Choose your own adventure: Start a theatre company!
The purpose of this article is to share a very real, unfiltered look at what happens behind the scenes at a new theater company trying to grow. The author’s goal is not to be pessimistic, but to openly share the learnings and struggles and hopefully inspire you to get involved in the community, whether that be through attending shows, volunteering, or donating. Please note that all opinions and the point of views expressed here are that of Camille Gribbons alone and does not necessarily represent the views of any other theatre company owners.
This article originally appeared on the website of Cauldron Performing Arts in 2023 and has been removed, so has been reposted by the author here.
Let’s play a choose-your-own-adventure game.
You are an ex-theater kid who now works in tech and recently discovered the community theater scene in your city. After 6 years away from the stage, you can finally perform again. You feel a high that you haven’t felt since the last time you were onstage. You are reminded how fun theater people are to hang out with. And soon, you realize - there are so many people like you who want to perform… and so many people who don’t even have performing experience but who you KNOW would love it. You want to bring this small bit of joy in our otherwise routine lives to as many people as possible- but there aren’t enough performing opportunities where you live! So, with a few friends, you decide it’s a great idea to open up another theater company so that the community has even more chances to perform.
Now of course, everyone has their own motivations and beliefs when it comes to starting a theater company. Which one of these would be your priority? After reading them all, click on the link in the title for the reason YOU think is most important.
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You and your friends lament what a messed up world it is where artists aren’t paid fair wages.
“How can anyone expect me to do this for free? This is my job, it’s how I pay my bills.”
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The injustice of asking actors for a participation fee is just too much for you to bear. Not only do you need to pay for participation, but you also need to get your own costumes too?!
“I have performance training and lots of experience- THEY should be paying ME to perform!”
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You and your friends pat yourselves on the back for saying you are going to be different from the other companies, you are going to give budding actors a chance and grow your performers of all levels to a high standard!
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Of course we can’t forget - we’re all actors ourselves and we need OUR moment to shine too. After all, it was a love of performing that inspired you to start this crazy journey in the first place.
Fair pay for Artists!
Your theater company is going to be different. You are going to pay all your teachers, coaches, and artistic team a proper fair wage. It’s going to be revolutionary. After running the numbers, you know you can’t afford to pay your actors yet, but if you can start by at least paying the creative team and giving working artists the chance to teach, you’re already on the right track.
But where do you get the money?
Fair pay for classes
For classes, you brilliantly come up with the plan that any artist can teach a class through your company AND they can set their own wage. As long as you fill the class with enough people to break even to cover costs (teacher rate, venue rental, etc), the class will go through.
You find your first teachers and you work hard to arrange the classes. You put together a budget for what is needed for the class to break even and find a venue, set up a booking system, design ads, and plan social media posts. It’s time for the class to go live!
“This class is way too expensive…”
“I would be interested but I can’t really justify the price…”
“How are these classes worth this much money?”
What do you do?
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You approach the teacher, telling them that the only way the class will go through is if you lower the price of the class, meaning they would get less money than they asked for.
“I thought you guys offered fair pay? I can’t afford to do this if you don’t pay me fairly.”
The teacher walks away and you have to cancel the class.
-1 point for reputation
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The class doesn’t have enough signups to break even, but it’s close enough that you can cover the loss. The class goes through and you are so happy to see the results. People are learning, making friends, and having fun. They are preparing for auditions and the community is growing - this is exactly what you wanted! The teacher is getting paid their fair wage and you are sticking to your values! Unfortunately though, after the class ends, the invoices come in, and that loss that you thought that you could afford? Yeah, you can barely afford it and money is looking really tight. You need to put in some of your own personal money to help cover the difference.
+1 point for reputation
-1 point for finances
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Because you haven’t been putting on classes to grow the community (because you can’t afford it), it becomes a vicious cycle where you need to keep trying to put on classes and needing to cancel them. It’s not a good look and people are disappointed. Your company seems unreliable and if people signed up for a class that got cancelled, they aren’t likely to come back.
-1 point for reputation
Fair pay for shows
In addition to classes, you want to put on shows- that’s one of the main reasons you are doing this after all! You decide on a show and run the numbers in a budget sheet. You cut down on the budget for sets and props and advertising - you can be minimal and word of mouth will sell tickets!
Even with all the budget cuts, you can’t make the numbers add up - you need to pay the director, the music director, and the choreographer AT LEAST - but what about everyone else? What about the stage manager, production lead, costume designer, lighting designer, sound designer, lighting tech, and sound tech? And who will design the set and get the props?!
“Don’t forget about paying the musicians!” says your music director, worrying that they won’t be able to fill a band with volunteer musicians.
