Summer Employment while in College

College Majors Musical Theater Major
21

@toowonderful - S was offered an ensemble job for a local theater. It would have been one show over 2 - 3 weekends. Rehearsals would have started in June and the performances would have overlapped with the start of school in August (an hour away). They offered $500. S declined. He could have lived at home, but there would have been an hour’s total drive time for each rehearsal and he would have needed one of the family cars to get there. The experience and the local “networking” would have been nice, but S did not see it as worth it for an ensemble position and he really hopes he can break away from the “local scene”. He would have felt differently for a lead or supporting role. None of the actors are Equity, but with the plethora of MT programs in our neck of the woods, the quality is pretty good. He felt that if he was going to commit to such a length of time, the pay should be better. Some of his school mates have gotten lead roles at this theater, but he doesn’t know how the pay compares.

My feeling is that sometimes it’s worth it for a college-aged or older actor to take low pay for a theater gig, but ONY if there is some other really great “payoff” - working with a fantastic director, learning a new skill that has “value”, working in a desirable city/venue, etc. Otherwise, it’s my belief that working for such low pay just perpetrates the de-valuing of creative skills - it happens every time a skilled creator is asked to “donate” their unique abilities to a non-profit or an intern pays for the “privilege” of slaving away a summer to get “experience”. Yes, it can be fun. and yes, there can be real learning, and yes, there are “dues” to pay for experience or portfolio pieces, but when it becomes borderline exploitation. it’s time to draw a line - IMHO.

22

@halflokum You might enjoy this vignette (after I read your post #19)…

So, I already related that my D only did summer stock one summer (out of choice) and even though she was in a professional production that included Equity actors, she was officially called an “intern” which is what the handful of college aged actors were called. One of the other interns was a theater student at a well respected BA program. It so happens that my in-laws (who have graduate degrees) live in the town where this young man went to college. My in-laws have been auditing classes there as senior citizens for 20 years. Soon after my D did that summer stock intern job, my in-laws were auditing a theater related course (academic in nature) at the college in their hometown and this same young man who spent the summer with my D as a summer stock “intern,” was in the same class with my elderly inlaws. On the first day of class, the students had to go around an introduce themselves and my in-laws participated in that. This college young man says on his turn, “I spent the summer scrubbing toilets with their granddaughter!” :smiley:

23

Several of my S’s friends have turned down summer stock jobs to work “regular” jobs because they can make more money. I’m wondering, after reading all your stories, is low pay SS more prevalent now because of the amount of kids looking for work or was this always the case? Are non MT college students making more in the summer? I’ve been reading that low pay and no pay internships have crept into many majors, so our kids may not be suffering more than others. Not that it makes the abysmal pay any better, but I do wonder if this is new norm for all college kids?!?!?

My S is “working” at same theater that @kategrizz daughter did last year. We only agreed because he can commute from home. Unfortunately, the pay does not cover gas. However, as an incoming freshman he’s excited for the opportunity for several reasons kategrizz already listed. The last two summers he made a nice amount of money teaching youth theater camps and classes. He will have to continue this until (if ever) he lands a self supporting gig away from home.

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@artskids, your son doesn’t have to wait to turn 21 to get TIPS certified or take bartending classes. My D did it at 19, and got a paid job bartending at 20. You only have to be 18 to get the certification.

RE: summerstock…many of them pay very poorly. But IMHO, you have to look at the whole picture…the kids are gaining experience, making contacts, learning, and building their resumes. There are certain theatres that are known for their great pay (like Quisisana). The theme parks pay well, too. But for the ones that don’t pay great, look at the whole package. Is it a role that your kid has always wanted to play? Does the theatre treat your kid like a slave (12 hour days, scrubbing toilets, sewing and washing costumes, cleaning, etc.?) Are the director/choreographer etc. good contacts? Does the theatre tend to hire you back for more money if they like you?

