Rant in E Minor.

[Dagger Claws]

NOTE: If you're not up to reading something negative that might bum or put a damper on your otherwise cheery day, press the back button and go onto another thread. You probably won't want to read the following.

Alright, I'm sure this little soap box I'm going to be getting on isn't a new one; I know that I won't be the last person to climb on top of it once I'm done but I want to rant and vent for a while.

I'm frustrated and smoldering over the roller coaster ride of trying to find a job in the very small world we call puppetry and also in the slightly larger world called professional theatre. I just got an email from a prospective client who was looking to have a hand puppet made based off of an original character of theirs.

After weeks of negotiation and going back and forth in explaining to them why building what they wanted would cost as much as it would, ($1,500 for a dead on likeness, professionally built, moving mouth hand puppet with arm rods and costume that would withstand wear and tear of multiple performers and performances, or $1,000 for the same puppet with all of the above mentioned minus the costume) I find out they're giving the job to someone else. Weeks of email tag, hand holding and explanations as to what goes into building something they are looking for and therefore why it costs what it costs down the toilet.

To top that off, I got another email just yesterday from a theatre company who was looking for a properties person for their fall show. The show involved a number of large scale props, including a machine that an actor actually gets caught in and comes out the other side dead. In the realm of their time frame, the amount of work was doable, but when I asked what their budget was I find out: "Our budget is $300, and our stipend for the designer is $350." On the heels of this is, "we are a small theatre, but we recieve alot of good press."

My response to them was there wasn't any way I could build all they wanted for only $300. HALF of that money would go to gas alone since I live a whole 30-45 minutes away from their theatre and all the running around to do shopping for the build. $350 could have worked for materials, but it would have been tight. The lowest I told them I could go for a fee was $600, and that is still very low.

The reply I get from the theatre company yesterday was three sentances:

"Yeah, nobody is ever paid enough on this level of theater. I'm sorry but we can't offer you more. Thanks for the interest."

Why the bloody heck are there so many dang companies out there who want to play dress up and pretend their wearing the big boy pants of a professional company/theatre, and wind up balking when they are confronted with people who demand a legitimate amount for the work they are doing! This isn't a dang hobby, it's a career, and I feel more and more as I work for different places is that there is simply no respect or willingness to understand or appreciate the work that is being done. The attitude seems to be, "Well, if you won't do it for this much, we'll get some other joe or jane shmoe with a hot glue gun who WILL do it."

And it doesn't help that our wonderful nation's economy is swirling down the perverbial toilet right now. No major companies seem to want to hire anyone; their holding onto their employees until they leave or drop dead. I've been sending resumes to everyone and their brother and I keep hitting the brick wall of, "I'm sorry, but we're not hiring this year, we'll keep your resume on file."

Also, no one is willing to spend enough money, or risking enough money, on any large endevours that would employ more people who work in this field.

It also doesn't help that we're in an election year, where NOTHING ever happens as far as a change in the status quo, and won't for months if not a whole year after whoever is voted in to office decides to improve things with some actual helpful changes.

If this sounds like a long tantrum, fine, consider it a tantrum. Whatever works for you. But if you are as frustrated as I am, post back, get on the box, and get it out. Because I KNOW I'm not the only one that considers the work they do in puppetry is their livelihood, not a hobby.

 

[ravagefrackle]

welcome to the club

 

[Punch'n'Judy]

Sadly, it's nothing new!

 

[MGov]

It's Chicago.

Unless you are putting your own show together, using your own money, this isn't a puppet town.

L.A. and NYC are where you want to be if you want to make money as a builder and/or performer.

 

[ravagefrackle]

L.A. and NYC are where you want to be if you want to make money as a builder and/or performer.

That is not an Gaurentee of work, You alos have to look at how much competion thier is for work in those towns.

thier maybe more puppet realted gigs, but thier are also much more puppeteers going after the same jobs

 

[Dagger Claws]

Chicago-Not a puppet town

That's the funny thing about Chicago, it IS a puppet town but it depends on what kind of puppetry you're talking about. Some of the most well produced, professional, polished puppetry in the city won't be seen by the average theatre goer. This is because the bulk of the puppetry community in Chicago performs for children and families and are also touring companies.

If you're looking for theatrical productions for adults with puppets, all you have is Redmoon Theatre and Blair Thomas, which wouldn't be so bad except both of their styles are nearly the same; giant grotesque papermache things with large crude noses in a bastardized style of Bread and Puppet theatre's work. They have the monopoly of the city, so much so that when I've mentioned to people that I'm a puppeteer and from Chicago people instantly asks, "Do you know Redmoon!"

The only other company that was producing creative and engaging work for adults was Hystopolis Theatre. Unfortunately, the founders got sick and tired of the city's games when it came to having their own theatre space and moved. The mayor of Chicago wanted to keep all the places of business and entertainment in specific neighborhoods, and the "theatre district" of the city is in a big commercial area were rent is thru the roof. Great and easy if you're a huge name and established company like Steppenwolf or the Goodman, not so much if you're trying do create a legitimate puppet theatre.

