More Freakonomics: Life Upon the Wicked Stage

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>How tough is it to make a living as a professional actor? If you look at the statistics, it is really tough. I dug through the Actors’ Equity Report for the 2010-11 Theatrical Season and the numbers seem to confirm a lot of the generally-accepted-wisdom about the difficulties inherent in the life of an actor (and stage managers and musical theatre dancers, they’re Equity too). I have mentioned some of these statistics in other posts, but I thought that it may be interesting to summarize what the data says in some depth.</p>

<p>To begin, let me point out that this data is not restricted to New York – less than one-half of Equity members are located in New York. And Equity is not just the “big stage,” it includes national tours, residential theatres (LORT), developing theatres, summer stock, even Disney World. Not all theatres are Equity and I don’t have any data on the entire scope of Equity, but I suspect that the majority of theatre revenue (and therefore actor salary dollars) in the USA comes through Equity theatres.</p>

<p>For simplicity’s sake in this little blurb, I will sometimes refer to Equity members as actors, even though it includes dancers and stage managers (stage managers comprise about 15% of Equity).</p>

<p>Let’s look at the big picture first. There are 42,000+ members of Actors Equity. Unfortunately, only 2 out of 5 of Equity members reported earning wages in Equity Theatres in 2010-11 - ouch. Of the Equity members who earned money in theatre, 3 out of 4 earned less than $25,000 per year, which is right on the borderline of a Living Wage in NYC and most major metropolitan areas. The majority of those earning below a Living Wage earned less than $15,000. That leaves less than 1 out of 10 Equity members who earned above a Living Wage from theatre work. No wonder there are all those jokes about actors waiting tables. Looking at the data confirms the obvious: this is a tough business.</p>

<p>The numbers also clearly illustrate the intense competition for the big stage. If you go by actual count, 3,872 Equity Members earned a Living Wage (let’s call that a “decent job”). Looking at Equity Theatres as an industry, that’s not many jobs. Looking at the numbers in terms of competition, on average, more than 10 Equity members compete for every decent job that comes open (not to mention all the non-Equity competitors). It gets worse. For the past few years, Equity has gained 2,000-2,500 new members. This means 2,000+ new “Equity faces” are out there every year, competing for those 3,872 decent jobs. That is close to one “new face” competing every year for every job. So, if even if you “make it” one year, you are guaranteed to face new, younger competition the next year – this reminds me of the NFL. On the bright side, the total number of Equity members has been fairly constant for several years, so that means about the same number drop out of the union as join each year. At least the number of competitors within Equity has not been growing substantially over the past few years (this has its own negative implications, but I will leave those out of this post).</p>

<p>Are you set once you “make it” on Broadway? Sadly, the answer seems to be, “not really.” If you look at data for the 1 out of 10 Equity members that earned above a Living Wage, only 1 out of 2 earned what may be called a “comfortable wage,” i.e., more than $50,000 per year (about 1,900 jobs). Looking at the big picture, this translates into only 1 in 20 Equity members that make a comfortable living on stage. Equity does not delineate the high end of the wage scale, but if you run the numbers it shows that the average earnings at the top are around $93,000 per year. While $93,000 is a great salary, those at the top of the wage scale would still have to be relatively conservative in their spending, considering that they could be out of work for an extended period in the future (other than a handful of genuine stars and cross-overs from TV and movies who make relatively big bucks). Breaking through and landing a good role in a show on Broadway doesn’t seem to imply much in the way of financial stability.</p>

<p>So, what are the odds of making a decent living as a full-time actor? From the data already discussed, the odds are about 1 in 10 for a decent job, and 1 in 20 to make a comfortable living – for Equity members. However, the theatre business is seasonal, and the majority of jobs are probably subject to changes on an annual basis. The probability of constant employment should be factored into the odds as well, and constant employment is likely less than 100 percent, possibly a lot less. The odds could easily be more like 1 in 20 for steady work in a decent job, and 1 in 40 (or worse) for comfortable employment in successive years – after you make it into Equity. </p>

<p>What are the odds of making it into Equity? I didn’t do any research into this statistic, but it seems easy to imagine that there are more than 2,000-2,500 hopefuls each year graduating from musical theatre, theatre, vocal performance, dance, and non-theatre college programs. If there are around 4,000-5,000 theatre grads, which seems like a supportable range given the number of schools with BFA and BA programs, then the odds of getting into Equity could be something like 50-50 for a newly-minted theatre grad, or worse if the number of grads is higher. This would mean that the odds of a current college aspirant could be something like 1 in 40 for steady work and 1 in 80 for comfortable theatre employment in successive years. </p>

