Last night we had a fundraiser for our company and the spouse of a major donor asked the following question. "How much do you pay your apprentice artists? Surely, it's less than minimum wage!"
I have to admit, I was taken aback. First, I looked at her like she was nuts. See, for years opera companies and other theatre companies have depended upon the kindness, commitment and (let's face it) unfettered ambition of young upstarts to fill the ranks of the chorus, the scene shop, the coat check... And they are paid. (sort of) But they're paid a pittance compared to the amount of time and effort they put in. After tossin' and turnin' in my bed all night, I rose to consult my copy of Webster's to look up the word "apprentice" and here's what I found:
Does the knowledge that some of today's superstars such as Cecilia Bartoli, Dawn Upshaw and Jessye Norman all once did time as apprentice artists let us off the hook? I don't know. Perhaps more important is to remember that there's a biological reason why the young have ten times as much energy as the rest of us. They need it in order to soak up the lessons of the world. And I suppose I can sleep at night with the knowledge that year after year, thousands compete for a few dozen slots at companies all across the nation.
What do y'all think about all this? Any of you depend on the kindness of interns or semi-volunteers in order to stay afloat?
