George Clooney, Hugh Jackman and Julia Roberts rank among Broadway’s highest-paid stars of all time.
The trio – and stage icons such as Patti Lupone, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald and Mandy Patinkin – can fund lavish lifestyles based on their Broadway earnings, but many other jobs in stage productions earn modest salaries.
The Great White Way is notoriously volatile; actors, technicians and musicians can suddenly find themselves out of a job with little or no notice if their show isn’t pulling in enough cash at the box office. Phantom of the Opera memorably had a record-breaking 35-year year run on Broadway, but plenty of notorious shows – such as 1982’s X-rated Cleavage – have closed after a disastrous opening night performance.
As a result of the industry’s instability, unions institute salary minimums for practically every staffer — from the actors to the stagehands — so they can at least earn a livable wage throughout the lifetime of the production.
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Keep scrolling for a look at what actors and crew members make on Broadway:
Actors
The most visible members of the Broadway ensemble are, of course, the cast. Their labor union, the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), mandates that the minimum salary a Broadway actor can earn is $2,439 per week, according to Playbill. The average Broadway performer makes between $45,000 and $220,000 per year.
Various factors impact additional income for actors – including whether they are a member of the chorus, an understudy or have a celebrity status. Clooney is 2025’s highest-paid Broadway performer with $6 million total for his Cold War play Good Night, and Good Luck.
Jackman reportedly earned $100,000 per week for his headlining role in The Music Man in 2022. The Deadpool & Wolverine star and Daniel Craig previously made a reported $40,000 per week as a base salary for A Steady Rain in 2009, but their earnings were boosted to around $100,000 each week because their contracts guaranteed them a percentage of ticket sales.
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Bette Midler received $150,000 weekly for Broadway’s revival of Hello Dolly! in 2017 while Julia Roberts made $150,000 per week for starring opposite Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper in Three Days of Rain.
Rank-and-file Broadway actors can add $25 to their weekly $2,439 minimum if they are a chorus member. Understudies make an extra $17.50 per week as part of the chorus or $60 more if they are shadowing one of the principal roles. Swings – who understudy multiple characters – make an extra $116.15 per week.
According to Playbill, another way actors can earn extra cash is to sign on for a one-year chorus contract. If a performer opts to go this route, they will receive an additional $80 on their minimum weekly salary for the first six months, before it drops to $40 for the second-half of the contract. These chorus contracts stipulate that the performer makes an extra $2,600 bonus if they stay with the production for a full year.
Dancers
Bernadette Peters in “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends” in April 2025. Bruce Glikas/WireImageDancers qualify for the Equity minimum of $2,439 per week. However, dance captains receive an extra $464.60 per week for knowing all of the production’s choreography, plus $100 more per week if their show includes fight choreography.
Assistant dance captains add $232.30 to their weekly wages, Playbill reports.
The show’s choreography earns at least $61,088, according to the Stage Directors and Choreographers union.
Musicians
A Broadway musician’s salary varies based on whether their contract allows them to time off to perform other gigs. The base weekly salary for a Broadway orchestra member is $2,143.10, according to Playbill. This weekly fee increases by $267.89 if the musician plays two instruments in the show, with $133.95 tacked on for each additional instrument.
There are several other ways orchestra members can earn a higher weekly salary. For example, musicians make $104.18 more per week if they play on stage during the musical, rather than from the orchestra pit. Any musician who performs in costume gets $69.47 extra each week, whereas wearing body paint adds $100.71 to their fee.
The conductor earns considerably more than the average musician – $3,750.43 per week as a base salary. Assistant conductors make $2,786.04 per week, though both roles can earn even more money if they double as members of the orchestra.
Director
A director’s job is to oversee the creative vision of a production from rehearsals all the way to opening night. Director are paid through the rehearsal period, which can last from six to eight weeks, in addition to getting an advance on royalties. (Royalties are a percentage of the show’s weekly operating profits.)
The Stage Directors and Choreographers union rate guarantees a Broadway musical director at least $73,501 for their services in full — which breaks down to a $29,928 standard fee plus a $43,573 advance against royalties.
For non-musical Broadway dramas, the director makes $63,587 (or the $36,164 standard fee plus a $27,423 advance against royalties.) If someone is serving in a dual role as director-choreographer, they will make $134,589 (or a $54,706 standard fee plus a $79,883 advance).
Producer
Audra McDonald in ‘Gypsy’ in December 2024. Bruce Glikas/WireImageThe producer’s job on a Broadway show involves securing finances, managing budgets and talent contracts as well as finding a venue.
Ziprecruiter estimates that the average salary for a Broadway producer is $2,376 per week or $123,552 per year. This base salary will increase exponentially if a musical or play is successful, since Broadway producers often have a stake in the show’s earnings.
Mega-producer Scott Rudin made $2.5 million upfront from his Broadway slate in 2016, plus a percentage of the box office, according to Business Insider.
Technicians
Every stage production is staffed with technicians and stagehands who ensure lighting, sound, rigging, and special effects are executed properly each nightly.
Technicians earn an average yearly salary between $49,078 and $66,550, reports Sapling. Like other roles in the production, technicians can make extra money per week based on their experience and education.
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