<p>Calling it a 1-in-100 shot for current college theatre majors to become professional actors who support themselves solely on theatre earnings does not seem out of line from looking at the data. </p>

<p>With prospective earnings this low and competition this high, one obvious conclusion seems to be that taking on a large amount of college debt would be a risky proposition, except for the remarkably talented (well, maybe even for them). It could be argued that any amount of college debt is probably a bad idea in this profession. While this is probably no surprise to anyone, it struck me as rather stark to see it laid out so clearly by the cold, hard, facts inherent in the Equity data. </p>

<p>There are, of course, lots of non-Equity theatre jobs. However, they pay less, and, statistically speaking, the competition is probably just as bad, or worse, than Equity members face.</p>

<p>These numbers do not encompass all aspects of the situation and this post is not offered as any sort of a comprehensive analysis of the theatre industry or the life of a theatre grad. Nor do I mean to discourage anyone from pursuing a career in the field. There are many positive aspects of pursuing a life in the theatre, many ways to pursue the career without necessarily being employed full-time on stage, and many jobs outside of appearing on stage or being directly involved in large-scale, professional productions that can make a career in theatre or theatre-related industries a very rewarding proposition. There are no doubt countless anecdotes about a great life in the theatre, I know of several from personal acquaintance. I continue to encourage and support my d in her passion for becoming a working actor. But the numbers certainly indicate, at least to me, some of the hard realities of those facing life as a professional actor.</p>

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<p>Happy Holidays, everyone! :-)</p>

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<p>I wrestle with this issue all the time–should I encourage my son to do something that is likely to be such a struggle? But theater is the only thing that has ever interested him–certainly his regular academic classes don’t hold his interest. So I can’t resist nudging him toward the stage. And what is more fun than watching your child do well at the thing they love most? Luckily I know many people who studied theater in college and are happy now in other careers. It must have done them some good.</p>

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<p>EMSDAD- I so enjoy your posts!</p>

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<p>This reality hits me hardest every time I see another local actor who got their big Broadway break return home (often only months later) and struggle to find work for the following years.</p>

<p>The life of an actor is certainly not often one repleate with steady paychecks.</p>

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<p>A slightly hopeful thought when considering those bleak numbers above - My daughter is EMC, which means she didn’t show up in the “Equity actors who got work in 2011 list” but she did get a nice nest egg together. I imagine there are other EMC actors who were paid during that time but don’t yet count as Equity.</p>

<p>Another encouraging thought, if I may - Many Equity actors are also SAG actors. SAG actors are paid (it seems to me, w/o knowing from personal experience) better than Equity actors. So while an Equity actor might not be making big bucks on the stage one year, with some luck he/she might be doing well on screen. </p>

<p>But yes it is a scary, risky business and I worry all the time.</p>

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<p>(Replace “SAG” above with “SAG-AFTRA.”)</p>

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<p>Hmmm. Maybe my D should have joined Equity when given the chance (she was told not to, because she wouldn’t get work as a child – but then she “retired” anyway).</p>

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<p>Merlehay - That’s a whole different conversation - when to join any union and when to hold back. My daughter became a “must join” for AFTRA years ago but I convinced the person on the phone to let her have one more gig before having to join (she was about 16 I think), knowing that she would be going on sabbatical with college applications and such. There was a slight remorse when the two unions merged earlier this year but the truth is, she would not be able to audition for non-SAG/AFTRA shows nor non-Equity shows if she was SAG/AFTRA even though she is just an EMC candidate so it would throw her whole career into a tailspin. We made the right choice way back when, now she’s a must join for everything which is the best of both worlds for a college grad.</p>

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<p>I think even 1-in-100 is an optimistic number. I know hundreds of professional actors and I’m not sure I can think of even one or two who support themselves solely on theatre earnings, not for any sustained period of time anyway. I suppose it may depend on what you’re defining as theatre earnings. </p>

<p>The other comment I wanted to make was that the “new Equity faces” are not the only competion out there. There are also the thousands of non-Equity faces, newly arriving every year, who are out there and looking to book work so that they my get their card. </p>

<p>Emsdad, great post. You have detailed much of what I’ve said through the years here. In my opinion, it should be pinned and required reading for every potential theatre kid and parent.</p>

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<p>In spite of reading this, I think most of our kids think they will be one of the success stories, and hopefully they’re right. At their age, they can’t really grasp the odds and want/need to pursue their dream.</p>

