bills, bills, bills #22

A week in the life and wallet of a young NYC director with an inheritance

Bills, Bills, Bills is a monthly series of anonymous money diaries from theatre workers curated and edited by Jenna Clark Embrey.

The full archive is available here. We accept diarist submissions on a rolling basis. 

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Editor’s Note

The great wealth transfer is among us. This month’s columnist is supported by multiple channels of family money, but at the time that this diary was kept, it was still a challenge for them to make ends meet. Over the next decade, it will be interesting to see how the generational wealth transfer affects the theater industry: we see the greatest industry dropout when folks enter their thirties, an age when inheritances also start coming into play. Because this diary was originally recorded in the fall of 2022, we followed up with the columnist to find out any updates since then, which you’ll see noted at the end of the column. In the span of writing this paragraph, I’ve convinced myself that it would be interesting to see long-term follow-ups with the folks who have submitted money diaries: what will this director’s career and finances look like in a decade?

This contributor donated their honorarium to the National Network of Abortion Funds.

Note: This diary was kept during a week in September 2022.

Job/Position: Right now, I’m a freelance theater director (and sometimes producer), as well as a freelance photographer (about $300-$500 per session) and creative associate to a director I’ve long admired. (I make $20 an hour for this. Many weeks there is no work at all, but when there is, it's usually around 1-3 hours a week.) I just finished directing and producing a new play and am currently looking for my next gig. 

Age: 26 (and just lost my health insurance!)

Location: New York City 

Yearly Income: $25,000. This is a big ol’ guess. I quit my full-time job as a producing assistant earlier this year, and then the job I had planned for the summer fell through. I’m currently up for a gig that would make a big difference in my career, but I don’t know if I’m going to get it — and even if I did, the impact would primarily help my resume, not my bank account. 

Debt: I’m lucky enough to have zero debt and am well aware that it’s a big part of why I’m getting to make theater at all right now. I didn’t have to take out any student loans because my parents paid for college in full. On top of that, when I graduated, my grandparents informed me that they had put away money in a trust for me when I was young, and were now gifting it to me (!) in order to help me start my life in New York. 

Savings: I believe there is about $100,000 in the trust. My parents have encouraged me to act as though that account doesn’t exist. 

Checking: $52,372.63. (Editor’s Note: I followed up to inquire why and how this checking account is so high. Our contributor responded: “This is a combination of a couple things — a college graduation gift from grandparents, yearly deposits from my parents who decided to start transferring their estate early, and savings from photography work dating back to high school. Also, way more of this should definitely have been in a savings account.”)

Monthly Expenses:

• Rent (my bedroom in a 3-bedroom apartment): $1,050

• Utilities (water, heat, electricity, internet): about $100

• Zoom: $15.93 (I have a paid account because I need it for production meetings and Zoom rehearsals)

• Hulu/Spotify bundle: $9.99

• iCloud storage: $9.99

• Substack subscriptions: $5

• Google Drive storage: $1.99

• Therapy: $0 (out of pocket it would be $225 a session, but I haven’t had to pay anything for the past year between insurance and help from my parents. Without insurance, this number may be going up significantly.)

• Medication: $7 (also may be going up, thanks to the health insurance situation)

• The Loveland Foundation (recurring donation): $20

• Netflix, HBO Max, The New York Times, Amazon Prime, cell phone: $0 (on my parents’ accounts)

• New York Magazine digital: $0 (on a friend’s account)

Total Monthly Expenses: $1,219.90

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Monday

I start my day with a morning meditation —  I closed a show a week ago and my body and brain are still recovering, so I’m trying to get back in the habit. I make a chai latte using concentrate I bought last week and pour myself some Cheerios for breakfast. I get a Venmo request from my roommate for $20 to cover the ingredients for the dinner we made together last night and pay it. (I’m a pretty talentless cook, but I’m trying to get better, and making it a friend date helped the whole process feel less stressful.) Today is a computer-focused day — I have so many emails languishing in my inbox. I send some submission opportunities to a collaborator, make notes for a meeting I have tomorrow with a playwright friend, send a bunch of emails, remember it’s Rosh Hashanah and my emails might annoy people, and write more emails and schedule them to go out tomorrow. My inbox is humbling. I find an email from someone looking to hire me to take their headshots…a month ago. Yikes. I am usually pretty good about email, but this most recent show ate my entire life. 

In the afternoon, I have therapy over Zoom. I feel so grateful for my therapist. We talk about how I’m feeling after my show has closed, and how to manage my expectations around a big job interview I have coming up this week. I avoid the topic of insurance because I’m so anxious about how much therapy is going to cost without my parents’ insurance.

