Should I get a theater administration position or other theater job?
January 6, 2015 4:31 AM Subscribe
I quit life in the theater due to health issues involving a terminal illness which seems to not be so terminal after all in my case. 'Cause I'm still here. Now that it turns out I'm probably not going to die I need to figure out how to move forward. Should I do that in the theater and if so what should I do?
Tracy says: So here's the background: Upon graduating from a top theater program (which I went to largely because they offered to finance part of my education) an agent saw me in the audience as well as some producers for a TV network. They called me into their offices. I signed with the agent. My dream was to simply be a no-name stage actor that traveled around with troups and made a decent living to keep a roof over my head. Dreams of fame and red carpets or the big screen never entered my mind and in fact they kinda repelled me a bit. I had the chance to go to L.A. and find work in TV/film but rebuffed it to remain on the east coast stage. I never got to travel as much as I'd hoped since the shows I did remained mainly in the east coast, but at least I was working.
I dropped the agent and called it all quits on the entire career when I was diagnosed with a (usually) terminal illness. Doctors told me my chances for survival were not great. They said the percentage of people that survived was a little over 20% or something which obviously was not favorable. Decided to live out the rest of my days drifting and relaxing and just being overtly aimless. That was 8 years ago! I'm starting to think I'm probably here to stay after-all. (I really hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that).
So now I find myself in a predicament. I'm still here on earth and I basically haven't done jack in almost a decade. Nothing except drift along doing various low stress odd jobs that allowed me to smell the flowers and enjoy life. That's a great plan when you think you only have 4-5 years left on earth, but a terrible one otherwise. The only degree I have is in Theater, but as I'm a mid 30's female that hasn't done a shred of theater work in almost a decade- well, that's not a good combination for an actor. Is there something else in theater that is possible for someone with my background and will pay me decently? Or would that require me to get unpaid internships (I don't think anyone would like someone my age as an intern). Or am I better off trying to find something in another industry? But I've never done anything other than theater and I just really have no idea what other field to go into. I wouldn't even know whether I should go back to school (expensive) or what to study.
I'm happy I'm alive, but I feel like I woke up after the new year- realized I'm still here and I haven't done ANY of the things that you're supposed to do in your late 20's/early 30's to establish yourself- like look for a loving partner to potentially marry or establish a career in anything. I spent all my savings as well as every dime I made in my many odd jobs trying to live the most fun life I could and giving it away to the needy and didn't bother saving anything for myself because I thought I had no future. Now what?
Tracy says: So here's the background: Upon graduating from a top theater program (which I went to largely because they offered to finance part of my education) an agent saw me in the audience as well as some producers for a TV network. They called me into their offices. I signed with the agent. My dream was to simply be a no-name stage actor that traveled around with troups and made a decent living to keep a roof over my head. Dreams of fame and red carpets or the big screen never entered my mind and in fact they kinda repelled me a bit. I had the chance to go to L.A. and find work in TV/film but rebuffed it to remain on the east coast stage. I never got to travel as much as I'd hoped since the shows I did remained mainly in the east coast, but at least I was working.
I dropped the agent and called it all quits on the entire career when I was diagnosed with a (usually) terminal illness. Doctors told me my chances for survival were not great. They said the percentage of people that survived was a little over 20% or something which obviously was not favorable. Decided to live out the rest of my days drifting and relaxing and just being overtly aimless. That was 8 years ago! I'm starting to think I'm probably here to stay after-all. (I really hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that).
So now I find myself in a predicament. I'm still here on earth and I basically haven't done jack in almost a decade. Nothing except drift along doing various low stress odd jobs that allowed me to smell the flowers and enjoy life. That's a great plan when you think you only have 4-5 years left on earth, but a terrible one otherwise. The only degree I have is in Theater, but as I'm a mid 30's female that hasn't done a shred of theater work in almost a decade- well, that's not a good combination for an actor. Is there something else in theater that is possible for someone with my background and will pay me decently? Or would that require me to get unpaid internships (I don't think anyone would like someone my age as an intern). Or am I better off trying to find something in another industry? But I've never done anything other than theater and I just really have no idea what other field to go into. I wouldn't even know whether I should go back to school (expensive) or what to study.
I'm happy I'm alive, but I feel like I woke up after the new year- realized I'm still here and I haven't done ANY of the things that you're supposed to do in your late 20's/early 30's to establish yourself- like look for a loving partner to potentially marry or establish a career in anything. I spent all my savings as well as every dime I made in my many odd jobs trying to live the most fun life I could and giving it away to the needy and didn't bother saving anything for myself because I thought I had no future. Now what?
Sure. Teach at a community college. Usually they focus more on real world creds then academia and have only minimal teaching certificate requirements. Then you can pass on your love of the theatre and still take part too, in whatever capacity you want.
posted by chasles at 5:26 AM on January 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by chasles at 5:26 AM on January 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Of all the jobs you've worked, which did you enjoy the most? What did you enjoy the most about it, talking to customers, satisfaction of a finished inventory, getting a finicky order just right? Forget the job title and think of the traits of the job you want.
posted by viggorlijah at 5:33 AM on January 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by viggorlijah at 5:33 AM on January 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
It doesn't help put money on the table now, but it sounds like you've got a hell of a one-person show in you.
posted by Etrigan at 7:37 AM on January 6, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 7:37 AM on January 6, 2015 [9 favorites]
Have you attempted to get back in touch with the agent you used to work with? They may have moved on - or maybe you outlived them! I'm naive and ignorant about showbiz, but your entire "I dropped out 'cause I thought I was gonna die ... but I didn't" story is interesting enough that if you called me up 8 years later, I'd at least hear you out.
