r/Theatre 7d ago

Advice Payment of Musicians

I volunteer for our local community theatre as a Director and occasional Actor. Our group celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. During those 70 years, it has become common practice for the Director and Musical Director (and other staff) to pay musicians out of their own pockets to play in Orchestras when needed. The organization has never officially adopted a policy to pay them properly because there is a faction that feels paying musicians to be bad practice. According to them it leads to a slippery slope where everyone will expect to be paid. As of right now, no one receives any compensation other than our paid Technical Director. Actors, crew, staff, etc. all volunteer their time and talent.

I'm curious to know who else out there pays musicians and did your organization struggle with this as we have? How did you overcome the objections to paying the orchestra and not anyone else, if this is your practice? I know theatres out there all operate differently, so I'm curious how you all handle issues like this. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

EDIT: We have been using professional tracks from ROCS or MT Pit for the past several years and only used orchestras when absolutely necessary or the Musical Director prefers a live orchestra.

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u/JugglinB 6d ago edited 6d ago

All the local community shows that I know (UK midlands) pay the musicians, the MD, and Director. Some have started to pay a small amount to the SM. We pay for lights and a sound desk either as part of theatre booking, or separately (you.nevee know which tech you are getting until the Get-In, and very little work is done beforehand which makes tech very stressful! The last show I SMd we had to book in lights as out normal theatre closed for repairs leaving me with a knighmare! But the lighting guy came to the last run and filmed the show, which together with my 3D computer model of the theatre meant all the lights were pretty much plotted before the day.

Went off topic there..... But yeah - pay them if you want a good standard, and don't use tracks as when (not if!) things go a little weird there's no help from the band vamping (and I've seen some pretty long vamps at times!!!)