Afterwards, I go for my daily walk. It’s gorgeous out. I hit the ATM to get some cash, then stop by Happy Fresh Tortillas for a steak quesadilla. It’s $6 and really hits the spot. Afterwards, more emails. I send thank you notes to some folks who came to my show and then lock in a time for the job interview. I’m up for a gig that would be a really big step forward in my career—Resident Director of a Broadway show—and I’m Zooming with the team on Thursday. I’m so nervous. I also try and fail to redeem a 10% discount on my Squarespace account that is supposedly available through the Freelancers Union. Sigh. I try to reconcile all the receipts and invoices from the show I just closed. Some checks still haven’t been cashed, some items still haven’t been returned, so I get as far as I can and then give myself a break to call my family. I also spend some time researching health insurance plans. I’m sad but not surprised to find that there’s no coverage in the ballpark of what I can afford that would help with my therapist, which is currently my main medical expense. The good news is that it looks like I qualify for an Essential plan through New York state, which would mean I pay $0 in monthly fees. Here’s hoping I don’t get hit by a truck anytime soon…

I make myself a microwave dinner: chicken tikka masala and rice. I did a big grocery shop last week after the show closed and am still coasting on that. I have more work to do as I eat: I watch the recording of the show I’m interviewing to work on and take a ton of notes. 

Total Spent: $26

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Tuesday

I try to do some interview prep before I head out to today’s activity: a DIY creative retreat with a playwright I adore. Basically, I’m schlepping all the way uptown so we can lock ourselves away for a few hours in her new apartment and figure out next steps for a couple of our mutual projects. I take a rapid test that I have leftover from rehearsal, have a PopTart and some energy tea, then head to the subway and tap my phone to pay ($2.75). Unfortunately, it seems the playwright accidentally gave me the wrong address, so I whiz past her apartment on the A and end up at the Cloisters. My phone tells me a bus is going to be the fastest and most direct route, so I tap in again on a bus ($2.75).

I meet the playwright at a farmer’s market and we decide to grab some snacks. She picks up apple cider, and I buy myself an apple hand pie and an apple cider donut for $5.50 total. (You can take the girl out of New England, but you can’t take the New England out of the girl.) Back at her apartment, the playwright makes us both her signature “Chai Kool-Aid” (think chai tea with a truly shocking amount of sugar). We eat our snacks and do a debrief of my show, which she kindly came to see, and start to plan for our new theater collective. It all feels thrilling and warm and connected. On a break, a friend of mine who has generously agreed to help me with health insurance research texts me their findings. They confirm that I should go with the $0 Essential plan (and that the coverage will be garbage). At the end of the day, the playwright’s roommate generously offers to make dinner for us all — chicken, zucchini, and potatoes. Their new apartment is only partly furnished, so we crowd around a table we dragged to the living room from the kitchen and eat by candlelight. It’s delightful. I head out, feeling buoyed by the day. The playwright sends me on my way with the gift of a hand-me-down coat from Urban Outfitters, which I never would have bought on my own but instantly love. Back to the subway ($2.75), then home and to bed. 

Total Spent: $13.75

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Wednesday

I wake up to a text that one of my roommates has pink eye. I’m the only one available to go to the store and get some supplies, so I grab a bunch of antibacterial hand soap and some new sponges so we can have separate washing materials for the week. We split it three ways, so my share comes out to $9.59. The roommate with pink eye also sends out our rent call, which means it’s officially my least favorite day of the month, financially. When we moved into our beautiful 3-bedroom, the rent on my room felt like a stretch — but given the state of housing in New York right now, it’s begun to feel like a total steal. We’ve definitely paid for a few things we’d normally contact our landlord about over the past few months (like an exterminator) because we don’t want to give him a reason to remember how comparatively little we pay and raise our rent. I Venmo my roommate the requisite $1,050 and decide not to buy a pastry for breakfast, even though I could use the pick-me-up. 

Later, the roommate texts that the pink eye might be a false alarm. We needed hand soap anyway, so I’m trying to look at this as a double win. I take the subway ($2.75) to a new play reading in midtown. When I arrive, my stomach grumbles, and I realize I forgot to eat lunch (and breakfast). Luckily, the friend I’m meeting at the reading has a protein bar for me to scarf down. The reading is awesome. We say hi to the playwright when it’s over and take the subway back to Brooklyn ($2.75). 

In the evening, I have a date! We meet up at a Thai place in the neighborhood. It’s our second date and it’s lovely. I paid last time, so she pays this time. I skip home and tell my roommates about the date. Pink eye roommate confirms that she does not, in fact, have pink eye. Hooray! I head to bed, anxious but hopeful about the job interview tomorrow. 

Total Spent: $1,065.09 (oy!)

