6 Self Employment

Self-Employment and Freelancing

But what I wish universities would emulate is the way they integrate their students into the professional world. There’s more overlap that I don’t necessarily see at some of the other university programs. And the other things that Studio 58 does well is to immerse their students in the business, like basically for those who actually want to go and become practitioners to explain to them you are essentially a small business owner and here’s how you handle the nuts and bolts of, you know, managing your money and just really basic fundamental things that they don’t teach you, they really should. It’s kind of criminal to ask someone to become a small business owner and not give them the basic tools to operate that business. – Jovanni Sy, Actor/Director/Playwright, Montreal, QC

For many who work in theatre, the structure is such that you will be working freelance (or self-employed). Basically this means you will be going from gig to gig, contract to contract without an ongoing salary. You are not an employee with a regular pay cheque and constant work. This also means that you need to know the market, know yourself (including your strengths and weaknesses), and effectively pursue gigs in order to successfully keep working.

How do you know what is considered self-employment? The Canadian Revenue Agency defines what qualifies as an employee versus self-employed. They then also make sure employers are managing deductions from pay for employees as required by law.

Employee or Self-employed? – Canada.ca

The facts of the working relationship as a whole decide the employment status.

In an employer-employee relationship, the payer is considered an employer and the worker an employee. Employers are responsible for deducting Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions, EI premiums, and income tax from remuneration or other amounts they pay to their employees. Employers must remit these deductions along with their share of CPP contributions and EI premiums to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

If the worker is a self-employed individual, they must operate a business and be engaged in a business relationship with the payer.

You might say, I’m not self-employed because I don’t operate a business but in fact you are the business. As a designer you are a business and the product is your services as a designer. To be clear, here are some of the main differences between self-employed and being an employee:

Self-Employment / Freelance and Contract Work Employee
  • Works outside of the company office
  • Hired contract to contract, usually short-term, rather than permanent or full-time
  • Works on a permanent basis for a particular employer
  • Works flexible hours and not a set schedule
  • Regular hours and pay
  • Right and details are all contained in each contract, although labour laws must be abided by
  • Vacation time or vacation pay
  • Right to have stat holiday pay
  • Can be offered sick time and benefits
  • Canadian Revenue Agency will define and impose legal expectations
  • Must file self-employment taxes and manage own deductions
  • Employer will make tax deductions, Canada Pension Plan, and Employment Insurance payments to Canada Revenue Agency
  • Will receive a T4A from each company they work for if they were paid $500+
  • A T4 will be issued for tax purposes
  • The gig lasts as long as the contract outlines and there is no on-going expectation once services are complete
  • Must give two weeks’ notice to end employment and have just cause

Although you don’t have to formally start your own company to be self-employed, you can choose to do so. Regardless, you need to start thinking of yourself as a business and all that this entails.

Making yourself a corporation (or just thinking of yourself in that way) reinforces the idea of professionalism because it separates the artist-doing-the-work from the will-and-consciousness-running-the-show. No matter how much abuse is heaped on the head of the former, the latter takes it in stride and keeps on trucking. Conversely with success: You-the-writer may get a swelled head, but you-the-boss remember how to take yourself down a peg.

– The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (p. 97)

To follow are some of the basic considerations for the reality of being self-employed. Please also see chapters on budgeting and taxes.

…how to make connections and how to network, how to handle your finances and treating yourself as a contractor and how to do your taxes and all that and, and like, especially how to negotiate your contract. I think that you can teach people how to act and how to sing and how to move til the cows come home. But if you don’t know how to negotiate a contract, you’re out, right? You’re not going to be able to make a living at this now. – Judith Schulz, Theatre Designer, Saskatoon, SK

Marketing Yourself

Since you will be moving from contract to contract, you are essentially constantly applying for jobs and having to promote yourself.

There are many tools you can use including creating your own website, being present on social media, regularly doing mailings to those who might hire you, being visible in the community and at theatres (attending openings), as well as establishing a good reputation that will spread through word of mouth.

