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Job outlook for drama directors in the United States
Are drama director jobs in demand?
Drama director job and salary trends over time
Drama director jobs over time
Drama director job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 132 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 114 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 123 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 113 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 112 | 0.00% |
Average drama director salary over time
Drama director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $54,078 | $26.00 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $52,677 | $25.33 | +3.8% |
| 2023 | $50,737 | $24.39 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | $50,695 | $24.37 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $50,221 | $24.14 | +3.7% |
Drama director jobs by state
Most common states for drama directors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 187 | 22% |
| 2 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 502 | 16% |
| 3 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 473 | 16% |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 436 | 11% |
| 5 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 484 | 10% |
| 6 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 481 | 10% |
| 7 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 294 | 10% |
| 8 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 49 | 7% |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 132 | 2% |
| 10 | Vermont | 623,657 | 10 | 2% |
| 11 | New York | 19,849,399 | 275 | 1% |
| 12 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 112 | 1% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 109 | 1% |
| 14 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 99 | 1% |
| 15 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 79 | 1% |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 70 | 1% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 41 | 1% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 9 | 1% |
| 19 | Delaware | 961,939 | 5 | 1% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 4 | 1% |
Most common cities for drama directors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh | 1 | 0% | $70,963 |
Drama Director job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of drama director experts
Carthage College
Susquehanna University
Utah State University
Kenyon College
Pepperdine University
Emory University
University of Nevada - Reno
Seminole State College of Florida
What will help Drama Directors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Mary Schuttler: Self-care and finding a balance between career and home life. Burn out is a concern, and finding ways to alleviate the pressures that students and teachers face today is crucial.
What general advice would you give to a Drama Director?
JoJo Jones: Network as much as possible with people in the industry. Go to see theatre as much as possible.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
JoJo Jones: Be someone who people want to work with. Keep up to date on technology advancements.
What general advice would you give to a Drama Director?
Jennifer Chandler: Ask for money. And don’t work for free. Too many in the fine arts work for free because they love doing it. Know your worth. Ask for money. Always negotiate that first offer (ask for more). And don’t work for free. I would also highly recommend creating parallel career. This is a career that you do in tandem with your fine arts career. It generally needs to be somewhat flexible, but also somewhat steady. This will insure that you always have money to survive and pay your bills when you don’t have work in the fine arts. Some of my friends’ parallel careers include real estate agents, acting coaches, tour guides, administrative assistants, online work, restaurant work (serving), etc.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jennifer Chandler: Gain as many skills as you can. You often get hired because of your special skills. Look into all facets of the industry and be familiar with every part of it. Acting, singing, instruments, dance, sewing, construction, design, lighting, sound, composing, music direction - the more you know, the more connections you will make, and the more skills will gain. And all of those things will get you hired.
What general advice would you give to a Drama Director?
Zackary Simonini: 2. Technology always advances faster than most theatre budgets can keep up. This forces us to 'learn on the fly' sometimes. Dedicate some time to keeping up with the newest technology, at least be aware of it. IF you have time and resources, set aside some of your efforts to grow technological skills that are more and more in demand in theatres and other event industries. These skills involve creating projections/effects in qLab or comparable programs. Furthermore wireless technology continues to become available in ways that can mitigate the need for hard wire cabling. Visit the message boards, learn the troubleshooting guides and familiarize yourself with the 'new solutions'. Other skills that continue to be more and more relevant is the use of LED lights and moving lights. These instruments are different from the incandescent fixtures I initially learned on but spending time to learn how to program moving lights is immensely useful and marketable to many industries. Finally even if your theatre/space does not rely on microphone/speaker enhancement of actors/instruments LEARN what you can about the physics of sound and how to interact with the technology associated with live sound mixing.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Zackary Simonini: 3. The field of events/theatre is diverse with many types of jobs. Take in all that you can and 'cross train' when possible. Many folks enter the field as carpenters, or painters, or electricians. . The more skills you have the more likely you are to 'rise up the ladder' to a tech director position. Be honest with your skill set but be dedicated to growth. The field of visual/performing arts has MANY related jobs that may not necessarily be theatre related but can still help your growth. Working with a professional event lighting company will help that skill set grow and it is transferable to jobs within the arts. LEADERS get paid more. Be a leader. Be professional and work to grow your communication/interpersonal skills. KEEP track of your achievements by means of a portfolio, website, etc. Keep lists of references ready and available upon request.
What will help Drama Directors increase their earning potential?
Zackary Simonini: 1. Learn all that you can! A well rounded Tech Director will be prepared to address a multitude of different challenges and different performance environments. The more experience that can be acquired the more manageable the challenges will be. DON'T feel like you need to know everything. Technology changes, best practices change, WE can change too. Be adaptable and use the resources that you have available: youtube, former colleagues/friends, and even manufacturer support call centers have helped me along my journey from positions like Carpenter, Scenic Charge, Assistant TD, to eventually becoming the Tech Director here at Carthage College. Other advice: take notes, label cables, and compile related technical information for 'future you' or for the next person to hold your position. Be patient and friendly: our industry is a collaborative one. The better we play well with others, the more likely we will be to be welcomed onto other projects and encounter other opportunities.
