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trutter
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bullet Posted: 5/09/07 at 1:30pm
I haved mixed feelings on that.   As a director, it would be nice, but as a Board member, I see so many things in our theater that the money COULD go to, I would feel guilty taking it.  There is always a light out, or something needed in costumes, or something else... would rather the funds help the organization rather than myself.

We have some, but not a lot, problem finding directors.  This year it was easy - we asked some past directors "what show would you do, if you could do, that we haven't done."  From those answers we read the scripts and pretty much had our season. 


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Troy A. Rutter
Author, "Kids in the Biz: A Hollywood Handbook for Parents"
http://www.kidsinthebiz.com/
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fjoef
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bullet Posted: 7/17/07 at 3:13pm
We are the Apple Cider Players in Northern New Jersey and I can't believe that I am reading some of these posts with the low or zero dollars paid to directors!  WOW!   We are a non-profit also........unfortunately, to get good director talent we have to pay.  We have paid as much as $2000 to a director for a musical (4 month rehearsal)!   Are we wrong?  Let me tell you - they put in a tremendous amount of time into these performances.  They deserve something.  Too little would be an insult.....THere has to be a fine line on there experiences vs what they earned (effort wise).
Anyway -  it is one of the largest expenses of a small theater group next to set!
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MartyW
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bullet Posted: 8/20/07 at 8:29pm
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2000.... And I thought our 400 was a kicker... Joe Ferrara?  Didn't happen to come for Rome NY did ya... ? 
Marty W

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cujimmy
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bullet Posted: 9/11/07 at 4:24pm
I wish I got paid to Direct but even the $400-$500 I see here posted would still put me in the hole. I lose more than that much a week when I get off work early to rehearse only 2 times a week. Over the course of our rehersals I probably lose $5000 to $10,000 for the privilage of Directing. Thats for one show folks and I might Direct 2 a year.
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gordo942
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bullet Posted: 9/24/07 at 12:20am

Well, I'm here because stipends have been an issue during our past two productions. 

 

Our community theatre group has been around for eleven years and the current board of directors has been in place for two years. Previously, the producer and director/choreographer were board members and were stipend about $500 each. We also stipend the music director/rehearsal pianist $500-800 and paid the pit based on the number of performances (usually $50/show), as well as the sound/light crew, set builder and graphics person for posters, programs, etc. (all professionals outside of theatre).

 

Three years ago the producer and director left to pursue other activities. None of us had the experience to direct the types of shows we were looking at doing, so we hired a director and choreographer the following year and two board members acted as producer. We made a modest amount on that show. Yes, we are non-profit but if we cannot sustain our operation we will cease to exist. Like any other company, our theatre company must do what is in it's best interest in order to survive.

 

Two years ago we stipend a non-board member producer and outside director, music director and choreographer. We had the most profitable show ever for the theatre group. Even to the point where we felt comfortable that we could make some house improvements, take a loss on this year's production and still not worry about it. We had plans to do a second show this year but our elderly building had some code issues that needed to be addressed first.

 

We just closed this year's musical last night and I think we probably lost a little on the budget...but we paid stipends to the producer, director, choreographer, music director, set builder, marketing person, sound & light...and we gave the choreographer, two costumers and the set dresser a monetary bonus/reward for exceeding our expectations. We also helped upgrade our building and laid plans for additional improvements.

 

Each of the stipends went to people who are professionals and get paid elsewhere to do what they did for us. The adult, teen and children actors that participated and the non-professional volunteers all had a tremendous experience.

 

Yes, we are concerned about setting precedents, so we are reviewing our stipend policies. We do one show a year right now. I would like to do at least one more and allow the second to be a internally produced, directed and low- or non-stipend show that cultivates talent within our core group.

 

Will we still stipend for our big budget annual musical (usually $15- to 20-grand)? For as long as it works and still provides the community with exactly what they need, expect and deserve... an entertaining, memorable, educational and culturally stimulating experience.

 

I came to this discussion because I've heard that even with the increases we've made in stipends, we are still behind the other theatre groups in the area in this regard. I understand the principle of non-paid, volunteer theatre. I believe it still can exist in our geographic area and we intend to pursue it. But we also see that hired professionals deliver the results that can fuel other endeavors.

