DR Jose, do you mind if I ask a question? Are you paid at the end of each performance, by the week, in one lump sum at the end of an engagement, or how? I hope you don't mind such a personal question, but I do believe you're the first person I've ever known in a pit orchestra.
No problem... It's not really a personal question... Now if you were to ask how much*, well...
Since this is a union gig, AFM for me, we are required to be paid weekly. Following the practice set by Equity, paychecks are distributed on Thursdays which leaves at least one legal banking day for, well, banking.
Now, when I'm on staff, the payroll procedures can be different, but not always. If I've negotiated a fee for my services (conductor, musical director, etc.) during the rehearsal period, then sometimes that fee is broken up into weekly payments. Other times it's 1/3 third upon signing, 1/3 on the first day of rehearsal, and the final 1/3 on the last day of rehearsal. Then once we move into the theatre, union payroll procedures usually go into effect. Another standard arrangement is to have 1/2 of the fee paid on the first day of rehearsal, and then other 1/2 on the last day of rehearsal, last day of run, or some other mutually agreed upon date - it will all depend upon the length of the contract.
The main catch with "fees" is that they usually fall under 1099 income, so I always have to make sure to set aside some for taxes the next year. However, there have been times when I've been able to have my fee worked into the normal payroll cycle, and have it become W-2 income. -Some theaters work one way, some the other. As long as the check clears...
*The base weekly salaries set by the unions are actually sort of public knowledge. For example, if you check the casting notices for Equity shows in Backstage, they will list their salaries as "Equity minimum of $#,###.##/week plus per diem." The AFM will publish "scale sheets" in their member newsletters as well as other publications. I've always just "accepted" the minimums since no one - at least musicians - really has to negotiate anything. There are set "premiums" for librarian duties, "cartage" (transporting of one's own equipment), instrument doubling (playing more than one instrument during a show), etc. Even leader and conductor pay is sort of stipulated in the scale sheets. However, since conductors are usually part of the production staff, than any additional "add-ons" are negotiated with the producer - not with or through the union.
Even in my "non-union" days, I've found that most theatres do try to pay weekly if they can. Weekly payroll helps to insure that people will come back the next week... and so on, and so on. And in those very rare cases where I've been told, "Oh, we usually don't pay you until the end of the run (or later)," my usual response has been, "Oh, so does that mean you're only paid at the end of each show too?" -That usually does the trick.
