Equity? In this economy?

[dallas10086]

In trudging through various job postings for a year I'm noticing a trend: in general, non-Equity positions in stage management offer a higher wage per week than many Equity positions, including many available in NYC. To be fair, many of the listings I've seen requiring an Equity card are showcases, and it seems many companies are filing their productions as a showcase in order to keep costs down. In this economy I almost can't blame them....but a $200 stipend for three months' work seems ridiculous, no matter how you put it. However I'm still seeing many Equity listings that aren't showcases offering wages I couldn't see surviving on even as a single person, some less than $250/week in NYC.

I know several others on the forum have chosen not to join Equity for various reasons - mine was the fact that, before I began taking out-of-town jobs, the one Equity house near me closed, and fiscally it didn't make sense for me to pursue my card when I could still make money working with local non-Equity houses. Now that I'm beginning to get more out-of-town freelance gigs I'm once again weighing the pros and cons of getting my card.

So here's a few questions: if you're Equity, have your job options stayed the same, opened up or narrowed down? Are you also considering getting your card and weighing the options? Is there currently a trend of higher paying non-Equity jobs available vs. Equity jobs? Have you ever gotten your card only to have your job options shrink because of it? Are you non-Equity and still can't find jobs?

[MatthewShiner]

To answer your questions directly (before I ramble on, and I do ramble on), I have recently departed from a steady full time job and become a free lancer AND relocated cities - I have had no trouble (even though I have been a little stress monkey about it) finding work.  I do not think there is ever a trend of higher paying non-equity jobs then equity-jobs, see down below - but I am working at the higher end of the market. 

There will always be the point when you take your card that your job options shrink.  No doubt.  You will stop being the big fish in the non-equity pool, and become the small fish the big equity pool.  It happens to every one.  It’s like being the best stage manager is East Grand Rapids, and then moving to New York City.  You have to budget for it, and realize you are making an investment in the business that is you.  Once you become an AEA Stage Manager you are competing with every other AEA Stage Manager from Broadway all the way down - there is no beginning AEA Stage Management Card.

Well, I think first of all - the decision to turn AEA or not is a personal one - and the discussion is more akin to a discussion about religion or political parties.  You know what is best how you want to run your business, the level and types of shows you want to work on.  How you want to handle health insurance, pension, retirement and the likes.  It’s an extremely personal professional decision - and should not be taken lightly.  It will open doors, and shut doors - you only you know if you are ready for that kind of change.

Now, as far as you panicking about jobs being posted.

Has anyone ever seen Lion King advertising for a stage manager for 3,000 a week?  Neither have I,  But they have a lot of a stage managers, and they go through a lot of stage managers.  This is an industry that thrives on who you know.  Directors hire stage managers they know.  General managers hire stage managers they know.  Stage managers hire assistants they know.  Production Manager hire stage managers they know.  Stage management is not an entry level position (even as assistant stage manager).  You become a PA, you become an assistant stage manager, you become a second, move up to stage manager, move up to Production Stage Manager.

These are the types of positions that get advertised for (speaking as someone who advertised for stage managers)

Low paying jobs
Last minute jobs (someone back out)
New Theater Companies / Young Theater Companies (trying to establish relationships)
Sketchy Companies (Companies that are on the boarder line of  legality)
Companies that work out non-metropolitan areas, that don’t have a lot of local stage managers
Companies that are hiring seasonal stage managers (they want a large swatch to chose from)
Companies that want to shake things up.
Companies attached to universities that are REQUIRED to post all positions.

I think 80% of jobs in America are filled this way.

“Hey, Matthew, can you stage manage my Show?”
“Oh, no, I am busy?  I can’t.”
Long sad pause on the other side of the phone.
“Do you know some who can.”
“Let me think about it.”

There is this odd baton passing where if you can’t do the job we somehow become responsible for filling the position.

I don’t think there has been a dip in the AEA jobs there, I think the market continues to be flooded with AEA stage managers - so there may be some tighter competition.  But, there always is that.

EDIT: Spellchecked. - PSMK

[SMrose]

Keep in mind that while you read postings for AEA SMs that pay less than some non-AEA SMs, pension and welfare is an item that companies pay directly to AEA per person (add that to the offered  AEA salary). And just because it's the posted "contract minimum" you can always negotiate for more.

