<p>if you d or s already has an agent and is in equity, are they going to school to try to get a degree in MT and more training, or are they studying something else and continuing to auditon on the side?</p>
<p>I am not the mom of a child who is Equity. However, I have known many Equity kids who have gone on to get a degree in MT or Acting. There are a number of them even in my D's own BFA program. I know ones who have been on Broadway or in movies, still studying acting or MT in college. I also know some Equity kids who have chosen to get a degree in something else (which doesn't imply they do not want more training but simply are interested in studying something else).</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. She definitely would continue her training outside of college so that she can continue to pursue musical theatre if she didn't go to college for musical theatre. I'm just concerned that going far away from NYC for 4 years, people will forget about her. It takes time for casting directors, producers, etc. to get to know you. I really want her to go to college...just torn as to which route would be the best for her. I'm hoping some other moms out there can share their stories.</p>
<p>I am far from an expert on this (or any other topic, frankly!) but I have heard that it's quite difficult for teens through young adults to be cast, anyway. Casting directors apparently prefer to hire people ages 18 or older who look younger to play younger teens. If that's true, casting for baileyboy's D during the college years might be difficult, anyway.</p>
<p>Just a question from a Dad who is relatively new to all this and its terminology - when you refer to "in Equity", you basically mean that they belong to the applicable stage actors union and have worked in productions for companies which are union shops, etc. - meaning that your S or D is a true "professional" in that respect? (I'm a member of AFM, the musicians union, familiar with all the concepts but not the terminology in the MT/acting discipline).</p>
<p>Equity means that they belong to the union, yes. They have either been in an Equity production (thus gaining Equity status) or earned Equity points over time in various theaters that grant Equity points to actors. For an 18 year old, she likely became Equity by being in an Equity production (rather than through points over time). </p>
<p>However, you can get "professional" paid work and not be Equity. My child has done professional work in theater for pay but is not Equity.</p>
<p>yes, Beernut</p>
<p>Notmommarose you are right about that....she's tall (about 5'7") and older looking, so it is impossible to get work now...can't play 10 or 12. The kids that are tiny and older do work because they'd rather have a 17 year old that looks 10 but for my d I don't expect she would be able to anything until age 18. Or is that too young too? That's what I'm thinking...if she's not going to have any chance of booking anything maybe she should go away for the 4 years. She also auditions for TV and film (which is hard in NYC because there isn't too much) but that does start to open up more once they reach 18. I don't know about theatre though. Seems like a lot of the parts I see on Broadway that are supposed to be young ingenues are late 20's or even early 30's. Plus the older girls have so much more experience. A lot of the good training you can get working when young and over 18 is non-equity and she can't do that. To the other poster, equity refers to actors equity union.</p>
<p>Where does one get info about equity points, equity status, etc. Just curious how all this works for this union.</p>
<p>Susan is right. One does not need be a member of Equity to be a professional. There are thousands of non-Equity actors working who are paid professionals.</p>
<p>To the OP: in our experience, there are many young actors who have already worked professionally who choose to go to college and study theatre and advance their training. No actor I know, regardless of age, feels that they are not in need of further training, and certainly not teens who have worked as children. If your D is interested in pursuing a career as an actor, then she should be thinking about her college years just as any other h/s student does by determining if she wants a BFA or a BA experience, doing her research into different programs, visiting colleges, talking to students, comparing curricula, etc. There are many current students who have worked professionally, she won't be out of place or unique in that regard. :)</p>
<p>beernut, here you go:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.actorsequity.org/%5B/url%5D">http://www.actorsequity.org/</a></p>
<p>I know a mom, for one example, whose daughter became Equity as a child on Broadway in one musical. She then went to PSU for the BFA in MT Program. It was hard to even get summer work in theater because she could only do Equity work and there were many young women older than herself with more experience who were Equity who were much more likely to get cast to play younger teen roles. Many shows want actors who are over 18 (don't have to chaperone or tutor them) to play the teen roles. There is not a lot of work in theater for people who are chronologically truly a teen. Besides the age issue, those who are 22-25 who can look like a teen, have more training under their belt and are more competitive, I think, then a 17 year old (this is generally speaking....there are numerous exceptions) who is talented and was cast in an Equity show at a young age. </p>
