Trice is proud to serve as paymaster for productions large and small, community and educational theatres to Off-Broadway.  

Our roots are in theatre, so supporting live performances of all types is important to our family.  For over 50 years, Trice has made it easy for theatre companies to hire performers and production staff, prioritizing friendly service and attention to detail.  Whether you are producing a non-union production, hiring a single AEA performer, or a full AEA cast, Trice will run their paychecks and manage all union and tax deductions and disbursements so you can focus on more important things.  

Our services include options for direct deposit disbursements, invoice installment payments, and auto-payment processing. 

Trice processes contracts for single performances as well as months-long runs. We pay union and non-union talent including Actors, Directors, Production Managers, Stage Management, Designers, technicians, musicians, and running crew members.  

Trice becomes the employer of record and is therefore responsible for treating each payee as an employee of Trice. We process the appropriate tax and union deductions and disburse contributions for state and federal unemployment, workers compensation insurance, union pension and health funds, and member dues, as applicable.  The producer or theatre has no employer responsibilities.  At the end of the year, Trice sends W-2 and 1099 tax documents, and should the employee file for unemployment, Trice deals with the claim. 

When you choose Trice, employees become a line item expense for the theatre instead of a new hire on the books.

In addition to our reasonable pricing and great service, there is something else that sets Trice above the rest. Most payroll services require you to pay the entire payroll amount upfront.  Trice doesn’t. 

We understand the fragile balance of financing a production, so our invoices are structured in manageable installments so the full cost of your talent is not a burden at the beginning of the run.  We are also happy to schedule auto-payments to process a debit/credit card when each of the invoice installments come due. 

And to further help small theatre cash flow, Trice does not add any processing fees to the union pension and health benefit contributions or any per diem or non-taxable reimbursements included on our invoices. 

Here’s the process: 

*Apply to AEA and copy Trice on the application.  We’ll provide you with specific information needed to complete the application based on your state.   For non-union talent, contact Trice with production details.

*Trice will generate an invoice.  For productions with AEA members, the invoice will be sent once a permission letter has been issued by Equity.  

*The first invoice installment payment is due the week before the first talent payments will be disbursed.  

*Each week or as scheduled, we issue payment via direct deposit or paper checks to your talent. 

*If you have set up auto-payments, we’ll process installment payments as they come due, sending a confirmation email to the contact on file.