When is it OK to work for free?

[PSMKay]

This is a puzzler that we've touched on obliquely multiple times, but haven't really discussed outright in quite a while.  With the multitude of companies out there that survive on intern labor, and staff with mostly volunteers, it has become increasingly difficult in the modern performing arts business model to earn a living wage.  (At least in the US - not sure about elsewhere.)

There's a predominant idea that a newcomer has to "earn their right to be paid" for their work in the arts due to the sheer number of others who would work for nothing.  But there comes a point where real talent is lost to the industry due to the pay scales involved.  Even the unions have their difficulties commanding what would be an expected rate in other lines of work.

Where do you draw the line? When is it okay for you to take a job that pays little or nothing? Is the "intern your way up" an acceptable business model?  Why is it so prevalent in the performing arts?

[KMC]

This is a discussion that requires distinction between the art of theatre and the business of theatre.

I struggled with this immensely towards the end of my collegiate life and the beginning of my professional life.  I could not wrap my head around the idea that someone would graduate with a Bachelor's degree (and potentially a sizeable loan debt) and fight for work that paid well below the minimum wage; and worse yet that this is not only the accepted norm, but encouraged.  On a personal note I refused to work for anything below a living wage.  My advisor was incredibly supportive and encouraged this line of thinking, but there were many (students and faculty alike) that were almost offended at this attitude.  Long story short I did secure full time stage management work that paid a living wage.  I've now been out of stage management for over four years for this exact reason... I made a living wage at age 22, I had essentially hit my ceiling as a stage manager.

On a broader scale your labor is a commodity.  It is your #1 commodity.  Like any commodity it is subject to the law of supply and demand.  If there is someone willing to sell their labor for half the price you're asking, it will affect your ability to sell your labor.  My advice has always been to set your goals and pursue them relentlessly, and do not settle for anything less.

I've never had a problem with people that want to work for low wages.  If a person values their labor at $0, it is well within their right to work for $0.  I have no experience with this, but I'd imagine as long as people see that person X is willing to work for $0, it will be very difficult for person X to be taken seriously for the jobs that do pay a living wage.

I think it is so prevelant in the performing arts because there is such an incredible surplus of labor.  Again it goes back to supply and demand.  There is not a large demand for theatre as an art - i.e. people willing to pay top dollar to see live shows.  Naturally this creates a low demand for labor.  Conversely we have hundreds upon hundreds of undergraduate programs churning out theatre students on an annual basis.  The labor pool is growing while the demand for that labor is sinking.  Until there is parity between the labor pool and demand for labor, there will be people working for $0.

Am I on an island here?  Interested in thoughts from everyone on this...  Additionally I would be particularly interested to hear from others with similar circumstances (those who wear the "Former SM" badge under their username  ).

[dallas10086]

I've been lucky in the respect that, as an intern, I've always been paid. It wasn't what could be considered a living wage, but considering where I was working and who I was learning from, the experiences and contacts were worth it. Would I do it again for free? For one production at an amazing theatre working with the right people - yes, I would. But I would have saved up prior to taking the position 

I don't know about the internship models now, but when I worked at NSMT before it closed (and reopened) the majority of the production team was comprised of interns, some in college, some fresh out of high school. We were treated very well, we attended workshops to help improve and further our careers, we worked with highly experienced designers, etc. who were always willing to answer questions or otherwise impart their wisdom...We all knew that a large part of the full-time administrative and production employees had begun as interns, so it was reassuring and motivating to know that if you did good work, rewards came soon after.

If someone were to consider an internship for little to no money, they should first find someone who recently did the internship and asked how they liked the experience and how they were treated as an intern. Not all programs are the same!

As for working for free outside of an internship - working locally on a contractual basis, I've always charged a fee for SM work. One theatre here does spectacular technical work but doesn't pay their actors or production team, and they've asked me often to SM for them. I've been tempted, but I have to think as a business person: why would I offer the same services to one company that refuses to pay, when another company is willing to pay me? If the company that pays me finds I'm doing the same high-quality work for free somewhere else, what motivation do they have to hire me back for a fee? Or be willing to secure me at a higher rate when I have more than one offer? Plus, I find that it creates competition - the old adage that what everyone can't have, everyone wants. Smart companies AND smart directors know that a bad SM can ruin a production and are willing to pay to make sure that doesn't happen.

[Aerial]

I also "interned my way up".  The internship I completed did provide a stipend, though not a living wage, and it provided housing, which was huge.  I feel that for what I was learning in on the job experience at a large theatre, it was worth it to struggle financially for a little while.  The guidance and mentorship I got from the AEA stage managers I worked under at that stage in my career is still invaluable to me.  My internship helped me to establish connections in the regional theatre world that I wouldn't have otherwise.  That theatre brought me back as a PA, and ultimately gave me my Equity card.  I freelance now, but I still end up there once or twice a season, because we have an established relationship. 