<p>Again, I know plenty of kids who have been on Broadway or in films who still went to college to either get more training in acting or MT or else to get a degree in any field, and then plan to continue their career after college. </p>
<p>Your D doesn't have to be in NYC while she is in college. Actually, if she really wants a degree, then auditioning for work while in college, will pull her out of college. So, she has to assess her educational desires. My own kid has chosen not to audition for anything that would take her out of college, even though she goes to college in NYC at NYU/Tisch. But some do audition while in college and then have to leave. She has had friends in her BFA program who have done that and so that is a personal choice. Another issue if you are in a BFA program (not quite the same as in a BA in this instance), it is very difficult to hit the audition circuit in NYC because many auditions (particularly Equity ones) are on school days and the BFA programs have strict attendance requirements.</p>
<p>I cross posted with AlwaysAMom but completely agree that even though a child has become Equity prior to age 18, that doesn't mean that he or she is necessarily trained to the level of someone who has gone to college or continued training in the field. So, many kids who attained Equity as a child still go onto college for a BFA, or else choose to study something else. I have a junior HS student now who is Equity but is looking into college. My D has fellow peers in her BFA program who are Equity, even a couple famous ones.</p>
<p>I can only speak for the freshman in my program, but one of the girls has been on broadway and is equity, and regularly goes on auditions for TV, film, and theatre through her agent here in NYC. Quite a few of the freshman MTs in our program have agents and regularly go out on auditions/ castings.
I have an agent and manager, and before I moved to NYC for college, I was out on castings and shoots for TV/Film multiple times in one week. I chose to move to NYC and just train in MT and occasionally go for theatre auditions.
If your daughter wants to continue to audition she needs to find a program that will allow her to do so, because some programs highly discourage it and some ban it completely.</p>
<p>PM me if you need details about programs that allow you to.</p>
<p>alwaysamom, yes I know that non-equity are professionals too. My thought was that because she is essentially "ready to go", has an agent, and is in equity, should she just get out there and audition, or will she really suffer if she doesn't get a MT degree. I know a lot of other kids who are going to go to MT colleges who don't have an agent, and have never auditioned in NYC before and aren't in equity. That would make it difficult to go out there and audition at age 18. Some of them have done numerous shows at the high school level (and are very talented) but without an agent, and without being in equity, getting auditions would be tough. My understanding is that the colleges have showcases where the students can land an agent their senior year, which is something they are counting on. Since my d already has that, would it hurt her if she went to a liberal arts college and then just continued to audition and train on her own? I guess I'm wondering how important is that musical theatre degree if you want to really make it in the field. And not just the degree...the whole experience. I don't want her to flounder around for 4 years and then think, gosh she should have just done the 4-year MT program and maybe she would have been better trained. Then I hear too, of kids in MT programs that don't even get a chance to perform their freshman or sophomore years, and also that schools send kids off-campus to voice and dance anyway. I mean, is it worth it for someone like my d to pursue a degree in MT or should she get a degree in something else and do the MT training on her own? I think if you are in a MT program in college you can't audition for shows outside of school either.</p>
<p>baileyboy, as I wrote above, your D needs to decide if she wants to audition outside of school while in college and have to leave college if cast. Some do that. My D has plenty of friends who have done that. Others, like my D, have decided that they really want the college education and want to wait to hit the audition circuit until they are done the training in college. So, that is something your D needs to think about. There are plenty of kids in her program (and other college BFA programs) who already have an agent and/or are Equity. My own kid has had an agent in NYC since before she went to college but has chosen to not use the agent and do any auditiions in college that would take her out of college. I also believe her agent supports kids going to college (I can think of some well known MT actors represented by this agent, who were cast as kids and who then went on to earn their BFAs). </p>
<p>Again, there is not a lot of work in theater for an 18 year old. </p>
<p>Your D will not be hurt by attending a liberal arts college if that is what she wants. </p>
