time to ask for a raise?

[BlueRidgeSM]

I am way out of my depth here, so I know I might just be way wrong on this one so that's why I'm asking for advice.

I SM for several non-profit community theatres in Western North Carolina.  A few years ago I stopped SMing for one company (let's call them Company B) because they did not pay stage managers (though they did pay directors, LDs, etc).  I continued to SM for another theatre (my main theatre, Company A) which paid me a stipend of $200 per straight play and $300 per musical.  Well, the first company started paying SMs $200 per show (this company only does plays, no musicals) and so for the first time I have turned down a job offer at my main theatre to SM for the other company.  I did this for a variety of reasons, but primarily I have missed working with Company B.  Most of the actors and staff are closer to my age (20's and 30's) vs. Company A which is mostly older people.  I have zero social life as it is (working a full time M-F desk job plus theatre will do that to you) and so I was wanting the social connection I have with the folks at Company B.

Well, I just closed a hugely successful show with Company A.  It broke all previous box office records that this company had.  I then turned down an offer to SM their fall musical to take a show with Company B because frankly, $100 difference is not enough to sway me either way and again, I miss working with Company B.  Well, I am currently doing a different show with Company B and is reminding me of the things I didn't like so much about Company B.  SMs also function as Marketing with this company, so I have been organizing the recording of radio commercials, radio interviews, promotional photo shoots, head shots, etc.  I also had zero help in getting a crew for this show, which has been extremely frustrating.  Company A handles all this stuff for me, gets me a crew, and they pay me $100 more. 

So today I got a card from the MD of Company A thanking me again for my work on the hugely successful show and saying how much they miss having me in the building.  I currently have no shows on the books with Company A for the remainder of the year or in 2013.  I am just at a loss how to interpret the card.  Do I ask for a raise and then work only with Company A again?  Obviously they value me and wish I would come back to work with them again.  I can see my friends from Company B outside theatre.  But OTOH, a year or so ago I approached Company A with the idea of becoming a resident SM and they said no.  So now I am just really confused.    

[Maribeth]

A card might just be a card- a sign of appreciation from the theatre for a job well done and a way of showing you that they enjoy working with you.

You've identified the factors that are important to you (compensation, appreciation from the company, job responsibilities, the social atmosphere at the theatre), and I think you need to consider what is most important to you, and ultimately, where you'd prefer to work. You've said that the difference in compensation isn't that much of a factor for you, so I'm not sure why a raise at the theatre that pays you more money would make the difference, but if you feel like a higher level of compensation is important to you, it might be a conversation worth having.

Other options are: working on shows at both theatres during each season, talking to Co. A about your future at the theatre (and shows that are available in the coming season), talking to Co. B about the "additional duties" of SMing there that you don't like doing....

[SMrose]

In addition to what Maribeth wrote, you may want to do your research on the company's financial records and current budget in pursuing a raise.  Community theatres usually operate on tight budgets but, you may find that you see room for a higher stipend for the SM.  A factor I also consider is how long and how many shows I've SM'd for a particular company.

[BlueRidgeSM]

I just closed a show with Company B and I've identified the big difference (to me) between the two - respect.  Even though the folks at Company A are older and there is little to no social dynamic, they respect my work as a SM so much more than Company B does.  They send me cards.  The include me in the cast photo.  By contrast, we were just sent a link to over 1000 photos taken of this recent show with Company B and my back is in two of them.  No one thanked me for my hard work, they just asked me to turn in my key and dismissed me.  I realize that SMing is not a glamorous job, but I am a little upset about the lack of even basic acknowledgement from Company B that I did actually do work on this show. 

It's also difficult because I've been working with Company B for over six years (they were the first theatre that hired me when I moved to WNC) and yet I feel like I have nothing on the lines of "tenure".  I do at least one show with them every year, maybe more, even the years that I stopped SMing because they weren't paying me.  I have AD'd twice.  And yet I feel like there are all these new people there who are trying to tell me what to do, and it's very frustrating.  They have a "resident" SM (who never actually SM's any of the shows) who came to the last evening performance on Saturday and who said she would have to meet with me to review my work on the show.  I am confused about why she wants to meet with me because no one has said anything to me about poor performance on my part. 

Sorry, this is more vent-y than I like to get, I'm just confused by the lack of respect from Company B and my continuing failure to feel like I have a semi-permanent place at any of the theatres in this area.   

[RuthNY]

There are organizations that operate like families, and there are organizations that operate like big corporations or machines. In the latter, employees are like cogs in the wheel, necessary for operation of the machine, but that's it. In some organizations, employees are treated like liabilities, not like the assets they really are. It sounds like you've experienced the latter, and now that you know what you get when you work there, either you accept it when you take a job there, or turn down the offers.

Everyone is expendable. We have to be, or theatres couldn't continue to operate, past our association with them. Some organizations just like to call attention to that, more than others. As AEA SMs, we have agreed to work on a contract to contract basis. There is no "tenure" inherent in this system, so why are you expecting it? The organization owes us nothing past our present contract. In fact, the late Artistic Director of a major regional theatre in this country used to say, "Stage Managers are not part of the process." Every organization has their own philosophy and own way of operating, We are not in control of the behavior of others.

If your own ego needs more stroking, beyond the good feeling you get when you do the job well, then don't work there anymore. They are not going to stroke you, THEY are not going to change. Perhaps your own expectations need examining. Either that or you need to find a company that offers what you need.