Right off the bat you had to make your own travel arrangements, and they give you a travel stipend at the end of the contract that did not cover the cost of the plane ticket. Pay wasn’t great and the payment schedule was very unclear, several actors had to reach out about when we would receive our checks. The artistic director and company manager are the only two people running this theatre. Although very kind, the lack of a proper team means that they have the actors help in almost every aspect (load in, lighting, assembling the sets, styling the wigs, strike, etc). The production quality was good and they assembled a talented group of people. As far as housing goes, we were all spread out between the actor house, a couple apartments in a nearby complex, and the dorms at the University of Kearney. You get your own room with shared kitchen/bathroom. We did get a company car to get around in and the cost of living was generally low. This is a okay contract for someone in college/recently graduated wanting to fluff up their resume, but even then there’s probably better theaters for that. (edited)

I arrived and they would not provide me with a car and told me to rely on someone on staff to pick me up from the hotel they housed me in 10 minute drive from the office space they had me working in each day. I told them I would need consistent help throughout my duration of the time there, and I was given two people for a few days at first and nothing. After some pushback; I got some help each day but it was different day to day and the amount of mistakes made from their inexperience cost a lot of time redoing the work. They take the cast on random tours around and out of state and demanded certain costumes travel as well which meant I could not have them for fittings or they needed to be done sooner than they told me. Resources were limited while working there and conditions got worse as we moved into the the theatre space. Theatre was an outdoor amphitheater. And the dressing rooms were hot wooden trailers about 4 feet off the floor without sufficient steps to get up and down resulting in a minor back injury from going up and down which they could not cover under workers comp. The heat was unbearable and they forced company members to work outside in 110 degree weather under the sun some days. During the run of the show, cast members were getting sick with strep throat, and when we’re told not to call out or go to urgent care due to “lack of coverage” and we’re forced onstage causing more illnesses within the company. The stairs on the set were not built to proper working conditions causing injuries and were simply brushed off as an “accident”. After leaving the contract, I was not paid half of my contractual stipend due to “unfinished work” as stated in a letter from them. Artistic director is directly responsible for everything that happens with the company and is the reason for cast not getting proper medical treatment, poor working conditions outside/at the theatre, and simply refusing to pay designers.