So I’ve been performing in this kids show at the Atlantic Theater, which I’ve mentioned previously. Thanks in part to some great press (nytimes pdf, we’ve recently been asked to potentially do two more performances — which I’ve agreed to, gladly, but it’s gotten me thinking about money, since none of us actors are being paid.

I’m definitely game for the extension of the show — I have loved doing the play and working with the fantastic cast, an awesome director, and all the wonderful crew, designers, and staff at the Atlantic. I’m excited to have the opportunity to keep it going.

And while I’ll do it either way, maybe Atlantic will find a way to pony up some cash for us actors — nothing huge, even a ‘travel stipend’ or something would just be a huge show of respect and support, don’tcha think?

I know it’s unlikely. I know Atlantic doesn’t pay us because they don’t HAVE to pay us. We’re not equity members (ahem), and there’s always plenty of freshly-graduated alumni who are chomping at the bit to do some work, any work, for free.

But it’s not about the money per se. It’s about respect for the craft, the work, the time and the effort. Heck, I’ve done shows for three nights with off-off-off companies and gotten paid 75 bucks and felt great about it — because I was valued, in the same way that the designers, the director, the musical director, the stage manager, sometimes even the board op, were valued. It legitimizes the whole experience.

It amazes me the talent that’s been assembled with this cast (not to mention professionalism and hard work), and they’re all doing it for nothing. Wouldn’t it be nice to show them that their work has value?

These shows are partially (mostly?) funded by grants for education; we do weekly performances for public school students who have been prepped with a bit of theater-arts curriculum, and then get to see the show for free. We do talkbacks after the school shows, (which is great, where we get to engage with some amazingly bright children of all ages, whose insights never cease to amaze).

But would this funding come through if the caliber of the shows weren’t consistently high? I have to think that this program, going on five years for Atlantic, wouldn’t succeed if there weren’t some measurable level of quality in these shows.

The budgets are shoestring — I suspect most of it goes to paying the rights for the plays. We perform on the set of whatever mainstage show Atlantic is currently producing, which means that our set is mostly a cover up (in this case, the backwater shanty of The Night Heron has ingeniously become Alexander’s Clubhouse). I don’t know what everyone else is getting paid — much of the production work is done by Atlantic full-time employees, whose involvement I assume is in their job descriptions. There’s a certain we’ll-make-due attitude toward certain things as a result.

As wonderful as the work of all the other professionals is — and no doubt they are also woefully underpaid — so much of the success of this show, and many of the kids shows, can be credited to the commitment and enthusiasm of the cast.

When there’s not a budget for a set, or a full-time musical accompanist, fine, we’ll make due with recordings, or dressing another set to look like our play. But the actor cannot compromise so readily. These accommodations require the actor to work doubly hard, because it’s her imagination and expressiveness that will fill in those gaps. (Never mind the fact that the actors are also responsible for dressing the set and striking it again to prepare it for the mainstage show).

And if not for this cast, the powers-that-be should really consider it for future alumni-cast shows — we’re Alumni of a program that trains professional actors; shouldn’t we be treated as such?