Active TopicsActive Topics  Display List of Forum MembersMemberlist  CalendarCalendar  Search The ForumSearch  HelpHelp
  RegisterRegister  LoginLogin
Money Talk
 Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Theater Administration :Money Talk
Message Icon Topic: Pay Scale Suggestions Wanted(Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post Reply Post New Topic
Author Message
sethnic
Walk-On
Walk-On
Avatar

Joined: 8/23/07
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4
bullet Topic: Pay Scale Suggestions Wanted
    Posted: 9/10/07 at 1:13pm
We are creating a cooperative theater company. Our goal is to, first of all, find a sponsor to ensure profitable performances. We then want to share the profits among all of the participants. I'm looking to create a pay scale in percentages. I'd like your feedback on what I've sketched out here.

A three-tier system as follows:

The highest tier includes the marketing people, the business director, the production director, ticketing director and the publicity director. They would get somewhere between 3 and 4% of ticket income.

The second tier includes the stage manager, set designer, costume designer, choreographer, musical director, and all the actors and musicians. They would be earning around 3% of ticket income.

The third tier includes the "day workers" such as stagehands, ushers, lighting and sound, wardrobe and the casting director. They would be earning closer to 2% of ticket income.

The Executive Director, who will be involved in every aspect, and will be the only full-time person will get around 7%.

These gradations are roughly based on the estimated amount of time that people will be involved. Thus, the highest tier are working from before rehearsals even begin straight through the show. The second are those who have more or less the same amount of time from the beginning of rehearsals to the show. The third group become involved only in the immediate timeframe before and during the show (except for casting who is involved before rehearsals begin). The exact percentages will depend on the number of people we end up working with, and the size of the cast.

Is there another model? Or a better way to refine this? I certainly hope that we will be profitable and indeed be able to partially compensate people for their time. Thank you for your thoughts.
Creating a new company!
IP IP Logged
Kibitzer
Lead
Lead
Avatar

Joined: 2/06/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 39
bullet Posted: 10/05/07 at 2:09pm
Sethnic -

My knee-jerk reaction is to suggest you find another site for answers to your questions.  That is not to say that what your are doing is a bad thing, but by and large, you are trying to create a model for what appears to me to be a professional theatre company - or at least the basis for a professional company.  This site is all about community theatre, which, despite all the talk about compensation, is largely a volunteer-based, amateur (not to be confused with amateurish) theatre operation.  What is often debated in these postings is whether anyone at all should get paid anything! 

If you are setting yourself up as a non-profit organization, then you may want to get involved with the resources of Theatre Communications Group (www.tcg.org), which focuses on non-profit regional professional theatre. 

Most professional companies find they have to work through the guidelines established by the various theatrical unions.  If you are trying to avoid that, but still want to help people earn a little money from doing theatre, then there are any number of structures that can work.  The only problem I see is how many people are going to want to work under what amounts to a commission basis? 

Compensation depends upon the financial success of your theatre.  At first flush, in this capitalistic world of ours, that would appear to give everyone the incentive to make the theatre work.  However, not everyone can be a good commission salesperson!  And beyond that, what revenues are going into the pie?  If you're a non-profit and start writing grants and so forth, some funders don't want to fund people's paychecks.  The commission structure can also interfere with your mission and artistic vision.  Most funders are in the business of funding the common good, not lining people's pocketbooks.  Your commission structure could work against you on this. 

This is not to say that funders are against people making a living off of non-profit ventures!  However, we must understand that the nature of the non-profit sector is mission-oriented and not money-oriented.  Paying on a commission basis can strain that critical dichotomy. 

On the other hand, if you are a profit making entity, then instead of funders, you may be looking for "investors":  people who will give you money with some expectation of payback.  In this case, they may embrace the commission structure.  My concern in this structure is keeping in touch with the art; that is, the chase for money trumps the need for good theatrical art. 

Not knowing what your orientation is, I'm speculating a great deal and trying to answer questions that may be irrelevant to what you're all about.  So, I'll stop with all the "if this"es "then that"s. 


"Security is a kind of death." - Tennessee Williams
IP IP Logged
Post Reply Post New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums version 8.05
Copyright ©2001-2006 Web Wiz Guide
buy generic cialis are in line cialis canada outcome for yourself viagra sales cost saving benefit viagra uk convert your buy phentermine online pay phentermine cod payment Lenders Everything xanax online your existing xanax overnight absolute must free incest stories online The value gay incest advance The key free dog sex pics cash flow dog sex the reduced noise free gay college guys of the period gay guys