Websites

Check out the websites of professionals in your area of focus and see which appeal to you. Of course you need to make sure it looks good and is kept up to date or it isn’t worth having. There are a lot of inexpensive and user-friendly platforms so that you can do it yourself, but they do still cost money and you will need to have the time to keep it updated. It can definitely be a good way to be found though, which you want in this industry. Many times I wanted to track down an artist to hire and I couldn’t find them on-line and therefore had no way to contact them. Make it easy on perspective contractors.

Exchanging skills is also good, if you have someone in your circle who can do the website design and in return you can lend them your expertise in another area then it is a win-win. Alternatively, many professional associations will host your profile on their website such as Playwrights Guild of Canada, so you can use this as a way to be found. If you choose to go the agent route, they may likewise host your page. I’ve also known colleagues who received their pre-designed websites as a birthday gift, so it doesn’t hurt to ask for these things as practical gifts.

A few select examples:

Actor/Intimacy Director/Playwright – https://sharonbajer.com/

Playwright – Marcia Johnson – Marquis Literary (mqlit.ca)

Director/Playwright/Dramaturg – https://aaronchihojan.wixsite.com/home

Director – https://www.kristajackson.net/

Director – https://www.talenthouse.ca/ann-hodges-creative?rq=HODGES

Designer – https://kerleydesign.com/costume-design/

Set Designer and Art Director – https://www.andybroomell.com/

Multi-Disciplinary Artist – About – ANDY MORO

Activity: Check out the above examples and identify which you find appealing, easy to navigate, and clear. Then look up some of your favourite theatre artists and check out their sites or their social media presence.

Social Media

Social media is another avenue. Again it is worth looking at feeds of the artists you admire. You can see how they use social media, but also likely learn more about them. Most professionals are using Facebook to share events, X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts and news, Instagram for updates, and LinkedIn for making professional connections. Yes, these platforms can also be a minefield so you need to really think about what you are putting out there and what it says about you. Does it communicate the message that you want about yourself? Will it turn anyone off from hiring you? Or do you want to be clear about what your values are and those who don’t like it be damned? Which platforms do you have the time/capacity to manage/maintain?

Also to note in the current political ecology and with news blocks by Meta, some are choosing to remove themselves altogether from certain platforms in a stand against the social media giants.

It is also a good idea to do an on-line search for yourself every so often to see what comes up. If an old article about your high school science fair comes up, you may want to look at ways to get more traffic to the items that you want to have pop up when folks search your name. A writer of ghost stories shares my name, although it is actually their pen name and mine is my birth name. Sometimes they pop up first on a search if they have a new book out and sometimes I do when I have a show that is getting media attention.

Mailings

Under each career track, more information on submissions specific to area of focus is provided. However, whether submitting for an audition or sending in your play, learning how to write a persuasive cover letter or e-mail is crucial for everyone. Again as a freelance artist you will be constantly applying for jobs, so consistently sending in your information.

A few general tips:

  • Always be specific in your contact without using ‘To Whom It May Concern’ or ‘Dear Sir or Madam’. This require looking up who you should be submitting to, which demonstrates both a sense of focus but also that you did your research.
  • Personalize all approaches (letters, e-mails or even personal approaches) by connecting what you do with what they do. Again it shows research if you clearly know what kind of work the person you are addressing does and how it aligns with your interests.
  • Proof read carefully so there are no typos and you come across as professional. It also shows that you took the time and care in what you prepared.
  • Aim for short, concise, action-oriented writing. This will make it easy to read and more engaging.
  • End any correspondence with a call to action. It is suggested that e-mails should end with a question if you want a response as this will spur the reply.
  • After any initial approach, feel free to follow-up but allow enough time to respect how busy most folks are. Find the fine balance between persistence and being a nuisance.
  • You have to just accept that the majority of answers will be no. It isn’t personal but simply the reality of few resources.

Word of Mouth

Again, theatre tends to be a small community so people share information. We often ask one another for recommendations when looking to fill a role. We’ll also ask about someone we are considering hiring if we know that a colleague previously worked with them. Word of mouth is about reputation. It is also a way that you can make sure people know you are out there and looking to work – you can’t be hired if no one knows you exist. So let it be known if you are looking for work in a particular area or want to explore a specific style in the next show you do. For example, when I’ve known a graduate who wants to gain a wide range of experience, I pass their name on for things beyond their area of study.

