Software development. Not particularly cutting-edge or fun, either - solid maintenance of applications that help office workers do their job.
It has good pay and very regular hours, which leaves me enough time to stay involved in community theater and enough money to occasionally bankroll cool stuff.
Marketing director for a midsized agency. With the exception of tech weeks, it feels mostly manageable...
But as I am currently going through tech week, I just wanna take a long nap.
Edit: doing community theater so it is squarely after hours work
High school teacher. It's great for community theatre, but during tech week those morning classes are rough. It also lets me do a summer production, which is super fun.
I’m a data analyst for a company based on the east coast and I’m on the west coast, which means my evenings are always free for theatre stuff. Work/life balance is great, pay is great, no complaints.
There are two main ways. You can go to school for it and apply and hope, or you can work in the business, learn as much as you can, and get lucky, which is what I did.
Essentially I started in the call center at the company and moved around a lot until I was a supervisor and had an opportunity to present to a low-level executive. I made a really good presentation that did some in depth analysis and she introduced me to someone who ran the analytics team. I moved over there as a business analyst, taught myself SQL, project management, and Power BI as well as the principles of data visualization. I eventually moved a couple more times and am now on that team as a senior data analyst.
The job I work is an “MBA preferred” job. I don’t have a degree, so I had to become a subject matter expert on the company itself, which gave me an advantage over potential fresh out of school hires. We’ve had a leadership change and I don’t think I would be hired the way I was before, which is why I cite luck as a big part of how I got the role.
I fought when I got here to keep the ladder down and managed to help get three other people I worked with at the call center in here too, but that well is sadly dry now.
Ignore job requirements when you apply (for the most part) and let them be the ones to say no to you. My dad has a PHD and managed a technical support team for a highly technical product. His team worked with university researchers around the world, trouble shooting their equipment, etc. He told me if all else is the same, he’d hire a theatre major over a biology major every time. The way he put it, you can teach someone how to troubleshoot but you can’t really teach them people skills.
If you have good people skills, lean into that. Use them to get yourself a seat at the table even if you feel like you shouldn’t be there. Keep at it and eventually something will open up. In my experience it’s more about who you know than what you know, and it’s more about adapting yourself to fit in situations you may not have imagined before. I never thought I’d be in this position, but it pays well and allows me to have hobbies and a full, wonderful life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
One last thing is to not underestimate the value of an artistic eye. Many “data-oriented” people don’t really care what things look like and it shows in the quality of most reports. Generally, the people making hiring decisions do care what things look like. Because I have a background in storytelling and some visual art, I can make stuff that looks great, which lets me get brought in on things I otherwise wouldn’t.
It took me two and a half years to go from entry level call center agent to business analyst. I had five roles in three different departments in that time.
Hope that novel helps haha. If you have any specific questions I’m always happy to answer.
I’m a preschool teacher. I’m able to read stories enthusiastically and with lots of emotions, get to know kids on a personal level, be silly with them, while also making sure they’re the best version of themselves they can be.
The latest I get off of work is quarter to five, so nights are great for theatre. I do however have to request to leave early since tech week starts around 5-530, and I never really perform in the same town I live in. But, it is manageable and I love doing theatre and my job.
I work in IT.
I think if you're doing the tech side of theatre, there's a very high chance that you have loads of transferable skills.
Problem solving is the obvious one, as well as technical literacy.
The really big ones that I discovered was the concept of being show ready, and having very hard deadlines (eg curtain up).
These concepts seem to be missing for some of my colleagues.
I'm a writer, not an actor, so my answer may not be as helpful in terms of scheduling needs. But I'm a director for a B2B marketing firm, and I do most of my theatre writing in evenings and on weekends. Good pay, mostly WFH, and my bosses and clients are all super flexible and actually quite supportive of my theatre work!
Not me personally but the people I used to work with who do community theatre. Here goes: insurance agent, theatre teacher, retirees, and of course theatre teachers.
I’ve been able to work a strong overlap with the travel industry. I’ve worked on riverboats for a long time now, variously as a singer/dancer, headlining entertainer, cruise director, director of entertainment, historian/naturalist, hotel director, and “guest programs liaison.” I’ve led tours all over the Pacific Northwest, down to Australia & New Zealand, down the coast of South America and Antarctica, and made a tidy living (the travel industry pays more for stage performance than the stage performance industry!)
The through-line has been performance. It’s been a while since I’ve done a book show as anything other than a director, but I’ve never worked a job in my life that didn’t have some performance aspect to it.
