bills, bills, bills #33

A week in the life and wallet of a Broadway GM staffer

Feb 05, 2025

editor’s note

I’m delighted that we get to share some insight into the commercial theater world with this month’s column. For anyone who doesn’t know (or is afraid to ask), a General Manager (GM) is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the logistical and financial aspects of a production, ensuring that it stays within budget and on schedule while supporting the Producer’s creative vision. The GM manages the project’s financial planning, supervises administrative tasks, handles human resources and labor relations, and negotiates contracts.

For-profit theater is always a hot topic of conversation here at the Nothing for the Group offices.1 We’ve all been thinking a lot about contracts recently (why why why can’t they get done before the work actually begins?) and how many deeply vulnerable moments come before creative team members have a signed, sealed, and delivered work agreement. This month’s columnist makes a living wage and they are Holding People Together. (If you are triggered by the words “shuffling some meetings around,” consider this your content warning.) It should be noted that while writing this editor’s note, I have received seven emails from General Managers. GMs, thank you for holding it together for us. We salute you and your need to reply-all!

Job/Position: Executive Assistant for a Broadway General Manager. We currently manage several Broadway shows throughout the year. I essentially support the partners of the company and make sure the admin of the office is running while supervising two other administrative employees. I live and work in Manhattan.

Location: New York City

Age: 31

Yearly Income: $75,000. This comes to $1,450 a week, but I currently have a weekly bonus that brings me up to $1,650 a week. I get this bonus for consulting on a show and will receive it weekly until the show closes, which is open ended right now.

Debt:

Mortgage: $206,000 on my mortgage, which just started last month. My interest rate is pretty high, so I pay about $1,300 a month toward my mortgage which is mostly interest.
Student Loans: $13,000 in federal student loans. I pay $250 a month to pay off both the principal and any interest. My loans were low because my parents paid for the majority of my schooling and I went to a state school, but took on a small amount ($40,000) to build credit. I pay off my credit cards once a week, because I am paranoid about interest.

Savings:

401K: I am very bad about knowing where all of my 401Ks are. I know this is probably insane, but I had jobs that didn’t make it easy to roll them over, so here I am years later with four different accounts. Three of them have approximately $2,000 each.
IRA: $18,300
Stocks: $29,400. This varies with the market and usually is a bit higher. My stock account was a gift from my parents. I graduated college early, so they put what they would have spent on a semester of college into this account.
High-Yield Savings Account: $23,000. I use this as my emergency savings. I put 5% of my paycheck into it each week to keep a 4.6% APY. The ability to have my HYSA is a privilege that I attribute to two things: going on tour and family gifts. When I went on tour five years ago, I had $5,000 in credit card debt and was going further into debt every month. After the tour, I had saved up $15,000 from being frugal.
Family Gifts: I also received a total of $25,000 from my parents in the past year. When my grandmother passed away, she left money to each of her children. My parents (and my aunts and uncles as well) decided to distribute some of that money amongst the grandchildren. My parents decided to save it for when my brother and I needed it. This money was given to me this year to help with the down payment on my apartment. I could have done it with my savings, but it helped ensure that I don’t have anxiety about paying my mortgage and bills.

Checking: $7,500. I try to move any extra money into my HYSA as much as possible, while still covering any surprise bills that may happen. All of my bills are paid out of this account so that I can be more intentional and not touch my HYSA unless absolutely necessary.

Monthly Expenses:

Maintenance Fee: $743.71. This will lower soon, as there is an assessment on my building right now for building upkeep. It should go down to about $600. This includes heat and hot water.
Internet (Verizon Fios): $49.99
Electric and Gas: This past month it was $103.00, which is a bit higher due to needing to use air conditioning to combat the summer heat.
Phone: My brother owns the unlimited family plan and I pay $50 for my line. I paid off my iPhone a month or so ago and will probably put off buying a new one until absolutely necessary. I also have Apple Music through family sharing.
iCloud Storage: $2.99
Transit Account: $120. This is deducted out of my paycheck pre-tax. I choose to tap my transit card as opposed to getting a monthly card, which ends up being more cost effective for me.