You can’t make the numbers work. You want to pay artists fairly, but there’s not enough money, even if you sell out tickets.
What do you do?
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Looking at the budget, the only way this will work is if you charge actors 400-500 each, and that’s not even including costumes. But one of your values is that no one should have to “pay to play”... But this is the only way you can make it work financially because you personally don’t have the time to apply for funding, you still have a full time job after all.
“Their website talks about welcoming everyone into the arts, but this is just classist. How can I possibly be expected to pay 400 EUR? I can’t afford that! This is so unfair!”
“I have professional training in the arts so I shouldn’t have to pay anything, THEY should be paying ME. It’s insulting that I would need to pay them, doesn’t their website say something about fair pay for artists?”
People are pissed that you want to charge them so much and you compromised on one of your core values.
-1 point for reputation and -1 point for values
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“I thought you offered fair pay to artists? This isn’t fair pay. It’s insulting that I would be getting this much for all this work.”
Even if the team members agree to move forward with the low stipend or no pay, you still hear through the grapevine that people are pissed. In bars after rehearsals, the team is complaining about how unfair your company is. People talk at gatherings-
“Did you know this theater company only offers this much to artists? I left after one show - it was too much work for too little pay. It’s just awful really. I believe in paying people fairly so I just can’t stand behind that, I won’t be going back”.
-1 point for reputation and -1 point for values
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You are determined to do this right. You, above all the other theater companies, are going to be the one that stands out and sticks to your values. Everyone will want to be a part of your theater utopia. Everyone wins if you just get the money from somewhere else! You get to work on finding funding applications and planning fundraisers.
You work full time, but your evenings are now spent tirelessly hunting for ways to get money. You create spreadsheets with different versions of show budgets, you write essays about your values and what makes you stand out and why you deserve the money for funding applications. You brainstorm to plan fundraising events and need to handle all the planning and marketing for these. You are now basically working more than a second full time job to make this happen.
-1 point for exhaustion
You realize very quickly that you need money up front for the rights costs, the rehearsal space costs, and the scripts and materials at the very least. Even if you chose to apply for funding, you won’t get an answer on your funding application for at least 3 months, and you need the money now. You brainstorm - what if we charge people a fee up front, but we give them something in return? Instead of it being a “pay to play”, you get two coaching sessions in exchange for your up-front payment for the show. The coaches agree to be paid after the show is over - “I’m so freaking smart!” you think. You have solved your cash flow problem.
BUT, WHAT IF YOU DON’T GET GRANTED FUNDING, OR RAISE ENOUGH MONEY, OR SELL ENOUGH TICKETS, AND YOU DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY THE COACHES AND THE TEAM AT THE END?
What do you do?
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People are PISSED. “This is my job, this is how I make a living!” they cry. Sure, a couple of people on the team understand the situation. But others, not so much. You do your best to do damage control and find solutions and communicate what you will do to get them their money. You’ll personally run a fundraiser and get them their money then! You’ll find and beg rich people for money! You’ll put in some money of your own! They just need to wait a little longer but it will all work out and everyone will be happy.
-1 point for finances (debt)
-1 point for reputation
-1 point for exhaustion.
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The artistic team sacrifices their pay so the coaches get their full wage. The coaches are happy, they actually earned a fair wage in the arts and this was a super sweet gig for them! They love your company and can’t wait to work on the next project!
+1 for reputation
Your artistic team, on the other hand, is very unhappy. They put in so many more hours than the coaches did to make this show happen, and got nothing for it. They were promised pay at the beginning, where is it now?
“This company is so disappointing,” they say, “they told me I would get this much money and didn’t follow through.”
-1 point for reputation
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The artistic team is super impressed with how well they were paid. Finally, an actual company who pays fairly in the arts.
+1 for reputation
The coaches are furious. They worked “x” amount of hours for 50 EUR per hour and now they are getting this? They start telling anyone they can to not work for you and that you are clearly lying about your values and took advantage of them.
-1 point for reputation
In the end, you’ve done everything you can to try to make everyone happy and stick to your company values. You sacrifice your own time and energy to plan fundraisers, beg people for money, apply for funding, design all the advertising, and handle all the PR for the show yourself. Even if everything works out and you get enough money to pay everyone what you promised and the show is a success, where does that leave you?
Scroll down to read the rest of the values or jump to the conclusion
People shouldn’t need to pay to play!
It’s so unfair that some theater companies charge their actors to participate in shows. So classist. The arts should be accessible to everyone.
