Entertainer or Variety Performer

An entertainer or variety performer develops and delivers live performances across multiple entertainment disciplines such as comedy, music, circus skills, magic, or physical theatre to audiences in venues including theatres, clubs, festivals, corporate events, and street performances. They create original material or adapted routines, rehearse and refine their act, and adapt their performance based on audience response and venue requirements. This role typically involves self-promotion, booking management, and building a professional reputation within the entertainment industry.

Develop original comedy material, scripts, or performance routines tailored to specific audiences and venues. Practise and refine performance techniques including timing, stage presence, movement, vocal projection, or musical execution. Perform live acts to audiences in theatres, nightclubs, festivals, corporate events, or street venues, reading and responding to audience energy. Adapt performances in real time based on audience reaction, hecklers, technical issues, or venue-specific constraints. Design and construct props, sets, or visual elements required for performance routines. Operate stage equipment, lighting cues, sound systems, or microphone equipment during performances. Manage bookings, negotiate performance fees, and secure contracts with venues, promoters, or event organisers. Promote performances through social media, video content, press releases, and direct engagement with audiences.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

Income is unreliable and often low, especially starting out. You'll juggle multiple gigs, compete constantly for bookings, and face months with almost no work. Physical injuries from circus skills are real and can end your career. Most performers need a second job for years.

Regional towns have fewer opportunities. Most performers piece together work across multiple cities rather than staying in one place. Remote work isn't really an option for live performance.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 2111, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Act for an audiencecore
• Active Listeningcore
• Adapt to type of mediacore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivitycore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Goal Setting and Planningcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Negotiationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Acting techniques
• Adapt to acting roles
• Attention to Detail
• Digital Literacy
• Group Facilitation
• Inclusive Practice
• Problem Solving
• Professional Boundaries Maintenance
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Entertainer or Variety Performer workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026