How much money do broadway actors make a year

While that would be a great salary for a year-round job, actors live with the risk of the show closing and leaving them unemployed. There are multiple extra weekly payments for special cases, for instance if they move sets, they understudy the lead or they take a role with physical risk. All these will add to the weekly salary. Actors’ salaries on Broadway are not left up to the whim of individual producers. Although acting is a field where individual talent rules, it’s also tightly unionized. A stage actors union called Actors’ Equity Association was formed in to improve the poor conditions actors worked under back. Those conditions included actors:. Inactors on Broadway and in Chicago went on a month-long strike with support from theater musicians and stagehands. That established Actors’ Equity as a player in the industry and convinced producers to start negotiating. Since then, Broadway has paid actors a set rate, which the union periodically renegotiates. If you work as an actor on Broadway, you’ll almost certainly need to join Actors’ Equity.

The first most important piece of advice for anyone aspiring to be a Broadway actor seems to be, if there is anything else you’d rather do, you should do it instead. Being an actor on Broadway can be rewarding, personally, though not necessarily financially. And everyone usually has to start at the bottom and work their way up. What is the bottom for a Broadway actor? Actually, it is to be an audience member — to see as much theater as possible, to audition and be cast in everything from school plays to community theater productions, and to invest in the career before trying to make it your career. The job of an actor, whether on Broadway or a high school stage, or even in someone’s basement or garage, is to express ideas and portray characters, most often from someone else’s script, to entertain and inform an audience. You aren’t likely to be cast as the «lead» in a Broadway show right away. If ever. And you aren’t likely to even be cast from the first audition you give — trying to convince a casting director your interpretation of the script, any part of it, is the best, and expresses the writer’s vision of the character accurately and engagingly. If you do get a «call-back» from your audition the producer, casting director, director and scriptwriter want to see you essentially audition again , and succeed in getting cast, your roles can range between the lead, which requires hours of stage time and the memorization of lots of lines, to parts that require only a line or two or no speaking at all — as a «background» actor. Broadway musicals have chorus roles that are non-speaking roles but require dancing and singing. As a cast member, you often will spend hours rehearsing — not only before the production opens but also often during a show’s «run,» to polish and adjust the performance.

Trending News

Unlike in television or film, in which the audience never sees or hears a full production exactly as it was written, and the writing is often being changed up until or even after a scene is shot, on stage, when someone thinks they know the material, they want to hear it «exactly the way it was written,» and know when it has been changed because it is no longer familiar to them, actor and consultant David Patrick Green notes. Another major difference between acting on a stage and acting for television or movies is the audience location. On stage, according to Green, the audience is feet or more on average from the performers. Stage actors are therefore always taught to «act for the back row. In other words, as Green notes in an article in Backstage. If they are 50 yards away, speak to them in that manner. A third major difference between stage and television or film acting is the «iconic nature» of characters and celebrated performances of those characters, Green notes. For example, there’s the case of William Gillette , a stage actor, who began playing Sherlock Holmes in , in a production co-written with the character’s creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Gillette, a Connecticut actor, is credited with first introducing as a prop a curved Calabash pipe — originally written and envisioned by Doyle as a straight pipe made out of briar — and the expression «Elementary, my dear fellow!

Education Requirements

The curtain rises, and the audience applauds as Broadway actors transport them to another time and place. It takes hard work and dedication to get to Broadway. It’s a lucrative career for a few. Hamilton producers have also profited from the enormous success of the show. Most actors who make it to Broadway do not achieve that level of wealth or fame. They do it because they love performing on stage.

