More Freakonomics: Life Upon the Wicked Stage

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>Without any data mining and statistical analysis, just read “Making It on Broadway” by David Wiener & Jodie Langel which will make you want to duct tape your kids to the kitchen table rather than let them go off on this crazy journey. Money is one thing; the challenges to any future relationship stability freaked me out more. Emsdad weren’t you the one that suggested this book? It took my breath away. Up until that point I had really only thought about how one GETS to Broadway but never considered what it really meant to BE on Broadway. (Feel free to substitute “Broadway” with any other theatre path that employs MTs). It’s pretty chilling.</p>

<p>But then follow that book with a chaser of “Letters from Backstage” by Michael Kostroff. In contrast, his book will allow you to put the duct tape back in the drawer and return to hoping for the best and enjoying the ride even though as his writing suggests, there is nothing easy about what lies ahead. Serenity now and post #2 to all of you!</p>

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<p>My D did Jodie Langel’s summer program, Making it on Broadway, and Jodie is a huge proponent of going the BA route rather than the BFA so that you have more options in the future. She (Jodie) did a BFA vs BA debate with a casting director (who was advocating the BFA). Of course, it didn’t make one bit of an impression on my D, who only wants a BFA.</p>

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<p>What are the greater options with a BA vs. BFA? Are you talking about a BA in another area other than performing arts? Bcause I would argue that if you went after, say a BA in psychology or English your job prospects wouldn’t be that good.</p>

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<p>This is an excellent discussion. It is important that those who go into this field, do so with eyes wide open to the realities of what it is like to have a career in this field, if you can even make it in the first place. Many good points have been made in previous posts. As others have pointed out, even if you do have some success in this field, the jobs are all of a temporary nature and so one is always job hunting or piecing together various jobs. That said, I’m all for going for it! (obviously I am also a parent who supported my kid earning a BFA in MT)</p>

<p>A couple of other thoughts…</p>

<p>One is to truly diversify your skill set in the arts. Striving to be cast in musicals is great but relying on that alone is risky. Speaking from experience, my D has been out of college now for 3.5 years and has supported herself entirely in music and theater in NYC, but in various capacities. She has four careers going on at one time (crazy life), but all four are in theater/music. She has a varied skill set and can do many things in the arts. Performing is just one thing she does, and even in that area, she performs beyond just musical theater. A week ago, I attended a “drama talk” held at NYU with a panel of professionals in the field as my D was one of those on the panel (the others were much older than her though), as I was in town to see her original musical that was performed at the university. The talk was about where musical theater is today and in the future. Anyway, afterward, a student came up to my daughter to talk to her and I was standing nearby and I heard my daughter suggest to her about diversifying her skills and how she was making it in the field due to being involved in several aspects of it. </p>

<p>The other thought I have (which is mentioned here from time to time), was also mentioned by one of the panelists (a professor who also has had shows she has written be on Broadway and Off-Broadway) and that is to set one’s sights on working in theater beyond Broadway and beyond NYC. There is a wealth of theater going on around the country. I feel too often that college applicants in this field set their goals way too narrowly on “I want to be on Broadway.” Of course, that is a great ideal, but if one is passionate about making it in the arts, expand one’s sites beyond the Great White Way and beyond NYC, because there is a lot of art to be made anywhere.</p>

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<p>soozievt, and others, I understand what you are saying about developing a varied skill set, about always being on the hunt, etc. All four of my kids are embarking on careers in the arts, and this is something that applies to all of them. One thing I have noticed is that, even when the opportunities seem to be pouring in, it’s very hard to schedule everything. I don’t mean personal time management, I mean that jobs come in that require you to be literally in two places at once. Offers get turned down because of conflicts. It’s frustrating to go after an opportunity, only to have to turn it down ultimately because timing conflicts with other obligations. I am speaking generally here, of course. This is always the freelancer’s dilemma, and of course it’s better to have more work than none (the other dilemma.) When you say your daughter has four simultaneous careers, soozievt, the first thing I think of is the certain difficulty she must have with managing a schedule in which time commitments, particularly “prime time” in her day, will overlap. As a freelance writer I can stay up all night working if I need to, and no client notices the difference. But in performing arts you can’t do that. No point to this post other than to ask others to comment with thoughts and ideas.</p>