Erik Viker M.F.A.
Professor of Theatre and Production ManagerSusquehanna University
Drama/Theatre Arts And Stagecraft
What general advice would you give to a Drama Director?
Erik Viker M.F.A.: We are seeing a resurgence of performing arts activity since the pandemic receded, with new opportunities emerging daily, especially for production artists and venue operations staff.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Erik Viker M.F.A.: For some, the evening work hours can interfere with family life when loved ones remain on a traditional daytime schedule. Performers may find the acting profession is highly competitive with many applicants for every role, so patience and persistence are key to success. For many theatre artists, the reason for entering the profession is more about sharing their creative impulses with others and less about high salaries and conventional workplace experiences.
What will help Drama Directors increase their earning potential?
Erik Viker M.F.A.: Generally, theatre practitioners fall into two broad categories, performers and production staff. Performers may spend several hours a day in rehearsals, learning new material or practicing their work for upcoming performances. Performers also send time in costume fittings, skills-development workshops, and travel between venues, and of course spend much of their time on stage performing for an audience. Production staff stay busy building and maintaining scenery, costumes, and props, or installing, hanging, and focusing lighting instruments. During performances these staff members may operate control boards for lighting and sound, manage scenery on and off stage, and work with actors for costume changes.
Richie Call
Department Head/Artistic DirectorUtah State University
Drama/Theatre Arts And Stagecraft
What general advice would you give to a Drama Director?
Richie Call: The world can be a scary place. When people get scared, they often turn to the arts to help survive. Think about the increase in streaming services during the height of the pandemic. All that content needs artists to create it. Theatre Artists frequently transition into film and television work.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Richie Call: One interesting aspect of being a theatre professional is that most of our jobs only last 6-weeks. Because of that, part of the job is to constantly be looking for the next job. For actors that means constantly checking job boards and sending out audition videos even when you’re in rehearsal. Luckly, good work begets work, so it’s frequently the case that one job will eventually lead to another one.
What will help Drama Directors increase their earning potential?
Richie Call: Like: Getting to do what they love. Dislike: Lack of stability
Wendy MacLeod
James E. Michael Playwright-in-ResidenceKenyon College
Drama/Theatre Arts And Stagecraft
What general advice would you give to a Drama Director?
Wendy MacLeod: Know that it takes time to build a career. In the arts, we don't have a clear trajectory the way someone in law or medicine does. Find like-minded people to collaborate with and continue to hone your craft. You will likely need to have a "day job" but that doesn't mean you're a failure. Take classes, find readers that you trust, intern at theaters, go see good stuff (you can often go to the theater for free if you usher). Find a way to make a life that supports your dreams.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Wendy MacLeod: I've seen a rise in the multi-hyphenate, that is, someone who might be able to perform what they write. Or a director who can generate buzz as a producer. For example, my former student Spencer Huffman, recently did a production of Caryl Churchill's FAR AWAY in a factory in Chicago, a novel concept that generated press.
Kelly Todd
Assistant Instructor of TheaterPepperdine University
Drama/Theatre Arts And Stagecraft
What will help Drama Directors increase their earning potential?
Kelly Todd: It’s a lot of work for little pay!
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ariel Fristoe: U.S. theaters need help with revenue generation, partnerships, and effective community engagement. Ticket sales, subscriptions, donations, and grants are all declining, so theaters need help developing innovative revenue streams. At the same time, theaters need to engage new and underserved audiences and make their work relevant and ideally, indispensable, to their communities. Generative theater artists and theater administrators who can develop exciting programs in partnership with other organizations in their communities will be of great value, and large-scale collaborations can ignite the imagination of cities and increase theaters' visibility and community value. All these skills require extensive networking, so practice and get comfortable with networking as soon as possible.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Adi Cabral: Realistically define what "success" means to you. Is it specifically "performing on Broadway," or is it "making a comfortable living as an actor/theatre maker"? People too often define their success by other people's standards and in an industry that is already exceedingly competitive, additional pressures will hinder your progress.
What will help Drama Directors increase their earning potential?
Adi Cabral: Versatility and adaptability is vital for anyone choosing to work in Theatre. Whether that means developing the skills to work in classical, contemporary, or avant-garde genres with fluency, or being able to navigate the various performance mediums of stage, film, or audio, you will build a more sustainable career for yourself if you are flexible and varied in your skills.
What Drama Director skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Michele Cuomo: Most positions in theatre are short-term. Salary potential is maximized if you have other flexible sources of income that you develop for yourself, that allow you time to continue to develop your craft, and to take opportunities when they come. It is important to maintain good relations with all those you work with and keep in touch. As a theatre artist, you have multi-disciplinary opportunities—remain curious, and develop a secondary theatre skill that can offer another stream of revenue while growing your network.
What will help Drama Directors increase their earning potential?
Michele Cuomo: The ability to communicate well via social media, to audition well through self-recordings and to interview well virtually. This requires an understanding of technology and production values. Lighting, audio and aesthetic distance, well designed portfolios will be essential.