Cast for Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY announced

Put on a play, purchase the materials to build a set, offer to pay the actors which includes time to rehearse, hire the Subiaco Arts Centre and other hall spaces (for rehearsals), then also budget for marketing, staff hire (where required such as sound, lighting, construction), then there are associated costs such as transportation, productions rights and author royalties. On top of all that, now factor in rising costs and rates.

You are being asked to sit for around 2 hours entertainment for half the price you might pay for a plumber to take an hour to tighten a loose joint (that is before replacement parts.) Yet your dollar is to be stretched to cover all of the above mentioned expenses which would include several hundred hours of rehearsal time and performance. Then the hundreds of hours spent building the set, rigging lights, configuring sound systems. Heck, even sound effects can cost money these days. Just to clarify, by hours I do mean the combined effort of all crew and cast in hours.

I can promise you that for your $59 - $79 per head, per night, they would need an average of at least 80% attendance to break even, maybe more, and as anyone in theatre will know, getting an average of over 80% is really hard.

I personally agree that the price is very high, but I disagree with the motivations. This is a reflection of the high cost of doing business in Australia, and particularly WA. It is the same "cost" that has seen to the closure of many a small and medium sized business across the state.

Just to compare. A plumber can charge anywhere from $70 to $100 / hour. A photographer may charge between $100 to $250 / hour (accepted industry standard is $227/hr).

Actors, based on Equity Rates (2011/12) can charge $44/hr for rehearsals and between $1040 to $1100 for a full week of performances. Check here.

And here is a link to the rates for Support Crews.

Theatre is often more about the love of it rather than the wealth, because there is very little wealth in it, even in professional theatre.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

That it would be you Jeff. ;-) I took this opportunity to actually think about how much it costs and decided I would put down some facts about putting on a show. While by no means definitive, I think it makes for interesting, if not shocking reading.

Going silent now. :-)

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins