Equity casting nonequity actors

[BroadwayDreams2]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 6:06pm

Is there any point in my going to an Equity audition if I don't have my Equity card? Do they ever see nonequity actors? For this specific time, I want to audition for The Little Mermaid and I don't have my equity card. Should I bother?

[carlobarlo]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 6:13pm

Sure, if they really like you, in a big show like that, they'll cast you and pay for your equity card. You'll probably have to wait outside all day, but you'll never know if you don't go!

[Jon]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 6:20pm

Uhhh... no matter how much they like you, they won't pay for your equity card. If you are cast in an equity show on broadway, you will be earning a minimum of $1400 a week. If you are a new member, just figure your entire first week's take home salary will go toward your initiation fee.

If they are really looking for newcomers, they will have an "open call". Shows like RENT do this all the time. Half the original cast of RENT were non-equity before they got hired. But if a show is ONLY having Equity auditions, they probably aren't interested in young, inexperienced performers.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 6:43pm

Well, there's Equity shows, and then there's EQUITY shows. Some Equity productions will use ALL Equity actors (i.e. Broadway shows), so that if a non-equity actor is cast, they HAVE to join Equity. However, in regional theater, some Equity productions will use as few as one Equity member. Most use a mix.

That said though, in regards to The Little Mermaid specifically, since it is a (pre-)Broadway production, it is a total shot in the dark. But you never know...

[otis33]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 6:49pm

Actually, I have friends who did get their Equity cards paid for by the producers. It's all about negotiations. Also, it's probably smartest, and easiest to get your card paid off immediately, but you certainly don't need to use your entire 1st weeks check. You have, at least when I joined, something like 3 years to pay off the initation fee. Maybe things have changed.

[Dover]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 7:53pm

I was lucky when I joined that I had the money saved up already. The day I signed my contract I took it to Equity and handed them a check for the entire fee. They liked that a lot! And I liked it too, cause about a month later the initiation fee went up by $100. It was great to get it all paid off at once, especially since the salary I was making on that particular show didn't need any more taken out of it!

But they do give you plenty of time to pay it off, it's just one more thing taken out of your check along with dues and taxes. And if you're talking about a production contract, as someone said, it's paid off by the end of your first week. Boy could I use one of those right now :)

[BroadwayDreams2]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 8:10pm

So, basically if I can afford it, it won't matter if I have my card or not? What are the odds of them actually casting me though?

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 8:16pm

Go to the audition. They may not see you, and if it's an equity call they don't have to see you but if they wish so they will. At an equity call,All non-equity members who are at the audition are seen after all the equity members have audtioned, if the casting director wishes to see them. If you are cast in the show you will have to be signed to an equity contract.

Getting an equity card is not nessisarily your golden ticket. There are thousands of starving, auditioning, equity actors in the world. What are the odds of them casting you? How good are you? How many equity actors will be at the audition? How many non eq? Will you fit the physical description? I don't think anyone can tell you your odds.
Updated On: 9/21/06 at 08:16 PM

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 8:30pm

if it's a chorus call for singers and it is packed, you won't get seen. if it's a dancer chorus call, you just might get in.

if it's an epa (all these terms are defined on equity's website) and the epa slots get all filled and there is a long alternate list, you won't get seen.

if things haven't changed, the moment you join the emc program or are offered your card, you are locked into that fee amount even if it goes up.

I joined emc in 1998 and paid that year's rate even though I didn't get the card until 2002. and the $100 I paid to join emc applied to the initiation fee. so that's an inspiration to do that if u get cast as a non-Eq performer at an equity theatre

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 9:05pm

lots of good points already in this thread. two to add:

1. if you are young and/or inexperienced, sometimes it's great not to have your card. i didn't go that route, but i have friends who left the union b/c they could get a whole summer's worth of work at a summer stock, for example, that couldn't afford to use its limited equity contracts on ensemble members. note that i said they LEFT the union, which is an important decision, not that they took non-equity work under fake names or whatever people do. that's a bad idea.

2. if you think you have the stuff for this show, by all means, GO. you may not get seen for all the reasons jrb lists, but if you happen to be the one-in-a-million non-union actor who gets hired for a broadway show when they didn't even know if they were going to get in the door, more power to you. and then you'll have a broadway credit on your resume, and you will be able to pay for your card, and your whole career outlook will be different.

disney sometimes takes chances on people who are young, as long as they're the right type. i seriously doubt you will get cast as ariel, so have realistic expectations. it's a very slim chance, but go for it. worry about the card logistics later. as several people have said, a production contract will more than cover it.

[sopranobiz]

Posted: 9/21/06 at 11:24pm

I've had to get up earlier and earlier for EPAs just to get an appointment, people are in town now for the busy season.

Honestly, I highly doubt they will see non eq for "Little Mermaid" next week but I know the moniters will accept headshots.

Don't be discouraged! Do seminars at Actors Connection and get yourself a good agent. Do classes with casting directors that head your favorite projects. Also Theatreworks is having their annual open calls soon- a lot of people I know got their equity cards that way(not to mention much needed insurance and pension weeks!).

[Amneris]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 12:34am

I also know that Tara Rubin Casting is amazing when it comes to submitting yourself. I've been called in many times by them as well as others who are now in "mamma mia" and were non equity when they submitted themselves.

[TenThousandThings]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 1:12am

A lot of really great stuff in this thread . . . but just one personal anecdote to add:

When I was still in college, and non-Equity, I drove 10 hours to NYC for the Phantom EPA. After waiting from 7am to 5:45pm, the monitor came out and said, "they would like to see anyone who has traveled to be here." So those of us who had come from a distance were able to show a plane ticket, etc., and be seen. I had a great audition and learned a lot. And from that open call, I've had a bunch of callbacks (although, sadly, never a job with Phantom!).

While chances are slim, it's not impossible to be seen. And it's always a good idea to send your headshot to the casting director ahead of time, just in case. You never know!

Good luck!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 2:42am

When would you say is the best time to move to the city? Summer? Is that when they start casting for next season? Or is it more in the spring?

[Tom1071]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 2:21pm

There is an open call scheduled...

Everybody and their dog will be there but you can get seen.

Updated On: 9/22/06 at 02:21 PM

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 2:33pm

Another thing about joining Equity. If you get your card by being cast in an Equity show, you can have your check garnished for a weekly amount until your initiation fee is paid. A simple and easy way to have, say, $50 subtracted from your paychecks until the fee is paid in full.

[BroadwayDreams2]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 2:37pm

There is an open call scheduled for the Little Mermaid? When is that?

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 4:29pm

RentBoy, I don't know about auditions, but I know that rent goes down in the fall, because no one moves in the fall and landlords are desperate to let their spaces. You'll probably save a TON of money in the long run if you move to New York in the fall or winter.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 6:43pm

Thanks Yero. I'm not moving for another two years, if that, so I'm just sort of getting things together. I think Fall/Winter seems to be the best time. Thanks.

[Chitty]

Posted: 9/22/06 at 9:38pm

Good luck on the audition!