It is also useful to put yourself in the shoes of those who are doing the hiring. Who would you hire? What qualities or qualifications would you want and need? Who would you want to work with in a high stress situation? Then evaluate honestly your own assets. Would you be recommended by others? What do you have to offer? When we discuss reputation, we often talk about professionalism. What does that mean to you? Being reliable, being able to fulfill the obligations, and being able to communicate effectively through challenges are keys to being a professional. Sometimes professionalism has also been used as a gatekeeping mechanism so it is important to be clear about not using this to deny those who may need different working conditions.

Activity: Try to honestly assess whether you would be recommended by those you have worked with in the past.

Personally, and I’ve heard this from others as well, I’d always choose someone who is good to work with over skill-set. You want the work to be enjoyable, fun, or at least pleasant. When there are other options, there really is no need to work with someone who will make life miserable for all involved. Again, that’s not to say those hiring should avoid anyone who might legitimately raise concerns. Having team members who challenge you, who help to create a healthier environment and a stronger product is a good thing. Unfortunately, not all people see it that way and it is true that some will avoid hiring anyone perceived to be high maintenance.

You also have some agency in choosing where you want to work and in making sure the conditions are things you can live with. First of all, even when starting out and working for smaller entities, it is worth looking at the defined roles to make sure industry standards and fair working conditions are being adhered to. Check out the agreements, contracts and working conditions outlined by the various professional associations. Even if you aren’t at the stage of being a member of Associate Designers of Canada for example, see what they have developed as practice and protocols for the industry.

Go back to the notion of values and be clear about your own mission. What are you passionate about? What are the core principles with which you like to operate? This should inform all decision-making, including where you want to get hired. Also know your limits so you can avoid getting into a contract that you can’t live with. Being a bit choosy in what you take on will likely result in better experiences, a better reputation for you, and better word of mouth.

Qualities

Cultural Human Resources Council has a great resource guide (for purchase): The Art of Managing Your Career. They suggest that to manage your career as a self-employed artist and/or cultural worker, you should be able to:

  • Envision and develop your career strategy. This includes what we’ve already covered in terms of values, priorities, personal SWOT, assessing the environment, but also doing some consultation as you set goals.
  • Create a business plan that allows you to make your art. This might include a business and marketing plan, communication strategy, and ways to establish and maintain relationships.
  • Manage a project by creating project goals/outcomes, assessing feasibility, developing an action plan, and evaluating it post- project.
  • Manage resources, including professional associations, accessing programs, finding grants and applying, networking, and managing information.
  • Manage financial affairs, this means having a long-term financial strategy and budget, as well as finding and using resources and services.
    • Basically, start saving now as you will have time without work and also little in terms of retirement funds or employment insurance.
  • Manage legal matters, we will cover much of this later, but generally this refers to contracts, copyright, and obligations such as paying your taxes.
  • Communicate effectively both orally and in writing to negotiate, avoid, and resolve conflicts.
  • Demonstrate personal competencies such as decision-making, time management, teamwork, innovation, as well as self-care.

I’ll again mention the ability to adapt. The lifestyle is about constant adapting. You may have new colleagues for each show, as well as different show needs and technical demands. For an actor there will be different needs with different character types… It is constant learning.

Contracts

Always have a contract!!!!! I know that when someone offers you work, especially when you are starting out, you will be so excited and feel so special because they want you. Don’t let the “oh my gosh they want to hire me” or “they want to do my play” distract you. Get a contract!

Negotiating a contract is also a great way to make sure you are on the same page and talk about what is needed on both ends in order to have a fruitful working relationship. A pre-contract conversation about expectations is valuable as a way to map out how you will work together.