[missliz]

I am a strong believer in compensation of some kind for services performed. Even when I was interning, I was paid. In a place where interns were paid below minimum wage, we were provided housing and (at one place) meals, which meant all the money was being saved. I know it's difficult now, but I think at the very least you can offer free tickets or a 6-pack of beer for a person's time.

The only times I have worked for free were one-off charity events. A minimal time commitment, plus everyone else there was working out of the goodness of their heart to raise money for a good cause....to me it was less about the job and more about helping out the best way I could.

[BLee]

Is it ever ok to work for free? No. Only the rich can afford to work for free and by accepting unpaid work it puts the less fortunate at a severe disadvantage. I know I have never been able to work for free.

On the other hand, when you are still in school and have some amount of financial support it is a great time to work for lower wages than you could normally accept. I'm a fan of internships, but I advocate at least getting a stipend to cover travel and housing (and trying to get at least some meals too). Even as an intern you are providing labor for a company.

Once you are out of school though I say only work for free if that is what you value your skills at. Similar to others above, I feel if you undervalue your product you will never get what you are really worth. My minimum scale right now is to get at least minimum wage for 40 hours (I know I work far more hours, but that is my baseline) plus some type of benefits (housing, meals, travel, etc). Once I get through more graduate school that number will rise.

If I can afford my rent, be working, and not starve then a few weeks at a company works out financially.

[Tempest]

Like KMC307, I, too refuse to work for less than a living wage.  Though, due to extremely conservative spending habits, my living wage is pretty low.  Three exceptions to this rule: a charity event for a charity I believe in (those I will work for free, considering my labor as my donation), a really really great opportunity to make contacts in a sphere different than my usual one, and a quick one-off show put on by friends or people whose work I really respect.

I've turned down a LOT of work because they wanted to pay me $500 flat, or less, for a six week rehearsal process and three weeks of runs.  I have gone months without a gig because the only ones available are in that range, or expect me to work for free.  I take that down time to really pull in some money at my day job, and get my relaxing time in.

On the other hand, I've done a three night cabaret for $150 flat because it was my sister's roomates' brainchild and it was a freakin' blast.

It tends to be a decision I re-make at each opportunity, though with the exception of the aforementioned charity events, I'l never work completely for free.  How much do I want to do this show?  What are my cash-flow needs right now?  How much do I like the theatre/director/actor I know in the cast/etc.?  Is it a great opportunity, or am I just running in place?

[MatthewShiner]

Never.  It's never okay to work for free.  Never.  Never.  Never.

You can do an internship; which is a bridge from the educational world to the professional world.  You should do one, maybe two.  But that’s it.

You can volunteer, help out a friend; donate your salary back to a company you really believe in.

But you should never, ever work for free.

It’s basic economics, supply and demand - the reason why theaters can get away with paying WAY below minimum wage, or nothing, (which, I am pretty sure is against the law) is that there are people willing to work for it.   

Why are people willing to work for nothing?  Or just tickets and beer?  (That sickens me even worse . . . )  The market is flooded with young stage managers who are desperate to get work or credits on their resume.  There are just too many stage managers competing for the jobs, so, many stage managers willing to work for nothing.

By continuing to accept these jobs, we cheapen the value of the stage manager . . . why should someone pay $400.00 a week, when I can find some one for $200.00 for the entire run.  And find 10 people applying for it.

It’s part of the entire “Struggling Artist” bull crap we are brain washed into.

Never.  It's never okay to work for free.  Never.  Never.  Never.

[hbelden]

How does one learn to stage manage?  If you've never stage managed before in your life, how do you get your first stage management credit?  Volunteering at a community theatre is one way of learning.  We don't have an apprenticeship program in our industry.

Being a P.A. is not stage managing.  Being an intern is not stage managing.  There are good books on stage managing out there - but none of them compare with actually working through a job the first time.  Working in a school situation, with all of that built-in support, in no way prepares you for doing a fringe show in which you are the entire production staff.  If you've got sixteen P.A. credits but no S.M. credits, as I read your resume, I'm thinking that you don't have what it takes to be a Stage Manager.

There is a professional theatre in this country; there is a robust amateur theatre in this country.  I don't think the fringe storefront theatre produced by a handful of recently-graduated actors should be held to the same standard as the LORT-D company in the next city.  Both have a vibrant place in our culture, and each has its own purpose and activity.

When is it OK to work for free?  My answer: to get your first job, or to start your own theatre company.

[MatthewShiner]

How does one learn to stage manage?  If you've never stage managed before in your life, how do you get your first stage management credit?  Volunteering at a community theatre is one way of learning.  We don't have an apprenticeship program in our industry.

We do have formal training programs through the country in Universities, Colleges and Theater Programs.  We do have ways of interning, assisting, and move up the ranks.  A good assistant, who is with a PSM or seasoned (there is that word again), can be taught how to bridge from Intern to PA to ASM to SM.

