Any thoughts out there from current MT students on auditioning for summer shows during your college years? How did you find out about auditions, where are they held, when are they typically held, did your college help you with this, etc.?? I am also curious about how equity–its importance and how you can begin to work toward it.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1658163-summer-stock-p1.html
Here is a thread from a couple of years ago 
Here are two more threads on those subjects:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1717030-summer-stock-theatre-auditions-p1.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1796565-how-soon-to-get-equity-or-sag-cards-p1.html
If you/your kid are from Ohio (or attend school in Ohio), you might look into OTAs (The Ohio Theater Alliance unified auditions in January at Muskingum University) and SETC (South Eastern Theatre Conference - holds the largest theater conference in the country in early March and will be in Lexington, KY in 2017). There are also MWTAs (MidWest Theater Alliance auditions held in February (??) at Webster in St. Louis). The North East Conference (NETC??) and Straw Hats also hold unified auditions on the east coast. The odds of getting into some of these unified auditions - and subsequently getting hired - can be slim, but for many, the learning experience is worth the effort. I would highly recommend SETC if location and timing work out for you. My S went once during freshman year and hopes to go again as a junior next year (they have a pretty tough prescreening process for college students). My S’s college does not help with the application process or transportation (and in fact does not particularly support the idea), but there are other programs that actually help organize it as a group endeavor (some even have the students go online during class time to apply the minute the website is open to receive applicants).
You can also look for audition information on individual theater websites - usually by looking under the “Employment” or “Auditions” tabs.
NETC=New England Theatre Conference. Both NETC and StrawHats are worth it, IMHO, if you are on the east coast. With regard to Equity, I would suggest going to the Equity website (actorsequity.org) and reading up. Basically, you need 50 “points” to become Equity. When you have anywhere between 1 and 49 points, you are considered EMC (Equity Membership Candidate). There is a benefit to being EMC (at EPAs in NYC with an Equity monitor, EMCs are seen before non-equity people…this can be the difference between being seen, and not being seen, and also makes a difference in how long you are waiting to be seen). So, yes, it is definitely worth it to be EMC. There can be a downside to taking your Equity card too early…right now, there tends to be more non-equity jobs than equity jobs. Lots of discussion on this all over…just google it. But for now, it is great when the kids can get a professional (=paid) job, and EMC points are an added benefit. There is a list of theatres that give equity points on the actors equity website.
^^^Yes but keeping it real, you still planets to align to be seen at an NYC EPA even if you are EMC. My daughter is EMC and has been to many an EPA, all day waiting to be seen and has been “next” as the day winds down only to watch equity alternates waltz in at the last moment one after the other and bump her. Sure, being EMC puts you on a better list than non-equity but for a hot audition, more often than not it is not enough of an advantage to get you seen at a NYC EPA.
Saw that someone resurfaced the “how soon to take your equity card” thread and summoned up @MTTwinsinCA for comment. I too anxiously await her commentary if she can break away from double graduation hoopla to share. Her perspective is really unique with twins, one equity, the other not and both with access to the NYC audition world. Tell us Obi-Wan. 
As far as summer work goes, do your best to keep tabs on local auditions that are logistically practical. Strawhats, NETC, SETC and all of the rest are great, but you may not book from it nor even get a slot. Keep eggs in multiple baskets.
Wish I could give you updates, but my guys haven’t really road-tested the experiment yet – they’ve been swamped with school-related performances, senior showcases, upcoming graduation etc. I will say that AEA son did get agent even before showcase, and I suspect AEA and some good credits on his resume helped there. My other son is right on his heels, though. Time will tell. I’ll try to keep you posted, although my time here on CC is nearing its “expiration date” LOL.
Adding on; regarding EMC points. There are SO FEW theatres that even offer them. SO FEW. Absolutely great to get them, but harder and harder to earn in summerstock.
Here is the list of theatres that give EMC points: http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/emc/emc_theatres.pdf
^ ^ Note that some of the theatres on the list above, like the highly-regarded Barrington for instance, tie EMC points to a summer academy that the actor pays for, and it isn’t cheap. Many on the list also aren’t true “summerstock” theatres that provide opportunities for college students to gain experience (i.e., the wonderful classical rep company A Noise Within here in the LA area). Also, some are year-long commits, like Barter in VA, so only suitable for a graduate. So while this looks like an expansive, exhaustive list, when it comes to theatres that hire college students during the summer months, EMC companies are still the highly desirable, very competitive “unicorns” in a forest of non-eq, low-paying “trees”. And I won’t name names, so don’t ask, but our family has been shocked by some of the non-eq summerstock offers that went out this year. $100/week with room and board (nothing fancy) wasn’t uncommon this year. Without the “mom-and-dad payroll” to supplement, I don’t know how kids can afford these experiences.