[babens]

I also hate to say it, but there are plenty of stories of non-Equity jobs that are claiming one thing and then entirely different once you interview, or even have trouble actually paying that salary.  Yes, you can run into payroll issues with an Equity contract as well, but at least then you have a union to turn to to help make sure that you indeed get what you are owed, or at least help you put up one hell of a fight.   Coming from a recent issue with a paycheck bouncing I can speak that there is a great comfort in knowing that Equity would have been behind me if my general managers were not willing to resolve the problem*.

*Side note - they did quite work with us quite beautifully to make things right, including cutting new checks as soon as the problems happened and reimbursing us for any fees our banks charged us.  The problem turned out to be bad settlement checks from the venue we were in, which snowballed into a deficit in our company's payroll account.  So though I did report the problem to our business rep, I was (thankfully) able to report it as a situation that was in the process of being fixed and with no need for action from Equity at the time.  However, our business rep assured me that they would keep track of the issue and to let him know if there was anything he would need to take care of for us. 

**Extra side note - that venue closed down a week after that show closed due to "disputes with the landlord" and I have since heard about other productions having issues with the former(?) management there.

[hbelden]

As always, I endorse everything Matthew had to say.  I just want to add my own personal experience during this recession, as I've learned some strong lessons.

I always try to grow my career, no matter what I'm in the process of doing.  I'm always building relationships with people at the next level and building my reputation within my geographical area.  It's been a slow process but it has paid off well for me.

One theatre I had really established myself with.  I was looking forward to doing two big musicals with them every season for years; but then some unfortunate financial things happened (completely unrelated to anything I'd done or worked on) and the theatre folded.  I immediately called every long-shot connection I had developed; and one of them called me back to say they did have a last-minute opening.  I hadn't worked with that theatre before; nor had I ever heard back from them when I sent in cover letters and resumes every season.  But, because my reputation had grown, and my references were great, at the end of a half-hour phone interview I had a comparable job to the one we lost.

The recession has shrunk the opportunities at a large regional theatre I had established a great relationship with; instead of offering me 20 weeks of ASM work as they had been the previous few seasons, they could only offer me 8 or maybe 9 weeks.  However, I'd been building a strong relationship with another smaller theatre and when they asked me to be their PSM for the entire season, I was able to negotiate a salary that was significantly above scale.

Then, a very large theatre that I love (I must have spent almost $2000 on tickets to their shows over the last seven years) called me up.  I connect with their PSM every year when I visit, and last year she said there was going to be an opening for their next season.  After a few months of negotiations, I have a job offer for my dream job stage managing two pieces I love in rep, with the opportunity to grow from there.

So the moral of the story is, I guess, that one's career can grow even if one's jobs shrink.  You have to make the strategic decision, not the tactical decision.

[dallas10086]

But does it make sense at all, with the marketplace 'flooded' with AEA SMs and fewer union positions available, to consider going for it?

[hbelden]

But does it make sense at all, with the marketplace 'flooded' with AEA SMs and fewer union positions available, to consider going for it?

It's a highly personal decision.  Two different stage managers will come up with two different answers even in the same region and job market.  It's much less about the number of jobs available or the quantity of AEA Stage Managers in your area than it is about your own individual skill set and the depth of your networking in the theatrical community.  Are you good at what you do?  How many people know your name?  And ultimately, what is it that you personally want out of your theatrical career?

Unless you want to do theatre more as a sideline to a day job that actually pays a living wage, at some point you'll have to go union. (Or out of AEA's jurisdiction, as in opera or dance.)  When you do go union, accept that you'll be working for less wages for a while as your network broadens.  Eventually, if you keep working, union jobs can actually pay your rent (and your health, and your mortgage, etc.).

That's just my experience.  I live in San Francisco, with a thriving theatre community and a wide range of AEA theatres and contracts.  My advice may not be as relevant in larger markets or very small markets.

[Maribeth]

I'm a freelance stage manager. I do not feel that being Equity has prevented me from getting well-paying work. I had some trouble when the economy hit- a couple shows I was scheduled to SM were no longer being produced, and I was out of a job. But after that, I landed some good gigs, and overall I feel like my opportunities have actually increased as my experience has increased, in the past few years. (I have done some non-stage management work from time to time- not because of a lack of SM work but because I was offered good jobs that I was interested in, like production managing.)

I'm back to stage managing full-time. This season, I didn't have a lot lined up locally, so I took a good season-long position out of town. (Ironically, since then, I have been offered a number of really good shows in town that I have had to turn down). I feel like this puts me in a much better position for next season- I have spent the year getting good experience and expanding my network to a new area (while keeping up connections at home).

