<p>@lojosmo - So true!</p>
<p>But do the cards have a date or place of issue? Are you a member of National AEA, or are there Regional AEAs to which you belong? Is there a special AEA-Platinum card you get on Broadway? 
If so, does any of that matter to anyone?</p>
<p>All AEA cards look the same regardless of where, when, or how you obtain. </p>
<p>I pulled mine out to look at just now. It has my name, member number, expiration date (you get a new card once you pay your dues each time), signature.</p>
<p>@KatMT - Thank you once again! </p>
<p>:) You are welcome! </p>
<p>Thereâs a blog post by a young OCU graduate floating around, and while I donât know if her experience is typical, it makes me think if I had the choice I would grab the Equity card just to avoid the open calls sheâs describing. The blog also reminds me why I couldnât finish the AnnoyingActorFriend book. </p>
<hr>
<p>⊠snip</p>
<p>For a while after I first moved, I was going to lots of musical auditions: cattle calls, EPAs, ECCs, tours, etc. Any young woman currently in the industry will tell you we have always had it much rougher than the men, but with economic setbacks, itâs even worse these days. 400 women will show up to audition for about 8-10 roles whereas 180 men will show up for about 10-15 roles. You do the math; itâs bleak. I could get into a whole discussion about the lack of equal representation for women in the entertainment industry, but that is a much lengthier topic that deserves its own time. ANYWAY, the thing about auditioning with 399 other women on a regular basis is having to squeeze into a holding room for hours on end while weâre all waiting to audition and listen to them all try to one up each other about their resume credits, the famous people theyâve worked with/know, etc. Iâm sure this happens at the male audition calls too. Iâm not one for audition chitchat, personally. I like to come in, do my thing, and get out and on with my day, so I got used to bringing my iPod or a book to drown everyone else out, but itâs hard. And itâs not everyone doing it, but you can feel the negative animosity buzzing around you, and it was starting to make me dread going to musical auditions. In fact, the more musical auditions I went to, the more miserable I felt.</p>
<p>To clarify, I could give two sh**s about whatâs on your resume (because if I wanted to know, Iâd just read it) or who you know/worked with, because on the day of the audition it only matters what you can do NOW, but the negativity being thrown around is unsettling. Everyone around town uses a website called Audition Update to check the progress of various auditions throughout the day, whether callbacks are being given out, etc. Itâs a great resource. But Iâm dismayed by one particular aspect of the website called the Bitching Post where you can literally â â â â â via web comments about how auditions are run, various theatres, even people you may have worked with. After reading through diatribe after diatribe each more hateful and venomous than the last, I realized this was the same crap I was hearing at auditions, and not only was it hurtful to those on the receiving end of these comments, but totally unprofessional conduct from people I consider colleagues.</p>
<p>And it doesnât stop there. Too often over the course of my 2+ years in this city, I have been at gatherings with musical theatre industry people and when the topic is turned to a fellow artistâs singing performance on a national or international stage, that artist is completely ripped to shreds with no redeeming qualities mentioned whatsoever (a lot of it online, which is the breeding ground for a lot of bad juju). Apparently, according to some, this is acceptable simply because we all have fancy advanced degrees in singing so we have more knowledge and itâs âconstructive criticism.â I donât know about you, but I find it hard to believe saying someone sounds like theyâre dying and should stop singing forever or just âraped my earsâ is âconstructive.â Itâs actually just vitriolic, petty, and mean. I find myself wincing at the words coming from some of my colleaguesâ mouths or computer keyboards every time someone sings on national television or a YouTube clip or even just a cast recording. I understand weâre all educated, trained artists with differing opinions, but when youâre watching the Oscars or the Sound of Music Live Broadcast JUST HOPING to see Idina or Carrie crash and burn vocally instead of in support of fellow artists doing something exciting and challenging, it says a lot more about what kind of artist and person YOU are than what kind of artist and person these women are. Remember when your mother said âif you donât have anything nice to say, donât say anything at all?