I am NOT opposed to the “pay for points” places, if they have a good reputation and give you good experiences/contacts. Those theatres OFTEN hire apprentices back in following summers, and the contacts the kids make are invaluable. And, before people start yelling about how it’s only for rich kids…no. They all offer scholarships for kids who need it.

One of my D’s profs told her the goal is to have all her college shows bumped off her resume (due to space limitations) by professional shows. My D is a rising senior, and she has worked professionally all 3 summers, and she doesn’t regret one minute. The place she is working this summer doesn’t pay wonderfully, but housing is fabulous and rehearsals are only M-F 1-6 p.m., and they are encouraged to get real world jobs mornings and/or evenings. It’s the best of both worlds. No additional duties…they JUST act. (And it doesn’t hurt that the NYC director is well-connected and well-known.)

So, the devil is in the details…But I think IF it is financially feasible, getting to NYC (or Chicago, or Boston, or wherever) after graduation with a resume containing professional credits and EMC points puts you in a good position. But maybe that’s just me. I think, like choosing a school, there are different paths for everyone. There is no right or wrong.

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I spent a fair amount of time stressing that D was taking a summer “off” of theater. But looking out at the big picture to come (thanks to dear friends with older kids who help keep my eye on the future) I am thinking that non theater job skills will be needed to pay the bills while getting started!

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@monkey13 Thanks for the information. I’m passing it along to my S. Both of us assumed you had to be 21 to bartend so never looked into it as a potential right now. I see he can get TIPS certified online - a good use of time before he heads west for the summer!

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Bartending skills could come in handy. I occasionally checkout FB posts of alums from S’s program (a mom’s gotta see the whole picture, right?) and have noticed a few postings they share about job opportunities. Some of these “opportunities” include jobs serving, babysitting, etc in NYC - for folks with “experience”. I tell S you never know what “experience” might pay the bills or lead to the next rung up the ladder. One of S’s former dance teachers has inquired if he is available to teach MT dance at a two-week summer dance intensive. He says it’s not really his “forte” and wants to refer a friend of his for the job. I TRY to keep my mouth shut, but have only mentioned - maybe three or four times (in two days) - that it could “pay off” in future opportunities or growth in an area you’re not naturally comfortable in. AND he might be able to barter for free/reduced dance classes over the summer. . .

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@mom4bwayboy Sounds like we are having the same kitchen table conversations! I like the idea of bartending for them since it can be so flexible - even during the school year! My S taught dance last summer at the youth theater camp. The MT kids are certainly qualified at that level :slight_smile:

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I had a conversation about bartending with a friend who manages an upscale restaurant in my town (b/c D has thought of bartending too) He recommended getting server experience before moving on to bartending - in his viewpoint (as the one doing the hiring) you need to have worked in other areas before you hit the top of the food chain.

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Catering is very flexible, too, and pays well above minimum plus tips.

31

I’ll just comment about my own two kids’ situations. They worked every summer during college (and one during grad school too) in their respective fields AWAY from home. We did not support them financially over these summers. So, they had to get jobs that at least broke even, and there wasn’t aways a profit after that (sometimes there was). All these summer jobs in their fields certainly helped to build their resumes, let alone gave them invaluable experiences. Paying to play or having mom/dad’s financial support wasn’t an option for my girls.

Back to my MT daughter…trying to remember those four summers during college. The first one was the one I mentioned on this thread already…the only summer she did summer stock and it was in CT and included housing, but not food. All her remaining summers (and life so far!) were in NYC.

The summer after sophomore year, she got cast in what is called NYU’s Reality Show. This job came with full housing and 10 meals per week, and a nice salary. Those in this show spend the summer writing the show (including songs) and rehearsing, and then perform in it during orientation in August. During a vacation break, my D came home to direct/teach a MT program she co-created and ran the summer after high school graduation, with a friend, for two weeks and that was lucrative.

