How soon to get equity or SAG cards?

College Majors Musical Theater Major
41

There are a couple things related to this discussion that seem relevant but haven’t been mentioned much yet.

First, based on watching D’s past year play out I’d say that having a strong agency has mattered more than an Equity card in her case. In spite of her choice not to take an AEA card yet, her agency has been able to get scheduled audition slots for everything suited to her, and she has had plenty of equity theatre casting and callbacks, so her AEA status hasn’t seemed to be any sort of deterrent yet as far as I can tell.

Second, I think the answer to when to take your card might vary greatly not only between markets but also based on your type. For example, I know of several theatres in regional markets that use Equity slots for male ensemble dancers, while casting non-equity female singing leads in the same show, simply because strong male dancers are a rarer commodity. Similarly, I’ve heard of companies who routinely reserve Equity contracts for “actors of a certain age” and by that they do not mean 22-year-olds.

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Thank you @CanadianMTgirl, my mistake (though I think the dilemma still applies).

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I have come full circle on this issue over the past year.

Take your card as soon as you are able to get it. (I used to think young actors should wait.)

You will almost never get seen at an EPA (and rarely at an ECC) without your card. It also makes getting representation easier.

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@TheaterHiringCo What made you change your mind?

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For what it’s worth, I’m not sure that either of these things are true in every market, or for every actress/actor. They may very well be true in NYC now for most people.

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What I hear is that you can get into most calls in Chicago without EMC points, though you might have to wait. (And not Steppenwolf, you have to have EMC for that.)

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Yes, I should have clarified. That is for New York - but New York is a great deal of the market.

I also think it refers to the major theatres as mid-sized markets too (Chicago, Atlanta, etc.).

@lojosmo - I changed my mind because I see too many talented actors locked out of EPAs because they don’t have their card. EPAs are dramatically different than they were ten years ago. If you are Non-Eq without an agent you will be hard pressed to be seen at a non-required call.

If the goal is major regional theatre and Broadway - get your card.

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TheatreHiringCo, it would be great if you could expand on your advice and how you got there. Any and all advice is valuable.

I do agree with MomCares that the advice will vary depending on the market and the actor.

The market is very different regionally than in NYC, and is in turn very different depending on the region. In my own regional area, for instance, EMC doesn’t count for open calls at all; it’s treated just like non-equity.

But I think people also have to take into consideration what sort of audition we’re talking about.

There are all sorts of open calls. In NYC, they are divided often into equity and others (and EMC? I don’t know the NYC market well). In our region they simply divided into equity seen first and by appointment; then non-equity as time permits.

However, that said, cattle calls are extremely hard to get anything out of. You can, but the chances are really low. Think of any job you know. You have a lot lower chance of landing a job by sending your resume ‘blind’ as an answer to an ad, than if you are brought in because x referred you, or y recruited you. Is it impossible to land a ‘job’ via open casting calls? No. It’s just very hard.

There are other forms of being seen. As Momcares points you, you can have a great agent even if you’re not equity. I do agree with TheatreHiringCo that having equity makes you much more desirable to agents in general.

But you can also apply directly to the theatre to be seen for this or that role (with a cover letter), and/or you can send in your resume/headshot for the year for consideration. This doesn’t need representation or being equity.

Also, many regions have large regional auditions in which once a year you are seen for dozens of theaters at once. In most, you have to apply to be seen. If you are equity you are guaranteed to be seen. If you are non equity, you are not guaranteed. They may have a lottery system or they may view your resume individually on a case by case basis.

I think this is a really complex issue but would welcome the wisdom of TheatreHiringCo and other voices. I do think it depends on your own personal goals and your own personal situation.

49

As I have one son with card and one son without (both rising seniors) it will be an interesting experiment in our family to see how this plays out. I do worry that a vast amount of tours – even first national tours, like Bullets over Broadway, are going out non-Eq, so I worry about where the work is for young actors with their cards. Sigh. We never stop worrying, do we?

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Equity vs. non-Equity tours are almost at parity, at least in numbers - 24 vs. 20. Equity maintains lists of both types:

https://www.actorsequity.org/newsmedia/touring_main.asp

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Well, @EmsDad the number of equity vs. non equity MT boys in my family is at parity, too - 1 vs 1. :wink: :))

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@MTTwinsinCA - I actually meant to echo the grim observation in your post. Equity had touted at one point that they had “reclaimed the ground lost” to non-Equity tours, which seemed to be the case in 2012 when the tour count was 25 to 9. Unfortunately, things seem to be slipping back away from Equity to some extent - hence, the “Ask if its Equity” campaign that started last fall.

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I’m not saying that waiting to take an offered Equity card is a wise choice for everyone, but our D’s goal is major regional theatres and Broadway, and in the past year she has not had trouble getting representation, being seen (including for Broadway) or booking work (in major regional theatres) without her card. I have no idea what will happen after her current contract, what would have happened in a different market, or what might have happened if she had taken her card earlier, but so far opting to wait has not been the kiss of death in her case (knock on wood).

We also know some kids her age who did opt to take cards when she chose not to who feel they have had more difficulty booking contracts as a result.

We also know talented kids without cards who have a very hard time being seen in NYC.

It is a tough choice in some markets, for some actors.

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10char

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Wow… I just read through all these posts and my son this summer, may have to decide about his equity position. He is a sophomore in college… so much to consider and think about!

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My two cents: take your card only when you have to take your card. If you’re an EMC, retain that status as long as possible. There’s lots of non-union work out there, especially in summer stock, and once you have that card it’s forever foreclosed to you.

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^Totally agree with CTDramaMom!

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Congrats on a wonderful problem to have, though! (My S has a grand total of 9 EMC points, so we will not be thinking about this for a while.)

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@MTTwinsinCA - I’d love to hear an update if your two S’s opinions (or your opinion) about having or not having AEA cards have changed at all since last summer.

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My daughter has had her card since she was 12. There are advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that she can get seen far more easily at ECCs and EPAs. The disadvantage is that she cannot do any non union work. She even has to write for waivers for school productions, and will have to continue to do so in college, although Equity always grants waivers for productions that are school related.