What's even more frustrating is that because of the public's perception of Redmoon and Thomas, they believe they are the be all and end all of puppetry in the city. And they should, because there are no other competing theatres and they are both savvy advertisers who produce constantly and have engrained themselves in the community's mind.

What it all boils down to why I have a gripe with them is that there work isn't commercial. If you want to be avant garde or abstract with your work and design, that's fine but it NEEDS TO ENGAGE AND ENTERTAIN THE AUDIENCE. There is far too much of that kind of half formed, half thought performances already circling the puppet community as a whole. Why bother having an audience attend your show if you're going to jiggle a crude looking puppet in front of them and perform it as if you've just picked it up in a show that isn't engaging to it's audience. It almost seems that these "artists" don't respect or care about entertaining their audiences, and are really performing for themselves. And the fact that no one in town has something else to hold up and compare them with has resulted in the monopoly.

Chicago used to be a booming town for locally produced children's television, but those times have come and gone and no one seems to care. Local stations only want to locally produce news shows, talk shows, or sports shows. Chicago was also a major city for commercial work and movie work, but the genuis mayor Daley decided to put a tax on productions done in the city to generate revune, thus scaring away production companies from using the city. It has only been within the past year or so that the tax was either levied or the amount become reasonable in a growing economy that productions have come back to Chicago.

 

[Jinx]

Dagger-

You bring up many legitimate complaints, but at the same time you must remember that you live in a free-market economy. Redmoon and Thomas (neither of whom I've previously heard of) may indeed indulge in esoteric, self-absorbed crappy avant garde theatre, and while it is certainly not my cup of tea, if they have an audience that supports them, well then so be it. To declare them a monopoly is simply incorrect. First of all, it appears that they are, if anything, competitors. This alone kills the monopoly argument. The fact that other puppet theatres are able to compete with them (whether successfully or not) again strikes the monopoly argument. Having the corner of the market is very different from having a monopoly.

I just looked up their respective websites, and they don't look like the kind of thing I'd walk across a street to see. But just because I don't like them doesn't make them inherently evil. If I were there I would probably be frustrated by a lack of other more "accessible" forms of puppetry. But the lack of puppetry that I enjoy doesn't make the presence of puppetry that I dislike invalid.

Also your perception that the Goodman and Steppenwolf thatre companies have it easy is somewhat misguided. The Goodman is over 80 years old, and there was a lot of struggling to get to be one of the nation's foremost regional theatres. And when Steppenwolf started over 30 years ago they were performing in church basements and the like. But even to this day they have to work to gain the support that keeps them going.

I think perhaps you might consider expanding your perception of what a professional theatre company is. Many professional companies have a mix of paid and unpaid staff. We all know how underfunded the arts in general are, so if they have a limited budget then that just happens to be where they are at the time. If they cannot afford your services then it is not their fault. I'm sure they'd love to pay you what you're worth, but budgets are budgets. Everyone tries to squeeze as much as they can out of every dollar.

About 25 years ago I had a job at a theatre company as assistant technical director. When I factored out my wage I was making 4 and a half cents an hour. It was very grueling work, and obviously I needed to have other work as well, but it was step one in building credibility in the industry. It took about eight to nine years before I started getting paid a decent rate. Sadly that is the nature of working in the arts. We're all in it for the love of it; if the money follows then we're fortunate.

The situation of the $1500 job going south after educating the client, that is most unfortunate indeed. Perhaps in the future you need to set a retainer fee up front to do the research portion of the job. Then if you don't get the gig at least you're not out the whole ball of wax. But if the whole educating, hand-holding etc. is the "courtship" it takes to get the job, then that is part of the risk. But ultimately it is you who decide how much to put out front.

I'm not saying you have no right to be upset, but I think a bit of perpective is in order.

Cheers, and best of luck on your next project!

 

[Redsonga]

About 25 years ago I had a job at a theatre company as assistant technical director. When I factored out my wage I was making 4 and a half cents an hour. It was very grueling work, and obviously I needed to have other work as well, but it was step one in building credibility in the industry. It took about eight to nine years before I started getting paid a decent rate. Sadly that is the nature of working in the arts. We're all in it for the love of it; if the money follows then we're fortunate.

They always say it's a long way to the top, and most people don't start there even if they have a lot of talent :\. I don't work with puppets (I might someday) but I am a writer, and it is the same sort of story, you get paid much less than the blood sweat and tears you put into things, and nearly always have to have more than one job. Just because you have to have another job to eat doesn't suddenly make anything else your doing just a hobby . If it's not just a hobby in your heart, someday you will get where you want to go, but it takes time, sometimes years... After all most of the people we are fans of here did not just walk in the door one day and get fame and money overnight .

 

[staceyrebecca]

I think this is a complaint of every artform. I think the lesson to be learned here is that if you want to earn a cushy-living & sit in the lap of luxury, become an elementary school teacher. Dude, they have it MADE.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I gotta say that I'm with Jinx on this one. I understand your frustrations, but all I'm reading all the reasons why things aren't working. I believe the government should support the arts, but at the end of the day it's show business. You only succeed if you produce work that audiences want to see and/or arts funding agencies and patrons believe has cultural merit and will support.