The summer after junior year, my D was again cast in NYU Reality show with room and board provided, but besides being a writer/performer, she was also the musical director which came with very good additional pay. The show is brand new every year. The next two things I will mention I can’t recall if they were after sophomore or junior year, but she also was in a musical in NYC for no pay. As well, she was also in a new musical workshop for NYU Grad MT Writing. Oh, and since the free housing was in a dorm and my D had an apartment, her older sister had a paid internship in her field that summer in NYC and so she sublet younger D’s share in that apartment from her, while MT D lived in the free housing provided by her job.

The summer after senior year, while my D was cast immediately following graduation for an Equity tour, it didn’t start until the fall, so she had lined up a summer position. This time she was working on NYU Reality Show for the brand new Abu Dhabi production. She lived in her own apartment that summer. She turned down writing/performing in the show since she felt she had had that experience and was now a graduate. However, she was the musical director of the show which paid very well. She went to Abu Dhabi for the performances. NYU Reality Show is a fantastic show (I’ve seen one edition of it) and I think looking back on it, that besides performing, my D gained a lot of experience at writing original songs and lyrics and musical directing. Plus she got to work very closely with Tony nominated playwright/director, Liz Swados, who became a significant mentor in her life, and who unfortunately passed away recently. As an added plus (LOL), my D’s now fiancé, was also in NYU Reality Show with her those 3 summers, and was Asst. Director of the Abu Dhabi version that summer.

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^^S friends who bartend now generally started as bar backs to learn the bar side of the business and not as waiters or servers. I’m sure either would get your foot in the door.

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This will be my first summer working in theatre. I’ll be at Theatre Aspen as one of their Arts Administration apprentices as part of the Theatre Aspen Apprentice Program. Between high school and my first year of college (before I transferred to a musical theatre program), I worked as a princess-for-hire with a local birthday entertainment company. Between my first year in college and my first year in my musical theatre program, I worked for the Canadian federal government at Passport Canada and as a retail employee at the Disney Store. I did the same last year. I didn’t mind not working in theatre for two summers, because I was paid very well and was provided with some strong data entry/customer service skills that make me a better administrator. I will not break even working at Theatre Aspen this summer (although they are housing me and paying for my travel), because I have to take this internship for credit and the cost of the credit hours exceeds what they are paying me.

I intend to work in theatre for the remainder of my summers in college, if possible. I knew I needed to get this for-credit internship out of the way, so I wasn’t pursuing performance as a priority this summer, but as someone who does have a double major in BFA Arts Administration, it’s nice to know that I can often seek a job that will complement both of my skill sets, as a performer and as an administrator. I would love to do summer stock next year, but am not in a position to pay to play. I guess we’ll see how it shakes out!

34

I agree with @mom4bwayboy on this one.

D’s sophomore summer she did Strawhats and had several summerstock offers, but she wasn’t thrilled by any of the theatres that attended that year and decided to do a school show during the summer instead. Unlike the summerstock offers, the school show was unpaid (and like @soozievt we paid for nothing during summers), so she took a survival job (telemarketing) on the side.

I second-guessed her choice to turn down paying summerstock, but as it played out she made a great decision. The director of the school show was well-connected in the local theatre community, and shortly after he offered her an Equity card and a 4 month contract which led to steady professional work from then until now (2+ years).

A fringe benefit is that she disliked the telemarketing job so much that she has hustled extra hard ever since to avoid needing a survival job, and so far so good (knocking on wood).

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@MomCares I was also thinking of your D’s summer experiences when I shared mine because your D was involved in shows at her college over the summer. And it led to more work after graduation. Same thing with my D because while I mentioned she was paid well to write, perform and musically direct NYU Reality Show over 3 summers, she worked closely with Liz Swados. Liz also hired my D to musically direct a world premiere of hers in NYC when my D was in college and was paid for that one fall. After graduation, my D was employed by Liz to musically direct in other programs of hers and so that was one of my D’s “survival jobs” at the time, though it was in theater and also my D’s fiancé worked for Liz for pay following graduation as well (and he had been in NYU Reality Show many summers during college. So, the work those summers led to more work after graduation, like it has with your D initially too.