You might see if you can sell it as a book deal, too?
posted by doctor tough love at 7:50 AM on January 6, 2015
You might see if you can sell it as a book deal, too?
posted by doctor tough love at 7:50 AM on January 6, 2015
Is there something else in theater that is possible for someone with my background and will pay me decently?
Depends on where you live. In any decently-sized city, there are going to be plenty of opportunity to do theater, but they are mostly going to be unpaid or very low-paid opportunities. Theater is almost overwhelmingly dominated by small nonprofits, and the only people they pay on a full-time or three-quarters-time basis are administrative staff, and those are typically low-paying as well. Tech people will get paid as freelancers and have to hustle from job to job, including directors. Actors get paid equity minimum or not at all if it is a waiver theater or they are not Equity. I'm a playwright, and I always get paid, but it amounts to a few thousand per year -- and I am considered to be fairly successful, as playwrights go.
In a larger city, like Minneapolis or Santa Barbara, there are larger playhouses that have bigger staffs, such the The Guthrie, and they tend to pay and pay a living wage -- the Guthrie actually has an acting staff that make a relatively decent living. That can be awfully hard to break into, though. Children's theaters, if they are decently sized, will also have a staff of performers who also do teaching gigs and some tech people. But these jobs are scarce, tend not to open very often, and are highly sought after. There are some touring shows as well, but those are short-term gigs, although they can be a lot of fun. Children;s theaters and larger playhouses often have touring companies as their for-profit arm.
There are a variety of theater jobs outside actual playhouses, if you're in the right place. They tend to b sort of administrative, but they can be extremely rewarding. Most states have an arts council or humanities council that administer grants. There are sometimes actor or playwrights associations, or educational organizations, or the like. And you might consider being a critic -- I did it for quite a while, and have made a lot more money as a critic than I ever did as a theater professional, which seems absurd and backwards to me, but there you are. I actually made my living exclusively as a theater critic for three years, whereas the most I have ever gotten as a playwright in a single year is $5k.
There's an organization called The Actor's Fund. If there is one near you, I recommend checking them out. They offer a lot of free services for people in the entertainment industry, but they also really stress the importance of having what they call a "parallel profession" -- in other words, a straight gig that provides a reliable income while you pursue the performing arts. Theater has always been notorious as a place where you can make a killing but cannot make a living, and that's never been more true than now.
That being said, the idea of creating a one-person show mentioned above is a very good one. This is a great time for one-person shows -- they travel well, and there are an awful lot of Fringe Festivals and the like that a well-made show can actually make money at. Best still, you would own it, which is a tremendous advantage. If that's something that interests you, or you have more specific questions, feel free to MeMail me and I would be happy to share what I know.
posted by maxsparber at 9:05 AM on January 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
Depends on where you live. In any decently-sized city, there are going to be plenty of opportunity to do theater, but they are mostly going to be unpaid or very low-paid opportunities. Theater is almost overwhelmingly dominated by small nonprofits, and the only people they pay on a full-time or three-quarters-time basis are administrative staff, and those are typically low-paying as well. Tech people will get paid as freelancers and have to hustle from job to job, including directors. Actors get paid equity minimum or not at all if it is a waiver theater or they are not Equity. I'm a playwright, and I always get paid, but it amounts to a few thousand per year -- and I am considered to be fairly successful, as playwrights go.
In a larger city, like Minneapolis or Santa Barbara, there are larger playhouses that have bigger staffs, such the The Guthrie, and they tend to pay and pay a living wage -- the Guthrie actually has an acting staff that make a relatively decent living. That can be awfully hard to break into, though. Children's theaters, if they are decently sized, will also have a staff of performers who also do teaching gigs and some tech people. But these jobs are scarce, tend not to open very often, and are highly sought after. There are some touring shows as well, but those are short-term gigs, although they can be a lot of fun. Children;s theaters and larger playhouses often have touring companies as their for-profit arm.
There are a variety of theater jobs outside actual playhouses, if you're in the right place. They tend to b sort of administrative, but they can be extremely rewarding. Most states have an arts council or humanities council that administer grants. There are sometimes actor or playwrights associations, or educational organizations, or the like. And you might consider being a critic -- I did it for quite a while, and have made a lot more money as a critic than I ever did as a theater professional, which seems absurd and backwards to me, but there you are. I actually made my living exclusively as a theater critic for three years, whereas the most I have ever gotten as a playwright in a single year is $5k.
There's an organization called The Actor's Fund. If there is one near you, I recommend checking them out. They offer a lot of free services for people in the entertainment industry, but they also really stress the importance of having what they call a "parallel profession" -- in other words, a straight gig that provides a reliable income while you pursue the performing arts. Theater has always been notorious as a place where you can make a killing but cannot make a living, and that's never been more true than now.
That being said, the idea of creating a one-person show mentioned above is a very good one. This is a great time for one-person shows -- they travel well, and there are an awful lot of Fringe Festivals and the like that a well-made show can actually make money at. Best still, you would own it, which is a tremendous advantage. If that's something that interests you, or you have more specific questions, feel free to MeMail me and I would be happy to share what I know.
posted by maxsparber at 9:05 AM on January 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
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posted by roomthreeseventeen at 5:03 AM on January 6, 2015