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<p>Soozie, good points. Being able and willing to diversify is always a plus regardless of profession. Reminds me of one of my daughter’s college essays, in which she wrote that when she got to high school as a freshman she knew freshman wouldn’t make the stage for anything (since there’s 4500 kids in the school). So after doing a lot up to then it was a shock, but led her to working on the tech crew, which she developed skills and a love for, which has helped her become an even more dedicated actor.</p>

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<p>@halflokum - yes, I always recommend reading “Making It On Broadway,” but I wanted to see and understand the overall picture by looking at actual data. Sometimes the conventional wisdom is one big oxymoron and I love the types of analysis done by Stephen Levitt in “Freakonomics.” “Making It” is a collection of anecdotes, and I have often wondered, “how bad is it when you look at the actual data?” </p>

<p>After looking at all the data, I was amazed out how difficult it is to be a professional actor who gets cast enough to make a decent living on the stage - not just on Broadway, its everywhere. To see that Equity has a 60% unemployment rate and a 90% unemployed/underemployment rate is very striking to me. While it seemed intuitively obvious that this was a tough business, the data shows to me that trying to be a working actor (working on an actual professional stage in plays and musicals) is harder than I ever imagined. I guess I internalize things better when I see the actual numbers, and these numbers are really stark to me.</p>

<p>When I read “Making It On Broadway” it seemed almost overly negative to me. Now I understand why.</p>

<p>I wonder how many students entering BFA/BA/BM programs in theatre understand how long the odds really are of actually being cast and working on a professional stage for a living in plays and musicals?</p>

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<p>Very, very few kids realize how tough it will be. That’s the beauty of youth - unbridled optimism. Realism comes later. Eventually, they will all realize what they need to do to survive. Find a job! Any job! The lucky few will be able to cobble together a living in “theatre-related” jobs. Fortunately, my D is a very good waitress. :)</p>

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<p>For sure, she runs into schedule conflicts frequently (though this was the story of her life even before college, ha ha). But some things she does are flexible such as when she works on writing musicals or when she rehearses for her own singer/songwriter gigs. Other things are not flexible and so she tries to not schedule full time work that is not flexible. When offered a faculty position at a college, she opted for the part time position, not the full time position which conflicted with important aspects of her career. Sometimes, she actually TURNS DOWN work! She just told me some work she turned down musically directing and I know she was cast in a show to do overseas for a couple of weeks in the spring and she has given it up due to conflicts with other goals. So, conflicts and juggling it all is challenging, but she has some flex style work for herself and other work that is scheduled. Recently, she flew to the other coast for 36 hours to present her new musical she was commissioned to write and that was so brief but she was in the middle of tech week for another musical of hers being performed, her own performing work, teaching college and so on and so her life is busy 24/7! Sometimes, she is able to work out conflicts. She missed one job this fall to be in a workshop of a new musical out of town, and worked it out with her employer. She is always using every moment to accomplish something it seems. In fact, she arrived home yesterday, the first time in 14 months and she is in her old bedroom right now on a keyboard working on arrangements of her songs for new recordings she is about to do back in the city in a studio upon her return. </p>

<p>Juggling four careers is hard but she is always working on goals in each area and is not depending on being cast in something, and yet earns her income solely in theater and music this way. Schedule conflicts, however, seem to be part of this life. But she doesn’t wait for work to come to her, but rather creates a lot of her own performing work for herself and that type of thing is more flexible as you schedule your own concerts and so on.</p>

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<p>This thread is such an important discussion. I hope that those parents and students who are going through the college application and audition process read it now to get a perspective on the realities of life “on the other side” at the end of 4 years. The information in this thread could really help inform parents and students in the decisions they are making now not just in terms of which degree programs and schools to which to apply but also with regard to planning and decisions made now that could impact on post graduate life. As stressful as the college application and audition process is, and we have all gone through it so we understand, once a student has graduated, it’s a whole new ball game with a whole new set of stresses as young graduates attempt to pursue a career performing while sustaining themselves as independent adults. I think that planning for this should be as much a part of the college selection process as investigating the nuances of specific programs but is often overlooked because of the seemingly overwhelming aspects of just figuring out school and program preferences and preparing for auditions.</p>

