Stage director vs director

The differences between stage directors and directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a stage director, becoming a director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director has an average salary of $113,489, which is higher than the $51,404 average annual salary of a stage director.

The top three skills for a stage director include musical theatre, performance schedules and drama. The most important skills for a director are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.

Stage director vs director overview

	Stage Director	Director
Yearly salary	$51,404	$113,489
Hourly rate	$24.71	$54.56
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	4,770	230,711
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	6

Stage director vs director salary

Stage directors and directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Stage Director	Director
Average salary	$51,404	$113,489
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $106,000	Between $66,000 And $192,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Mayo Clinic
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between stage director and director education

There are a few differences between a stage director and a director in terms of educational background:

	Stage Director	Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Music	Business
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Stage director vs director demographics

Here are the differences between stage directors' and directors' demographics:

	Stage Director	Director
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%	Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	14%	14%

Differences between stage director and director duties and responsibilities

Stage director example responsibilities.

Direct and manage production of plays in company's annual Shakespeare festival.
Collaborate with design team to come up with costumes, set pieces and overall look of the shows.
Supervise an assistant drama director and counselors in training.
Supervise an assistant drama director and counselors in training.

Director example responsibilities.

Manage water metering programs for NYC and national portfolio.
Collaborate with the CPA to manage financials and reporting / distribution to physicians.
Manage OEM manufacturing partners for making bulk solutions, product fills and final packaging.
Lead company's first deep-fill structural project, bring company into EPA compliance, establish effective QA-QC program.
Develop company website entirely as well as wrote and manage the SEO and upkeep for overall site maintenance.
Manage the company's hotel portfolio operations and assets, including renovation, new build, conversions, and rebranding.

Stage director vs director skills

Common stage director skills

Musical Theatre, 35%
Performance Schedules, 25%
Drama, 16%
NYC, 6%
Costumes, 6%
PowerPoint, 6%

Common director skills

Healthcare, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Oversight, 7%
Project Management, 6%
Human Resources, 4%
Business Development, 4%

Stage Director vs. similar jobs

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What similar roles do

Director responsibilities

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Stage Director
Stage Director vs Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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