Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway

I've gotten my first email question!
Break out the bubbly, friends. This is cause for a celebration!

Patrick,

  Hello person I feel like I know because I keep up with your blog. First time writer, long time reader here.

  I'm new to the city. I've recently moved here from L.A. where I'm sure you know it's a much different beast. After working in L.A. for a few years I've decided to make the reverse trek that everyone else apparently does. NY has a booming film industry as well as theater. I want to get back to my theater training a bit and stretch those muscles while also working with my agent to hopefully work my way into one of the many television shows filmed here.  My question to you, that I'm finding it hard to get answered is about Broadway and specifically Off-Broadway.  I'm pretty well versed in film. But when it comes to stage I'm at a bit of a loss. I've seen a lot of auditions for Broadway shows, but I've also seen a lot that say Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. What is the distinction? And is there one that is beneficial over the other?

  Any help would be so very kind!

Justin

Justin!
GREAT QUESTION! And it's one that causes a lot of confusion and contention among theater artists.

Hello new friend!  I chose to answer this in a blog format as opposed to a direct email because, well...you're my first write in question!
Exciting...no? Imagine I've just thrown confetti at you and I'm apologizing for getting it right in your eye.

There are so many terms thrown around there every day that its hard to sift through and find out whats real and whats not. Basic rule of thumb is size of the house. How many seats. That basically defines what code it falls under. That's not all encompassing, but it's close.

We'll start off with the easy one:

OFF-OFF-BROADWAY.  
This really refers to any small theater. 99 seats or less. In reality there is no such thing as OffOff. It's just a designation for the smaller houses and non-union theater. Indie theater, Downtown theater, Independent Theater; these are better names for this type of theater. Small houses, many of which are in the 60-seat range. The majority of actors are non-union or AEA working under the AEA-Showcase code. (Basically allowing actors to work on non-union shows.) Doing a showcase will not garner you an equity card. It will not give you points. (If that's what you're looking for) But it is usually some of the most rewarding work. It's where we can be the most experimental. Imagine the work you did in college in your studio class, just now with an audience. Most actors out of school, or just moving from another region will find work here. It's how we grow and learn

BROADWAY
I think this is the second easiest.  You know when you're auditioning if this is going to be a in one of the big Broadway houses or not. In the breakdown it'll say who's producing it and what theater it's going to be in. Along with the type of call itself. Be it an audition for a principle or a chorus. The notice will say Longacre Theater, or Minskoff. Or it's an audition for a show currently running on Broadway and they're looking for replacements or understudies for down the line. The notice itself will say at the bottom what contract it falls under, LORT, LOA, LOA-NYC. These are just the different types of AEA agreements out there.  A break down of these contracts can be found on Equity's site, HERE.


Now for the 3rd kind.
OFF-BROADWAY
This one I feel is the source of most contention and issues. It seems like everyone claims their project to be "OFF-BROADWAY." I recently went to a seminar lead by Lisa Gold where an actor got up and was asking about how he could better market himself since moving (just like you) from L.A. to NYC. He said he's had some success booking roles but not as much as he would like. He said he had done some OFF-BROADWAY, but wanted to do bigger things and hopefully television. Lisa's first question was, "Are you Equity?" To which he replied, "No." "Then you didn't do anything OFF-BROADWAY."

If something is OFF-BROADWAY then it is a show covered under AEA. You'll sign a contract. It will have a specific length of time for it's run. And the house? Will have at least 100-499 seats. It's based on the seating capacity of the theater. Along with seating capacity, it's based on the specific play, musical, show..etc. It must adhere to the correct AEA agreement.

Now at one point the theater in question had to be within a certain proximity to the theater district. It has since been revised and includes almost any theater with a capacity of 100-499. Beyond 499 and it becomes a different agreement. One of the bigger contracts.  A list of OFF-BROADWAY theaters can be found HERE. If there is ever any doubt, here is the link to Equity's info on OFF-BROADWAY. This
breaks it down quite nicely.

And at the end of the day, if you're signing a contract it's either a BROADWAY or an OFF-BROADWAY production. If there is no contract then it's a non-union production, or a showcase with AEA actors in it.

One is not better than the other. But it's important to know what you're getting into. Most casting directors also know which shows are OB and which are not. So make sure your resume is accurate. You don't want to be called out on it, like the actor in Lisa Gold's seminar.

I hope this was helpful! And I hope other people find this equally useful. It's always a good idea to read everything and know exactly what you're getting into.

Photo A Day 94

Beautiful Theater. Beautiful Audience. 

