Each Monday, our Money team speaks to someone from a different profession to discover what it’s really like. This week, we chat to Aaron Archer from Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Mamma Mia! about life as a West End performer…
There’s no such thing as a starting salary in the performing arts… A job may be an equity contract with a union that sets out minimum salaries depending on the size of the theatre or the amount of work and many other varying factors. Or it could be a privately/commercially financed job, meaning the salary can vary hugely. All equity minimum figures can be found online but it can range between £600-900 roughly a week for an ensemble member in a West End show. Again, this figure can vary below or above this. The principals will earn a higher salary as well as people who cover other roles or have extra responsibilities such as being the dance captain.
You don’t necessarily have a stable income to rely on… Contracts can differ in length from just a few days to a year or more.
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Many performers have another job on the side… to supplement their income, as sometimes you can’t solely rely on the earnings from performing.
People might look down at a cruise ship contract… but these performers are extremely talented and earning money doing the job they love just the same as somebody in a show in the West End, with the cruise ship job paying more than a West End contract sometimes.
A usual week consists of eight shows… but over busy periods extra shows can be added. With most shows being around two and half hours, as well as any additional rehearsals, we are working between 35-40 hours a week with one day off.
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It’s very hard to plan ahead... You never know what you’re going to be doing or where you are going to be from one year to the next. I went from working on a cruise as a dancer travelling the world, to then the next year making my West End debut in Mamma Mia.
The most important skill to do this job well is… to just be a nice person. Obviously your talent and hard work and dedication will be a huge factor in getting jobs but if you are a nice, friendly person then that will make you 10x more employable.
My favourite part of my job is… knowing that six-year-old me would have never imagined I’d be doing this as my career and getting to meet so many amazing people.
You meet amazing people at the stage door… who want to meet the cast members and sometimes get a picture or signature after the show. But stage door isn’t compulsory and sometimes you do just want to get home to rest and you can be made to feel guilty if people are unhappy that they didn’t get the chance to see you afterwards.
Read more from this series:
What it’s really like to be a… bodyguard
What it’s really like to be a… zookeeper
What it’s really like to be a… driving instructor
My mind has gone blank for split seconds… and there have been multiple occasions where in a scene carrying bagpipes the pipes have fallen off or broken on stage. I’ve just had to carry on while holding a snapped pipe in my hand, somehow managing to keep a straight face.
Rejection is a regular thing to deal with… It’s normal to get emotionally attached to opportunities that you have put so much time and effort into, after rounds and rounds of auditions for a job and waiting weeks to hear if you’ve booked the job or not. It is emotionally draining.
For one role I had to fake tan twice a week… and another I had to wear a wetsuit and flippers on stage while dancing.
Dealing with burnout from a very physically and mentally demanding schedule… can make it harder to have other commitments outside of work and seeing friends and family.
Theatre is good value for money when you look at… how much work goes into what the audience members are seeing on the stage. The sheer volume of people that it takes to put on a show, from the production team to the backstage team, cast, creatives, wardrobe, wigs, makeup, sound, theatre front of house staff and many other teams of people that make it possible. I do think that some ticket prices for some shows have become not as easily accessible, but apps like TodayTiks are great for finding affordable tickets for various shows.
