Author Topic: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)  (Read 13403 times)

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GalFriday

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #15 on: May 17, 2013, 01:42 am »
...or you can start programming winches that fly people.  :D
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Jonas_A

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #16 on: Aug 26, 2013, 12:11 am »
That's some rather alarming data... and very much puts paid to any hopes I had of moving to New York to work in stage management... PSMKay, does your research include work on corporate gigs/unusual performances/anything not strictly union-based?

Also, does anyone have any figures on all this for Australia? PSMKay, I know your research was limited to the US, but I know there's a few of us Aussies on SMNetwork. Just curious is all.

Mac Calder

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #17 on: Aug 26, 2013, 06:37 am »
I love looking at stats, but I think with stats like this it would be nice to see some graphical breakdowns in a income bracket/frequency plot to give a "picture" of where the population lies...

Jonas - All stage managers in Australia should be employed under the Live Performance Award - Basic guide here. It is not something theatres and production companies can opt out of, they are required to meet minimum award rates. Anything above that is extra. Of course availability of jobs is the bigger issue down here.
« Last Edit: Aug 26, 2013, 06:39 am by Mac Calder »

PSMKay

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #18 on: Aug 30, 2013, 05:20 am »
I've been goofing around a bit with Google maps - I may be able to do something with that and a site-wide survey of incomes (kind of like the internship survey) if people would find it interesting. However, that kind of thing would require folks to come back regularly and update with their most recent earnings, so I'm not really sure how to implement it yet. I'll think it over.

jbreezy

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #19 on: Sep 14, 2013, 12:37 pm »
There is a large pocket of theatre in Sarasota, FL, as well as Washington, DC. Those are some other places that I would like to see the data on.

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ejsmith3130

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #20 on: Oct 26, 2013, 09:44 pm »
Having recently enrolled in EMC I have been having a brighter outlook about working as a full time professional stage manager- maybe it's just because I hate my day job though  ;)  Regardless, I have been spending a good deal of time reviewing different Equity contracts and documents trying to prepare myself for the future, and I thought of this thread when I happened to open the AEA Theatrical Season Report for 11-12, and saw that it contained a lot of the information on average weeks worked for AEA members and I was initially shocked to see the number hovered around 17 weeks. 17. out of 52 weeks in the year. Understanding how averages work and knowing there are a ton of unemployed or underemployed actors probably skewing this number, it was still crazy to me. I already have worked 34 weeks this year in theatre (not all EMC) with contracts lined up through the end of the year as well.

They did have the statistics broken down by Principal / Chorus / Stage Management Contracts, and if my math was a little better (and my brain wasn't fried from tech!) I could check to see if the percentages were any better for SM's.

You can check out the document in the Document Library at the following link:
http://www.actorsequity.org/library/library.asp?cat=1

Jessie_K

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #21 on: Oct 31, 2013, 11:25 am »
I believe 17 weeks is also the average length of summer stock seasons.  That might be also skewing the stats due to people that work at universities during the school year and then take a summer stock season each year.

(On a side note, when Equity changed its insurance week requirements, the qualification number hovers just above the average number of weeks worked..)

NomieRae

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #22 on: Nov 14, 2013, 04:59 pm »
Quote
(On a side note, when Equity changed its insurance week requirements, the qualification number hovers just above the average number of weeks worked..)

This brings up an interesting tangent of "earning a living." Some people are able to work as an independent contractor throughout the year and make a good living, but then shell out an exorbitant amount of money for health insurance.

On the flip side, I very often see (and have done it myself) AEA stage managers take contracts that are far lower than what they can live on ($200-300 take home pay per week) just for the health weeks, because they know if they can't make those requirements in the look back period then overall the costs go up when they lose their affordable CIGNA plan.

It is a very delicate balancing act
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MatthewShiner

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #23 on: Nov 15, 2013, 05:29 pm »
It's all about getting those 20 weeks . . . I know people working for less the unemployment to get those health care weeks.
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VSM

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Re: Can you earn a living? (2013 Research Data)
« Reply #24 on: Nov 16, 2013, 11:48 am »
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