For Immediate Release: November 25, 2025
Media Contact: Joshua Henry Jenkins | [email protected]

 

Heart, Hustle, Survival Report Sheds Light on Realities of Making a Living and a Life in the Theatre

New research highlights the complex financial, emotional, and professional landscape for theatre workers.
 
New York, NY – At a time when theatre workers are facing unprecedented economic pressures and questioning the long-term sustainability of their careers, Theatre Communications Group has released Heart, Hustle, Survival: A Survey for Theatre Workers, a new report illuminating how theatre artists and workers are striving to make both a living and a life within the theatre ecology.
Grounded in responses from 188 theatre workers, the majority of whom are based in New York City, this report reflects the lived experiences of artists in one of the most vital yet challenging arts ecosystems in the country. With initial support from the New York Community Trust and with New York City as its primary focus, the report’s insights resonate both locally and across the broader national theatre landscape.

“While so many studies about the health of the non-profit theatre field focus on primarily economic indicators, Heart, Hustle, Survival reminds us that sustainability is also about purpose, balance, and equity,” said Emilya Cachapero, Co-Executive Director of National and Global Programming at TCG. “This report challenges us to reimagine what it truly means for theatre workers to thrive - not just fiscally, but holistically.”
 
The report categorizes work into three key frameworks that allow theatre workers to examine not just on what they do, but how those efforts shape their sense of self, security, and sustainability:
  • Heart Work: creative or mission-aligned work that fulfills a deeper sense of purpose
  • Hustle Work: income-generating work with some value alignment
  • Survival Work: work done strictly to meet material needs, often at a personal cost

Key Insights

Here are a few of the report’s critical findings:

  • 73.3% of respondents have considered or already left the theatre field due to financial constraints
  • Hustle work shows the least amount of fluctuation between theatre work and non-theatre work, with a median percentage of 25% and 20% for each category respectively on median for respondents
  • Only 26.5% of respondents believe they have Usually or Always been paid an equitable wage over the last 5 years
  • 86.2% of respondents say their housing needs are completely or mostly met

While the data reveals concerns about gaps between income and sustainability, Heart, Hustle, Survival also documents creative resilience, access to mutual aid networks, and the profound sense of purpose that keeps many theatre workers committed to working in theatre despite challenges.

Topics explored in the report include:

  • Income distribution across Heart, Hustle, and Survival work
  • Housing security and renter vs. homeowner breakdowns
  • Access to healthcare, student loan burdens, and safety
  • The COVID-19 pandemic’s lingering impacts

View the Full Report

Heart, Hustle, Survival was supported by the New York Community Trust and the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, leads for a just and thriving theatre ecology. Since its founding in 1961, TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to over 750 organizations (including member theatres, affiliates, universities) and over 3,000 individual members. Through its programs and services, TCG reaches over one million students, audience members, and theatre professionals each year. TCG offers networking and knowledge-building opportunities through research, communications, and events, including the annual TCG National Conference, one of the largest nationwide gatherings of theatre people; awards grants and scholarships to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and through the Global Theater Initiative, TCG's partnership with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute. TCG is North America’s largest independent trade publisher of dramatic literature, with 21 Pulitzer Prizes for Drama on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning American Theatre magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. TCG believes its vision of “a better world for theatre, and a better world because of theatre” can be achieved through individual and collective action, adaptive and responsive leadership, and equitable representation in all areas of practice. TCG is led by Co-Executive Directors, Emilya Cachapero, LaTeshia Ellerson, and Alisha Tonsic.

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