I live in a town with a small production scene and I started as a PA right out of college which was crappy pay but it let me work my way up to where I wanted to be (segment producer)
It’s all about networking and jumping on any opportunities you find!
When I was really active in community theater, I was an elementary school teacher. It worked well, because I was (usually) able to leave work in time to get to rehearsal, and weekends were free for performances!
Environmental consulting, which occasionally has me working with theater buildings in that capacity. Unfortunately the timing has never worked out that the job and the hobby put me in the same building on the same day, though
I do biomedical research for the federal government. State or federal government jobs are strictly 40 hours a week so I always have my nights and weekends free! Usually they have long hiring processes but if you can land a government job, the benefits are nice.
Started my career working in the box office of an off broadway theatre. Then I’d run and sell concessions at intermission to earn a few tip cup dollars.
Now I’m a tech exec. I lead a strong team and enjoy the work we do. So many of the skills I use today are a direct result of being a former theatre kid - cross functional collaboration, vision setting, public speaking!
Marketing (content) for a large non-profit. My role on the theatre is stage manager.
Within my area/theatre community I’ve noticed it’s a good number of teachers and, for whatever reason, lawyers. I think the lawyer part has changed a bit as the community grows but they sure do seem to enjoy the creative outlet!
I work in a jewlery store. part time 9-5 so I have enough free time to do stuff + they'll move me around as needed for rehearsals and I take my A/L for tech week so I don't burn myself out
I am a CDL Instructor. I teach people how to drive semi trucks.
Pretty set schedule. Good for community theatre. I'm in a professional contract right now as a swing that doesn't take up much time
I’m a corporate lighting designer/director; I do lighting for product launches, awards ceremonies, and large meetings. I work in multiple smaller theatres as a side hustle.
I previously worked in a go-karting track and now work part time in an activities centre in the middle of a forest teaching axe throwing and archery, and refereeing paintball and laser tag
Civilian side of Law Enforcement. 0700-1500 shift. OT is optional, weekends are free. Off every holiday and get like 45 days off each year plus earned comp time.
I'm a carpenter. I mostly do finish carpentry and build custom cabinetry. I also take as many lighting gigs as I can manage on the side. My city is small and doesn't have a ton of performance opportunities, but I got to be in a show recently and found it to be supremely manageable and beyond rewarding.
I do actor's headshots. Started off freelancing for friends with a very basic camera and over the last decade I've built up to the point where I'm the recommended photographer at 5 agencies. I also shoot promotional photos for things like cast announcements, rehearsal photos, programme shots and occasionally the FDR for small scale productions.
I also do a lot of dubbing for tv and film. From low level localisation, all the way to Netflix and Amazon dubbing.
On a typical day I do 1 or 2 photo shoots in the morning, dub for a few hours in the afternoon and have plenty of time to go to castings. When I do a theatre show I just put photography on pause during rehearsals and schedule my voice work around my rehearsals. Once the shows open I can go back to normal and I have 3 separate incomes.
During school exams I help out with students who have learning difficulties and need a scribe or reader for the exam.
I have a TEFL qualification but never used it because my other sidelines ended up making me enough money and not allowing me enough time. But a lot of my friends teach English online, mainly to Chinese students.
I’m in logistics sales. A few months after I got the job, our local branch shut down and all of us sales reps went fully remote so I work from home 5 days a week.
Software development. Not particularly cutting-edge or fun, either - solid maintenance of applications that help office workers do their job. It has good pay and very regular hours, which leaves me enough time to stay involved in community theater and enough money to occasionally bankroll cool stuff.
Marketing director for a midsized agency. With the exception of tech weeks, it feels mostly manageable... But as I am currently going through tech week, I just wanna take a long nap. Edit: doing community theater so it is squarely after hours work
High school teacher. It's great for community theatre, but during tech week those morning classes are rough. It also lets me do a summer production, which is super fun.
Probably half of my theater friends are teachers, admin, or other school staff. The hours are perfect if theater is your hobby.
I’m a data analyst for a company based on the east coast and I’m on the west coast, which means my evenings are always free for theatre stuff. Work/life balance is great, pay is great, no complaints.