<p>My daughter’s experience over the last year and a half since she graduated has caused her to restructure the way she is pursuing performing both because of the difficulty in obtaining steady performing work and the need to deal with scheduling demands. When she started out, her objectives were to perform regionally in theatre while maintaining other employment as the dance manager, vocalist and MC for an entertainment company that does weekend events. While in college, she also pursued employment in the fitness industry believing that post graduation it would provide additional steady income and also scheduling flexibility.</p>

<p>While she has been in several shows since she graduated, she has concluded that limiting herself to just regional work does not provide sufficient opportunities to audition for shows that are appropriate for her, whether dramas or musicals. She has now expanded her geographic limits to include NYC and tours, having concluded that seeking just regional work is just too limiting. There is just not enough regional work to counterbalance the odds of getting cast and she found that the pool of competition included performers from outside the region who were coming in to compete for work in the region while my daughter was not competing for work outside of the region. As a result, she has redefined her whole approach to seeking performing work, including changing to a new voice teacher/vocal coach who started out locally in our area but now has a Broadway career including a Tony nomination. I think this latter change is an important part of my daughter’s career development because of the different mindset, perspective and guidance she will receive and hopefully connections that can be cultivated that will result in more auditioning opportunities.</p>

<p>As a result of this, my daughter has also had to reevaluate her employment and make changes to avoid conflicts and provide greater time to pursue auditions. Her entertainment company work is fine for the moment since it is weekends only for the events, as a dancer she can set her availability to meet her needs and in her capacity as an MC can schedule client meetings at mutually convenient times. Her fitness industry work has been more problematic. She is a certified personal trainer both at a major fitness facility and with private clients she sees outside of the facility. She teaches group fitness classes at the facility and is also a certified spinning instructor at that facility as well as at a dedicated spinning studio where she is also a co-manager. She has some degree of control over her schedule in these jobs and can get substitutes for her spinning and group fitness classes when necessary. She was also working on the fitness floor at the fitness facility which required fixed hours. She ended up dropping that job in order to free up about 16-20 hours a week and give herself more flexibility to travel to auditions out of the area.</p>

<p>All of this, including her changed landscape of seeking performing opportunities, has also impacted on her personal life. She is in a committed relationship of almost 6 years duration. She and her boyfriend are having the kinds of discussions one would expect a 23 and 28 year old to have after 6 years. Fortunately, he is extremely supportive of her performing goals and aspirations and has essentially said that she should do what she needs to do in that regard and that as far as he is concerned, none of that should impact on their future plans together. His family, who regard my daughter as their second daughter, are equally supportive. This has made things so much easier on my daughter because she does not feel that she must sacrifice her personal relationships or future desires to have her own family in order to pursue a performing career. My daughter is very fortunate in this regard. So many of her friends have had relationships fail because of the needs, demands and stresses of pursuing a performing career. This is an aspect of “life as a performer” for young performers that is not discussed all that frequently.</p>

<p>It’s really quite a jigsaw puzzle for any young performer to put together. The nature of the performing business really requires constant effort to evaluate what you are doing, how you are doing it, adjustments to goals, objectives and strategies. It requires a lot of creativity and flexibility in order to structure a life that enables a performer to pursue opportunities in a profession that presents the extraordinary challenges that performing does, from a professional, economic, as well as a personal perspective.</p>

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<p>MichaelNKat thanks for a glimpse into the future. Very thought provoking and shows the importance of flexibility and/or having a plan B when trying to make a living while trying to maintain personal relationships. Your daughter, while having a good head on her shoulders, is also fortunate to have a lot of caring people on her side!</p>

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<p>From what I remember, Jodie Langel’s preference for a BA over a BFA may have had to do with requirements for graduate school in something other than an MFA. She was very keen on preparing for a life after the stage (or away from the stage if you never can make a career of it).</p>

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<p>I try to keep in mind the quote from Ecclesiastes, ‘To every thing there is a season.’ I view careers in the arts within that prism. I don’t think you can enter acting thinking, ‘Where will I be when I’m 40? 60?’ because if you do, you will quit and become an accountant or a doctor or whatever. </p>

<p>I do happen to know a few very successful B’way actors, and all of them struggle and lurch from show to show. There are people who have ‘made it’ by anyone’s definition. One is a successful lead B’way actor in his 30s but between shows he’s just as unemployed as anyone else. And now that he has children it’s that much harder. It helps that his wife is well off and can help bridge the financial gaps. I think it DOES help to have a supportive significant other, emotionally and, if you’re really lucky, financially :slight_smile: Each year this actor is unsure what he’ll do the next year. But he keeps going. Another successful regional equity actor retired in her prime (her 30s) when she was still easily booking shows and now teaches happily at a private school. She was ready to turn to a new season, I guess.</p>