Before signing:

  • Don’t be too eager. Ask for time to review, give yourself at least a day to look it over and sleep on it. If they want to work with you they will want you to be sure.
  • If you haven’t already, research the producer/company you are agreeing to work with. An on-line search, looking at their website, and asking around within your network are all effective.
  • Read the contract and note anything you do not understand or have concerns about. Look things up. Re-read it.
  • Be sure that all terms are defined, not just so that you understand them but to make sure you both agree. Especially for unique working relationships, e.g. what does a collaborator mean to you versus what it means to the person you are working with.
  • If you haven’t already, verify any standard practices from professional associations or with colleagues. (If you are a member of an association and they don’t have mandated contracts they may have staff willing to review contracts.)
  • Respond with a clear list of questions, concerns, or suggested changes. This can be done in a constructive way and should not jeopardize your relationship. They may reply with legitimate reasons for certain things, which will allow you to understand. If they balk at your desire to review and negotiate then maybe this is a red flag.
  • This is a professional agreement and not personal so no one should take it personally.
  • Or you can ask to go through the contract together.

A few good things to look for in any contract or agreement:

  • Does it outline pay rate and when you are paid?
  • Does it outline tasks, deadlines, responsibilities…?
  • Who do you report to and how?
  • What happens if either side is unable to see the contract through to completion?
  • Who owns the resulting work?

A few more specifics will be offered under applicable career tracks in the next section of the book. Again many associations have contracts or agreements that can be looked at as examples, or ask contacts/mentors if they can share some examples.

Even if you are doing a gig without pay do up a short agreement. Just put something in writing so there are no issues in the future. If there is nothing in writing then you are relying on what you remember agreeing to, the possibility that you had different interpretations of what was agreed upon, or that someone might refute what had initially been outlined.

If you are working with a group, then develop an agreement together. Colleagues who work at associations have shared with me that it is often friends going into a project together with no contract that result in the most difficult and bitter disputes, especially if the project is successful.

If you are being contracted by a professional company, they will be using the industry standard contracts in most cases. Still read them closely, ask questions, check with others to make sure what is being outlined is fair, that you understand it, and that it is the standard.

Smaller, independent companies who are not members of professional associations might do up their own contracts and not be paying full standard rates, it’s your choice to accept what they can pay but again make sure everything is spelled out clearly.

As a self-employed individual you will likely see a clause in the contract that states that you are responsible for your own remittance to CRA, for example:

  • The parties agree that the Designer shall provide services as an independent contractor and shall not be deemed to be an employee for any purposes. As an independent contractor, the Designer is responsible for remitting all appropriate payments, taxes and assessments relating to Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, Provincial and Federal Taxes, GST, WSIB etc. to the proper authorities. The Designer agrees to indemnify and save harmless XZY Productions from and against all liability, costs, fines, claims or demands which may be made against XYZ Productions by reason of any failure on the part of XYZ Productions to withhold or remit any of the aforementioned payments.

Again they do not deduct any of your pay for taxes and you are responsible for these when tax time comes. It is great in one respect because you take home the full amount of your fee, but eventually you may owe some money to the government.

Some additional contract considerations, as this is important:

  • Limited funds do not mean a contract has to be exploitative
    • The advantage of collective bargaining is to avoid exploitation, so again look to examples from the professional associations.
    • Get advice from established artists.
    • For both the engager and the person being contracted, be clear about your value and if the experience is worth it.
    • Also remember that if people accept being underpaid then it starts to signal that an artist doesn’t deserve to make a living wage.
  • Negotiating
    • It is hard on both sides to ask for what you need and hold your ground, but you can and should go back and forth with questions or requests just be clear about what you are willing to agree to and what is non-negotiable. Even if this might affect working together now and possibly in the future.
    • This is why associations and agents are eventually useful. They can keep it from being personal.
    • Don’t be afraid to ask for what you reasonably need. Too often we are just grateful for the work and don’t even negotiate.
    • Do you need to or want to ask for things like childcare?
  • Get it in writing and keep a signed copy.

Finally, learning to read contracts is a valuable skill especially since most of us can’t afford legal advice. Do use mentors and colleagues as guides – I’m saying this again for emphasis. Once you join an association take advantage of their legal advice for contracts.

Getting Help

You don’t have to do it alone. There are many resources and folks who can answer questions. Also when you get to a point of working consistently it is worth considering paid help. There may also be aspects you despise or don’t have the skills so considering hiring or trading expertise with a colleague is worthwhile. If it takes you days to do your taxes but a pro can do it in hours, that might be a priority in your expense budget.