You know that you will be different - that your theater company will welcome everyone with open arms, and it doesn’t matter how much money someone has, they too can participate in the arts. You put this value on your website and wear it loud and proud.
Pleased with yourself, you go to do your budget for your first show. And you realize - shows are EXPENSIVE. And you currently have no money.
I WANT TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO PERFORM AND BUILD A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
The world of theater is so messed up. If you don’t look a certain way, or weigh under a certain amount, or if you have an accent, or don’t have the same skin color as the person who originated a role, you’ll never get to play your dream roles.
“We’re going to create an open environment where we offer diverse casting and provide opportunities for everyone!”
You decide that you are going to do a show that’s open to all levels of performers to show how inclusive you are. You even decide to double cast the show to provide the maximum amount of opportunities possible. What a concept. You are very pleased with yourself.
Casting comes around and you cast a wide range of performers of all different levels, sticking with the values of bringing in beginners and providing opportunities. You find yourself with a massive cast of excited people ready to perform. +1 point for growth
But wrangling two entire casts isn’t easy. Creating a rehearsal schedule is ridiculously difficult, because someone is always missing, or new conflicts come up during the process. You try to stick to an hourly schedule, but you run over with time and some people don’t even get around to their scene. You see that there is dissatisfaction amongst the cast - about the level of organization, the scheduling, wasting their time if they didn’t get to do anything at rehearsal that day, not getting enough practice with the band, and more. -1 point for reputation
The director can’t give everyone the attention that they need and they are trying their best - they dedicate extra hours outside of rehearsal to meet with people because there just isn’t enough time in rehearsal, and people are freaking out because the show is coming up. These extra hours add up, and now if you look at the amount of hours the director has spent on this show, they definitely are not getting a fair wage. You can’t give them more money because it just simply isn’t there. -1 point for values, -1 point for exhaustion
The show finally comes around, and since you have double cast the show, ticket sales are going great because everyone is bringing their friends and family! Sure, you’ve rushed to put it together a bit because you tried to produce it and advertise it and organize it on your own and you are worn out(-1 point for exhaustion), but this is going to be so special and worth it when everyone’s friends and family see them perform! +1 for finances
And in some ways, it is. It’s really sweet seeing people beaming with their friends and family, holding a bouquet of flowers after the show. You hear excited chatters in the lobby outside the theater -
“I didn’t know you could sing!”
“Look at who is secretly a performer!”
“This was your first time onstage? You were AMAZING”
You go full stage mom - you are so proud of all of your (adult) theater kids. You love that everyone got their star moment.
Unfortunately, you find that you can’t really enjoy being there with the cast because you are so exhausted and have so many things to worry about. You are too tired to join for social gatherings and drinks after the show and don’t really get to bond with the cast. But, at least you can still feel proud of what you have accomplished.
Later, new opinions and reviews come in online.
“How dare you charge me this much for amateur theater. I took my girlfriend on a date as a surprise because I thought this was a professional show and this is what we get? I want my money back.’’
“I don’t really think I want to come to shows for this theater company again, the levels were all over the place and it just wasn’t very good”.
The team freaks out. “We can’t do this again” they say - “our reputation will be ruined if we don’t put on higher quality shows- we’ve already lost future audience members from this.”
What do you do?
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By being tougher with your casting process, you are less willing to take chances on people. Because it’s community theater and it’s unpaid, your best hobbyists and most experienced performers continue to get cast in leading roles for each show because they are, from the director’s point of view, the best fit and most reliable to work with. People become unhappy. -1 point for values
“Their casting process is unfair. This company picks their favorites and no one else even has a chance. Why would I even try?” -1 point for reputation
However, it’s all a gamble - will you grow your audience by putting on higher quality shows, or will you grow your audience by growing the community and expecting them to all bring their friends and family?
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Some members of the community are happy, but others are not impressed. “I don’t really think I want to be in that company’s shows, they aren’t very high quality...” -1 for reputation
You lose audience members who are not friends and family of cast members. -1 for growth
Read the other sections or jump to the conclusion
I want to Perform!
Of course we have selfish reasons for wanting to start a theater company as well. We're human after all! Everyone needs some core motivation to keep doing free labor and pure altruism is not going to cut it. You know this - there’s no need to beat around the bush. You’ve seen people get angry before when they volunteer their time and donate money and get nothing in return. You aren’t going to be like that.
“Every volunteer will get something in exchange for their work - whether that be free classes, a chance to perform and have their star moment, a letter of recommendation, etc”
You think you are so smart for making this one of your values. Volunteer retention is one of your highest priorities because you know it’s not sustainable to do this all yourself. You also know you won’t be able to reap the rewards of running your own theater company for a long time - you have a community to build first!