<p>Most of them are the 1/100 who got the leads in high school. Then, of the select high school kids who choose to seek a theatre degree, they’re among the 1/100 who land a coveted spot in a great school. In college, they’re the 1/100 who get great casting. Then of those who graduate, they become one of the 1/100 who score a great agent. Then, of those with strong representation, they join the 1/100 who become Equity. THEN, when the competition is already so very rarified, they face the long odds of steady paid work detailed in the OP. </p>

<p>When you’re at the top of the high school pyramid it’s easy to assume ultimate success, but the game changes when every aspect of your look, physical capabilities, training, availability, health, personality and endurance is tested… not to mention the luck involved in which roles are available.</p>

<p>I sometimes think they’d have better odds with pro sports, but they love what they love and more power to them! And in my experience, once you are “in” a particular proffessional theatre community your odds can become much better for steady work.</p>

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<p>An interesting update for a topic that has come up on this site before. I too had mixed feelings when I saw my daughter going in this direction. But there are a few things I guess I’ve come to grips with about it:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I know plenty of MBA’s, attorneys, engineers, etc that are looking for work as well. So while it may be hard to find employment in MT, it’s not like it’s easy in other professions. Not to mention how many people I know that have jobs in supposed safe professions like nursing that can’t stand what they do - that’s a whole different story</p></li>
<li><p>I suspect my D is like many of your children; she has done very well in school, is pretty smart, and as such I’m pretty sure she’ll land on her feet one way or the other. </p></li>
<li><p>I always think of an article I saw on the Fredonia website when this topic comes up ([Skills</a> of a Theatre Major | SUNY Fredonia](<a href=“http://www.fredonia.edu/department/theatredance/jobs.asp]Skills”>http://www.fredonia.edu/department/theatredance/jobs.asp)) that talks about how performing arts kids have skill sets attractive to employers. So, again, while I know my daughter wants ideally to make a living on stage, the skill sets she’ll have with a BFA MT seem to be sellable and sought after out there.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>Interesting discussion! I completely agree with jeffandann about there being many career choices that are risky. Look at the kids who go as bio or chem majors and can’t pass the MCAT with a high enough score to get into med school, or the kids that DO go to med school and then don’t get matched with a residency program. Or being from Detroit, where the economy is still completely tanked, <strong><em>insert-industry-here</em></strong> with a 50% unemployment rate. </p>

<p>It is all a risk, and I commend the kids that I see who have such motivation for this. Many of you have said that your son or daughter simply wants nothing else. That kind of optimism is the staple of youth, and I hope that they all hang on to that for as long as they possibly can. </p>

<p>Also- I’ve run across all different types of students who have gone to school for MT. I know someone who earned his Equity card while in school and within months of graduating took over for the lead in a major Broadway show, and now, only months after that, is being invited to perform in various cabarets in NYC and hanging out with all of the “big names” in MT. He’s an incredible success story. But even the kids I know that don’t have that kind of success are still making it and are still loving it. I know a girl who graduated from BoCo and has struggled in NYC, booking a couple of off-Broadway gigs (as non-eq) and is now on a national tour and is just happy to be working, regardless of what her pay is. Another girl I grew up with went to a school (that shall remain nameless…) who, after accepting her, told her she’d never work because she’s a 5’9" soprano with too strong of facial features - and she’s done NOTHING but work since she graduated doing regional theatre and work on cruise lines (also non-eq). So there IS work out there - it just takes the kid who’s willing to go find it to get it. And don’t discount all of the national tours that are going non-equity lately (off the top of my head, Catch Me If You Can is non-eq).</p>

<p>Lastly, also to springboard what jeffandann said, many employers DO love performing arts kids. I was talking with an acting teacher at Carnegie Mellon the last time I was there who mentioned that if you look at every graduating class, there are typically a few kids who make a fairly decent name for themselves, a small handful that continuously work in various theatres or in film and then a good half of the students who go on to law school or another professional field because an acting degree really can be useful in other fields. So while I agree that this is a scary profession, I think we just all have to trust that our kids or our students have a kind of passion for this industry that is inestimable and at the end of the day, they will figure it out for themselves.</p>

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<p>What motivated me to write the post was that I noticed the other day that Eden Espinosa was selling sing-alongs to raise money on Kickstarter to do an album. I totally salute her efforts, but I was very surprised to see a long-running Elphaba hawking their wares on Kickstarter for the money to do an album. That got me wondering, “gee, how tough is this business, really?” Eden did make her goal, by the way.</p>