As well, when you do ask someone you admire how they achieved success, recognize that they worked hard rather than thinking they got lucky. This is also the one thing you can take control of in your career, doing the work. There’s no point in being an artist or technician or whatever your dream is if you aren’t actually getting to do it. The tasks you don’t want to do are likely a necessary part of getting work and are easier if you stay on top of them.

A professional recognizes her limitations. She gets an agent, she gets a lawyer, she gets an accountant. She knows she can only be a professional at one thing. She brings in other pros and treats them with respect.

– The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (p. 94)

Once Again – Balance

Most playwrights I know spend at least half their time on the marketing and the business side of their careers, leaving only half of their time to write. It is onerous to find calls for submissions, prepare your work to send in, follow-up, and network (see more on networking under Getting Work). Juggling the art and the business can at times leave little energy for life.

You will end up being a manager at times as well. You may manage projects, manage finances, manage marketing, create, produce, disseminate, develop, maintain…etc.  It can become your whole life, but this is not healthy. You will need to find interests, connections, and things outside of the theatre world so that you get a break sometimes and so that a rejection doesn’t destroy you because you have other things in your life. This is also about self-care and being able to take real time away to avoid burnout. Figure out what it is you need.

Activity: You have to understand yourself in order to develop great relationships with others. Self-awareness allows for self-management. Take a moment to write out the ways you currently handle stress. Emotions can be contagious so what will you do if you start to work from a place of stress, frustration or exhaustion? What do you do to relax?

And I think … here is the big thing, be careful not to make it your entire identity. And that’s very easy to do, particularly if you’re coming from a trauma informed background. It’s very easy to get lost in art, because it is a safe place and that just speaks to all the work we have to do in terms of healing ourselves. But it’s really easy to make it your entire identity and it’s really easy to get lost in it, until it’s, until one day you realize-  well I guess for me I’m just speaking personally – I looked up and realized I had no personal goals. Or I had no personal goals that I was trying to hit. It was all just, what’s my next career move. And that was a huge awakening for me, to go, oh, I actually have to work on… This is just one aspect of my life, this is not my entire identity. In some ways, as a storyteller, as my role as an Anishinaabe person, as a storyteller, it is a part of my identity, storyteller, healer. But that doesn’t mean my entire days have to be wrapped up in theatre and art. And I think that it’s important for everyone to have personal and career separate. And again, that’s not something that’s told in schools, because your whole existence is theatre when you’re in school. Your entire existence is theatre. And when you’re in a show, it’s the same thing. Cause if you’re there, if you’re working 6 days, 8 hours a day, that’s the majority of your time, right? Whereas I try to work 5-6 hours a day, 5 days a week, so that people have time to go be human. But when you’re consumed with it all the time, it’s really hard to see outside of that. – Yolanda Bonnell, Actor/Director/Playwright, Toronto, ON

To be or not to be freelance

For some areas of theatre you won’t have a choice as most creative positions are contract. For example, actors are freelance in Canada. That being said many on the gig or artistic side eventually move into administrative or leadership roles at theatre companies in order to gain stability. There are pros and cons to consider and our interviewees shared their thoughts on this topic.

…when you work for an organization, when you work as a full-time employee at an organization, yes, you have stability. Yes, you have predictability. You know, it’s hard to buy a house as a gig worker. I mean, let’s be clear. It’s hard to buy a house in almost anywhere in Canada as an arts worker of any kind. But the gig piece does not help the bank have much surety about you. You give up things, you know, you give up some negotiating power when you take a full time job, you give up some leverage and flexibility. There’s always that lovely ‘other duties as required’ line on the job description. So, you have to decide where in your career you are and what doors this closes and what doors this opens… Gig work is great if you’re not loving the project, because it has a really clear end date. But if you do like the people you work with and you do like the organization and you want to deepen your knowledge and you want to deepen what you bring to the organization, that is easier in a full time or permanent or sort of seasonal role. You could deepen your skills. You can really deepen your skills over time. – Camilla Holland, Executive Director, RMTC, Winnipeg, MB

I think number one is, you know, making a living like you have to live and you have to figure out how you’re going to sustain that. And with that, I would say think about transferable skills that your craft can apply to. So, first craft is teaching, public speaking, helping people public speak. What are the… you actually know more than just acting. You know, you have a lot more tools and skills in you, that can… you can sell your wares for bread. So be resourceful about what you know. Don’t just pigeonhole yourself. Well, I’m just an actor. Things like that. And that’s okay to use what you know in other ways. That doesn’t mean you’re no longer an actor. That doesn’t mean you’re any less of an actor. You just have to figure out ways to sustain a living with the things that you know.