Annual Expenses:

Home Insurance: $1,110
Accountant: $400. Taxes stress me out, so I’ve been using an accountant for the last five years. This expense varies depending on the complexity of my tax situation.
Streaming: $250. I pay for an annual Paramount+ and Max subscription. My family shares accounts. My brother gets Peacock with his TV package, as well as the Hulu/Disney+ bundle. My mother pays for Netflix and Amazon, but with Netflix cracking down on password sharing, I am the only one in the family that can’t use it. The Amazon Prime subscription is worth its weight in gold.

Assorted:

My employer provides an annual $1,500 HRA. This offsets my medical expenses. I use it for co-pays, and I always use the full amount over the course of the year.

Monday

I wake up early after an opening night that I attended with my cousin. She is in from out of town, so we walk to a coffee shop a few blocks away. She pays for coffee, which ends up being around $6 for mine. I’m slightly hungover, so I don’t order food. I walk her to her car, then get on the subway a block away ($2.90). While on the subway, my card notifies me about my internet auto-pay. I just set up the internet, so I’m charged $148.99 for both the set up and the monthly fee.

My coworker asks if I want Cane’s for lunch and that she’ll go pick it up. I love convenience and I am always up for Cane’s. I Venmo her ($15) for my meal that includes chicken tenders, a drink, and fries. I hope the grease will soak up the rest of my misery.

Another show in my office has an upcoming opening that needs an extra set of hands. Both myself and one other person from the office offer to help stuff tickets. We’re there until 12:30am, so the show pays for our dinners from Sweetgreen ($20) and we split a cab home ($50). I pass out when I get home and dread that I have to go in the next morning.

Total: $242.89 (but I only pay $166.89)

Tuesday

I am exhausted and trying to figure out a way to motivate myself to go to work. That usually comes in the form of a breakfast sandwich. I get on the subway ($2.90) and go to the deli across from my job. I buy a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich and a Vitamin Water ($8.24) and get a notification that two of my monthly medications are ready as I walk into work. Capsule delivers and consistently has the lowest prices, so I pick a delivery time for today and purchase my meds ($5.47) which includes a tip. It’s a crazy busy day today and my coworker asks if I want Cane’s again. I am powerless to say no to the chicken and the convenience. I Venmo her $15 for my meal, which is the same thing I get every time.

One of our partner offices sends us cookies in anticipation of our opening night and I have one. Everyone else at work is going to opening tonight, but I only got the invite today and I am exhausted. I take the train home ($2.90), call my best friend and talk for a few hours, and go to bed. I forget to eat dinner, which isn’t uncommon because of one of my medications.

Total: $34.51

Wednesday

I wake up in the morning to a notification that one of my therapists (I have two, don’t judge me) has canceled. My work is incredibly supportive of my mental health, which means I am typically a tiny bit late on days I have morning therapy. I decide that if I am not going to have therapy, I’ll try to get to work on time. I pick up a bagel with cream cheese from my favorite place around the corner from my work ($6.76) and head into work ($2.90).

The morning is relatively normal: lots of post-opening meetings for my bosses, which keeps me busy. Today takes a huge turn when an emergency happens. I cancel all of our afternoon meetings and make sure everything I can take care of is taken care of. I head home ($2.90) and pick up a few groceries on the way ($20.43) for a comfort dinner of meatloaf and ravioli. I have an appointment with my second therapist, who I go to solely for EMDR. My card is charged for my appointment ($40). It’s April and I’ve already run out of my HRA money for several reasons, including care that applied to my deductible. I end my day around 11pm, falling asleep to my comfort show (Grey’s Anatomy) that I’ve seen too many times.