It is illegal to hire someone for a job, and pay them less the minimum wage.  That's just a fact of life.  How theaters get around this I have no idea . . . well, trust me, I understand the basics and the clever tactics one can manipulate the system.

Heath, If I  wanted to get into Opera for example, yes, I may expect to do an internship or one job for free, but after that, if I am working, I should be making money.  And to be honest, the first time I did opera, for example, I did get paid, but it was a smaller company and I was paid less then I was used to for rehearsal, but the pay per performance was very sweet.  Irregardless, I don't devalue my input to any project just because I may not have direct experience in it - I may just charge less.  I didn't do my first industrial for free.  I didn't do my first professional dance work for free.  I am an experienced, valued member of any production / creative team I work on, and should be compensated as such. 

The continual cycles of young stage managers (or not so young stage managers) working for nothing or next to nothing has to be broken.

There is a professional theatre in this country; there is a robust amateur theatre in this country.  I don't think the fringe storefront theatre produced by a handful of recently-graduated actors should be held to the same standard as the LORT-D company in the next city.  Both have a vibrant place in our culture, and each has its own purpose and activity.

In regards the fringe storefront theatre, why not pay a living wage?  It should be the same standard as a LORT theatre, but reduce the hours, only rehearse at night - do something to allow them to make a living and do theatre on the side.  If the work week is 20 - 30 hours, then paying $200 a week isn't out of line.  But too often in New York we are seeing the jobs that are 50 work weeks for 150.00 a week. 

Also, I am fine if NO ONE IS BEING PAID - if everyone is volunteer, that's one thing - if everyone is doing it out of love for the project, here here, that is great.  But, too often, there is money being made, people being paid more then a living wage on the back of stage managers who are working for next to nothing.

[hbelden]

Matthew,

It sounds like we're actually on the same page.  I'm fine with all of your examples as listed in the last post.  I'll just point out that the support you get in a university situation is almost invisible when you're experiencing it and you can really feel like the rug's been pulled out from under you when you do your first job in the real world.

I'll also mention, as we all discussed a couple years ago, that new stage managers take longer than experienced stage managers on practically everything.  And since (outside of rehearsal hours) we set our own schedule for paperwork, reports, prop acquirement, wardrobe laundry, etc., it's unrealistic to ask a new stage manager to bill their hours the way a business consultant or a lawyer would do.  As long as the rehearsal hours work out to minimum wage, I think the employer's covered.

I should moderate my position to exclude New York City.  I don't know anything about the industry there, and I think the rules are probably different.

In a perfect world, we'd all be union and every contract would be either negotiated by or promulgated by the union, protecting us all.  Those of us who are non-union should think long and hard about this kind of question, and find their own answer that helps the entire industry, not just their own short term interests.

[MatthewShiner]

Yes, Heath . . . I do think we are on the same page . . . but it comes out a very passionate feeling that I have that too many college and universities are flooding the market with stage managers that are, for example in NYC, actually making it possible for some very high profile projects to get by with paying stage managers around 300.00 to 600.00  a week.  Which is a lot for some contracts, but in New York, after taxes, this is nothing.  And I am talking about shows with Oscar winning actors, shows charging quite a bit of money.  Even worse, the abuse of the showcase contract.

And in New York, they can get buy with paying minimum for a contract because there are 20 other stage managers who would do it for 10% under minimum.   Coming to New York was the first time I have ever worked for minimum for my contract every in my career . . . I have never worked for less then 10% over minimum in my career. 

By the flooding the market with cheap labor, we do a terrible disservice to the industry.  (Not to even go into the fact that we might be flooding the market with people who don't have the skill set to make it past a certain point in the career arc.)

New York is it's own world . . . and one I am getting to know pretty quickly.  It's rough, it's abusive at times, it's frustrating, but at the same time has some amazing opportunities to work with the best in the art and the best in the commercial world.  Let's see how I sing this tune after a year or more.

[VSM]

I for one cannot wait to hear your tune after a year or so...

[MatthewShiner]

Hehehehehe.

This time period will be an interesting chapter in my life.

I mean, I am coming to New York for the second time in my career, but with so much more experience . . . I have to say it's interesting.

But I digress.

Another thing to watch out for working for little or no pay is if your resume gets filled with the shows, then people think that's your "rate".  You have to come to a point where you you need to starting holding out for better pay.

[AdamJ]

As a young SM who is hopefully going to be breaking in to the market in the next few years, What would you suggest we can do to get employed for a living wage? I know a lot of this has to do with networking, where you are, and your education level. But if the market really is as saturated with people willing to work for cheap because they think they will be able to catch some big break, What can people like me who are serious about what we want to do do?


And on this topic, I don't know what SM's should be getting paid. Asking anyone else what they make is an instant firing offense at just about everywhere i have worked... What should my rate be, in your opinions.