A couple things…
I just want to put it out there that summer stock is not the only kind of performing or theater experience a college MT student can do. My D (now a graduate and working professional) only looked into summer stock one summer, the summer after her freshman year. She did StrawHats. She got work for the whole summer at Ivorytown Playhouse in CT, which really is not just a summer stock theater. They cast several roles with Equity actors and some are non-Equity. When my D did it, they hired college theater students and called them “interns,” which I think let them get by with so LITTLE pay. All the other interns (about 5), except my D, were local to CT (in terms of their hometowns) and lived at home. My D was housed along with the out of town Equity actors.There was no food included. My D was cast as one of 4 Kit Kat Girls in Cabaret that summer (the other interns got to be in ensemble). As a side note, one of the non-Equity Kit Kat Girls has gone onto leading roles on Broadway and tours. All the actors were paid but the interns, who were the college students…barely. The interns worked long hours and often had to do the grub work. They also got to put on a musical for young audiences. The pay was…$75/week (this was in 2006). The college kids were a bit irritated when the little boy of the artistic director who had a tiny role in Cabaret, got paid more than they did, LOL. However, I think for my kid, it was a good experience. She was just 17 years old at the time and living on her own. She had a car. She was able to use the $75/week for food and we did not support her (other than health insurance, cell phone, and car expenses). I see now that Ivoryton offers Equity points, and I think they were looking into that when my D was there for the future, but she never earned any that summer as that was not yet in place. She opted to never do summer stock going forward after freshman summer. I would say that the majority of her BFA peers at NYU opted to stay in NYC over the summer and she performed and was paid every summer she was in NYC, but not doing summer stock. I’m not putting down summer stock, but keep in mind it is not the only gig you can do and often it also doesn’t pay well. My D supported herself every summer during college, and worked in theater, including on stage.
Another thing is that while Equity points can be beneficial, it is not the only way to get an Equity card. My D never earned points. However, she was cast right after graduating and automatically got her Equity card through that theater company and has been Equity since age 20 when she was a new graduate of a BFA program.
Let me throw something out there that my D’s class was advised. Their class just finished junior year, and a piece of advice they were given was to go out this coming summer and find a job that is not in theater and expand their knowledge of life in general. By gaining more life experiences it gives you insight and perspective that can help you when you are playing a new role, etc. Plus they start auditioning as their life’s work next summer, so a break seemed reasonable! My D will be an orientation leader at her university this summer as an example (and of course got a call from a theme park offering her a summer performing job two weeks after accepting her orientation job - killed her but they asked if they could keep her on their list for next year).).
I would also encourage kids to look at opportunities in other countries. My D after freshman year auditioned for and was accepted to a program called Music Theater Bavaria. This was something we paid for and not a job (but she did get college credit), but the program was outstanding. She received excellent voice and dance training, she got to travel overseas, and made some great contacts. She’s even thinking of returning and performing in Europe after college because she loved the theater scene there.
Glad to hear these things about Summer Stock, which is an unknown where we live. My D has been hearing about it and was thinking it was something she “had to do”. She is EMC and has enough professional credits that I don’t think it is a “necessary” thing? Is that what Summer Stock is for- to improve your resume/experience? We just found out that she is precast for next summer already (her first precast lead!) at a local pro theatre, and while they don’t give EMC points, they do pay their actors as employees at well above minimum wage- which to me sounds like a pretty good summer gig!
my D will be home and working this summer. (though she may participate in a local theater production she has been offered as well) One of the things I noticed is that with all the time spent on theater, she doesn’t have nearly as much real “job” experience as some kids her age. Her HS summers were spent performing, and last summer she had a variety of theater gigs: she performed with one group, ASMed for another, and ADed a youth theater show. This year, the plan is for her to make some $$ (she will be in London all fall, and that is an expensive city!), and gain some experience that she could hopefully parlay into a survival job when the time comes.
My daughter stayed at school summer after freshman year to be eligible for state residency and continued taking voice and dance. Sophomore year summer she attended Shakespeare and Company in MA. This summer she has a local equity gig (16 weeks with a possible extension) and has two other jobs (works at a deli and is a standardized patient for the med/nursing schools). I feel like she is getting a good feeling for what life after school will be like!
My S is working (set construction, catering) in Chicago this summer, while also submitting for student film and any late-breaking summer theater opportunities. He auditioned for a lot of stuff over the winter and spring, but he’s struggling to make the jump from unpaid (or nearly unpaid) intern/apprentice to company and it’s a tough one. I wouldn’t mind being 21 and in Chicago for the summer, though. It can’t be ALL bad.
