[SML] TD salary range/staffing logistics/advice

[Tim Catlett]

I just recently took a position at a community roadhouse and arts center
(Paramount Center for the Arts) in St. Cloud, MN. So, I don't have any of
the construction/production duties that you would have, though my schedule
is still very busy. Even so, my salary is $70K (though without health
benefits of any kind...sigh).

I agree with your staffing assumptions, and you could use that to leverage
a higher salary, for sure. That's not even to mention your career as an
educator, which puts you in the position of being able to creatively and
adaptively budget (and staff) for the advantage of the company (at your
discretion...but don't say that, lol) in uncertain times. Those are
skills which must be acquired over time, rather than taught.

I'd say that $67K in D.C. (a rather expensive place to exist), is VERY low,
by about $8-10K or so, minimum. Also, remember, comp time and any other
benefits aren't salary. Only cash buys mac & cheese.

I agree with Kristi RC that the MIT Cost of Living Calculator is a good
guide to work from, and can also be a useful negotiating tool as long as it
is framed correctly.

*Tim Catlett*


On Tue, Jul 8, 2025 at 8:32 AM John McAfee via Stagecraft <
stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I’ve gotten an offer for a TD position from a LORT theatre in the DC
> area.  The salary offer is 67,000, which seems low to me and is 3,000 lower
> than the last time the position was advertised.  The shop currently
> consists of two carpenters and a scenic artist, with no plans to hire an
> ATD or shop supervisor (which were previous positions).  This means that I
> would be the only exempt staff member in scenic and though I could accrue
> comp time for weeks where I work over 40 hours, I don’t know that I’d
> practically be able to take it.  Not staffing up indicates financial
> uncertainty (understandable in the current climate), but by saving the
> salaries of the other two positions, the extra slack would fall to the TD
> and there should be some compensatory acknowledgment of that.
>
> The upcoming season -could- be built successfully with a lean shop
> supplemented by overhire, but I expect a professional theater that builds
> scenery in-house to have a TD, ATD, shop supervisor, and at least three
> carpenters along with a painter (ideally at least a painter and a half).
>
> I’ve spent much of my career in higher ed, where I have been generally
> underpaid and deeply understaffed, so I wanted to get a temperature check
> for my assumptions as I go into negotiation/shop advocacy.
>
> Happy to answer questions.
>
> Thanks,
> John
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