<p>Even though your D sounds experienced, she also may benefit from continued training on the college level. She will meet others with a great deal of experience (beyond HS shows) at most BFA programs and she will not be unique in that regard. </p>
<p>You asked how important a MT degree is in getting work.......the degree on the resume won't get you more work than no degree....it is about the audition. Howver, by earning a degree, you have hopefully attained a lot of training that will make you more competitive in an audition setting. </p>
<p>I do not think most BFA programs send students off campus for voice and dance. There may be some but most do not. At my D's school, they train in voice, dance, and acting in conservatory style studios. There are private voice lessons contracted through the college. The student may have to go to the voice teacher's private studio for that. </p>
<p>Indeed, many BFA programs do have a senior showcase where the seniors (or selected ones) are seen by agents and industry personnel. Students may gain agent representation out of these showcases. My own kid is in one in about ten days! You can still participate even if you have an agent (some of her friends in it already have an agent). But choosing to attend a BFA in MT Program shouldn't be about the showcase. If your D has an agent and wants to keep that agent, it doesn't matter as the showcase is a very small aspect of the degree program. It is about the training, not the showcase. </p>
<p>As far as not performing freshman year (a couple schools like CMU extend that to soph year), it is not the negative you may be assuming. I'll speak from experience. My own child had been in over 50 productions prior to entering a BFA in MT Program at age 16. She also had had some professional experience (for pay) as a MT actor. She was always involved in a show (or more then one) at any given time of the year for most of her childhood. You might think she would find the rule of not being able to be in shows her freshman year of college to be a negative, but it was not AT ALL. For one thing, it is only for 8 months. She was in two musicals (one professional) the summer before entering as a freshman and then in a professional summer Equity theater musical the summer after freshman year. She just was not in a musical for the 8 months of freshman year. Looking back on it (she is now a senior in college), she says she is SO GLAD that that was the rule because she could concentrate on the training and has become a performer at a higher level and so the shows she has been in since freshman year, she feels paid off that she got to have more training under her belt before doing them. She said she could see why the faculty have this rule. Also, during her freshman year, it was not like she never performed ever. She just wasn't cast in a full musical (per the rules). But during her freshman year, she performed a lot in her studio (CAP21). As well, she was the pianist for a musical, which is another aspect of performing. She also was in a coed a cappella group and they performed a lot, as well as competed and so she was singing on stage in that setting. </p>
<p>While it sounds like your D has had experience (was she on Broadway?), she won't be the only child entering a BFA program with a lot of experience, including professional, under her belt. Yes, there will be some kids with a lot less experience. There will be a range. Again, I know many kids in her program at Tisch, as well as friends in other college theater programs, who already worked professionally before attending college. They still are learning a lot in college and will take it to a higher level when they graduate.</p>
<p>Thanks so much everyone for your advice. I definitely want her to go to college...just trying to decide if she should stay in NYC so she can audition, or give up auditioning now altogether and just get all the proper training and degree for MT so she will have a chance to perhaps get on Broadway one day. I suppose I should talk with her agent next year and see what they think. My big concern, is that all the connections she's made, etc. will be lost if she goes far away to another state and isn't seen for 4 years. Maybe she should just audition for the MT programs and see if she even gets in...I know they are very competitive and there's no guarantee you will even be accepted.</p>
<p>I'll give you one example....a brother and sister who had my D's agent....were on Broadway as kids.....one then went to UMich, the other to CMU. Both have since been on Broadway or National Tours after college. The one at CMU didn't graduate college. The one at UMich did. Being away at college, didn't seem to hurt them later when they re-entered the professional audition circuit.</p>