S (rising college junior) will be living at home this summer, working as a server in a chain restaurant. Apparently, his mentors have similar suggestions to @jeffandann D’s and recommend getting some “life experience” outside of the theater world. After one week on the job, he’s already wondering, “how do single parents make it doing this as their main way to make a living?” His feet and back are sore. He’s beginning to understand what it means to “get stiffed” and he’s having “Spooky Server H*ll Dreams”. Fortunately, he only needs to “make it” for 3 1/2 months and plans to sock away money for the NYC - and collect “fodder” for the NEXT musical he plans to write. The upside to not having a theater job this summer is that he has plenty of creative energy for the current musical he’s writing.
After freshman year he was lucky enough to secure an ensemble job in a well-regarded summer theater program for 10 weeks in a very affordable location (mounting 4 shows over two weekends each). After expenses - food and transportation heavily subsidized by M & D - he come home with $1000 (40 % of what he earned). His big learning that summer was, “how do people survive doing this in NYC?” and “how do you keep performing and deal with exhaustion/burn out?” A few of the leads were Equity, but most of the actors/ensemble were from the local community or college students - no EMC points.
Last summer following her freshman year, my D got hired at a theater near her school for a 6 week run of American Idiot as one of the female leads. The pay was nearly non-existent, and M&D subsidised living expenses - but the experience was great, as it was the longest run of a show she had ever done, and gave her experience in bringing something new and fresh to each performance. This summer, she booked at a midwestern summer stock - where the pay is significantly better, and includes room and board - so we will not have to subsidize, and she should be able to sock away a fair amount. She will not earn EMC, but, similar to @mom4bwayboy she will mount 4 shows over 2 weekends each. She is ensemble in 2 shows, a lead in a 3rd, and a supporting role in the 4th. It will be another great experience in learning a show quickly, and while performing a different show at night - and gives her resume a nice boost. She is definitely lacking in “regular” job experience. Not sure if/when we will remedy that.
Question for the group- I just ran into a HS classmate of my D’s, who got an offer for a fairly well known (around here) summer stock gig in a theater with equity contracts…but he was offered $375 for the entire summer! Upside, he can live at home, so no cost there, but the theater isn’t close, the pay will essentially cover the gas to get there. He was telling me his mom wants him to drop it and work, and he’s fighting to keep the gig b/c he feels like he “has to” get experience. Thoughts?
Like @kategrizz my S will be working summer rep all summer out of town. He is making decent $ and his contract includes room (not board). No equity points this summer. I’m not sure he could do much better if he worked a non-performing job unless he worked full-time and lived at home to do it. He does intend to take a bartending course once he turns 21 in the fall - assuming it would serve him well as a survival job. I assume actors make great bartenders!
He was offered a lead locally for basically gas money. It would have been nice to have him home longer than a few weeks but he really needs to put some $$ away since he’s in a house next year. If that had been his only offer, we would have insisted he pick up some additional work. He worked at a youth theater camp for a few weeks last summer and it fit nicely with performance commitments he had.
I’m a huge fan of learning other “jobs” if time allows. Ive been pushing for a part-time job during the school year but know it’s very tough to work it in with rehearsal and performance schedules.
On the other hand, my D (starting SUNY Purchase in the fall) will be working with a catering company all summer and possibly working a few weeks at a theater camp. She does not have paying theater prospects this summer and didn’t want to pay to play so work it is!
I love this quote from @mttwinsinca. Which is sad. It isn’t something to love but it’s well-worded and spot on.
My comments about the real value of EMC are real too. Some kids thread the needle in terms of how they get them and get lucky enough to not pay for them while earning them. My daughter did sort of but it was a break even summer vs. a money making one as housing was not included but at least she was paid and didn’t pay tuition for the experience of acquiring them. But breaking even in that sort of a summer comes with opportunity costs (to doing something that REALLY makes money like my son did as a lifeguard for 3 summers. He’s rich compared to her.) She worked her proverbial butt of in 4 shows plus other intern duties last summer and was contracted to stay right through strike which involved strategically arranging the dumpster so things would fit. Nothing glamorous about many parts of the experience but good contacts and friends were made. Points were earned. She respects the theatre and I think earned their respect as well as she has been hired back for this summer - this time with much more favorable terms because she is not an intern. So pick your spots. It’s a gamble that may pay off.
These kind of commitments are not small and the carrot that is often dangled is EMC points. Good experiences to have while you are young but keep it real. As I tried to imply, at least as far as NYC goes, EMC is of limited value in an EPA. Better than nothing but only worth something if you do get seen which often will mean, you will not. And like SoozieVT just said above, you can go from non-equity to equity in a nanosecond with the right contract.