New Bedford Theatre Festival
- Performer, more than 5 years
Definitely not the worst gig I've ever had, but not glamorous either. My understanding is that things have changed quite a bit over the years, but I think much of this has remained the same. Pay has improved since I was there but is still a stipend and not great (I think it came out to around $300/wk ish when I was there). No company car provided. The town isn't huge but the grocery stores were all pretty out of the way so you either had to walk 30+ minutes on the side of a road with no sidewalk, or get an uber, or burn through money buying food from restaurants. Rehearsal space is an old church room, with no AC so just 2 big fans blowing to cool down a room. Performing in the Zeiterion theatre was the saving grace here and it was almost worth the rest of the hoops we jumped through. 1200 seat house, and a gorgeous interior. We did set off the smoke alarm during one show due to the fog machines, but ultimately it is what it is. I probably wouldn't go back unless it was a dream show, but it was a good experience overall and I think you can definitely have a great time if you go in with realistic expectations.
Anonymous - 02/14/2025 - Performer
I have done 2 productions with this company and would happily return! The housing can be hit or miss because they have to find monthly rentals or airbnbs per productions. Some get fabulous housing, while others get not so glamorous. It really depends. The rehearsal space is the attic of an active church that happens to be nearly the exact size of the stage (which is nice). However the floor is extremely slick, so be prepared for that! The new Producer, Wendy, is wonderful! She fully understands what it is to be an actor and is willing to work with them to find accomadations that work for both the actor and the company. And she hires wonderful creatives to come in and make fabulous shows! The tech can be very arduous (what tech isn't?). There was one instance where non-union members had 4 10/12s while the Equity members were called 2 hours later to 2 of the rehearsals. But they hadn't done that for any other productions by my knowledge. I have heard horror stories about contracts under the past producers, but I can assure you the company has taken a wonderful turn. I'd keep an eye out for them!
Anonymous - 03/12/2023