(Shaw’s article appeared in the Guardian, 11/14.)
For many of us, there’s a time before you know the amount actors are being paid to perform off-Broadway, and then there’s the time after. The first, more innocent life is full of breezy trips to wonderful shows, the occasional standing ovation, a flush of pleasure when an old favorite wins an award. How happy everyone is at the curtain call! How delighted we all are to have come together for art, for entertainment, for something beautiful!
Your life after is a bit less breezy. I remember when someone first told me that actors in a show I had seen were taking home less than $500 a week. These were the bright lights of the theatre; I was at a prestigious venue; I had paid more than $100 to be there. What the hell?
(Read more)
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/nov/14/off-broadway-fair-wages-actors-equity-pay-minimum