Total: $72.99

Thursday

I have physical therapy this morning, so I make sure to grab another bagel ($6.76) before getting on the train ($2.90). I pay for my PT appointment ($80) and grab a snack before going into work. I get some gummies and a Vitamin Water ($7.28) from the deli across from my work. Work is as uneventful as it can be. I’m moving around more meetings to accommodate last minute needs. It’s an incredibly busy day, so I grab a burrito nearby ($12.52) from my favorite place. I’ve been trying to save money because I just purchased an apartment, but my brain really has a problem with bringing lunch from home. I pack it for the next day and almost always forget to bring it with me.

Emursive announces that their tickets went on sale today for their new immersive show Life & Trust in FiDi. I splurge on a ticket for the end of June ($160). I almost never spend this much money on shows, but there are never any discounts for Sleep No More and I doubt there will be any discounts for this show. I want to work in immersive theater, so this is a necessary expense for me.

After work, I go get a drink and dinner before I see Cabaret. My boss has tickets for being a Tony voter and joins me before the show. He generously pays for dinner for us both (I don’t know what it ended up being). The show is good and I take the train home after ($2.90).

Total: $272.36

Friday

I wake up late today and try to get into work as quickly as possible. I hop on the A train ($2.90) and hope that it’s running on time today. For convenience, I grab a buy-one-get-one breakfast sandwich at McDonald’s ($5.43). The extra sandwich goes to my coworker, who is having a tough week. She does the same thing for me occasionally, so we switch off who pays. I get another notification that one of my medications is ready for a refill. I schedule the delivery and pay for it ($23). My insurance stopped covering the name brand, which was $4 a month previously with the manufacturer’s coupon. I lament that I am paying 19 more dollars for the generic version, but pay it anyway. They’re ADHD meds that serve a dual purpose in my life and I can’t do my job without them.

Work is pretty boring today, but I’m running on fumes. My coworker says that they are going to get half-price Starbucks and offers to pick up an order for me. I get a coffee and pay in the app ($3.78). Thank God, because I needed the boost.

At 4pm, I realize I haven’t eaten lunch. I’ve been hyper focused on getting some contracts edited, as well as pulling some box office numbers, so that my bosses have them before important meetings. I look up from my computer screen and am shocked that it’s 4pm. I quickly order a bowl from Naya on DoorDash ($19.21 including fees and tip). It arrives a little before 5pm. Nothing like an end of the workday lunch. My job has a happy hour today and we open a few bottles of wine. I have a glass and head home ($2.90) to my apartment. I eat a dinner of leftovers while I read a book.

Total: $57.22

Saturday

My doctor’s office calls to go over details for my last minute outpatient surgery next week. They let me know that I’ll have to pay off my deductible (around $3,250). I internally cringe and transfer money from my savings to my checking account in anticipation of paying these bills. They also give me a list of things that will help me in recovery. I order some ice packs and ice trays on Amazon ($33.44). I spend the day unpacking more boxes, since I don’t want my apartment to be a mess while I’m recovering. My mother is planning to come into town, so I want to make sure there’s space for her air mattress and anything else she may need. I eat leftovers from the week and applaud myself for not spending more money.

Total: $33.44

Sunday

I want to get as many errands out of the way that I can today. I take the bus ($2.90) to Target to get some supplies as well as stock up my pantry. I’m missing a lot of essentials that I’ll need. Living alone is an adjustment and I have an ongoing list of things that I need to buy. Today I get some condiments, a sink strainer, and supplies for my recovery. The total comes to $65.97. I use my Target Red card, so that includes a 5% discount. I haul all of these on the bus ($2.90) and start unpacking them when I get home. I spend a bit of time unpacking more boxes, but I’m spent. I watch some TV and reheat some leftovers while Googling everything I can about my surgery. It’s a pretty standard surgery, but I am so Type A that I want to make sure I have all the essentials I need for a quick and easy recovery. I take a shower and get ready for a new week of work tomorrow.

Total: $71.77

Weekly Total: $709.18

“It’s not a physical space; it’s a group text” — Lauren

A guest post by

Jenna Clark Embrey

JCE (she/her/hers) is the Literary Manager/Dramaturg at Lincoln Center Theater.

Nothing for the Group