Painting for theater

The childrens theater in my area is in need of a face painter for their productions, and a boy that I painted gave them my information. I plan on going down there to talk to them, but have no idea what kind of rates to offer them. I would greatly appreciate advice on this.

Wow! I don't know what you should charge, either, but what a great opportunity!
Good luck to you!

I think it's hard to say. . .community theater shows often run Thursday - Saturday in the evening, and then an afternoon show on Sunday. Make sure you are getting paid for the time you are giving them. So if you give them a per face/character rate, make sure you know how many times/days you have to paint it. My husband does a lot of theater, and they usually have to be there about 2 hours before curtain. . .and people are often late. Keep the amount of time you will have as a consideration as well.

In my area, a lot of the theaters have had a major cut in funding. . .so keep in mind they may be looking for a deal. Be ready to negotiate, but for something that would be useful to to you - free advertising in their program (not just your name listed as the one doing make up for the show). With that said, Don't sell yourself short! Find out how much it costs to advertise, and only give that much of a discount.

Also, in my area, they have the actors do thier own make up. . .which usually means somone has a base cake, and then they add eyeliner for wrinkles. Keep in mind, that may be what they are used to so be prepared to sell them on all the different things you can do

I know you asked about how much to charge, and unfortunately, I don't have a clue. But I hope the other info helps a little. GOOD LUCK

Children's Theater Groups in our area are notoriously broke, and are often comprised of volunteers, just a fair warning.

It depends on the show they are doing, what they need. Children's Theater groups work very differently than adult ones. It could mean they need one character painted or it could mean that they want a face painter there for the audience.

I'd call to find out what they are looking for first, and then go from there.

Thats funny...I was contacted by childrens theater in my area this weekend also. I will be charging my regular rates as if I was doing a private party. Gig is not confirmed yet though. You wouldnt happen to be in the DC area would you? lol

I've done theatre before.
Things to consider:
Yes, they're broke, but sometimes the parents aren't. The mom of one of the kids paid for everything. I did give them a 10% discount since it was so many nights. It was for 1 month every Thursday, Friday & Saturday night.
Actors are late... very late.
Make sure that if the parent is paying you, you have in the contract that the director has the final say in all make-up decisions(I got in the situation where the mom who was paying me said, "I'm the one paying you, you'll paint MY daughter better than the rest." (it didn't matter... the child cried the paint off before curtain every time... grrrr!).
Make sure the paints you use are well stocked. You will use a lot more paint than you think... especially if you're painting more than faces(arms, legs, etc). I used up a lot of colors that I normally barely touch.

Find out what the show is and what the director wants. Ask them if they want you to submit a budget. OR, they may have a budget so ask what it is. Amateur theatre is notorious for underestimating supply costs...

I would have theatre companies tell me things like "we have $300 for hair and make-up and whatever you don't spend you can keep" .... my costs were $500!!! Those were renegotiated quickly OR I didn't take the job.

Find out how many performances, how many faces you need to do, if there is any extra body painting required, hair, etc. Figure out YOUR costs for product (Don't forget having to clean things, lost things, etc!) and add on a reasonable hourly rate for your labour.

The runs I do are typically two dress rehearsals, 9-12 performances so a total of up to 14 make-up applications. I provide a budget with two types of calculations: one is based on a cost per face, and the other is estimated use of kit. Actual costs are usually between the two numbers.

Find out what the call time is for the performances - typical is 2 hours for a larger cast. Figure out how many you can do in the call time, and get help if you need it. Divide up the faces so that the same people are doing the same design each performance - they get comfortable with them and increase speed each time. Have charts for all the designs (template or photos of test designs) for everyone to follow for consistency.

Be prepared for touch ups. Someone will need to stick around once the performance starts to fix things if there are kids in the show. Generally for adults we leave once the curtain goes up.

Expect to be asked volunteer... they you won't be disappointed, and may be pleasantly surprized when they offer to pay! Good luck!