The second thing is, you know, consider, depending on how money works and if you can get free advice from some kind of an accountant, if it makes sense for you to get a business number so that your taxes and your work and your life can be kind of managed in an efficient, smart way. And you might be able to claim things like clothing, meals, makeup, because you are a business now. And if you can get some good advice, I would suggest doing that because it could result in returns to you. Yeah. Just make your life easier and you can bill people and, you know, become a professional. – Ravi Jain, Artistic Director, Why Not Theatre, Toronto, ON

I love my job, but I also love having a life. And if you are working freelance, you kind of get into this position where, yes, you do have the ability to say, I want to work now, or no, I don’t want to work. Which sounds great in theory, but everybody I know who works freelance is working all of the time, multiple jobs all the time, because you don’t know when it’s going to stop, when theatres are going to be like, we don’t have the budget for that, so we’re not going to hire somebody for this. So, there’s something very nice about being like, I’m an employee and I get a paycheck and I don’t have to worry that next month I don’t know where I’m going. – Nikki Vigneault, Former Production Manager at Theatre New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB

I think it’s just a very personal choice. I think there’s probably lots of opportunities right now for freelance work because the demand is so high. So, it really is about that personal resilience again, Right? What is best for you? Is it stressful for you to be without a contract for an unknown, you know that there may be a period of time over which you’re not in control of the income coming in. What is your level of comfort with that? Knowing your own tolerance for work, because the thing about contract work is you can have overlapping deadlines. So just being able to manage the workload and your work life balance and knowing your resiliency, your own level of resiliency is just really a key component of that decision, I think. – Lori Marchand, Managing Director, NAC’s Indigenous Theatre, Ottawa, ON

On the one hand, if you freelance, you’re hustling for all your gigs, and so you’re constantly, it’s like auditioning over and over again. If you’re not the kind of person that can go out and hustle, then that probably isn’t for you. That’s versus stability in an organization where you have benefits and you know your working conditions, you’re working a set term or a consistent salary. For me, I would never look at working freelance. I would just, yeah, it’s as bad as auditioning for a role. Conversely, it’s the freedom to take on many types of projects, many different kinds of organizations that can be more exciting for some folks versus being what some people may feel is just restricted by a single organization’s mandate or product or the culture. So, for some people who like or need that continual kind of mix of things, then that’s something that could be a good option. However, I don’t know how many organizations in Winnipeg would take on freelancers [in marketing]. My impression of most of the organizations in Winnipeg is that they hire staff. – Haanita Seval, Director of Marketing, PTE, Winnipeg, MB

Being a stage manager is interesting too, because technically you’re an employee, but you’re also a gig employee. And so, you always fall in this crack. And so, you’re not really part of the admin staff and you’re not part of the temp staff. So, it’s ah, it’s an odd place to be sometimes, but it is nice to have a little bit of steadiness. So, I didn’t expect that to happen. And so, if you can have that, that’s really wonderful. But independently, I think it’s just, I don’t know. I’ve learned so much and made so many great connections by being an independent artist. And I really think that I’m happy being somewhere in the middle of those two things. – Ricardo Alvarado, Stage Manager, Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon, SK

Advice

Although you might not be ready for any agent, or ever need one, you can think like an agent:

  • Set goals for yourself, make them specific and then outline the actions to achieving them.
  • Build relationships over time and practice patience.
    • Do your homework by getting to know those with whom you want to work.
    • Stay up to date on what is happening in the industry. You should know what is going on with the theatres you are approaching. Get on their mailing lists.
    • Always see the work of a theatre company before deciding if you want to work there. Likewise, see the work of other artists you may want to work with.
  • At an initial meeting
    • Ask questions to start, take an interest rather than starting with an aggressive pitch
    • Listen
    • Make a human connection
  • Keep several projects on the go at various stages so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket
  • If you want to get your name out there, get some media coverage, and showcase what you can do then consider self-producing or festival options. Both are covered in the Theatre Maker track.
  • Have a presence and be easy to find!

