<p>Yeesh, thanks for the heads up.</p>
<p>Just be aware. These cabarets can be lot of fun and many MTs do them. Some do pay a percentage of the house as well as give you video. But itâs not something that students and anyone else on a budget can easily afford to attend on a regular basis. </p>
<p>Thanks, I wondered about those. Pay to play is very annoying, though. My MT kid is fully committed right now to not doing anything for free since this is now her profession. Weâll see how this goes.</p>
<p>Tough to follow a hard and fast rule about doing nothing for free in this business. Sometimes great opportunities that pay nothing but provide experience and connections that can lead to other things. I see that as different than paying to play. </p>
<p>Yes, I agree, Halflokum. This mostly comes from advice she got from an agent a few years ago and she is past the age where I get to tell her what to do, anyway. At this point I do hope she loosens up her rules a little after graduation. But, not too much. We do know grads still doing community theater or filling their time doing unpaid gigs which Iâm pretty sure there is no shortage of in NYC or elsewhere. On the other hand, a recent grad who did a lot of that cabaret stuff has just booked a national tour so maybe all the networking was a factor in her favor. Who knows?</p>
<p>I would think the networking would be beneficialâŠ</p>
<p>Bisouu I donât think there is a way to gage who if anyone of importance in the industry would be there. </p>
<p>If my child did that I would insist they postcard agents, managers and casting directors in hopes someone even an assistant shows up. This reminds me of workshops and masterclasses in the acting world. There you do get in front of industry people but for the most part they are not really in the market to buy what your selling. They have been paid to be there and are there more often to make money. </p>
<p>You are right, I just meant more along the lines ofâŠthe director you are working with in the cabaret show might one day do something of more significance and would remember working with you. </p>
<p>Might could get very expensive is the point, I guess. But that is definitely the hope for those doing these things.</p>
<p>Agents and even assistants do not show up at these kind of cabarets unless perhaps they already had interest in seeing someone perform. But in any case, they would expect to be on the guest list to get in for free. They will not pay. After Dâs graduation, some friends did these kinds of shows, but they soon realized that their friends were not showing up because of the cost. If you are a struggling actor yourself, nobody has a budget for their friends shows. Everyone tries to get free or reduced price tickets.</p>
<p>^^^thought so and thus the heads up to know where you stand on it.</p>
<p>My daughter has never paid to play. However, she has performed countless times in NYC for no pay in concerts and cabarets. Her network has grown. Things have happened due to certain people in the audience several times. The venues and events have become more significant over time. She doesnât do this instead of paid work, but in addition to it. It is good to be on stage often in NYC and if you love to perform, keep performing.</p>
<p>^^^By âneverâ I assume you mean since college. Nor has my daughter but she has done several things for free and frankly very little that paid and what did pay, paid little. If you are really keeping track of the math, âfor freeâ can amount to a form of paying for play because you do have transportation and other costs associated with being in the performance which if there is no salary or stipend, comes out of your pocket. The hope is that the experience is worth it and yields skill building and networking opportunities that can lead to other things. That and the love of performing make the math work even though it doesnât. Iâm completely with you - keep performing!</p>
<p>Yes, I did mean since college. I understand about the cost of transportation, but in the case of living in NYC, daughter has a monthly subway pass whether she works for free or pay or does anything. I do think if you are building a career as a performer in a place like NYC, if you can get yourself on stage as much as possible, it is good to do so, though you donât need to pay to do so. </p>
<p>You have to judge each performing opportunity on its own merits, and hopefully your kids will have a little network of artistic and business mentors to run things past to help gauge their merits. I do think there is value in saying yes to certain opportunities, whenever feasible. But I second @halflokum in warning everyone that the cost of these events can add up. I know my S was disappointed when his MT roommate and his Dancer friend couldnât attend a recent cabaret where his music was performed. Too expensive for them with ticket and minimum and no comps available. I told him âwelcome to your new lifeâ where as performers you wonât always be able to attend each otherâs shows. You need to talk to your kids and help them budget for these things â everyone wants to go and support their friends â but theyâre all entering a time when they could conceivably be out every night at friendsâ shows or events and it adds up. </p>
<p>^^^Bingo and explained way better than my attempt. </p>
<p>I think there is a difference between play to pay and doing things for free. I was just reading a Playbill article in their great series about auditioning and Lindsay Mendez said she really believes you should say yes to everything until you no longer can. I think her perspective is super valuable and makes sense. Pay to play is totally different.</p>
<p>I agreeâas long as it is a manageable time commitment and not a money commitment, most exposure and practice is worth it. Although D has chosen not to audition and is working full-time, she loves to be asked to perform in readings, recitals, etc.</p>
<p>I read the same article @evilqueen. Interestingly, Lindsay teaches a very popular workshop series for actors, that people pay for, and from that workshop series a few students are selected to be in a cabaret (where people buy tickets and there is a per person minimum). Is that cabaret a âpay-to-playâ? Maybe not technically, but the only way to get into it is to take the workshop. My son took the workshop, got selected for the cabaret many many months later, and a few months after that, a video filmed at that cabaret helped him get hired for a great out-of-town workshop of a new musical. Ultimately, it was absolutely worth the initial investment in the class â although at the time, we could have never known where it would lead. He just knew cool people he admired were involved. </p>
<p>So thatâs where my advice about helping our kids build a network comes in. Encourage your kids to run these opportunities by their mentors at school or out in the working world to gauge their value â and sometimes they have to trust their gut and say yes or no based on their mental list of pros and cons. Certainly who the players are, and the financial implications of their involvement, are critical parts of that cost-benefit equation. </p>
<p>Lastly, I think one of the best ways our kids can be âworkingâ is to collaborate with each other â I see many examples in my circles of friends of MT students joining forces to mount small productions, to put on their own cabarets, or to write new work. It can be done and there are many spaces and places that need performers to fill slots. Then theyâre saying âyesâ to each other and thatâs a powerful thing.</p>
<p>I think workshops are another separate thing in that they are training (or are supposed to be) as well as exposure. It is interesting as someone mentioned to compare the film and tv world where workshops of that nature are an expected part of an actorsâ training and expenses well after the college years. </p>