In my opinion, the non-eq jobs that I see advertised do not pay that much. I don't think my options have narrowed- but I don't limit myself to theatre. I also do opera and dance, and sometimes when I find that when there aren't a ton of jobs available in one of those areas I will go after the others. I do get my health insurance through AEA, so for me it's important to be Equity.

I always try to grow my career, no matter what I'm in the process of doing.  I'm always building relationships with people at the next level and building my reputation within my geographical area.  It's been a slow process but it has paid off well for me.

Agreed. I think the decision is a personal one and that no generalization about the market right now is going to be true for everyone. It's good to know where you are now and where you want your career to be- I found that making a five-year plan really clarified what I wanted my career to be like. It doesn't dictate what I do, but the act of making it really made me think about what I wanted (and subsequently informed the choices that I make.)

[MatthewShiner]

But does it make sense at all, with the marketplace 'flooded' with AEA SMs and fewer union positions available, to consider going for it?

Nope, don’t consider going for it - it’s not worth it.  Trust me it’s not worth it.  The head ache of being a free lance AEA Stage Manager is not worth - the competition is just too fierce for the jobs, and you are right the jobs are just too few and far between.  And when you get, in reality the pay is too low.  It's a terrible lifestyle - and to be honest - you will never be happier then you are being a non-AEA stage manager.  Most AEA Stage Managers are miserable.  They don't have fun at all.

Seriously, I don’t want someone else competing with me for jobs - so I should be doing everything in my power to discourage you from entering the job market - I don’t want any more competition - but most of here know that all the market is flooded with AEA SM’s, BUT here’s the secret - the market is NOT flood with good AEA SM’s - I happen to know both Maribeth and hbelden who are in on this conversation, and they both know of other AEA SM’s who work in this business who perhaps should not be working in this business, but still get work.  It’s just a fact of life.  In reality, I want to encourage more GOOD stage managers to enter the work force so I only ever have to work with good stage managers.  But the reality is bad stage managers are every where, and they work all the time.  (Because they have experience, connections, etc, etc).

Again, dallas 10086, this is very, very complicated, I could point out to you, since I turned AEA 11 years ago, I have only ever been unemployed (that is not on vacation) for about 12 weeks.  That’s 12 weeks in 11 years of working in this very flooded employment market.  On the flip side, I didn’t get my AEA card until I was 30, after I got my MFA, after I worked at the LA Jolla Playhouse as an Intern and a PA, and working 25 years in the business (And now that you all know I was a child actor, I need to kill you all . . . ). 

There is no straight path in this business.  That is what is so fun and what is so damn frustrating about this business.

(Some day let me tell you the story of how I lost my first Broadway show to the producer’s girlfriend so she could keep their American Citizenship . . . true story.  But that’s this crazy business.)

But, back to your big decision, and I don’t want to make light of it . . . since you seem to be doing a lot of thinking about it.  You have to weigh your own experience, education, and marketability, along with your business goals and aspirations.  Remember, you need to run yourself like a business.    Do you want to stay where you are currently located?  Can you find enough work where you are currently located?  (To be honest, I have no idea what the AEA theatre scene is like where you are at.)  Are you willing to relocate?  Are you willing to tour? 

Is this going to be your full time job?  Is this going to be your career?  Raise a family? Is this what your are going to pay your bills with, buy a house with, save for retirement with?  You might find the easiest may to nice middle class lifestyle by stage management is by being an AEA Stage Manager.

Remember, you can be a stage manager and do it for the love of it and do it as a hobby, or do as part time job, and still be a huge successful stage manager.

The different between a full-time stage manager and a part-time stage manager, is a full-time stage manager was stupid enough to get involved this full time.

 

[dallas10086]

I love how you put things Matthew 

Thanks everyone for the union perspective on things - I can always trust that I'll get an honest and open response.

[Scott]

But does it make sense at all, with the marketplace 'flooded' with AEA SMs and fewer union positions available, to consider going for it?

Nope, don’t consider going for it - it’s not worth it.  Trust me it’s not worth it.  The head ache of being a free lance AEA Stage Manager is not worth - the competition is just too fierce for the jobs, and you are right the jobs are just too few and far between.  And when you get, in reality the pay is too low.  It's a terrible lifestyle - and to be honest - you will never be happier then you are being a non-AEA stage manager.  Most AEA Stage Managers are miserable.  They don't have fun at all.