Learning to live with the uncertainty and the irregularity of when work comes in. And part of the way you can manage that is purely technical. It’s just about managing your own cash flow so that when that big, you know, especially for me now that I’m doing more directing than acting, acting is more akin to a job where you get your deposit every Thursday or, you know, and it’s, it’s a sum that makes sense. Whereas directing, you get 40% here, 40%, there are 20% there. But you’ve got to learn how to basically put it away in a little reservoir and pay yourself on a regular. Yeah, be paying yourself the equivalent of that Thursday cheque. So, if you’re doing a lot of film, television, commercials, it’s the same thing. It’s feast or famine. You go without for a while and then you get a huge cheque. But it’s learning how to live like you’re getting a regular income when you’re not getting a regular income. That’s the business side of it.

Then of course, there’s the psychological side of it, which is equally a bigger challenge is to not define yourself by how employed you are. You know, you’re not a better person because you’re working all the time. You’re not a worse person if you’re in a dry patch. And it’s so hard not to compare yourself to your friends, but comparison is absolutely the thief of joy. You can’t knock yourself for, I mean, believe me, I’ve been there when everybody else seems to be booking gigs left, right and centre, and you can’t get anything. It’s so hard to keep an even keel. But it’s just, it is about that even keel. Don’t get too high when the highs come, don’t get too low when the lows come.– Jovanni Sy, Actor/Director/Playwright, Montreal, QC

…my sense is that they wish they understood more about grant writing and the money side of it and how to, you know, just how to do that early work and get on the grant system or get some feasible way of earning money. How to run a company, those kinds of things. And maybe it’s being done now, but it wasn’t, hasn’t been in the past. So, I think the practical… I think what they really want is the practical end of it. They’re quite comfortable in the creative realm, but it’s the practical.  – Catherine Banks, Sambro, NS

So, Means of Production in Ontario, they’re trying to bring PMs and TDs together to support each other. More like a community-based group of self-employed managers. And that’s an interesting model. And if we could do more of that, actually I feel like the self-employment model might actually be more sustainable because you can stay self-employed but be attached to a group of other self-employed people who can help you when you’re overwhelmed or can’t take on this day’s work. – Andrea Lundy, Program Director – Production Design and Technical Arts Program – National Theatre School of Canada, Montreal, QC

…making sure you keep money back for your taxes – that’s a very practical thing that like nobody really talks to you about. You’re getting paid exactly what they’re telling you. They’re not taking anything off. So, making sure that you’re keeping track of your schedule well enough that you know what’s happening when all the time. I think when you work gig work in terms of like doing lighting hangs and stuff, it’s a little bit easier because you’re going in for a few days. But when you work as a designer, you can be working on four shows kind of simultaneously for different times. You need to make sure you have very good organizational skills or you put a lot of alarms on your phone. Like, that’s just the practicality of what that’s like, but also the mental load of that and having to switch back and forth between different jobs also like different moods. It’s hard to work on a show that’s really happy and then be like, well, I have prelims due for this other show that’s really depressing and then switch into that mindset. There’s a lot of back and forth in every aspect of your life when you do work like that. – Nikki Vigneault, Former Production Manager at Theatre New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB

Finally, just accept (as many of our initial survey respondents noted) that you will likely have to work other jobs outside of your chosen role in theatre. There is no shame in this as it is the reality for most as they establish themselves. Reginald Nelson in How to Start Your Own Theater Company suggests you need to figure out how to make a LIVING WAGE, which means finding another job to pay the bills at times. Ideally a job that is flexible, suggesting:

  • Serving jobs
  • Event and catering
  • Promotional jobs
  • Pet caretaking and house sitting
  • Personal training
  • Bartending
  • Barista
  • Temp
  • Substitute teaching

Being self-employed definitely provides you with incredible skills that can be used in many other areas.

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The Business of Theatre: Pathways to a Career in Theatre Copyright © 2023 by Hope McIntyre. All Rights Reserved.

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