Author Topic: Stagehand Wages  (Read 27629 times)

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chops

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Stagehand Wages
« on: Oct 22, 2007, 07:59 pm »
Hello all,

I was trying to put together a report on what stagehands make around the country.  So far I have heard everything from $7.00 per hour (MT) to $60.00 per hour (NV).  So if you wouldn't mind giving me a ballpark of what stagehands are making in your neck of the woods I would greatly appriciate it. 
Peace,

Chops

LiLz

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #1 on: Oct 23, 2007, 01:15 am »
Union or non-union?  There's a huge difference.

chops

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #2 on: Oct 23, 2007, 02:16 am »
looking at both.  i do realize that there is a large discrepency between union and non union.
Peace,

Chops

sevon

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #3 on: Oct 23, 2007, 03:54 am »
In Northern CA (so not to be too specific) $250 a week for 7 shows. Non-union run crew in an Equity house. 300 seat theatre.

Scott

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #4 on: Oct 23, 2007, 09:37 am »
Off Broadway, non-union stagehands currently generally make $20/hr, 4 hour min.

sievep

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #5 on: Oct 23, 2007, 09:45 am »
From what I've seen around DC, $14 an hour, 3 hour minimum is the going rate for non union stagehands. 
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LiLz

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #6 on: Oct 23, 2007, 01:34 pm »
I've seen non-union in LA waiver paid $8.  I'm not sure of what IATSE is now.

SMJorge

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #7 on: Oct 23, 2007, 04:52 pm »
The last show I did in Phoenix my crew was getting between 13 and 20/hr non-union.

Sarah

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #8 on: Oct 24, 2007, 12:45 am »
Here in NC, one can make between $12 and $15, non-union. 4 hour minimum. Dunno what the union rate is...

Rebbe

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #9 on: Oct 24, 2007, 04:18 pm »
Plenty of SPT theaters in the DC area pay weekly rather than hourly for non-union show run crew.  Anywhere from $160-$250 for 5-8 shows per week.  Sometimes they’ll pay a stipend instead, anywhere from $200-$1000 for a 4 or 5 week run.

I’d suspect the pay variations have more to do with a theater company’s size & budget than where it’s located, but it will be interesting to see what you find.
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centaura

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #10 on: Oct 31, 2007, 09:40 pm »
I'm in an IATSE house a few hours away from Chicago, and the base rate for hands here is $16hr/4hr minimum.  It also depends on the position - a high rigger here starts at $24/hr for example.  Some of our local hands also work in Chicago, and I know they get paid much more, but I don't know the figures.  I heard one reference doing a load-out at a particular Chicago venue and it being a minimum $250 - but I don't know the per hour or how many hours it was. 

When we did our contact negotiations, our research said that we were on track for cities of our size for our union payscale, even a bit high. 

Quote
I’d suspect the pay variations have more to do with a theater company’s size & budget than where it’s located

A lot of it is based on local cost-of-living.  As far as non-union wages, I believe that you're correct that a lot depends on the theatre's size, but when you start dealing with union contracts, a lot depends on what the local economy will support.  There is no way that we could survive as a venue if our stagehand rates were similar to Chicago's, promoter's wouldn't make any money on their shows.  When we were doing our research, we did a lot of cost of living comparrisons around the country to find what the going union rates were, and what was affordable with our local economy.

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BalletPSM

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #11 on: Nov 01, 2007, 02:46 pm »
Depends on the position...the venue...the client...the contract...

we don't have a contract with IATSE; we just work on an outside rate sheet; we pay hands $18.25 on a SIX hour minimum; head rate is $24.75; but then sometimes we do things by day rates.....it all depends...

but, at one of the venues we perform at; their contract has hands at $14.75 on a four hour minimum....
Stage managing is getting to do everything your mom told you not to do - read in the dark, sit too close to the TV, and play with the light switches!

erin

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #12 on: Nov 02, 2007, 02:07 am »
Right now my non-union crew for a show on a LORT B stage is making (IIRC) $400/wk, assuming $10/hour for OT purposes.

Scott

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #13 on: Nov 02, 2007, 11:50 am »
Quote
I’d suspect the pay variations have more to do with a theater company’s size & budget than where it’s located

A lot of it is based on local cost-of-living.  As far as non-union wages, I believe that you're correct that a lot depends on the theatre's size, but when you start dealing with union contracts, a lot depends on what the local economy will support.

Again, this is clearly different in regional theatre: non-union stagehands in New York general make the same rate I mentioned earlier in this thread whether the theatre is non-profit or not: whether the contract is Off Broadway or an Off Broadway LOA or even ANTC (the Off Broadway LOA bastard stepchild) -- odds are the stagehands are making rougly the same.

And most of the time -- it is quite more than the Stage Manager.


centaura

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Re: Stagehand Wages
« Reply #14 on: Nov 02, 2007, 12:42 pm »
Quote
Quote
A lot of it is based on local cost-of-living.  As far as non-union wages, I believe that you're correct that a lot depends on the theatre's size, but when you start dealing with union contracts, a lot depends on what the local economy will support.

Again, this is clearly different in regional theatre:

I can definitely see where there is a high concentration of the same work in the same area, the going rates are probably going to be similar.  We have the issue here that the stagehands are constantly talking about how much they can get paid for working in Chicago, to which our response is explain that we're not Chicago and can't compete with wages there.

-Centaura

 

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