â Well, I do, and this whole mentality that itâs okay to rip a person (and one you donât even know personally) apart simply because youâre âeducated,â actually doesnât make you look educated at all. It doesnât take an education to spew icky words. There is a big difference between being passionate and being poisonous and too many, I fear, are confusing one for the other and veering more into the latter category where this industry is concerned. Itâs becoming an epidemic, unfortunately, and not just in musical theatre. Itâs everywhere: just look at Twitter. Look at comment boards.</p>
<p>âŠcontâd</p>
<p><a href=âLet It Go or Why Iâve Quit Musical Theatre (For Now, Anyway) | The Art of Making Artâ>http://theartofmakingart.â â â â â â â â â â â â â /2014/03/03/let-it-go-or-why-ive-quit-musical-theatre-for-now-anyway/</a></p>
<p>I have another quick question.</p>
<p>Can anyone speak to the relative merits of having a non-equity national or international tour on your resume versus several Equity contracts at well-known regional theatres during the same timeframe?</p>
<p>Iâm assuming on a non-equity national tour you would be working with less experienced actors, but would obviously experience all that goes with touring.</p>
<p>Which credit(s) would garner more attention/respect in the industry? Which experiences would be apt to teach you more important skills?</p>
<p>As a mid-level summer stock that has had many Broadway, TV, and Film actors early in their career - I think young actors really donât think enough about AEA vs Non-AEA. At SETC this year I found about 75 women 18-22 that were as good as ANY talent I can find at a NYC call. </p>
<p>Young actors need to ask themselves what is more important, getting more work and fleshing our your resume or limiting your opportunities but making sure those opportunities are quality. </p>
<p>I am of the Sesame Street Live/Disney generation - where many actors got their cards doing Sesame Street Live or Disney World.</p>
<p>I can pay $300-$400/week to a non-AEA or $800-$1000 with salary, per diem, union dues, health insurance, etc to an Equity actor. To me, the Equity actor has to be SIGNIFICANTLY better than the the non-union. Most of my AEA contracts go to âActors of a Certain Ageâ, actors with unique and challenging to hire ethnic backgrounds, and actors who I can market because of their resume (Series Regular on ___ for six years!). </p>
<p>I always think the best thing for a 21 year old to do is get EMC (can still get into most EPAs), and get around 40 points. It gives you a lot of opportunities over the next few years to make some smart career decisions. </p>
<p>Question to @TheaterHiringCo, from parent of H.S. Senior - if you are hiring young, non-AEA for summer stock, are the actors then paying for their own housing? And do they tend to be on their parentsâ health insurance? just planning for the future.</p>
<p>Short term theater jobs do not come with health insurance. LOL Frequently, they are lucky to get a paycheck. If they are college students they would likely be on a college plan. And, yes, mom and dad often pay for insurance along with subsidizing food and rent. Planning for the future is tricky when you are talking about jobs that last 6 weeks. </p>
<p>Some summer stock programs offer room and board. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your perspective as an employer, @TheaterHiringCo! It is good to be reminded that theatres are also businesses managing limited budgets.
Another sobering reminder about the flood of talent the business is awash in.
Some of our kids will also have to figure out how to pay their bills, which makes it tough to live out of town on $300 per week (or often even less), particularly if they canât sublet their home-base apartments. Itâs sad that after investing 4 years of time and tuition in intensive training most kids wonât command a living wage, particularly considering that very few will be employed even 40 weeks a year, but I guess thatâs always been the nature of this business.
Iâm guessing this is true in many theatres, which would mean many of our kids would need to remain non-equity far longer than they could be earning EMC points, since Iâm guessing âActors of a Certain Ageâ are over 24.