The Bare Minimum: Breaking Down Broadway Actor Salaries

By Michael Riedel. They do it for art, for prestige, for a chance to turn around a sagging film career. But while a leading role on Broadway is not nearly as lucrative as a starring, or even a supporting, role in a movie or a television show, the weekly paycheck can be plenty hefty. That figure is a combination of a guaranteed base salary, plus a percentage of the gross box-office receipts. The actress has agreed to stay with the show for a year. Absolutely, theater producers say. Both are big draws. But as production costs began to escalate in the s — and as the pool of bona fide Broadway stars got smaller and smaller — producers balked at that deal, which could bleed them when the show was losing money. He is unique value. Not all of the stars currently on Broadway are making gobs of money. For those productions to make a profit, their stars forgo huge weekly salaries in exchange for a share of the profits. Read Next. This story has been shared , times.

You May Like

The first most important piece of advice for anyone aspiring to be a Broadway actor seems to be, if there is anything else you’d rather do, you q do it instead. Being an actor on Broadway can be rewarding, personally, though not necessarily financially. And everyone usually has to start at the bottom and work their way up. What is the bottom for a Broadway actor?

Actually, it is to be an audience member — to see as much theater as possible, to audition and be cast in everything from school plays to community theater productions, and to invest in the career before trying to make it your career. The job of an actor, whether on Broadway or a high school stage, or even in someone’s basement or garage, is to express ideas and portray characters, most often from someone else’s script, to entertain and inform an audience.

You aren’t likely to be cast as the «lead» in a Broadway show right away. If. And you aren’t likely to even be cast from the first audition you give actora trying to convince a casting director your interpretation of the script, any part of it, is the kake, and expresses the writer’s vision of the character accurately and engagingly.

If you do get a «call-back» from your audition the producer, casting director, director and scriptwriter want to see you essentially audition againand succeed in getting cast, your roles can range between the lead, which requires hours of stage time and the memorization of lots of lines, to parts that require only a line or two or no speaking at all — as a «background» actor. Broadway musicals have chorus roles that are non-speaking roles but require dancing and singing.

As a cast member, you often will spend hours rehearsing — broadwxy only before the production opens but also often during a show’s «run,» to polish and adjust the performance. Unlike in television or film, in which the audience never sees or hears a full production exactly as it was broasway, and the writing is often being changed up until or even after a scene is shot, on stage, when someone thinks they know the material, they want to hear it «exactly the way it was written,» and know when it has been changed because it is no longer familiar to them, actor and consultant David Patrick Green notes.

Another major difference between acting on a stage and acting for television or movies is the audience location. On stage, according to Green, the audience is feet or more on average from male performers. Stage actors are therefore always taught to «act for the back row.

In other words, as Green notes in an article in Backstage. If they are 50 yards away, speak to them in that manner. Achors third major difference between stage and mae or film acting is the «iconic nature» of characters and celebrated performances of those broadwaj, Green notes. For example, there’s the case of William Gillettea stage actor, who began playing Sherlock Holmes inin a production co-written with the character’s creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Gillette, a Connecticut actor, is credited with first introducing as a prop a curved Calabash pipe — originally written and envisioned by Doyle as a straight pipe made out of briar — and the expression «Elementary, my dear fellow!

That includes in television and film. However, unlike on the stage, in most cases in television or film acting, you will likely q the only person to ever play any character, according to Green.

Mjch what producers of a film or television project want is some version of you, not your version of a character that first wowed an audience mucb ago. As a general rule, actors often work long and irregular hours, including evenings and weekends. Yea, as explained by Broadway broafway Ken Davenport, «we don’t punch clocks. If you love what ywar do, then you won’t be watching the clock.

And I only want to work with people who truly love what they. The work is usually indoors, in theaters, or outdoors on location or in an «open air» production. Also, actors may travel if they are part of a touring production. A Broadway cast member may work up to eight shows in a single week, covering a maximum of six of seven days.

Shows also routinely can call on actors to perform five shows in a single 3-day period, and may set six shows in a so period «no more than 12 times over the course of a year of shows. Such frequent performances mean actors have daily schedules that revolve around being prepared to perform whenever the curtain goes up. For musicals, cast members may also need to rest co voices when miney onstage.