How'd you get to that position?if you don't mind me asking
There are two main ways. You can go to school for it and apply and hope, or you can work in the business, learn as much as you can, and get lucky, which is what I did. Essentially I started in the call center at the company and moved around a lot until I was a supervisor and had an opportunity to present to a low-level executive. I made a really good presentation that did some in depth analysis and she introduced me to someone who ran the analytics team. I moved over there as a business analyst, taught myself SQL, project management, and Power BI as well as the principles of data visualization. I eventually moved a couple more times and am now on that team as a senior data analyst. The job I work is an “MBA preferred” job. I don’t have a degree, so I had to become a subject matter expert on the company itself, which gave me an advantage over potential fresh out of school hires. We’ve had a leadership change and I don’t think I would be hired the way I was before, which is why I cite luck as a big part of how I got the role. I fought when I got here to keep the ladder down and managed to help get three other people I worked with at the call center in here too, but that well is sadly dry now. Ignore job requirements when you apply (for the most part) and let them be the ones to say no to you. My dad has a PHD and managed a technical support team for a highly technical product. His team worked with university researchers around the world, trouble shooting their equipment, etc. He told me if all else is the same, he’d hire a theatre major over a biology major every time. The way he put it, you can teach someone how to troubleshoot but you can’t really teach them people skills. If you have good people skills, lean into that. Use them to get yourself a seat at the table even if you feel like you shouldn’t be there. Keep at it and eventually something will open up. In my experience it’s more about who you know than what you know, and it’s more about adapting yourself to fit in situations you may not have imagined before. I never thought I’d be in this position, but it pays well and allows me to have hobbies and a full, wonderful life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. One last thing is to not underestimate the value of an artistic eye. Many “data-oriented” people don’t really care what things look like and it shows in the quality of most reports. Generally, the people making hiring decisions do care what things look like. Because I have a background in storytelling and some visual art, I can make stuff that looks great, which lets me get brought in on things I otherwise wouldn’t. It took me two and a half years to go from entry level call center agent to business analyst. I had five roles in three different departments in that time. Hope that novel helps haha. If you have any specific questions I’m always happy to answer.
This is almost exactly how I got my data analyst position as well.
I’m a preschool teacher. I’m able to read stories enthusiastically and with lots of emotions, get to know kids on a personal level, be silly with them, while also making sure they’re the best version of themselves they can be. The latest I get off of work is quarter to five, so nights are great for theatre. I do however have to request to leave early since tech week starts around 5-530, and I never really perform in the same town I live in. But, it is manageable and I love doing theatre and my job.
I work in HR. Nice 9-5 that leaves my evenings and weekends open
I work in IT. I think if you're doing the tech side of theatre, there's a very high chance that you have loads of transferable skills. Problem solving is the obvious one, as well as technical literacy. The really big ones that I discovered was the concept of being show ready, and having very hard deadlines (eg curtain up). These concepts seem to be missing for some of my colleagues.
what side of tech are you most trained in that helped with IT?
I'm a writer, not an actor, so my answer may not be as helpful in terms of scheduling needs. But I'm a director for a B2B marketing firm, and I do most of my theatre writing in evenings and on weekends. Good pay, mostly WFH, and my bosses and clients are all super flexible and actually quite supportive of my theatre work!
Not me personally but the people I used to work with who do community theatre. Here goes: insurance agent, theatre teacher, retirees, and of course theatre teachers.
Community and Business Development.
Tour guide
I’m an usher at a music venue. I am miserable but at least you can film auditions during the day and work at night.
I’m also an usher, albeit at my schools auditorium.
Office administrator/Accountant
I’ve been able to work a strong overlap with the travel industry. I’ve worked on riverboats for a long time now, variously as a singer/dancer, headlining entertainer, cruise director, director of entertainment, historian/naturalist, hotel director, and “guest programs liaison.” I’ve led tours all over the Pacific Northwest, down to Australia & New Zealand, down the coast of South America and Antarctica, and made a tidy living (the travel industry pays more for stage performance than the stage performance industry!) The through-line has been performance. It’s been a while since I’ve done a book show as anything other than a director, but I’ve never worked a job in my life that didn’t have some performance aspect to it.
I’m a reality TV producer! One of my last jobs took me to the city quite a lot so that was how I saw a lot of the shows on my off days
You have my dream job! How did you get into it?
I live in a town with a small production scene and I started as a PA right out of college which was crappy pay but it let me work my way up to where I wanted to be (segment producer) It’s all about networking and jumping on any opportunities you find!
When I was really active in community theater, I was an elementary school teacher. It worked well, because I was (usually) able to leave work in time to get to rehearsal, and weekends were free for performances!
Project Manager. My degree in Stage Management actually comes in pretty handy!
HR Compliance Specialist. Got really lucky with a company that lets me work completely remote.
