Stage director vs producer

The differences between stage directors and producers 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 producer takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a producer has an average salary of $72,202, 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 producer are work ethic, video production, and client relationships.

Stage director vs producer overview

	Stage Director	Producer
Yearly salary	$51,404	$72,202
Hourly rate	$24.71	$34.71
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	4,770	10,610
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	12

Stage director vs producer salary

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

	Stage Director	Producer
Average salary	$51,404	$72,202
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $106,000	Between $43,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Nevada
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between stage director and producer education

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

	Stage Director	Producer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Music	Communication
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Harvard University

Stage director vs producer demographics

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

	Stage Director	Producer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9%	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%
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, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	14%	14%

Differences between stage director and producer 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.

Producer example responsibilities.

Manage and augment existing budget with EP.
Manage production of a Sony HD motion graphics internal sales video.
Manage all union matters including, IASTE, DGA and AFTRA.
Prospect and generate new business through telemarketing leads, referrals, networking and cold leads.
Lead the creation of key titles including high profile X360 launch title and new NFL brand IP.
Manage and guide guest bloggers through the editing process, copy edit blogs and produce content in HTML.

Stage director vs producer skills

Common stage director skills

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

Common producer skills

Work Ethic, 9%
Video Production, 6%
Client Relationships, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Cross-Selling, 6%
News Stories, 4%

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Stage Director
Stage Director vs Producer

Updated January 8, 2025

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