Does EVERY Equity contract have the possibility of being done for EMC points, or do only certain theatres participate in that program? If you choose to take EMC points for a contract versus your card, can you decide to accept a card on any subsequent Equity contract or do you need to complete the full 50 EMC points before applying?</p>
<p>Just answering a few questions here:</p>
<p>@mom4bwayboy We cover all housing (we have decent accommodations) and travel to/from our theater (If more than 100 miles). The difference in housing for our AEA/Non-AEA is that Non-AEA get multiple-occupancy. </p>
<p>Regarding insurance - yes, almost all are on their parentâs insurance, or their collegeâs insurance. The said reality about AEA is that most Equity people we use, donât use AEA insurance because they canât rely on accumulating that weeks - and purchase their own anyway. </p>
<p>@Flossy I think I need to clarify some of your doubts. I offer 13 week contracts at a salary to non-Eq that is comparable to most low-level AEA contracts. An internship at my theater is $200/week + housing and travel (usually). A lead non-AEA salary is between $300-$400/weekly + housing and travel (usually). It certainly isnât a hugely profitable endeavor, but it is close to what they would make at a non-theater summer job. Also, my actors only perform (no tech requirements, outside of us begging for help with a HUGE turnover between shows). </p>
<p>@momcares I think one important skill you can all teach your children is to NEGOTIATE. I will ALWAYS raise salary if they ask (it may only be $25/week, but its something) and often times I will cover what they need to make staying the summer with us worthwhile. I gave a girl a bump of $100/week so I could cover her rent for summer, and I gave a young man more than I have ever given a college student ($500/week) so that he would play a lead role for us - my first offer to him was for $300/week. Many theaters CANâT go up, but most CAN, and will. I build a lot of negotiating room in my budget. </p>
<p>Regarding the Equity piece - correct. Actors of a certain age are 30+ (sad industry, isnât it?). </p>
<p>And not to gripe about AEA too much, but we tried to go SPT a few years ago (we would hire more AEA, pay them less, and offer EMC) but AEA makes it almost impossible financially. To avoid too many specifics, they make you sign First-# agreements, which means the First certain number of contracts you sign for each show are AEA. It made it impossible for me. I want to use AEA so that when I do Pippin, I can AEA Charlemagne, Fastrada, Berthe, and maybe a LP or Catherine - but I want to keep Pippin and Louis as non-Eq college kids if possible.</p>
<p>Also - you can take Equity at any point after being offered a contract, EMC or not. I canât remember the exact amount of time, but I think you three years before your points expire, and your NEXT AEA-eligible contract after 50 points has to be AEA. </p>
<p>Hope this helps. </p>
<p>Thanks for the info @TheaterHiringCo.</p>
<p>Thanks for the added info, @TheaterHiringCo.</p>
<p>What I am learning from watching the process up close is that this is a HUGELY complex decision for a young actor. When offered an Equity card, they have to make tradeoffs involving pending contracts they may or may not be offered, which may or may not be Equity, since many actors are auditioning now for roles up to 9 months into the future. A current Equity contract may or may not offer the option of taking EMC points instead of accepting a card, so it is often an all-or-nothing choice.</p>
<p>Take the card too soon, and you may pass up lots of great future resume credits and experiences. Pass on the card while in college, and you may end up as an agent-less grad, standing in open call lines in NYC at 4am only to get sent home unseen. </p>
<p>Seriously, managing an engineering career is SO much simpler than this.</p>
<p>
This brings up a question Iâve had. Where do all the current non-equity tours find decent older actors for roles that require them? What person over 30 could afford to accept a non-equity tour contract, and how talented are those who are still non-equity at that age?</p>
<p>Another good question @MomCaresâ
First - NonEquity tours are usually pretty good paying, especially if you are a lead role. I know it is hard to fathom, but most AEA contracts (Especially at low-level LORT, SPT, and high-level LORT 2nd Stages) are lower than Non-Eq tours. Think in the $650low end to $1200+ high end on top of the no-rent (if you can sublet) while on tour. Very similar to a high-level Cruise ship contract.
