The Future of the Workforce in the Theatre Industry
By Tiffany Vega
The pandemic had a profound impact on the theater industry, as it did on many other live entertainment sectors. Organizations, like the Guthrie Theater have reported major deficits, while other organizations, such as The Public Theater and Center Theatre Group were forced to lay off significant portions of their staff to survive. Those laid off sought ways to transfer their skills to other industries less affected by the pandemic. Stage managers and producers became project managers, development directors found roles in other nonprofits, and marketing professionals moved into corporate roles. Concurrently, the U.S. workforce experienced “The Great Resignation,” opening up even more job opportunities for theater workers. Some theater professionals pivoted to start their own consulting firms, servicing sectors outside of theater.
The current workforce in the theater industry is exhibiting rapid behavioral changes. As a search firm, EMC is observing the following trends among potential candidates nationwide: demands for higher salaries, hybrid work models, better benefits, more time off, and a refusal to work for organizations lacking DEI and anti-racist policies and practices.
For the theater industry to thrive in the future, it must recognize and adapt to these changing behaviors. To remain competitive with other industries, theater organizations need to offer what potential employees are demanding. I suggest that our industry focus on the following to attract and retain our workforce.
Evolving Roles and Skills
The demand for technical skills is increasing. Today's theater professionals need to be adept at content creation and social media marketing, utilizing platforms like TikTok to become viral sensations (If you want an example of someone doing this right, search “The Lion King Musical” on TikTok and see the posts by various cast members). TikTok is the social media of choice for most Gen Zs, so why not provide professional development and more opportunities for young employees to showcase their social media skills? Organizations oftentimes hand off the creation of social media content to younger staff members and interns (who are more often than not unpaid). One of the main reasons why people create viral content on TikTok is because they can be financially compensated for it, so why not give monetary bonuses to employees when they create positive viral content for the organization? It will lead to more engagement from audiences which can lead to ticket sales and even corporate sponsorship deals.
Development professionals also need to utilize these same skills and more unconventional avenues to attract younger donors and more tech-savvy audiences.
Workplace Culture
In 2023, Deloitte conducted a survey of 22,000 Millennials and Gen Zs from 44 different countries to see what’s on their minds as workers, particularly at the corporate level. As a reminder, Gen Zs' ages range from 12-27 years old and Millennials' ages range from 28-43 years old.
According to the survey, participants are most worried about the high cost of living, unemployment, and climate change. They are looking for a good work/life balance when choosing an employer, and 3/4 of respondents stated that they are currently working in remote or hybrid positions. Gone are the days of expecting theater workers to spend 14-hour days at the theater every day.
Mental Health in the Workplace
Gen Zs and Millennials are also looking at a company’s mental health policies when choosing an employer. As one respondent stated, “I have rejected some jobs because companies are only interested in your services, rather than paying attention to how their employees are so that they can perform to their best ability in the workplace.”
Millennials in particular have adjusted their views on what they are looking for in the workplace. As one respondent stated, “When I was younger, work and career massively defined me as a human being. I felt it was what made me; it’s what I told people about who I was as a person. However, in the last few years, I’ve really realized that work does not define who I am. I don’t live to work, I work to live. As far as I’m concerned, work is a 9-5 and an extension of my personal life rather than the other way around.”
So what can theatre organizations do? Make sure that you have mental health policies such as paid mental health time off, outside of sick days and PTO. Give the entire staff time off after a particularly stressful time such as a gala or closing of a show. If you are a youth organization, either have a social worker on staff or engage with a social work consultant to access and assist with the needs of your youth (if you are interested in learning more about this, please read this essay I wrote for HowlRound). Make sure that whatever health plan is offered to employees includes an affordable co-pay for therapy. And please, for the love of God, stop sending emails and text messages during the hours of 8pm to 8am.
DEI, Anti-Racism, and Sexual Harassment
According to the respondents to the survey, 61% of Gen Zs and 49% of Millennials experience sexual harassment and/or microaggressions at the workplace during the previous 12 months (at the time of taking the survey). Although most of these incidents occur in the office, about a quarter of these respondents stated that they are having these experiences while working remotely.
Workers will oftentimes not report this behavior because they don’t know who to report it to. They may be experiencing their behavior from outside consultants (like cast, crew, and/or creative teams), audience members, patrons, staff members, leadership, and even board members. And many organizations do not have an HR department or even an HR director. People also oftentimes fear retaliation and being blackballed in their careers for reporting such experiences. If you don’t have one already, I recommend that your organization create a reporting process for such behavior. And since general managers, managing directors, or operations managers oftentimes serve as the HR department, you can hire an outside HR consultant who will give employees a safe place to report issues concerning the people in these roles. Every single one of your employees and board members should receive DEI and anti-racism training, regardless of how they identify themselves. I personally have served as a DEI and anti-racist consultant on theater productions to provide training to casts, crews, and creative teams before they even enter into a rehearsal room to ensure that the work environment is as inclusive as possible.