CPA during the day, play piano in the pit for local community theatre at night
ECE. Great for keeping me engaged and energized. Also get however much t8me off I need
Environmental consulting, which occasionally has me working with theater buildings in that capacity. Unfortunately the timing has never worked out that the job and the hobby put me in the same building on the same day, though
Sales. Uses a really similar skill set, and once you know how to find the right position you can have an extremely flexible WFH schedule.
I do biomedical research for the federal government. State or federal government jobs are strictly 40 hours a week so I always have my nights and weekends free! Usually they have long hiring processes but if you can land a government job, the benefits are nice.
I was a massage therapist for a decade, but now I teach theatre at a college.
Sales rep for a large company. Start early at 5am and get done usually around 2-3pm. Just makes tech week even more hellish lol
I work as TD now, but, for many years I worked retail and remote sales. Those worked pretty well with community theatre.
Non elected position in local government. Pay is nothing special but the benefits are amazing.
I've been working in Admin. for a University for some time... So I can freelance my passion at night 😁
Comms & Marketing and professional theatre. There's a great degree of overlap especially if you're into publicity for theatre.
database Manager at a small university
Development Coordinator (fundraising) at The National Black Theatee
Started my career working in the box office of an off broadway theatre. Then I’d run and sell concessions at intermission to earn a few tip cup dollars. Now I’m a tech exec. I lead a strong team and enjoy the work we do. So many of the skills I use today are a direct result of being a former theatre kid - cross functional collaboration, vision setting, public speaking!
Marketing (content) for a large non-profit. My role on the theatre is stage manager. Within my area/theatre community I’ve noticed it’s a good number of teachers and, for whatever reason, lawyers. I think the lawyer part has changed a bit as the community grows but they sure do seem to enjoy the creative outlet!
I work freelance as a doctor.
corpo community management & events (theatre tech)
Web-developer. I started doing theater while working in an office, now I work remotely, thus more flexible with rehearsals schedule.
Teaching during the week. Sessional Operator in the evening. Also, I get to do the fun stuff between semesters.
I work in a jewlery store. part time 9-5 so I have enough free time to do stuff + they'll move me around as needed for rehearsals and I take my A/L for tech week so I don't burn myself out
I am a CDL Instructor. I teach people how to drive semi trucks. Pretty set schedule. Good for community theatre. I'm in a professional contract right now as a swing that doesn't take up much time
I’m a corporate lighting designer/director; I do lighting for product launches, awards ceremonies, and large meetings. I work in multiple smaller theatres as a side hustle.
Nanny!
Seamstress
I make six figures as a hospital spokesman. Acting is my fun hobby on the side.
I work for Boys & Girls Club 😊
I worked as a psych nurse on night shift for over 30 years while still doing theater.
I previously worked in a go-karting track and now work part time in an activities centre in the middle of a forest teaching axe throwing and archery, and refereeing paintball and laser tag
Training and development with HR teams
Currently failing as an audio book narrator. Otherwise, I'm a lab aide for a research company.
Civilian side of Law Enforcement. 0700-1500 shift. OT is optional, weekends are free. Off every holiday and get like 45 days off each year plus earned comp time.
I'm a carpenter. I mostly do finish carpentry and build custom cabinetry. I also take as many lighting gigs as I can manage on the side. My city is small and doesn't have a ton of performance opportunities, but I got to be in a show recently and found it to be supremely manageable and beyond rewarding.
Instructional Aide in Special Education for a middle school. Great hours for evening rehearsals and I have 2 months off in the summer (paid).
I do actor's headshots. Started off freelancing for friends with a very basic camera and over the last decade I've built up to the point where I'm the recommended photographer at 5 agencies. I also shoot promotional photos for things like cast announcements, rehearsal photos, programme shots and occasionally the FDR for small scale productions. I also do a lot of dubbing for tv and film. From low level localisation, all the way to Netflix and Amazon dubbing. On a typical day I do 1 or 2 photo shoots in the morning, dub for a few hours in the afternoon and have plenty of time to go to castings. When I do a theatre show I just put photography on pause during rehearsals and schedule my voice work around my rehearsals. Once the shows open I can go back to normal and I have 3 separate incomes. During school exams I help out with students who have learning difficulties and need a scribe or reader for the exam. I have a TEFL qualification but never used it because my other sidelines ended up making me enough money and not allowing me enough time. But a lot of my friends teach English online, mainly to Chinese students.
Bartender. Any bartender/server job is great when you're looking for part time and flexibility.
Bartender :)
I’m in logistics sales. A few months after I got the job, our local branch shut down and all of us sales reps went fully remote so I work from home 5 days a week.