<p>Acting is like any art–you have to view it like a calling. If you can think of doing anything else just as happily, I don’t think it’s for you. Fishbowlfreshman linked this Will Smith video essentially about drive and commitment, and I thought that was really eloquent: [Will</a> Smith - Talent, Skill, Success - YouTube](<a href=“Will Smith - Talent, Skill, Success - YouTube”>Will Smith - Talent, Skill, Success - YouTube)</p>

<p>Anyway, i’ve advised my kids to think of the acting in terms of seasons–the first season will be their 20s. The 20s is the best time to explore and take risks. We thankfully live in a country in which we can reinvent ourselves at any age. I would rather them take risks in something they’re passionate about than to go the safe route and settle from something that’s practical, and then live with regrets. I find regret much harder to bear than disappointment. The regional actor friend I have doesn’t have regrets–she almost has had the best of both worlds. SHe was a successful actor and did what she loved for over a decade and now is raising her children and is happy as a teacher. Of course, it’s not always easy to reinvent yourself, but I think the risks in trying to pursue your art are worth it.</p>

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<p>I did not want to choke the original post with a bunch of figures, but for those interested, here are some of the numbers from the Equity Report:</p>

<p>Total Equity Membership 42,549</p>

<p>Equity Members with No Theatre Earnings = 25,045 (58.9%)</p>

<p>Equity Members With Theatre Earnings = 17,504 (41.1%)</p>

<p>Breakdown of Members with Theatre Earnings:</p>

<p>$1,000 - 5,000 = 6,924
$5,000 - 15,000 = 5,010
$15,000- 25,000 = 1,698</p>

<p>----------------------------- Living Wage Line</p>

<p>$25,000 - 50,000 = 1,963
$50,000 - 75,000 = 723
$75,000+ (avg $93k) = 1,186 (2.8%)</p>

<p>Total Earning More Than Living Wage = 3,872 (9.1%)</p>

<p>Total With Earnings Who Earn Less Than Living Wage = 13,632</p>

<p>Total Earning Zero or Less Than Living Wage = 38,677 (90.9%)</p>

<p>To reiterate, this is not just Broadway or NYC, Equity includes many or most major houses across the country as well as many smaller regional theatres, the majority of national tours, Disney, etc.</p>

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<p>Yep… looks about right. :slight_smile: Take into account that there are AEA members (like myself) who are not actively pursuing performing, but who work as theatre professionals in other areas, and keep up their membership dues. </p>

<p>Currently making a living wage as performing artist/ educator… just not from performing. </p>

<p>This also does not take into account AEA performers who also have SAG (Screen Actors Guild) earning, SDC (Stage Director/ Choreographer) earnings, or earn wages in the performing arts in other areas… teaching classes and/ or individual coaching, accompanying, fight direction, etc… </p>

<p>Most professional performers piece together work from many different sources. So the numbers above don’t tell the whole story. However, yes… most performing artists will work jobs outside of performing in theatre in addition to their performing work in theatre in order to make a living. :)</p>

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<p>I do not find this troubling at all. Don’t we intuitively know this? I know so few artists (visual, performing etc.) that earn their living from their craft. My daughter will someday make an awesome high school drama teacher. Or will use her mad math skills for something. Or she won’t. She’ll make it as part of that 9.1%. Whatever the path there will be a big Mazel Tov from me at the end. She’s too smart to starve.</p>

<p>Not saying I don’t appreciate the data Emsdad. It’s really good to have it and keep it real. It’s a great reminder of why our definition of success as parents and educators needs to be a broad one.</p>

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<p>I got curious as to where, exactly, is the work in theatrical performance and what are the pay scales like? Here is the data from Actor’s Equity (2011-2012 Theatrical Year):</p>

<h2>Where is the work?</h2>

<p>21% Regional Theatres (LORT’s)
16% Large Theatres (Point of Organization Productions, mostly Broadway)
16% Small Theatres (Developing Theatre)
11% Tours (National Tours, Tiered Tours, SETA)
6% Disney World
4% Off-Broadway
4% Special Agreements
3% Stock
19% Other (Workshops, Dinner Theatre, Young Audiences, etc.)</p>

