How to Work in Merchandising on Broadway

It can be tough to get a job on Broadway, whether you're singing on stage or sweeping backstage. If your "day job" absolutely must be affiliated with the Great White Way, theatrical merchandising may be the perfect job for you. Follow these steps in order to score a Broadway merchandising job where you can meet all kinds of people in the business, and possibly move into any number of lucrative Broadway careers.

Instructions

1. Organize your resume. You should include any past sales experience, your education and any other jobs you have had that show your leadership and organizational skills. Your resume should not be a list of productions you have been in. Chances are, the merchandising manager will not be interested in your acting resume and including it will only hurt your chances of getting a job.

2. Ask your friends involved in theater. If you start telling your friends that you are interested in pursuing a job in theatrical merchandising, chances are pretty good that a friend of a friend already knows someone involved. If you can find someone that can give you a personal recommendation, this is the best way to break in.

3. Go door to door at theaters. It may seem like a lot of work, but it is not unheard of to ask at the box office of the theater you're interested in working with, "Are there any openings in merchandising?" Chances are, the box office employee won't know, but he or she can direct you to the merchandising manager, who can inform you of any openings.

4. Check the Playbill website. Playbill.com is a resource for actors and theater fans that lists articles and show information. They also have a section called "Playbill Jobs" where people can list theater-related jobs for free. Periodically, there will be a job opportunity for theater merchandising.

5. Ask Disney Theatricals. Disney Theatricals is one of the largest theater merchandising companies, because they employ all of the Disney shows that are currently on Broadway. Find a contact number or email address for an employee at Disney Theatricals and they should be able to refer you to the Merchandising Manager of a show that is currently hiring merchandising staff.

6. Do research on which shows are currently opening. When a show is about to open, they are probably still looking for staff members. A great way to find a merchandising job is to go to the box office of a Broadway show that hasn't opened yet and ask for the contact information of the merchandising manager. Not only will it be likely that the manager is hiring, working on a brand new show is so much fun.

Resources

• Playbill.com