 

 

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Gaafa
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bullet Posted: 9/24/07 at 8:51pm
G'day Gordon & gdonya!
I wouldn't worry about other groups,Tongue your didea of doing your own thing, has merit. Clap
In my view your mob have had the experiance, of the paid bods & I believe you would have gleaned enough to give it a go.
I bet thier are a load of diamonds hiden in your own padock, waiting to be discovered.
I would presume this would have been the reason for paying these pros in the fist place. Was to gain enough know how & experiance to cook your own chook  eventualy - it looks like the time is here, to pluck the chook [chicken]!Wink
From your website it looks that they would have enoughshows under thier hats, to do a great production without to many blues at all.
i doubt they would mount a crook show, that was less than thier previous bench marks.
Let's face it what with the net these days & forums like this to draw on. There is really no reason to shell out hard earned brass to achieve the standard previously set.
I doubt your loyal punters would realise or even think about if there was paid direcyors or not.
In which case this gives you more to spend on resources, because it is unlikely your going to reap less from the turnstiles.
Your using the same stable of horses, only with your jockeys!Star

      Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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JohnnyOneNote
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bullet Posted: 2/09/08 at 3:48pm
WOW is right... Our theatre won't even give out ONE COMP TICKET to anyone - directors, crew or actors...... they do buy them Pizza during set building.. they figure that is enough of a thank you.
 
A CT 60 miles away pays their directors based on sales of the show.. up to $1500, so if you have a hit... you get a good stipend.. if it flops, you get something lower.. I love it because it makes me work harder. :)
But it is also cost me more than that in gas some times... but every penny helps in that situation.
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bullet Posted: 6/04/08 at 2:47pm
We are a very small church community theater. We have an annual budget of about $6000. We do not charge admission.  I have friends who help me with the technical stuff and I pay them. Director $500. Music director $600. Rehearsal pianist/performance pianist/assistant music director $500. Sound guy $500 ( he is very good and worth every penny since we must mic our shows) lighting designer $300. Musicians $300 each.
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avgsuperheroine
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bullet Posted: 6/04/08 at 10:01pm
I find this very interesting.  I am also in  iowa, and we've always had small honorariums for directors, music directors and orchestra people.  We are now in the "where does it end" phase of our development.
 
Our AD has now added stipends for assistant directing, stage managing, etc.  We are a fortunate theatre, we have a building and a full and part time paid staff.  However, after eight years of being employed there as the manager of an entire division of the organization, I make a grand total of $10.25 per hour after you take out what I have to pay for my own health insurance since we offer no benefits of any kind.  $10.25 after 8 years of full time service. 
 
So when I look and see our tech director get paid per show and not on staff (he works every night after a full day of work), he gets about $3000 per year to do seven shows.  Then I see my very talented seamstress make peanuts after over 15 years of sewing, and look at my position, I get very angry that we're turning around and spending over $2000 per show on honorariums for a VOLUNTEER theatre, then get told over and over "we just can't afford to pay you more..."...well, it irks me.
 
So I guess I'm in the camp with the other people that feel maybe you shouldn't pay for volunteers to do volunteer jobs.  Why not the box office volunteers?  Why not the designers (for gosh sakes, we pay the Ass.Dir. but not the costume designer?). 
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bullet Posted: 9/06/08 at 11:17pm
My theater is entirely volunteer, with one exception that's starting this (our third) season... we're adding a children's production and bringing in an outside director and prepared to give him an honorarium for this.  But I've got to say, after reading this thread, I'm going to have to go and rethink the amount a little; we were looking at $400 - one of my board members questioned this at which point I started asking him what HE would suggest for the payment, and when we started looking at alternatives, the $400 seemed to float pretty well, but now I'm thinking that $300 may be a more appropriate price range... you've all given me a lot to think about.


The following season (2010), we'll be doing our first musical IF we can financially support doing so.  I'm a professional musician by day; theater just being a hobby, so I'm going to be damned sure that we appropriately pay those people that play for us.
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