of pay rates for actors, I would hope you would invest more...I know it cuts into profit, but...you'd be able to go home and tell people you do something respectable, instead of making actors take jobs they can't afford by telling them, "Make up your mind - do you want to be a professional actor or not?"

For shame.

**End of rant**

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You are obviously unfamiliar with the Chicago theatre market. The $250 a week we pay to our non-Equity actors is more than 75% of the other Equity theatres in town. In our current production, all the non-equity performers are making more than theuy have ever made in their life. They are used to $100 a week.

We are on an Equity CAT III contract. Our Equity actors get $350 a week. There are Equity CAT I and II theatre that pay LESS THAN THAT!

In the Equity News there is a column called "How I got my Equity Card". This month, it features Raul Esparza. He tells about being offered a non-equity contract at an Equity Theatre in Highland Park (that would be the Apple Tree Theatre), and being told they pay FIFTY BUCKS A WEEK! This was about five years ago. Apple Tree is not some poor little theatre. They have a huge subscriber base, and they often bring in Broadway actors for their lead roles.

By the way, for those who don't know, for every Equity actor who earns $350 a week at our theatre, we have to pay an additional $150 a week for pension and health insurance.

"as someone who is in charge of pay rates for actors, I would hope you would invest more...I know it cuts into profit, but...you'd be able to go home and tell people you do something respectable, instead of making actors take jobs they can't afford by telling them, "Make up your mind - do you want to be a professional actor or not?"

We have NO profit to cut into. We are a Non-Profit theatre. We have been in business for 29 years. In that time, we've seen dozens of theatre go bankrupt. We've seen many more go non-Equity. We are at least employing Equity actors - many of whom are desperate to get their 20 weeks of work a year so they can have insurance - the only tangible benefit to having an Equity card.

There are literally dozens of actors with Broadway, TV and major film credits who got their starts at our theatre. Some were originally hired as Non-Equity, and many got their Equity cards at our theatre.

The founder of this theatre (who also happens to be my mother)recently had to borrow $4000 from her life insurance policy to pay Equity the money owed to Pension & Health.

Don't you DARE say I can't "go home and tell people I do something respectable".

FOR SHAME!!!!!!!

If your theatre has been doing so well, then pay your non-eq people at least $350. You won't have to pay insurance, so you'll still be saving money on them. My point was that if you can afford to pay your actors more, you better pay your actors more.

You are totally right, there are theatres that deserve a significantly worse tongue-lashing than you. But, my mom used to say, "If they jumped off a bridge, would you follow them?" Just because they pay so little, doesn't make you paying slightly more ok. $250/week is just not a livable wage.

My only real argument against your original post was the way you were speaking to your non-Eq actors (who have no life insurance to borrow from to pay their debts). You can be a professional actor without being Equity...and you can very easily be an equity actor and not be a professional. The soundbyte you are using is a misnomer.

The overall thrust of my pissed-offness at theatres is that they decide how to behave based on how other theatres are behaving.

You don't adjust to the market (if you want to be ethical), you make the market adjust to you.

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These numbers are not atypical for professional actors even in New York. I have friends who are Equity actors who work constantly on and off-Broadway, and their Off-Broadway work is often VERY low paid. A good friend of mine won a Lortel and Obie Award for his performance in a play a few years ago and the initial run of the show (which got a rave from the Times that led to it moving) was at a very well-respected off-off-Broadway theatre. For the four week run there he told me he earned a TOTAL of $300 -- and this was an all-Equity cast and production (working under showcase rules). The play later moved to a prominent Off-Broadway theatre where he earned (I believe) slightly less than $700 week.

Other friends have told me of getting $250 to $400 a week for acclaimed performances they've given off-Broadway. And then there are the countless Equity showcases that happen where the actors get paid nothing (or perhaps a piddling bonus at the end of the run). I've seen Tony and Obie winning and nominated actors do plays under that contract many many times -- some of the best work starts in those little 99 seat black box theatres.

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Jane3, I am curious as to where you are located. I am guessing you are in CT because you mentioned (and linked) the Spirit of Broadway Theater. I have worked there and I am just wondering how you know of it.

"Easy target for ridicule because there are some truly horrible ego-driven theaters"... What ever do you mean? (<- sarcasm)