Career Panel At the Apollo: Theatre Women Behind the Scenes

From left to right, Linda Twine, Wendy Seyb,
Carin Ford, Amanda Pekoe, Stephanie Klapper
& Mari Nakachi. Photo courtesy of Karli Cadel.

To prepare for my recent visit to New York, I searched the WomenArts SWAN Day Calendar and discovered an amazing panel discussion that I attended on Monday, March 12 at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.

Moderated by marketing and advertising executive Amanda Pekoe, the free panel featured five women who shared advice and insights about their successful behind-the-scenes careers in theater:  Carin Ford (sound engineer - Carrie The Musical; La Cage Aux Folles), Stephanie Klapper (casting agent - Dividing the Estate; Bells Are Ringing), Mari Nakachi (producer - Time Stands Still; Dinner With Friends), Wendy Seyb (choreographer - The Pee Wee Herman Show on Broadway and HBO; The Toxic Avenger) and Linda Twine (music director - The Color Purple; Caroline, or Change).

It was fascinating to hear these women talk about their work and their career paths in the for-profit theater world. I have spent most of my adult life working in the non-profit arts sector, and the for-profit world is very different. 

First of all, commercial theater has much more income potential than non-profit theater. Commercial theater is an extremely high-risk business, and only about 20% of the shows that open on Broadway make any profit at all. But when a show succeeds, it can generate a large and steady cash flow for lots of people.  The producers make the most money, but Broadway also offers good salaries for performers and behind the scenes people.  For instance, the minimum salary for a union actor on Broadway is $1,605 per week (double or triple the salaries of actors in non-profit regional theaters), and Broadway salaries for big-name stars have been as high as $100,000 per week.

These salaries are still far less than performers can make in movies or television, but for live performances, Broadway shows offer the highest salaries because they have the highest ticket prices, and therefore generate the highest ticket income when a show does well.  Also, the actors, dancers, musicians, designers, directors, choreographers, and stage hands are all protected by unions on Broadway shows, and their unions negotiate the minimum salaries and other working conditions.

Since the panel was intended to educate people about behind-the-scenes careers, each panelist described her specific job responsibilities. I was especially impressed with sound engineer Carin Ford, because she is pioneering a field where there are very few women, and even fewer women of color.  She explained that the sound engineer is the person who runs the sound board during the show, and for Broadway musicals the sound engineer is responsible for delivering a clear, well-balanced sound to the audience - that often means making fast adjustments during the performance if a cast member has a cold and or there is an equipment problem. It is a high-stress job, because if you make a mistake, everyone will hear it. She said that she made it a point to be twice as good as her male counterparts in order to develop her reputation and get steady work. The salaries for sound engineers on Broadway are in the range of $2,200/week.

Music director Linda Twine talked about the courageous men and women who worked to integrate Broadway orchestras in the early days of her career.  Twine started as a pianist and worked her way up to being a music director for Broadway shows, i.e. she is the person who conducts the orchestra and the performers during the show. She said that music directors make about $3,000/week for Broadway shows, but she stressed that the work is not steady, and you need to have a "Plan B" for the times when the phone does not ring.

Choreographer Wendy Seyb said that a choreographer can get $50,000 for a creating the dances in a Broadway show.  The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers union has also negotiated for standard royalty payments for the directors and choreographers if their work is used in subsequent touring or regional productions of the show.

Stephanie Klapper explained that being a casting director was like shopping, because her task is to find performers who will fit together perfectly in a production. She said it is very satisfying to watch a successful show and know that she contributed by selecting the cast members. 

Finally, Mari Nakachi talked about being a corporate attorney and learning about the legal aspects of producing before she became a producer herself.  She stressed that you need to be strongly committed to a project in order to produce it because as the producer, you are responsible for raising all the money for the show, and it can often take several years.

The panel was co-sponsored by the Apollo Theater Education Program, The Broadway League, the League of Professional Theatre Women, and the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.   

The Mayor's Office published an article about the panel which included the summary of the closing remarks of the panelists below:

When moderator Amanda Pekoe asked the panelists for a piece of advice they wished they had gotten when they were younger, their answers revealed the determination each of them had displayed to pursue their dreams.

“Study, observe, learn and have a Plan B ready,” said Twine.

“Don’t second guess yourself,” said Nakachi. “Read a lot, and see as many shows as you can. They don’t all have to be Broadway.”

“You need to be flexible, and open to possibilities,” said Klapper.

“Make sure you’re up on the latest technology, and learn how to talk to people and listen to them,” said Ford.

“Just keep doing the work you want to do,” said Seyb.