DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WORKING ON BROADWAY & THE WEST END | (CONTRACTS, WAGES & MORE) | Georgie Ashford

The West End for sure. The pay might be higher, but the second you need health care, that difference disappears. Plus, job security with contracts is a wonderful thing.

It would be intersting to hear about the difference between touring shows and shows in the west end eg wicked on tour vs wicked in london.

As a longtime member of Actors Equity who spent many years working on Broadway, I am very grateful to belong to a strong union that really looks out for its members. I would love to spend a little time working in the West End for the experience though. Broadway performers, like the majority of Americans, are covered by health insurance. I find that Brits in general seem to think that all Americans have to lay out vast sums of money if they get sick and that's simply not true. Broadway productions get ten hours of rehearsal time per week in addition to eight shows without going into overtime. Producers generally prefer to use that time for clean up and put in rehearsals for replacements, not warmups. Broadway performers do their warmups of their choosing on their own time. Some performers have run of the play contracts, which means they have a job as long as the show runs, which could be years. But year long contracts ir six month riders are more common. There is a "more remunerative employment" clause in Equity contracts which means if you are offered a big role in a new show or a film that will pay you more, you can exit the contract. Judging from the cost of rent, New York City is not more expensive than London. On Broadway, the lowest paid performer makes over $100,000 per year, so of course competition for those jobs is fierce! Musicals are serious business here, and there are tons of highly-trained, highly-motivated performers trying to work on Broadway.

I’m from England so I think it feels more “achievable” to be in the west end, and would be absolutely AMAZING. All my idols however are from Broadway shows so it does seem “bigger” and “better” to me. EITHER WOULD BE A COMPLETE DREAM COME TRUE.

One minor correction: Having an Equity card doesn't guarantee you an audition here in the States. Producers are required to hold a certain amount of open calls, but if more people want to audition than they have time for (which happens all the time), well, some people don't get in. This is true of chorus calls as well as principal auditions.

Besides the things others pointed out, like healthcare, not wanting to live in the US (particularly new york - no thanks) etc, I also prefer the west end because it has a feel Broadway doesn't. It has this feeling of majesty and history. People tend to dress up more when they attend as guests as well. It's also so much more beautiful architecturally.

Always West End for me! I live in the UK so there’s that but I could never live in America long term! I’d love to do a brief stint on Broadway just to say I’d done it, but West End all the way!

My dream is to be on the west end but I would love to perform on Broadway at least once in my life! Great video! Xx

Even though there are less people in the UK, I feel there are more entertainment cities in the US. Like you can get jobs in Vegas or Los Angeles ect. The UK has London

Hey, I'm new here - YouTube suggested a video of yours to me this evening and I've now watched about five with genuine interest and without getting even slightly bored. As someone who's had a casual interest in musical theatre for years, and knows bits about what goes on behind the scenes but not tons, your content is so insightful and (unsurprisingly, given your job!) you present so naturally and are really engaging. Doesn't feel copycat or like you're trying too hard, which can be the case with some YouTubers. I generally just whack YouTube vids on in the background while I'm working out or something, but feel like I could sit and watch yours back-to-back for a good while. Just wanted to leave some public love 'cos you clearly put a lot of genuine effort and passion into this channel and it deserves more attention. Thank you and keep up the great work! (P.S - I know times are crazy tough for everyone who works in this industry atm, so hope you're getting by okay and that your great memories give you the boost you need to get through the tough moments. Keep taking it a day at a time, the curtain will rise again soon! ❤)

Loved this video, thanks Georgie x

From an audience prospective (I am not a performer, just a massive theatre fan, and I lived in both cities), tickets in London are way more affordable vs NYC (which is awesome) and there are, generally, more ways to get discounted tickets.

This was super interesting, especially about equity! I guess the question about Broadway being harder to get into then the west end would depend on the number of roles available compared to the population size?!💕

I choose west end over Broadway any day! I can’t fully explain it. I just love it

Id be happy to work at the musical café or in the foyer in a theatre

Definitely west end! There’s something about London I just love 😍❤️ plus I love being close to home, as I live in Manchester myself 🥰

Great video! I just want to clarify your first point about the contracts for Broadway, the rest you seem to be pretty spot on. There are a few different contracts on Broadway. We have the Principal Contract, (White Contract) which is a term contract, much like you have out there. They're usually 1 year for a new production, and 6 months for replacements. Sometimes if there's a "star" coming in, the contract is usually shorter. (Anywhere from 2 weeks to several months, depending on their availability) These contracts you're usually required to work the full term, although they are not impossible to get out of. (more remunerative employment) Then you have the Chorus Contract (Pink Contract) This is a run of the play contract. The performer can leave the production at any time, with a 4-6 week notice, depending on the terms of the contract. However, the producer can only remove an actor from the production for "just cause." This process they must go through a hearing with Equity and even if they win, they usually wind up paying a buy-out fee to the actor. (prior to "just cause" kicking in, any actor, regardless of the contract, can be removed from the production for any reason the producer sees fit.)

The pay may be higher numerically, but there's likely very little difference in reality given the difference in housing costs, healthcare etc

I'll be attending your legally blonde workshop at Bath uni, so excited thank you for doing it! 💛

I hope you’ll do a vlog about the role of subsidised theatres (the likes of the National Theatre, Royal Court, etc.) and the non-commercial ones (like The Old Vic) in the theatre going experience! Sometimes tourists would just focus on the core West End and then miss out on the wonders of what the subsidised theatres offer. Not to mention the fact that they are more affordable if you’re on a budget. Plus the differences in performing and expectations, how the audiences differ, etc.