K-Musical Culture

25 Orchestra and Ensembles

Korea

Musicals in Korea are performed with live music, often through a mix of full pit orchestras in large licensed productions and smaller ensembles or hybrid setups in original works. A few specialized companies regularly provide orchestras for major shows, helping maintain consistent quality across overlapping productions. Ensemble performers on stage play a central role in sustaining the energy of each performance, though detailed labor conditions are less openly discussed compared to Broadway.

Broadway

On Broadway, working conditions for orchestra members and ensemble actors are shaped by strong unions. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) negotiates contracts for pit musicians, guaranteeing minimum weekly salaries (currently around $2,000 per week) along with overtime pay, health insurance, and pension contributions. The Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) protects stage performers, with ensemble members earning a base minimum of $2,439 per week (2024 contract). Additional compensation is provided for understudy duties, dance captain roles, and specialty performances.

These protections ensure that even non-star performers receive standardized pay, benefits, and job security. While Broadway remains highly competitive and many artists still balance periods of unemployment, the contractual framework offers a stable foundation once work is secured.

Note on Career Realities

While Broadway contracts guarantee stability, the opportunities themselves are limited. At any given time, only about 800–1,000 actors perform on Broadway, compared to more than 50,000 members of Actors’ Equity nationwide. Similarly, Broadway orchestras employ perhaps 700–800 steady chairs, while New York’s musicians’ union (Local 802) counts over 8,000 members. For those who land a position, it can provide a sustainable middle-class living with benefits. But for the majority, Broadway remains a highly competitive and uncertain career path, supplemented by regional theater, tours, teaching, or other performance work.

📊 Broadway Snapshot (2024)

🎼 Pit Musicians (AFM Local 802): ≈ $2,000/week + overtime, health, pension
🎭 Ensemble Actors (AEA):$2,439/week minimum + extras (understudy, dance captain, etc.)
👥 Actors’ Equity Members: 50,000+ nationwide
🌟 Performing on Broadway at a time: ~800–1,000 actors
🎻 Broadway Orchestra Chairs: ~700–800 steady
🎶 Local 802 Musicians in NYC: 8,000+

Orchestra pit at the Kennedy Center Opera House during the 2025 run of Les Misérables. Although photography is normally restricted, the venue encouraged audiences to take photos (outside of performance time) and share them with official hashtags — offering a rare glimpse into the musicians’ workspace.