BTOP is interesting because it attracts a variety of performers- non-equity performers and college students getting regional credits, seasoned performers, and those who have full time jobs but can't kill the theatre bug. While the dressing rooms leave something to be desired, the exceptional pit and grand house can't be beat. While I wish they could pay more, the truth is that they're the best paying non-equity venue in South Jersey. Not all creative teams are build equally, but I'll say I was pushed healthily by all of them. It may not have been my absolute favorite theatre to work with, if you're building your resume, want to get used to performing in a HUGE stage, and work with what is essentially professional talent, give Pitman a go. If it's a show you're interested in, it's probably worth your time.

No pay. Housing is decent though.

I have worked 6 shows at this theatre within the past 2 seasons and I honestly am a little torn on how I feel. When I first started it was a great theatre to work at as it was such a beautiful space and the production quality in performances has been stellar. I've gotten to do many shows that I've dreamed of doing while also getting compensated for my work. The Artistic Director in place is doing as much work as she can to try and right the wrongs of past management that fostered a very unsafe work environment for performers. Also, many creative teams that they bring in have been very respectful and extremely professional. When there were disagreements or situations of aggression from members of the creative team the management and artistic director did everything in their power to help us and also have been barring problematic directors, choreographers, and music directors from working there again. They also have housing accommodations for actors that live far away or live in Philly and don't want to have to leave Pitman on show weekends All of this is to say that the theatre still does need some improvement. First off, while the pay is way higher than the average theatre in South Jersey it is still a $550-$750 stipend given at the end of the run and is in no way liveable. The theatre itself, while gorgeous, is still very outdated in technical aspects and the stage is a bit shallow. Backstage is very tight so sets, props, and costumes become a huge Jenga puzzle that is confusing at some times and can lead to things going missing. The dressing rooms downstairs are not air conditioned to my knowledge and are very cramped. Sometimes 7 people have been crammed into a dressing room made for 4 at most. There have also been many safety concerns that I've experienced. The first one I experienced was when a moving platform, that I and other performers danced on, was not built to have brakes. It took a week of arguing and eventually us refusing to dance on the platforms for them to add brakes, and even after that they never fully worked. In two back-to-back productions I did this year there was an instance where offstage escape stairs steps completely broke while actors were on them because proper bracing had not been put in place. The main cause of all of these problems is the owner of the theatre who is very "my way or the highway" when it comes to running the theatre. His son is in charge of building sets and the owner has done nothing to either reprimand or replace his son after multiple instances of set safety problems that luckily haven't resulted in serious injury but could have been way worse. The thing that always draws me back is the community at the end of the day. The performers that frequent here are truly wonderful to work with and they make processes a whole lot more tolerable when the worst of the worst happens. The Artistic Director is fighting her hardest for all of the performers when it comes to safety and actor accommodations which gives me hope. But this is has been my experience from 6 shows at this theatre

Love the BTOP community and the theatre company as a whole! I’ve done a few shows with them. Absolutely GORGEOUS venue and a lovely team. Stipend is certainly not livable, but there is a housing accommodation for out of town actors if need be!