Noah Sprock

TH350 Stage Management

Prof. Arturo Porazzi
February 18, 2016
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) is the industry
labor union representing theatrical stage directors and choreographers.
Taken directly from their mission statement, the organization fosters a
community of professionals by protecting the rights, health, and livelihoods
of all members and facilitates the exchange of ideas, information, and
opportunities. Having worked with an SDC Director on my current
production project, Love Quirks, I had a general idea of how the SDC
operates. However at the time Love Quirks was still in the developmental
stage, thus we were working off the SDC Developmental Contract Agreement
that I know find rather vague after reading the full Broadway/National Tour
production agreement.
The area of the agreement that I found the most confusing, yet also
most interesting was the breakdown of royalty payments; in particular, the
two separate structures for calculating royalty payouts. Royalties can either
be based on a percentage of the weekly gross box office receipts to which a
director receives a minimum of .75%, or based on the total net operating
profit. If basing royalties on the latter, the SDC director would receive either
2.5% of the net operating profits (until recoupment, 2.75% following) or a

weekly minimum of $1,391, whichever is greater. Additionally, if calculating

royalties based on net operating profits, the weekly payout can not exceed
$4,967 until the show has recouped its initial investment. These royalties
must be paid to the SDC member no later than ten days after the cycle they
belong. Another interesting point is that no royalties in addition to the weekly
minimums may be paid until the total amount exceeds the amount of the
Directors advance, which is currently $40,450 for a musical production.
The SDC agreement also specifies the duration of a director or
choreographers obligation to a particular project. In the case of a musical,
an SDC member is only obliged to work on a production for ten consecutive
weeks prior to opening in New York. The member may work more than these
ten weeks if deemed necessary by the state of the production only if they
are not committed to another contract.
Finally, I find it settling to know that the SDC recognizes the cost of
living is higher in more urban cities (New York, Los Angles, Boston, San
Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC) and require a higher per diem when
traveling and working in those cities. The normal SDC per diem for out-oftown expenses is $250/day, however, when the expenses occur in the
aforementioned cities, the per diem raises to $300/day.