Photo A Day 49

The set of Pericles from American Bard Theater at American Globe.  It's not our set, but something to play on for sure.

Memorization and things of that nature

So I'm sitting here in a starbucks with ai  living example of birth control running around causing headaches and tempers and headaches to rise.  I'm here asking for this punishment because there are just too many distractions at home.  I wony focus as hard surrounded by all my toys and such.  So I'm  here....distractes by this child who desperately needs to be restained and wondering..

What do you do to memorize lines? What are you tricks, tips, habits?  What works for you?

For me personally, I write my lines over and over killing many a tree in the process.  Something about being forced to go at a slower pace with every word and every line helps to cement it in my brain.  And with Shakespeare, where every syllable counts, its become very useful.

Also blocking rehearsals.  Moving through the space while saying my lines is just as powerful of a memory charm. Perhaps its part of muscle memory. 

So those are my main two memorization tools.  Of course I love the help of a friend running lines with me.  But these I can do on my own.

Yours?

SAG, Waivers, Vouchers and Union joys..

I in no way claim to be an expert on any of this.  Afterall, survival job/creative income/web design..all that stuff.

There, that was my disclaimer.  So this post is inspired by numerous conversations with friends, colleagues, anyone and everyone about joining a union.   If something is wrong, please let me know and I'll adjust the info.

So SAG.
There are so many questions surrounding this union.  And all unions.  I'm hoping to use this as a way to clarify.

How do I join sag?

There are a few ways to join the union.  Its not like AFTRA where you can just buy in. Nor is it like other workers unions where you have to be nominated by a member.  No no no. SAG makes you earn your member ship.  The first way, and way most people join is buy earning vouchers.
What's a voucher?  Well..here we go.

There are Vouchers and Waivers.  

This is a VOUCHER:

For every SAG production, there must be a certain number of union background members before they can use non-union.  Lets say the number is 20 for "imaginary Epic Film Project."  Now, if only 19 of those union members show up, the production crew HAVE to make a non union person union for the day.  How is this accomplished?  They give you a voucher.  This DOES NOT MEAN YOU'RE SAG.  It means for that day you were given SAG status.  Just for that day.  Yes it includes SAG wages as well.

You may see on notices that are seeing SAG and NON SAG that it will say..SAG RATE/WAGES for non-union.  This does not mean you'll be getting paid the SAG rate as a NON SAG member.  This means you'll be getting paid SAG's NON UNION rate.  Which is about $70 something a day.  79?  Something like that.  This came up on the last project I worked.  If you're hired as NON UNION, they're not going to throw money at you.  So be aware of that.

Now, this has to happen 3 times in order to make you eligible.  THREE!!  Again, you need three WAIVERS, and they're cumulative.  It could take a few months, weeks, or years.  It's completely random.  The ones I have I was called in specifically because of a certain look I have.  So I knew going in I was getting a voucher.  Makes it easy.  But that's not how it always works, obviously.

Now whats that WAIVER thing I mentioned before?: 

This is for all you SAG members who are looking to work on student films or indies.  Almost all student films allow SAG members to work for them penalty free.  Not all.  But most.  And some independent films.  Since they're so low budget they can't afford the union's day rate, so you get a waiver that does what it says...waives all the perks of being SAG.  But you're not going against your union.  It's just like an Equity Showcase code for stage actors.

So thats the first way.  And the main way most people join the Union.  It's tedious and takes a long time and a lot of patience, but SAG here you come.

Hey brother can you spare a TAFT HARTLEY?

You've probably heard this term bandied around a bit, it comes from the 1940's when labor unions were up in arms trying to right the many wrongs that were being done to the workers.  No one was safe, not even we actors.  What does it mean for an actor?  It means that if you, as a NON UNION actor are cast as a performer in a main role, supporting, anything with a line, and are paid for that work, you are considered  SAG ELIGIBLE.  Look at that.  Easy peasy.  Sure it doesn't happen that often, but it happens.  There are numerous anecdotes about how this act has been played out.  I know I read an article once where the lead actress came into a room and said good morning to a NON UNION BG actor.  Of course being NON, didn't have any lines.  Well after doing multiple takes all day, the Actress finally said, he needs to say good morning back.  A person would say good morning, they wouldn't ignore you.  At this point it was too late to switch in a union BG actor since they'd been filming all day.  Mr Lucky duck NON UNION?  Tafted.  Bam. Now after 30 day's he would have to either join, or stop working on UNION films.  This way forces your hand a little.  The VOUCHER method gives you the option to get as many as you like and stay NON as long as you like.  Taft Hartley rarely happens, but is another way to become a member of SAG.  There is a fine that the production has to pay for this to happen, which isn't too hefty, but still something to be avoided,  hence why it rarely happens.