Regarding finding actors that are talented at that age - it is significantly harder, but not impossible. First, you look in cities where being an AEA actor is difficult, so alot of talent is Non-Eq (Cleveland, Atlanta, Orlando, etc.) They have great, aged, non-AEA talent. It will cost maybe $600/week, but really, thats not a bad salary (about $30,000/year if you can book constant work).<br>
Also, the actors who live in LA and NYC who are non-Eq and still looking for work - they are often times coming back to the profession. They took time off, gave up their card or maybe never had it, and then want to start acting again. Whether they missed it, are going through a mid-life crisis, or had a major life changing event (divorce, etc.) - the talent is there, just not the years of experience their contemporaries may have. </p>
<p>The bottom line is that talent is talent. Think of that girl from this yearâs National High School Musical Theater Awards. She won the Blumey (Charlotteâs HS Award), went to NYC for the Jimmys (at 17, I believe), and Tara Rubin saw her, and she is now playing Kim the West End revival of Miss Saigon. </p>
<p>Being Non-Eq has never prevented someone from getting a job. It may prevent them from being seen (although rarely), but never from being hired. More and more Casting Directors WANT to see Non-Eq, so if they arenât being seen it is usually because they got in line wayyyy too late, they are being typed out (part of the biz), or the part wasnât going to them anyway.</p>
<p>@TheaterHiringCo - once again, thanks for your perspective!
So far that hasnât been our experience, but itâs interesting to know it can happen.
I have recently heard plenty of third-hand stories of non-equity folks (even with agents) not being seen, which does put a damper on being hired. 
Iâve also been wondering recently about what % of roles are virtually filled in casting directorsâ minds long before open calls are ever held. If only 2% of jobs ever go to folks seen cold at open calls, maybe it really doesnât matter if you canât be seen as a non-eq performer at those calls since your odds are so low. If, on the other hand, 80% of casting happens from open calls, being seen might be more important.</p>
<p>So much I donât know that might influence a young personâs decision about taking a card. Lucky I donât face this confusing choice!</p>
<p>I might have been confusing - I just mean, the way that the casting process usually works is that if you arenât being seen (Equity, Non-Eq, whateverâŠ), it means you werenât getting the part anyway. Sometimes (usually) EPAs of major shows (esp. Broadway) are held simply because they have to hold themâŠ
When a show really wants new, interesting talent they hold tons of calls all over the place. Think Newsies which held a national casting call, AEA and Non-EqâŠMotown just did the same thing. Those are calls that you actually have a shot at. Spring Awakening did it 5-6 years ago.</p>
<p>Here is a chart right from Equity, detailing Non-Eq tour money:
<a href=âhttp://dpeaflcio.org/pdf/DPE-comparison-chart.pdfâ>http://dpeaflcio.org/pdf/DPE-comparison-chart.pdf</a>
Here is the LORT chart:
<a href=âhttp://www.actorsequity.org/agreements/agreement_info.asp?inc=031â>http://www.actorsequity.org/agreements/agreement_info.asp?inc=031</a></p>
<p>As you can see - when all is said and done - it isnât a great deal difference in money of LORT vs Non-Eq Tour. Even if you are dance captaining, or other things.</p>
<p>Also LORT is only a piece of AEA. Guest Artist and SPT stuff is lower (<a href=âhttps://www.actorsequity.org/agreements/agreement_info.asp?inc=060)âŠDisneyâ>https://www.actorsequity.org/agreements/agreement_info.asp?inc=060)âŠDisney</a> is lowerâŠyou just have to do a LOT of research.</p>
<p>Momcares, the experience actor friends of ours have had with Non-Eq tours is similar to what TheatreHiringCo is saying. They have made more $$ than if they had been in certain Equity type productions. The advice to negotiate is excellent. When signing, for instance, a contract for a Non-Eq tour, you can negotiate not only the salary but the per diem arrangement, too, and that is where lots of young actors are able to bank a good amount of money. Kids on tour will double up in hotels, will stay with friends in various cities where possible, etc. in order to save that per diem amount. I donât know about recently, although I suspect it may be the same, but a few years ago, certain Non-Eq tours were able to get accomodations at such a low rate that it was possible, when doubling up, to be able to save the majority of the per diem allowed.</p>
<p>For similar reasons, Equity tours often resulted in actors making far more than their Broadway counterparts. Recent changes, though, will likely change that, and many actors are not happy with their union as a result.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all of this information!</p>
<p>Do kids who go off for a year on a national tour get forgotten by the the larger theatre community, or is it generally a worthwhile use of a year for a young actor?</p>