Sometimes spending a little can make your life a lot easier. Apps are one of these instances. Like when I mentioned that a Macbook can be a frugal decision, sometimes a smartphone is too. Honestly, how did we get by before these things? A performer asks some crazy question about the origin of a word…
Under what circumstances would you work for free? So far, for me, it’s been strictly under volunteer circumstances. For years, I used to help my church with their Vacation Bible School skits and dramas, and that was the one time a year I would do any kind of theater work for free. Despite this the…
My previous “day in the life” posts were so popular, I figured it was time to add the latest job to the list – a day in the life of a touring stage manager. The thing about this job is that there were three very different kinds of days: There were days off. Seriously, it…
I realize in the entertainment industry, periods of collecting unemployment are the norm. I’ve never thought twice about a friend telling me they were on unemployment. Until the friend became me. Or might become me. I’m still not 100% decided. I’ve always thought of unemployment as a drastic final measure to make sure you’re fed…
Back in college, I used to hear my professors say “everyone knows everyone” and “the entertainment world is really small” all the time. And I thought they were nuts. Mostly because I knew no one and the world seemed incomprehensibly massive. Well… 10 years later, I can say they were right. And while everyone doesn’t…
A few weeks into this tour, I was out to dinner with the other two crew and somehow wages came up. While none of us actually stated what our wages are (although, as tour manager, one of them already knew what all of our wages were), we primarily discussed how low we’re willing to go…
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…
What if there was a Groupon for the performing arts? Turns out there is. It’s clearly still pretty small and picking up steam, but the idea is pretty awesome and I’m excited to start advocating it now, with the hopes it’ll continue to grow. ACTOR Q has deals geared towards artist’s – from discounted headshots…
Earlier this month I wrote about my mini money challenge idea and how I was going to live on just my per diem. I thought – I’m not going to have any problem doing this. I’m pretty much a golden god of saving anyway, especially after a year of living in NYC. So I nailed…
A few months ago while working on my death prep series (yeah, it’s as morbid as it sounds), I mentioned that one of the items you need is a power of attorney. Power of attorney is a document that allows someone else to make decisions and essentially act as you. There are actually two kinds…
So today is my first day at a new job! It’s pretty common knowledge among my regular readers that I was discontent at the last one. I actually had a funny conversation one of the last days at my old job with the Stage Manager for the company doing the show there. She said she…
Today we’re wrapping up our interview with Patrick Judd, actor, producer, and founder of XYXee theatre company. In Episode 2: Art and Entrepreneurship, Patrick shared his experience of starting his own theatre company and all the business challenges and financial realities that come with it. In Episode 1: What Do You Do With a BA…
I’ve spent months expressing my unhappiness with my current job and the time has come to do something about it. I pretty much blitzkrieged the entertainment world with resumes over the last week and I learned a pretty exciting fact – I’ve finally seem to have enough experience that people actually read them. My boss…
Hi there friends! Today I want to present you with something entirely different, the next YouTube sensation – Inside the Artists Wallet. Ok, so maybe not a general sensation, but if you’ve ever wondered how people who work in the arts actually manage to get by and not starve to death, this is the series…
A few months ago I wrote a post about how to stock a stage management kit on a budget. One of those tips was to use freebie offers to stock your kit, but since then a few of you have reached out to find out more about exactly where and what you can find for…
So – I can’t exactly write a post on how to save on the best pair of black pants since this is a pretty endless debate in the theater world. Especially among the ladies of the theater world. See this extensive thread at the SMNetwork or this post at Headset Chatter. Personally, I’ve been on…
A few months ago I tossed out the idea “how much do stage managers make?” Because as one, I’m generally pretty curious. There’s a wide variety of pay scales among us (and the job itself varies widely), but I’ve always been a little puzzled about why we keep what we make such a secret. If…
Stage Managers are people with the answers to all the questions. How do we get that way? With a heck of a small army of tools and tricks. If you’ve already checked out how to stock your kit on a budget, here’s a list of several apps to beef up your smartphone for free* too.…
I’m not naturally a people person, so shortly after deciding I really liked stage management, I thought it would be a good idea to make management books a regular part of my reading diet. The thing is, whether you’ve got one person or five hundred reporting to you, in a theater or in a boardroom,…
There are very few things I get really excited about, but good theater is one of them. Actually, it’s why I picked my entire career path. I was entranced by the magic of theater, the audience’s suspension of disbelief and the feeling that you can make anything happen onstage. I think a lot of people…
So we’re about halfway through the year, how’s everyone doing with their New Year’s Resolutions? I was pretty excited a few months ago to cross off my first resolution, to find and furnish (in a financially responsible manner) an apartment. Thanks to my great hand me downs from my grandmother (who has pretty awesome taste) and…
Salaries are a pretty closely guarded secret for most people – although clearly not me, since I’ve been posting my salary for the better part of a year. I can understand wanting to do so anonymously, but it would really be helpful for people interested in going into the arts to be able to get…
My friend J$ over at Budgets Are Sexy was kind enough to let me guest post today! Hopefully he’s enjoying the extra day of paternity leave with his newest Penny. So if you’ve ever dreamt of running away with the circus, head over there and check this out. When I was eleven, I made a…
**This is not a sponsored post. But it should be. I’m looking at you, Starbucks and Raise.com. However, there are affiliate links.** If you’re taking your first baby steps into the personal finance world, you might be reading about something called the “latte factor.” This is essentially the amount of a small expenditure you…
Every job has its tools and one of the biggest money suckers for a stage manager is their kit. What’s a stage manager kit? Well, it harkens back to the idea that a stage manager is the person who is “absolutely responsible for absolutely everything” for a production… which is an over or under simplification…