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Employment / Re: When is it OK to work for free?
« on: Aug 14, 2010, 02:40 pm »Quote
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.
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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.