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Thursday

I’m brewing some tea when I get a call from the associate director of the show I’m hoping will hire me. He tells me that we have to push to tomorrow or, more likely, Monday. I’m disappointed, mostly because I can’t imagine carrying this anxiety for even longer — but he gives me some good news as well: I’m the only candidate they’re currently putting forward to the team for approval. I call my mom to give her an update. 

To calm my nerves, I finish and send out my weekly Substack. I started it a few months ago and it’s been lovely to have a place to gather my thoughts. Afterwards, I spend some time reading the book the show is based on. At least I have a little more time to prepare. 

Later, I meet up with a former college classmate at a cafe. She’s new to the city and pretty overwhelmed by how much everything costs. It costs $5.32 for a hot apple cider. Then I take the subway ($2.75) to meet up with two playwrights — one who wrote the play I just directed and one who is new to us both. We get overpriced drinks and nachos (seriously, the plate is comically small when you consider what we paid) at a rooftop bar in midtown because the first playwright and I have tickets to a show after. My share is $28.30. I hate drinking in midtown. At least the new playwright seems awesome. I ask her to send me a few of her scripts. We see the show, which is cool. I take the subway home ($2.75). 

Total Spent: $39.12

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Friday

I have an early meeting with one of my investors from the show I just closed. It goes pretty well. I email to confirm the job interview will be Monday and the associate director says: Actually, could you do today? Eek. It’s my turn to pick up milk, so I do a quick grocery store trip. I pick up a morning snack too and pay $6.48 total. I spend hours freaking out about the job interview. And then it happens — and the team approves me right on the Zoom. Oh my God. I got the job. I scream with joy in my room. My friends freak out with me over text. Suddenly, the appetite that’s been in hibernation comes roaring back, so one of my friends Venmos me some money to cover a splurge lunch. I get a fancy pastrami melt from the place around the corner and savor every bite. I spend the next few hours calling family and friends to let them know the good news. I even buy a watch, since I needed a new one, and they appear prominently in the show ($38.29). 

In the evening, I take the subway ($2.75) to Tribeca for a belated game night with the cast of my last show. They’re thrilled to hear about my new gig. I stay up late and celebrate. I let myself feel relief. When the party winds down, I consider taking a Lyft home — then I see that it would be over a hundred dollars. No, thanks. Subway it is ($2.75). 

Total Spent: $50.27

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Saturday

I wake up full of energy. I lug my overstuffed laundry basket to the laundromat around the corner and drop it off for wash and fold. I haven’t done laundry for too long, so I know it’s going to be expensive. I Zoom with a friend and paint my nails. It’s a rainy day, so I let myself lounge a little. My monthly Google storage receipt hits my inbox ($2.11). I make a microwave dinner (chicken tikka masala again) and settle in to watch Bodies Bodies Bodies (on my parents’ Amazon account) with my roommates. I realize I forgot to pick my laundry and decide to get it tomorrow. 

Total Spent: $2.11

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Sunday

I wake up to all-day rain. I cancel my planned outdoor coffee with an old friend of my mom’s and realize I’m going to have a miserable time dragging my laundry home. I finally venture into the wind and rain. I put down $39.50 in cash and lug the several bags of clean clothes home. I FaceTime a friend, have a quick microwave dinner, and head out to see a show with friends. We have comps (great seats, too!) and the show is awesome. We take the subway there and back ($5.50). I feel a migraine coming on, so I head to bed early. Migraine aside, it’s been a surprisingly good week. 

Total Spent: $45

Total Weekly Spending: $1,241.34 ($176.25 if you take out rent)

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Postscript: February 2024 Follow-Up

What ended up happening with your health insurance?

I ended up qualifying for Medicaid, so I pay $0 in insurance, but it doesn’t cover therapy. My parents have generously continued to pay for therapy for the time being. I am well aware of how lucky this makes me. 

Do you still work with the director as a creative associate?

Yes, and I have picked up some additional remote work that scales depending on my rehearsal hours. This is also for $20-25 an hour. It is highly variable in terms of number of hours, but never more than 6-8 hours a week on top of my current rehearsal schedules. 

What else is new?

The playwright I mention in this money diary and I launched our indie theater collective and produced our first show! I'm really proud of the work we're doing and have learned so much about managing money from co-running this company. 

The big gig that I got during the week of this money diary happened — and was everything I could have dreamed. It made a huge difference in my career and introduced me to some really amazing people. It was also the most I had ever been paid to be in rehearsal. 

Basically, taking the leap into full-time directing paid off. I'm working a lot — as a director (and assistant, associate, resident, etc.) I feel really grateful. And also...not sure how else to say it...I have SO many unbelievable financial privileges that make it possible for me to have gone into this career, and even with all of those privileges, I am now, for the first time...NEARLY breaking even when it comes to income and expenses month to month. (Eeek.)