It’s normal to assume you’ll graduate from college, get your first job and start making money, but some jobs require a little bit of investment for success. I remember shelling out several hundred dollars for medical tests for my first big job that stopped a good friend from taking a similar job – he didn’t have $400 accessible.

I’ve worked with other stage managers who were caught high and dry when a performer needed something because they didn’t have a stage managers kit.

In our digital world today, do you really not have a website with your resume on it? If you get it professionally designed, that’ll cost something, so will headshots if you want a professional picture to go with it.

Here’s a breakdown of costs I’ve found over the last decade directly related to stage managing:

Stage Management Kit: I’d say putting together my kit for the very first time cost around $200. Since then, I’ve learned a lot of tricks about how to stock it on a budget, but in college, I didn’t have a clue… although I was a bit of a hoarder, which helped.

Keeping my kit stocked can also be a recurring fee. Larger companies are almost always willing to replace whatever performers use, but smaller companies often don’t. And being the good stage manager you are, you’re probably not going to let some performer bleed all over anything because the producers are cheap, it’s just not in our nature.

CPR & First Aid Certifications: These usually average about $120 each time you attend training. I’ve been a Red Cross girl my whole career. Sometimes you might luck out and get trained for free on the job, but I’ve always managed to miss the rotations when I worked at sea and my last job when the trainers came.

On the plus side, it used to be you had to recertify in First Aid every year, which was really irritating and CPR every three years. Now they’re both valid for two years.

Medical Tests: These can range from free to $1,000. Different jobs have required different medical tests. I worked as a technician for a city owned theater at one point and paid my $25 co-pay to get my physical done back then.

Cruise lines have had the most intense physicals that I’ve found so far and they can actually go as high as $1,000. Granted, you may make that back in a week onboard, but you still have to be able to shell it out initially to get here. Theme parks and a variety of other places of employment require different physicals to start working there too.

Websites: These can range from free to $200+ a year. Personally, I left my professional website on the free plan with Webs for years until I wanted to add too many videos. I decided the 3 year/$100 plan was worth it for that. Recently it expired, so I either need to shell out another $100 or change the entire thing over to a free server and start again.

That being said, there are lots of good, free options out there.

Professional Memberships & Dues: Joining Equity costs $1,100 which must be paid over two years. Then there are basic dues of $118 a year, billed twice as $59 and 2.25% of your income whenever you are working. I know lots of people strive immediately for Equity (because, you know, health care), but personally, I’ve never needed to make the jump. That being said, it is kind of a proud moment in your career and you sure wouldn’t want to not be able to take your card, if you earn it, because you don’t have the joining cost saved up in a bank account. I know I’ve had it in there since before I left college.

I’ve been a member of the Stage Manager’s Association for the last 5 or so years. That costs $40/year and isn’t really worth it at all. If you live in a major Metropolitan city, you could take advantage of their meet ups and while living in NYC, I did get a few out of the blue job offers from them… usually for jobs that paid so little they were insulting, but it was my first experience of working finding me instead of me finding it. They constantly claim to be revamping the site, so maybe at some point they will make use of their full potential… at least that’s what I tell myself as I shell out another $40 every January.

Online Storage: This can cost up to $100 a year. I recently caved and got Dropbox. I should’ve done this years ago. All the stage management paperwork and references I could need are at my fingertips as long as I’m connected to the internet somewhere.

Travel Costs: Although Skype is gaining some tractions, I’ve spent money on gas, taxis, the subway, you name it to get to interviews for jobs. In the City, we would often meet at places that sold food for interviews, so I’d wind up picking up a coffee or something too. I think it’s a good idea to have at least $100 squirreled away for travel expenses during every period of job hunting and $100 could actually a little low.

For my current job, one of the performers drove in from Pennsylvania every day for 10 days of rehearsal before we went out on the road. He was probably spending an average of $50 a day on gas and parking. But he found that $500 investment worth it, I probably would’ve too.

Black Clothes: I’ve probably spent thousands on black clothes over the course of my career, but putting together a basic black ensemble will still probably run you about $60. There are plenty of ways to find deals on them though. 

What are some other costs you other stage manager’s have incurred, expected or unexpected?