Being an actor in New York versus London

[CapnHook]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 9:25am

Would you say it is easier to find work in New York or London? Does London also have "Equity" or is it called something different?

Is one better than the other? Do they pay the same? How are the living expenses compared?

Would you recommend someone first going into the business to move to New York (Broadway) or London (West End) if they are not Equity? If they are Equity?

THANKS!

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 9:26am

I don't know anything about the subject but I'm pretty sure I've heard actors say that the pay in London is not as high as the pay in New York.

[astonishing1985]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 10:49am

The average performer is not paid as much in London but a lot of things could play into that.
I am not sure about equity, don't know anything about that over there but one city is probably not easier than the other.

[circusliz]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 4:21pm

Cap'n Hook--This applies only if you are considering actually moving to the UK.

Unless you are from the UK it is very difficult to get a work visa for regular jobs for the UK. It is even more difficult--maybe impossible--to get one as an entertainer. I worked in the UK for 4 months on a BUNAC visa (only good for students) and the visa stipulated that I could not get work as an entertainer or athlete.

It is hard to get a work visa because any company wanting to hire a non-UK citizen has to prove that the job cannot be done by a UK citizen. And there is a priority list--UK citizens, Commonwealth citizens (former colonies), EU citizens. They all get first crack at jobs before Americans.

Just something I thought you might like to know.

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 7:19pm

There is an Equity type union in the UK, and this union is for both stage and film. I'm not sure how much easier it is to get work there, though there seems to be a lot more opportunities because there are new shows opening all the time, and you do take a pay cut to do theatre over there.

Unless you're actually a resident of the UK, however, they won't hire you unless you bring something to the show that no actor in the UK can; they want to keep their actors employed. There is an exchange program with American Equity that allows American actors to act in the UK as long as an actor from the UK is sent over to the US to act in a show in a role of comparable size.

Moving to the UK is a major decision that shouldn't be entered into lightly. If you think New York is expensive, wait until you get over there!

Hope this helps somewhat--I'm pretty sure I've got the facts straight

Updated On: 3/14/06 at 07:19 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 7:28pm

My most recent interview for this site was with Marin Mazzie ("This Is Our Beloved") and in it she spoke at considerable length about the differences in acting in London and acting on Broadway. You might want to check it out.

[Dre2387]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 7:31pm

is it just resident or citizen? cause I am a citizen but I live in the US. and I might want to work as a stage manager there someday.

[bwayrocks_ca]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 8:30pm

I had a conversation with the Actors from the London Stage (a group of British actors performing on the west coast), and they said that one main difference for them is that working in London, they have access to stage, tv, and film acting all in the same city. In the US, obviously, there is 3000 miles between where theater is produced and film is produced.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/14/06 at 8:30pm

it seems the pay in London is not as good, well...thats what Marin says, also Ruthie(from WIW) said that the Bway community is stronger than the one in the UK.

[YessicaB]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 9:17am

A pay cut? That doesn't seem right, considering the cost of living is even more astronomical than in NYC.
Someone here postet that they hire UK actors over EU actors...are they really allowed to do that? I thought there would not be any problems for someone who is a citizen of an EU country to work in London, it isn't with other jobs anyways.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 1:36pm

Yeah, i read somewhere that the cost of living in London is the highest in the world. Like $2million/per acre.

[YessicaB]

Posted: 3/15/06 at 1:58pm

I know it's out of control. I was searching for apartments online and it seems like you end up paying about £ 200/week
to live in a single (that's not much more than a closet that literally only fits a twin bed) in a flatshare somewhere out in Zone 5 or something...
Anyway I decided on Birmingham instead, because it's much cheaper, still a major city and not too far from London.