Seriously, I don’t want someone else competing with me for jobs - so I should be doing everything in my power to discourage you from entering the job market - I don’t want any more competition - but most of here know that all the market is flooded with AEA SM’s, BUT here’s the secret - the market is NOT flood with good AEA SM’s - I happen to know both Maribeth and hbelden who are in on this conversation, and they both know of other AEA SM’s who work in this business who perhaps should not be working in this business, but still get work.  It’s just a fact of life.  In reality, I want to encourage more GOOD stage managers to enter the work force so I only ever have to work with good stage managers.  But the reality is bad stage managers are every where, and they work all the time.  (Because they have experience, connections, etc, etc).

+1

To beat my dead horse, I blame the market flooding on the relatively recent academic programs in stage management.

[MatthewShiner]

+1

To beat my dead horse, I blame the market flooding on the relatively recent academic programs in stage management.

This is a VERY serious issue, and something that has not really been discussed in detail - but I have done some thought about it.

Not only the flood of the market by educational programs, but the flooding of the market by education programs of substandard stage managers.  Just because you have a BA or BFA in stage manage does not make you a good stage manager or give you a right to stage manage.  Some of the WORST stage managers I have worked with have BFA degrees in Stage Managements.

Substandard stage managers and stage managers taking jobs for slave wages or no wages devaluing the position is setting us back years.

Again, it's not always about the formalized education, it is about the experience, the personality and the final package of the person.

[loebtmc]

....Agreed!

AND, even the decent university-trained recent grads often have only worked in their school's large, state-of-the-art houses. Small and mid-sized theaters, places with minimal budgets or requiring creative problem solving (ie someplace where 2 crew members pretty much do it all - sweep and mop, wardrobe repairs and laundry, QC, props, and also handle the spot or sound etc, where the ASM stationed SR might become the extra arm on the one three-handed costume shift in a show), just doesn't enter their consciousness. Yes, we would all like production contract or LORT A wages and working conditions, and working in those settings with all the bells and whistles is an amazing experience, but unless you are the resident SM in a road house or are lucky enough to fall into the rarified circle of folks who only work Vegas or B'way, those smaller contracts / theaters comprise most of our work.

And it's frustrating for me, as well, when my (large-house university-trained otherwise capable assistant) complains mightily when she has to occasionally swap out batteries rather than the economically-challenged theater company hiring one more body who could possibly not do anything during a given show week.

[Rebbe]

AND, even the decent university-trained recent grads often have only worked in their school's large, state-of-the-art houses. Small and mid-sized theaters, places with minimal budgets or requiring creative problem solving (ie someplace where 2 crew members pretty much do it all - sweep and mop, wardrobe repairs and laundry, QC, props, and also handle the spot or sound etc, where the ASM stationed SR might become the extra arm on the one three-handed costume shift in a show), just doesn't enter their consciousness.

You make a great point, I feel like I’ve run into this.  Maybe some of the “bad” SMs are those who are unhappy that the job isn’t what they were taught it would be, and they’re not prepared for getting their hands dirty, sometimes literally, when a big crew isn’t in the budget. 

Going back to the OP, I think my job options have stayed the same.  Now, I’ve always had a couple non-theater gigs as part of my season, so I’ve never looked to fill an entire year as an SM.  The non-equity job listings I’ve seen do not seem to offer competitive pay.  Go Equity if you want to be a member of Equity, not because you think it should be your next step.  A career in theater has always been partly a gamble.  One might make the argument that it’s a more socially acceptable gamble now, since people with careers that are supposedly stable have been finding themselves laid-off, it’s not just us wacky artistic types who are unemployed.   I think it’s a good idea to have a Plan B whether you are Equity or not.  The theater lifestyle can be very demanding, and many of us will decide at some point that we want to explore other options.

[EFMcMullen]

I second, third, fourth, and fifth everything said above.

But to get slightly back to the topic, I just wanted to point out that yes, Equity does have some rather low paying contracts, but those contracts also protect you by limiting the number of hours you are required to work and the number of performances a week.  So yes, you may be getting paid $226 a week, but you are limited to 24 hours a week and only 4 performances (last year's SPT numbers for Cat 1), unless of course the theater wants to pay overtime.  And even though you are getting a smaller amount into a checking account, you are still having monies placed into Pension and Health on your behalf.

From my point of view, no I never felt joining the union limited my job options, I always felt like it opened up all the big time options, that if I wanted to compete for Production Contract jobs I was now eligible.  (though for the record B-way was never my goal, though like most, of I wouldn't mind the opportunity...and the paycheck...)  Please don't take this the wrong way anyone, but I also knew that I wanted to be a Professional stage manager.  I didn't want to have to put up with the idiosyncrasies of non-professional theater.  So again, I didn't feel like I was really missing anything by not having non-union theater as an option.