EMC has found that one of the top questions that candidates ask about are the DEI and anti-racism policies and practices at an organization. It has become a top priority for Gen Zs and Millennials in choosing companies to work for. These policies and practices should not only be listed on your website in detail but they should also actually be practiced within your organization.
Salaries
Gen Zs and Millennials are most concerned about their salaries due to the high cost of living and student loan payments. Many are concerned that they will be unable to start families, pay their bills, or have funds for emergencies due to low wages. Over half of all respondents stated that they are living paycheck to paycheck. This has required 46% of Gen Zs and 37% of Millennials to take on part-time or full-time jobs outside of their primary employment. This leads to stress, burnout, poor performance, and a whole other host of issues. This is why it is paramount that theater organizations pay their employees a livable wage. If we don’t increase salaries, we will continue to lose talented workers to other industries.
We at EMC have heard the argument many times from folks that all employees at an organization are underpaid which is why they cannot raise a salary for a certain role. I highly suggest that organizations make it a priority to address this issue. Research the cost of living in your region, what a livable wage is for a family of four, and compare your salaries to nonprofit organizations (not just theatre) that are the same size, smaller, and larger in your region (you can find this information on organizations’ 990s). Ask yourself what you need to change in your operations, your funding, and your programming to ensure that everyone on staff has a livable wage.
Remote/Hybrid Work Models
If your organization does not already have a remote and/or hybrid work model, I suggest that you develop one quickly. A majority of Gen Zs and Millennials currently work in remote or hybrid positions and will continue to choose employers who offer this as an option. They stated that this work model enables a better work/life balance, helps them save money on work-related expenses like clothes and commuting, and drives greater productivity. This is especially true for parents, people of the global majority, and people with disabilities.
EMC has worked with organizations that have hybrid models such as 3 days in-person and 2 days remote, in which employees all come into the office on the same day. This is when they hold staff meetings, production meetings, and any other meetings that are more effective when they are in person.
Caregivers
Theater organizations also need to be aware of the real-life responsibilities and needs of their employees who are parents and caregivers. Millennials in particular are reaching an age where they are not only taking care of their children, but they are also caring for their elderly parents. Forty-seven percent of Millennial respondents to the survey stated that they are currently parents who have daily caretaking responsibilities for their children. This greatly impacts their mental health, finances, their abilities to have free time to relax, their physical health, their ability to do their job, career development, and their personal relationships.
I can personally attest to this as a parent of a small child with special needs. Unlimited paid sick time is important for me to have because when my child is sick, I need to take a day off. It is next to impossible for me to work when my son is home during summer breaks and days off from school. I often can’t go to evening performances of shows because they fall around bedtime. And it’s often difficult for me to go on long business trips. My son’s birthday always falls on the same weekend as the TCG Conference, so it’s always difficult for me to attend (I will never miss my son’s birthday). The theater industry has not always been kind to parents, particularly mothers. Yes, there are some exceptions to the rules (such as organizations whose founders raised their children in their theaters), but we still have a long way to go. If you are interested in learning more about how you can make your organization more inclusive of parents and caregivers, please visit the Parent Artist Advocacy League website.
Benefits
If theater organizations want to continue attracting talented workers, then we need to become competitive regarding the benefits we offer our employees. Theater companies rarely offer retirement benefits, and some will offer medical insurance but not dental or vision insurance. Many also have limited time off policies. Many Gen Zs and Millennials are concerned that they will not have enough money saved to retire, especially considering that it is very likely that they will not be able to rely on social security benefits in the same way that Baby Boomers have. As of 2021, Millennials only had an average of $63,300 saved for their retirement. And to be honest, I don’t know a single theater worker my age who has even close to that amount saved for retirement.
If we intend to attract more workers into our industry, we must offer our employees comprehensive benefits packages. Gone are the days of the starving artist, who sacrificed their well-being, health, relationships, and financial stability for the sake of their art.
Conclusion
The pandemic has significantly reshaped the theater industry, causing substantial financial strain and workforce reductions. As professionals transitioned to other fields and industries, the remaining workforce now demands higher salaries, flexible work models, comprehensive benefits, and inclusive workplace cultures. To thrive in this evolving landscape, theater organizations must adapt by embracing new roles and skills, enhancing workplace culture, prioritizing mental health, enforcing DEI and anti-racism policies, offering competitive salaries, and supporting remote or hybrid work models. The theater industry can attract and retain a talented and diverse workforce by addressing these needs, ensuring a sustainable and vibrant future.
