Happy holidays everyone! I assume that if you are in the UK and working in theatre you are currently starting your pantomime contract (or you might be well into rehearsals by now?) As you know, The Wardrobe Chronicles LOVES talking about money even if it makes other people uncomfortable, so let’s talk about pantomime wages. Hopefully you negotiated your rates when you got your contract and are now coasting along but this is a great time to assess what you are being paid and think about where you will negotiate next time. So let’s talk about how you can do this
Keep track of your hours
If you have done panto before then you probably have a vague idea of what your hours will be but making yourself an easy timesheet will help you track what hours that you actually work. Did you need to come in early to put the laundry on? Did you have to stay late a few nights because a costume needed some extra attention? Did you actually get a lunch break every day like you planned or did the needs of the show overtake your personal time again? Did the call time change at the last minute because of ‘creative decisions’? It is great to keep a real and honest track of what hours you work every day and what hours your team work if you are Head of Department. Remember that even if you just put the laundry on and then had breakfast, it counts as work time, otherwise you would be relaxing on your sofa eating mince pies! Make a timesheet now, you can do it on your computer or stick it to the door and sign it on your way out (If you are a Patreon member we have made one you can download with this article) You don’t need to do anything else with it yet, just have it on hand for the next time you negotiate, you can also get your team to do it for themselves as well.
Keep receipts
This is something I have learned from watching way too many TikTok videos about the business world, but always keep your receipts (the complementary ones, not the financial ones, but keep those as well) Did your company tell you that you did a good job? Did an actor stop you to tell you they appreciate you? Better yet, did they write it in a christmas card that you can keep? Imagine you are a panto company wanting to hire the best crew back next year… they aren’t on the ground and don’t see your work every day so the more evidence you can show them that you are a good team member who is worth employing again, the better! And if they want that good and reliable crew then they will need to pay for it. The only person that is going to tell them how good you are is you!
List any time you went above and beyond
This goes in with the receipts but it’s good to show why you are the best person for the job. Did you get on with the actors? Did the director add a new costume in tech that you sourced in time/ on budget etc? Did you stay late in rehearsal week to get all the alterations done? Did you call in a favour from a friend who you know had the exact thing the production needed? You don’t have to do any of these things but if you did then tell the company that, all these things deserve to be recognised. I negotiated a substantial raise for me and my assistant after we redesigned the cinderella quick change one year to fit with our script, without it the show wouldn’t have been as smooth and you can guarantee I brought that up in negotiations the next year.
Are you getting enough help in your role?
Do you have an assistant? Is your HOD good at their job? You need to think about these things when you consider taking on a pantomime next year so really look at your role and ask yourself: is this the best structure that it can be? Companies don’t like to hire extra people when they don’t need to but you are the person in the venue every day and you are allowed to discuss that with your company if you are doing more than was advertised in the job description
How much are your digs/travel actually costing you?
I know that we get digs money but are you counting what you actually spend on digs in your budget? Do you know how much petrol it costs you to get to the theatre? Do you need to drive to shops? Is the heating bill in your digs separate? All of these things should be itemised to check you are being paid enough
What are you missing to be here? Christmas, plans and such
This is a personal thing but Christmas is a sociable time, what are you missing to do this job and is it really worth it? Only you can answer this question. Do you enjoy it?
What are other people being paid that you work with?/ in other pantos?
Is the rate you are being paid comparable to other people in the costume industry? Or other people in different departments across your company? We try to add our rates on our Discord so you can compare costume compensation, make sure you are not being paid less than the going rate, for you and for the person that takes on your job after. Also if you are looking to step up next year then do you know what rate your boss is on? Not everyone feels comfortable talking about money but having more information is always helpful to you and the people you work with.
Conclusion
I LOVE my pantomime job, my panto family are my Christmas family and Christmas wouldn’t be the same without them, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t charge for my work and know my worth. It is always good to consider your pay and make sure that you are enjoying any job. Take this year as a research year and when it comes to negotiations next year (and remember that any job proposal IS a negotiation) then you will be ready to up your rate and discuss your job. It is also worth noting that if you are working for the same company again, remember that even if you were happy with last year’s rate, inflation will have gone up and the rate should still be proportionally higher than it was the previous year. Have an amazing panto season everyone and we will see you next year!
