So ... After 2 and a half years, 13 shows, more than 25,000 miles of driving, 70 new Facebook friends, 6 new BFFs and an average of $200/week, I am finally going to be a professional actor. That's right, I am finally joining Actor's Equity Association (for those of you don't know, it's the union for actors and stage managers). This is a major step for anyone who is trying to be an actor and I consider it to be a major accomplishment. I am even more excited about this since it comes with a job! Yep, I was cast in The 39 Steps for a theatre and a director that I love, love, love and it will be my first Equity job.
Now some of you may have noticed I said I was going to finally be "a professional." Apparently even though I was getting paid to act for the last 2.5 years AND all of the theatres put me up in housing and many paid for my transportation, I still wasn't considered a professional because I wasn't in the union.
I have been called a "non-pro" on several occasions including by an artistic director who I had worked for AND by a representative from Equity. I find this interesting since some of the "professionals" I have worked with play jokes on stage to make their fellow actors break character, phone in their performances, constantly complain, tattle on castmates they don't like, treat the crew like servants or just completely disregard union rules. And people wonder why I've been hesitant to join this "professional union".
Now I know that these few jackasses are just that. A few. They're not representative of the whole. The majority are hard-working artists who care deeply about their fellow actor and the craft of acting and these are the people I am proud to join. I am proud, too, that I have worked really hard for this and have made it to 50 weeks of Equity work and have a strong resume full of good solid work with respected theatres.
I also said in the past that I didn't want to move to NYC if I wasn't Equity and now, the two are happening at the same time. Kind of makes me think it's all meant to be!
Daily Activities for My Career:
Now some of you may have noticed I said I was going to finally be "a professional." Apparently even though I was getting paid to act for the last 2.5 years AND all of the theatres put me up in housing and many paid for my transportation, I still wasn't considered a professional because I wasn't in the union.
I have been called a "non-pro" on several occasions including by an artistic director who I had worked for AND by a representative from Equity. I find this interesting since some of the "professionals" I have worked with play jokes on stage to make their fellow actors break character, phone in their performances, constantly complain, tattle on castmates they don't like, treat the crew like servants or just completely disregard union rules. And people wonder why I've been hesitant to join this "professional union".
Now I know that these few jackasses are just that. A few. They're not representative of the whole. The majority are hard-working artists who care deeply about their fellow actor and the craft of acting and these are the people I am proud to join. I am proud, too, that I have worked really hard for this and have made it to 50 weeks of Equity work and have a strong resume full of good solid work with respected theatres.
I also said in the past that I didn't want to move to NYC if I wasn't Equity and now, the two are happening at the same time. Kind of makes me think it's all meant to be!
Daily Activities for My Career:
- Monday - calling AEA and starting the process to join the union
- Tuesday - Voice Lesson and recording audition notes into my actor journal
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