<p>The two most striking statistics to me are:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The small number of decent jobs - less than 4,000 and the very small number of comfortable jobs - less than 2,000. Equity opportunities are really, really limited.</p></li>
<li><p>The relatively small payout for the 1,186 Equity members (less than the NFL!) at the top end - $93,000 per year (on average). Unlike pro sports, there is not much gold at the end of the rainbow.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>@MTCoach - According to Equity, there are currently 9 non-Equity tours and 25 Equity tours (the Equity count includes some upcoming tours). That would be something like 230 non-Equity tour jobs.</p>

<p>Non-Equity tours don’t represent job growth, they actually just represent lower wages. Yes, they probably increase opportunities for a relative handful of recent grads, but they don’t seem to me to represent any kind of a shift that would should rationally increase optimism for long-term professional employment on stage.</p>

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<p>My kids’ MT coaches (husband and wife) spent over 40 years combined working Equity houses including Broadway. While they made a “comfortable” living - it meant years on the road, being separated from each other and their son, etc. Now, they have really no “retirement” to speak of. Luckily, they inherited a house and have started their own non-profit community theatre - but both still occasionally travel to pay the bills. Not an easy, or settled life at all. Fortunately, my kids have been working with them since elementary school so they have seen the ups and downs of professional life.</p>

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<p>@EmsDad - I completely agree that non-Equity tours are not representative of growth. I’m actually not really a fan of them at all, mostly for, like you mention, they’re being a way out of paying Equity level salaries and union member job stability. I guess my point more, that I didn’t express well, was that the number of Equity jobs available are not necessarily representative of the job market. (Not that adding the non-Equity opportunities shows the MT field to be any more stable for young performers!) I really do appreciate your taking the time to research and post that though, I think that it’s really valuable information.</p>

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<p>I can’t think of any career that compares with theatre in terms of job prospects and the nature of the profession. Grads who secure a job in any other type of profession go into it with the expectation that if they do their job well that it will lead to a reasonable sense of security and employment for an extended period of time. No theatre grad, even if they are fortunate enough to book a show shortly after graduation, is able to say the same thing. Every job is temporary, many last for less than a year, most for less than that. Even when you are working on a show, you are constantly looking for the next one. It’s the nature of the business.</p>

<p>Emsdad, Eden’s situation isn’t unique. It’s actually rather typical, even for those who have had a good amount of success in theatre.</p>

<p>megpmom, the experience of your kids’ coaches is pretty typical. Even those who are successful, by whatever measure most would consider - Broadway, off-Broadway, national tour or respected regional theatres - it is still almost always just a comfortable living. The travel takes its toll, the uncertainty of where you’ll be next month or next year, once you have a significant other and family, becomes even more difficult. How long can you continue to travel to a new city for a show, or take that cruise ship gig, if you have a spouse or children at home? It is an unsettled life for most, regardless of the level of success, sometimes even more unsettled for the more successful. </p>

<p>I am not one to discourage kids from applying, or parents from supporting their kids, one of my Ds is a BFA grad and she’s been one of the fortunate few who has worked steadily, both onstage and off, all theatre related, since graduation. However, I do think it’s important that kids and parents understand the prospects for a career in theatre and so it’s good for a post like Emsdad’s to provide the tough realities and real challenges that do exist.</p>

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<p>You have to really enjoy the travel part. S2 did a touring show when he was eight for several months. He loved the travel - new cities, living in a hotel, eating fast food every day. Mom, however, hated it, so we told him no more tours until he was 18 and would not need a chaperone. D’s friends have all sorts of stories about the cruise lines - the good and the bad. She’s already decided that there are really only 2 cruise lines that she will even audition for after graduation (she’s a junior).</p>

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<p>So true. Several years ago, I had the pleasure of being involved at the very beginning with a wonderful group of young actors who were cast in a national tour. It was the first non-Equity tour of a show that was a many year Broadway hit and had had Equity tours, sometimes more than one at the same time, running for almost ten years. These kids were, understandably, thrilled at the beginning of the tour, excited about the travel and visiting cities all over the U.S. and a couple of international jaunts. </p>

<p>It was interesting to visit with them at several points along the way and to see how their perspective changed when faced with extensive travel, living out of two suitcases, the weariness of living in a hotel and eating out for every meal, dealing with crazy fans, being away from significant others and family, personality conflicts within the cast, facing unprofessional behavior from some castmates, living with a group of people (cast and crew) 24/7, being away from home and family for holidays, etc. </p>

<p>On the positive side, a tour is a way to save a good amount of money, if you’re careful. It is also a lot of fun, despite all the challenges. It is a rare actor who finishes a tour, though, and is anxious to head out on another one anytime soon! megpmom, so very true about the cruise work.</p>