<h2>How much do you make (average, per week)?</h2>

<p>$2,536 Large Theatres (Point of Organization Productions, mostly Broadway)
$2,453 National Tours
$1,633 Tiered Tours
$1,572 Small Tours (SETA)
$1,029 Regional Theatres (LORT’s)
$903 Stock
$741 Disney World
$656 Special Agreements
$651 Off-Broadway
$501 Small Theatres (Developing Theatre)</p>

<p>This does not include non-Equity work, such as Cruise Ships, non-Equity Tours, and non-Equity Theatre.</p>

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<p>EmsDad, I really like how you put the stats out. All good to consider. BUt I’m very intrigued by these interesting figures from Actors Equity. Sadly, the salaries seem very high to me! For instance, in the Philly area, most people do not earn $1029/week at LORT regionals. I’m thinking the <em>average</em> comes from principals versus ensemble, which I couldn’t find a breakdown for on the charts. <a href=“http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/about/AEA_Annual_11-12.pdf[/url]”>http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/about/AEA_Annual_11-12.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Ensemble and smaller roles in LORT regionals here are in the $700s/week, and in ‘Special Agreement’ are in the $400s for most cast members. Most people get the lower figures.
Can anyone chime in with their experience? </p>

<p>I’m guessing the average is ‘skewed’ because of the much higher salary of principals and others they want to attract for whatever reason and/or if the actor is represented by an aggressive agent and the theatre wants that actor?? YOu don’t have to take my word–go to Backstage or other audition sites; they will list weekly salaries. </p>

<p>Also, dont’ forget housing. Most LORT Regionals will pay for housing, but once you get ‘below’ that into ‘special agreement,’ often they do not. Sometimes a generous board member can take you in, or you know a friend in the city and can sleep on their couch. But housing is definitely another factor.</p>

<p>Obviously this is not to criticize theatres, many of which struggle mightily to bring art to our nation. I just thought it was important to raise since I think our kids should consider themselves extremely fortunate if they land these ‘average’ salaries on their first equity role!</p>

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<p>Earlier in this thread SAG-AFTRA was mentioned. This got me thinking about the comparison of film actor earnings to stage actor earnings. SAG-AFTRA does not report statistics to the same extent that Equity does, but they do publish an earnings report. While it probably comes as no surprise to anyone that the market for screen actors is much larger than for stage actors, and screen earnings are higher, I found comparing the numbers to be very interesting.</p>

<p>There are about 4 times as many SAG-AFTRA members as Actor’s Equity (160,000+ vs. 40,000+). The screen industry is about 6 times larger than the stage industry in terms of actor earnings (about $2 billion vs. $333 million). On average, SAG-AFTRA members make about 60% more money than Equity members, although it is still a hard life to be a screen actor: screen actors make an average of $12,410 per year vs. $7,850 per year for stage actors. Earnings from films alone (not counting TV and commercials) are about 3 times as much as Broadway (comparing SAG-AFTRA Theatrical Contract Principal Session to Equity Eastern Region Point of Organization earnings). If you factor in residuals, then film work is about 5 times larger than Broadway.</p>

<p>Here is what I found really interesting - the breakdown of SAG-AFTRA earnings by job type:</p>

<p>Film earnings: 30%
Television earnings: 28%
Earnings from Commercials: 41%</p>

<p>Overall, a whopping 33% of all SAG-AFTRA earnings are from Commercial Residuals - more than Film, more than TV. Hence, on average, getting a part in a commercial that runs a lot is basically the most lucrative job that an actor can get! Actors earn twice as much from Commercial Residuals as all of stage work. </p>

<p>The biggest TV ad spender is Proctor and Gamble.</p>

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<p>Emsdad, I’m totally a fan! Thanks for these stats. I love this sort of stuff.</p>

<p>Commercials are a different breed. I know others can speak from more experience, but I’m pretty sure that most of the time, you are hired for your looks/fit/charm/appeal as opposed to your amazing acting ability. Robert DeNiro is not needed to sell Proctor and Gamble. I know a 12 year old girl who was a mediocre actress but super appealing, and even more appealing onscreen–she landed a major contract her very first audition. </p>

<p>So if you’re interested in commercials, make sure to know your type and what they’re looking for. There is training in auditioning for commercials, too, if you need.</p>