I wanna Join too, here's some money!!!

The third way, which is probably the second most common, is the buy in method.  Some Unions, like AFTRA will happily take your money and BAM...union.  Not SAG, but AFTRA.  What does this mean for you, you potential SAG or even EQUITY member?  Well after a year, as long as you're a member in good standing and have filled that particular UNION's criteria, you can just buy in to the other UNIONS.  You're now eligible.  The criteria, i believe is 3 background credits, or one principle credit. My AFTRA credit is principle, so you know where I'll be in a year.  It's pretty simple.  But also takes time.  It's because they all consider themselves sister unions.  Sometime long ago, they were all sitting around drinking, crochetting on the train, something, and decided, they should join forces to help eachother out.  Join 1, in a year you can join em all.  it's a win win for the unions and for you.

I'm going to add to this as more info comes in and is made clearer.  I'm sure I missed some aspects, or potentially got something wrong.  But these are the basic ways people become union.

good luck!

Audition Thoughts, Dilema

So I have an audition tomorrow. Which is great. Yeah yeah, it's just an open call, but still. It's an audition. Should be fun. For a production of Measure for Measure up in Maine. Apparently thats the show of 2010. I just finished a small workshop production and a few dear friends of mine just ended a full fledged production. On top of the fact and I'm seeing little notices here and there.

I supposed it makes sense. It's got a lot of Shakespeare's top comedy and it's very relevant to today. Just interesting that one of his "lesser" plays is popping up all over lately.

So here is my Dilema. The audition tomorrow looks like a fun and new way of looking at the piece. Pays...woohoo. But it would conflict with another piece i have coming up that is near and dear to me. The piece coming up is not a definite. (But i don't see it not happening)

I just don't know if I should audition in the first place. Both are gambles of course. Now do I audition just to keep my skills sharp? See what happens? Make a decision later? Or do I not and bank on this other piece happening.

Anyone else ever encounter this? I'm sure there are a lot of stories like this. I left a production of Shrew 1/2 way because of a better gig. It was all arranged before hand and we all knew I couldn't do the whole run so we found a replacement. But still. ARG!

Florida Studio Theatre

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

  I know i have been a tad remiss in my blogging, but it has been a busy few weeks, make that months.  I promise to write more shortly.  The past month found me performing with the Misfit theatre rep company in Taming of the shrew as Grumio.  And shortly after I hitched a ride on a plane to sunny Florida and am currently working on a piece here at:

Florida Studio Theatre.  Woohoo!  Who wouldn't want that on their resume.  So I promise to write more and post the Shrew review and info about this current show within the next week.  The internet has been spotty at best, so its been an uphill battle to at least check my email before losing the signal completely to Thunderstorms, Power outages, or just sneezing at the wrong time and causing the air particles to re-allign in such a way that I don't get signal.  Bummer.

I promise to be back in the blog of things soon....stupid phrase I know.  But i'm alive and working at one of the beautiful little theaters down here. 

So look for more updates soon....

Actors' Equity

Ah, the elusive equity card.

We're all striving for it whether or not we claim to.

So many of us have been told to stay non-union for as long as possible. Don't become equity. But deep down we all want access to that lounge and the ability to add our names to official lists at auditions.

Here is the run down.
If you're not union, like me, you can wake up as early as you want. Be the first person on line before any audition. You could have been waiting out in the cold or rain (like i did yesterday) since 7:30 in the morning. When the doors finally open and you're allowed in, ALL equity members get to sign up first.

Thats how it works. So if you're lucky you get seen. If too many equity members show up you have no shot at even auditioning. So you get to add your headshot to an ever increasing pile of young starving artists.


Some theaters and companies hold non-union auditions. Which WE LOVE. THANK YOU!

But how to become equity? How can you do it when the only way to be seen is to be a part of the union. And the only way to be a part of the union is to get in a union show? The great Actor Catch 22.

Of course there truly is plenty of non-union work out there. And i love theater enough to do it. But my goal is to be able to support myself working as an actor. Only a few things pay enough for me to take some extra time off of my horrid day job. But for the most part I'm working interminably long hours for no pay. And often times no recognition.

I wouldn't give up this life for anything. But i'm ready for the next tier of my career. I just don't know how to get there yet.

So for now i continue to wait in lines on cold rainy days praying I'll be seen and then be worth enough for the producers to allow me in.

I'll see you in line.