According to CareerTrend. However, according to Playbill. Musicals designate some performers as «dance captains,» who have to know all the show’s choreography and are tasked with ensuring it continues to be performed as it was originally set.

Another way to increase your base salary as an actor is to agree to a one-year «rider,» which essentially says a performer will remain with a production for an entire year.

Unlike the majority of professions, a college degree isn’t a requirement to become an actor or actress on Broadway. However, a bachelor’s degree is often seen as helpful to learning the craft mojey, for musical theater, hwo even pursue a master’s degree at places like Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and Carnegie Mellon University, or any number of other places that have performance degree programs.

In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s job outlook for actors notes that, because of the heavy competition for even the most minor roles, «actors with a bachelor’s degree in theater may have a better chance of landing a part than those without one.

A good actor has to have knowledge of how people behave and speak, so their characters can appear believable; they must know how to project their voice to fill a performance space, and have a wide range of knowledge of books, plays and even poetry; it broadwqy to have knowledge of different cultures, and skill in interpreting or analyzing roles.

Whether you have a degree or not, one way to begin is to learn your craft. This means take acting classes, somewhere, according to Backstage. You will be performing in front of an audience, and be exposed to other performers, who could wind up a valuable resource or industry contact. And, if you’re hoping to get cast in a mych, which has become quite popular not only on Broadway but also in film, vocal training would be a good thing to pursue.

In addition, dance training would help, starting with a ballet class to give you a solid foundation, as would scene study, to help you develop an ability to interpret a script. Regardless, according to Davenport, «do what’s required with a smile on your face, and mcuh rise to the top quicker than you can say «I went to graduate school for this? However, actors who work in performing arts companies are expected to see slower job growth than those in film, as yar and medium-sized theaters have difficulty getting funding.

As a result, the number of performances is expected to decline, according to the BLS. As for Broadway, large theaters, with their more stable brodway of funding and more well-known plays and musicals, should provide more opportunities.

It’s never too late — or too early — to plan and invest for the retirement you deserve. Get more information and a free trial subscription to TheStreet’s Retirement Daily to learn more about saving for and living in retirement.

Email Robert. Powell TheStreet. Real Money. Real Muc Pro. Quant Ratings. Retirement Daily. Trifecta Stocks. Top Stocks. Real Money Pro Portfolio. Chairman’s Club. Compare All. Cramer’s Blog. Cramer’s Monthly Call. Jim Cramer’s Best Stocks. Cramer’s Articles. Mad Money. Fixed Income. Bond Funds. Index Funds. Mutual Funds. Penny Stocks. Preferred Stocks. Credit Cards.

Debt Management. Employee Benefits. Car Insurance. Disability Insurance. Health Insurance. Home Insurance. Life Insurance. Real Estate. Estate Planning. Roth IRAs. Social Acors. How much money do broadway actors make a year Governance. Broadwag Markets. Mergers and Acquisitions. Rates and Bonds. Junk Bonds. Treasury Bonds. Personal Finance Essentials. Fundamentals of Investing. Mavens on TheStreet. Biotech Maven. ETF Focus. John Wall Street — Sports Business.

Thanks to public standard union contracts, we know what the base salary is for Broadway performers, stage managers, and musicians. These minimum rates are only for professionals on Broadway and are calculated by the week since, unlike other vocations who report annual salaries, artists will not necessarily be employed by their Broadway show for a full year. These figures are valid as of October 2,and are scheduled to remain through September 29,after which most of these rates will increase slightly. Musician pay rates comes from Local Their rates are valid as of March and are scheduled to remain through March 3, But that figure can increase depending on the particular demands of any given track. Understudying roles also comes with additional pay.

Broadway and Unions

There are also some other situations in which musicians may be required to assume additional responsibilities or make an additional time commitment, which can result in an increase in the base pay. Logan Culwell-Block is a musical theatre historian, Playbill’s manager of research, and curator of Playbill Vault. Blocking belongs on the stage, not on websites. Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting playbill.