<p>Thanks so much soozievt for your help. My daughter has no where the experience your daughter has. She was in wonderful off-Broadway show that transferred to Broadway (but she was unable to move, as she grew too tall) but it was nontheless a wonderful experience, has done some benefits and Broadway workshops. She has also done summer shows and shows at her school, but isn't one of those "Broadway kid" types who has worked like crazy. Like I said, she is 5'7". She loves singing so much and all types of music. She also plays the guitar and has been writing songs for several years, so music is her thing. I guess I'm the one with the hang-up. I am frankly, so nervous about continuing in the biz at all...the fact that you never know when your next job will be, you can't control anything, etc. you know the drill. She doesn't have the problem with it...it's me. My husband makes a good living and she has always had a nice life and I am afraid if she is not successful (which most of the people that go into this really aren't working constantly) and have to moonlight waiting tables, etc. she won't be happy. She thinks she going to be on Broadway and really believes in herself. I believe in her too, but as a parent who's been in the biz a while, I guess I am a bit jaded and just want to make sure I steer her in the right direction. I recently read the book "Making it on Broadway" which maybe I shouldn't have. It is a great book, but it's the reality of it all, in the stars own words. How do other parents deal with this...supporting their children's but at the same time trying to be realistic...or am I just really negative?</p>
<p>baileyboy, my reference to 'professionals' was directed at beernut's comment.</p>
<p>I have to disagree with you that your D is 'ready to go' just because she has an agent and is an Equity member. I think what this decision comes down to, in large part, is how you (the universal you) value a college education. As I said, I don't know any actor who ever feels that their training is over, and I know a lot of actors of all ages. For an 18 year old to try to arrange their own training and just focus on auditioning is, in my opinion, a bad decision. Even with representation, which MIGHT allow for an advantage in SOME auditions, there just aren't enough calls for an actor of that age. The number of auditions, in general, in the city have dropped drastically in the past six months, and the increase in numbers at open calls has increased in an equally dramatic fashion. In this economy, and at this particular time, I think that a plan such as this is even more of a mistake. I honestly don't think she has anything to lose by going to college for four years, particularly since she made the decision to join Equity at a young age and is unable to accept any non-Eq work. This is a decision that young actors need to think about long and hard.</p>
<p>I don't think your D will necessarily suffer without a MT degree but I do think that in the long run, she will suffer without some sort of degree. The benefits of a college education will always be there, and a degree will always be beneficial for an actor. As for getting auditions without having an agent or professional experience, open calls are filled with such individuals. It's true that college showcases sometimes result in representation for some of the participants, but certainly not all get their agents in this way. </p>
<p>As for the liberal arts college route, I think this comes back to what type of college experience your D wants. Many actors go to colleges and graduate with a BA and go on to work professionally. Neither the BFA nor the BA is any guarantee of future success or the ability to book work. There are many actors, and successful ones, who didn't go to college at all. I'm not an advocate of that route because it tends to be kids who get their first professional job right out of h/s and then are lucky enough to continue that. One family friend is in that boat and is currently in South Pacific on Broadway. He got his first job at age 19 and has worked ever since, including the past eight years on Broadway. He is, by far, the exception, and is extremely fortunate. :)</p>
<p>There are schools which do restrict performance opportunities for freshmen, this isn't unusual, and not necessarily a bad thing, even for experienced kids. Not everyone agrees with this but then, not all programs do this. Again, I think it comes down to a question of what your D wants her college years to be. If she wants to pursue a career in acting and wants to totally immerse herself in training for that, then a BFA is probably the route she wants to take. If she wants to study theatre but also study other subjects and have a more typical college experience, then a BA program is likely for her. I think those are the two possibilities that she should be looking at, not the auditioning/training one, but, as they say, your mileage may vary. :)</p>
<p>alwaysamom and everyone else, I really do appreciate your input. As you said, she is not really "ready to go" because she needs more training...just ready to go in that her agent will send her on auditions and she can go to equity calls without waiting, etc. but that being said, it doesn't mean she is going to book work. I do agree she needs more training and I know she would love a musical theatre school or perhaps a more traditional school as well. And she really does need to get a degree. I too, have heard of kids who audition right out of high school, get their first professional job and then keep working, but that is indeed, the exception to the rule. And you have confirmed what I thought, which is that at 18, there really isn't that much work either. Obviously they will go with the more experienced, older and more mature performer in most cases. I guess we have to have a real heart to heart and see what she really wants to do, but I definitely think after chatting with everyone here that if Broadway is what she wants, she really needs to get into one of these good MT programs. Thanks so much everyone, for all your help!</p>