Volunteers come and you work very hard to make them happy. You promise them your own time and free labor to make a small show happen for them so they get their moment to perform as a thank you. When volunteers ask for spots in classes, you tell them as long as the classes go through and break even, of course they can have a free spot. This model works for a little while and you are super proud of yourself.
But because there are only a few of you running things, you can’t keep up. You now have multiple people to “repay” for their time and energy and kindness and you still haven’t gotten anything for your own hard work. You know it’s your job to put on these shows and find ways for your volunteers to shine, but you are getting tired and running out of energy from running everything else. You have to keep canceling classes because they aren’t getting enough signups, so you can’t offer volunteers that any more either.
What do you do?
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While some volunteers are understanding, others are disappointed and leave. Why would they keep helping out if they get nothing in return? Those tasks they were handling are no longer being done and you need to step in. -1 for growth, -1 for exhaustion, -1 for reputation
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You try your best to juggle your full time job, running the theater company, planning shows, and trying to fill classes so that volunteers can get their free spot. This is very important to you. You find that you have a backlog of shows you need to run and get very overwhelmed. No matter how much time you put into designing and advertising, you still can’t seem to fill the classes. You are getting close to a breaking point. -1 for exhaustion
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“That’s not really fair of you to ask, this is my job and I need fair pay. I thought this was one of your values?” It’s a hard no from the teacher. You have to either find a way to make it work by paying for the lessons out of your own personal funds (which you can’t afford considering all the money you have already put into the company), or you have to tell the volunteer you can’t give them classes, going back on your word (back to option 1). -1 for values, -1 for reputation
Your personal “time and effort” debt towards volunteers grows and grows as more people come in to help out. Not every volunteer wants something in exchange of course, but you do really want to make them happy and keep them around. But you can’t keep giving all of your own personal time and energy to keep them happy, and you can’t afford to pay them. The reason you started the theater company becomes a far off goal, because you are trying to make so many people happy that you can’t dedicate time to putting on a show for yourself and just enjoy performing.
When you and the team do finally decide to put on a show for yourselves, the community is dissatisfied with the pre-casting of roles. “What happened to providing opportunities for people to perform? This just takes away opportunities.” But don’t people understand that your team has been providing their free labor for a long time now? Shouldn’t they be sympathetic and happy for you for finally prioritizing yourself? -1 for reputation
Continue to the conclusion
Conclusion
What’s the cost of you working hard to stick to all of your company values at the same time?
Even if you miraculously get granted lots of funding and fundraising to be able to pay people fairly, you still don’t get paid. The “fair pay for artists” value is built on the foundation of free labor. There will NEVER be enough money to pay everyone involved fairly. This is also true for professional performing arts - the only places where people are being paid properly are massive shows given large scale government subsidies with tickets priced at 40-50 EUR minimum. The only way for everyone to get paid would be to require the audience to pay an insane amount more and no one is willing to pay those prices, ESPECIALLY for amateur theater.
It doesn’t matter how much you beg or borrow - the performing arts will always be run by volunteers and be kept going by donors. Unfortunately the harsh truth is that for a production to run, SOMEONE has to work or provide something for free- there’s no way everyone will be rewarded, even in some way. Not only that, but as you see in the choose-your-own-adventure above, compromises always need to be made and as an individual, you will never make everyone happy.
It’s been a really tough road, and I have a long way to go. I am always learning and trying to improve and the purpose of sharing all the pathways above is not to make the reader question my decisions as someone who runs shows (and tried to run a theater company) but to share learnings, and show that what seems to be the most obvious decision doesn’t always work out.
ULTIMATELY, THE AIM OF community theatre IS TO BUILD A COMMUNITY, AND COMMUNITIES ARE BUILT WITH EVERYONE GIVING A LITTLE, RATHER THAN A FEW PEOPLE GIVING A LOT.
Maybe you don’t have any money, but you know someone who might be willing to donate and you can share with them that this is something that makes you happy and you want it to thrive.
Maybe you don’t have any money, but you have a skill you can offer for either a fundraiser or to contribute to a show.
Maybe you have clothes or props or furniture you might be able to lend for an upcoming show.
Maybe your company has a corporate donations platform and your company gives you a number of volunteer hours or matches donations and you can take 5 minutes to look into it and invite your coworkers to donate.
It can even be as simple as getting the biggest group of friends together that you can to go together to the next show, and making sure all of your friends recommend the show to their friends too, and share with their colleagues and other communities they are a part of.
While it’s really hard and feels like an insurmountable task, with proper support from the community and a focus on spreading the workload, arts companies can survive.