<p>Hi Awaysamom,</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your thoughts. Yes, she does have options, but not to do these shows as a non-equity performer (too many days of employment). I do have information to share with you but I have to run out for a bit, but I would love to respond to your question via email and pick your brain a bit. It's clear that you have a lot of experience and information and I would so much appreciate your point of view on this. Check your email later tonight. Thanks again!</p>
<p>freelance: She'll be attending the Daniel Ferro Vocal Program in Greve, Chianti. We are all so proud of her, and are hoping to plan our own trip to hear her sing. Thanks to all for your good wishes! Theatermom is right. This is one place we can come to share our joys, fears, and rejections in this life as parents of performers.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom: When is a good time to be equity if not right at the start of a career? What are the ramifications?</p>
<p>gkoukla,
My understanding is that an equity card too soon prevents "newly minted" performers from having opportunities to audition for any non-equity show. This puts them in direct competition for roles with seasoned, professional Equity actors, and thus lessens the chance to be cast. My D worked at an equity theatre last summer and will again this coming summer. She was awarded "equity points" toward her card and will have almost enough by the end of this summer. However, she was advised not to get her equity card now. She was told there is a five year period that you can wait to get the card, even if all points have been earned.
Theatremom, I know we have touched on this topic briefly through private e mail. I hope I have these details straight and will ask her to talk at length with some folks "in the know" at her school to clarify.</p>
<p>Theatermom & gkoukla,</p>
<p>congratulations to both your children... what great opportunities! I have been reading these threads for awhile now and I must say you are both quite humble and certainly have so much that you could brag about.</p>
<p>I have also noticed that you are both such great cheerleaders for other people's children. Theatermom, you were so sweet to everyone applying to UMICH (I bet if you had your way everyone would have been accepted!)</p>
<p>Wishing you continued success and I hope to hear more of these wonderful stories!!</p>
<p>theatremom, I'll look for your email later tonight! :)</p>
<p>gkoukla, wct has it right. First of all, I don't see an 18 year old as 'right at the start of their career'. :) Earning Equity points the way wct's D has is preferable to getting the card at such a young age. Once you are Equity, you are precluded from performing in non-Equity shows. This may not seem like a problem but it truly is, and is becoming more and more of a problem recently. With the overwhelming trend for national tours now to be non-Equity productions, those young college grads who usually make up those national tours are shut out if they're already Equity members. These tours are often the first 'real' professional job which might lead to a job on a NY stage for recent college grads. </p>
<p>The reality of the theatre world, and I don't say this condescendingly but rather in an informative manner, is that most kids who are in these college programs, even the most prestigious ones, are not going to find work immediately upon graduation. The plans of many, if not all, of them, I'm sure is to head to the city (if they're not already there!), and begin auditioning. This is not necessarily a bad idea but they need to know, and I'm sure in their audition prep/career planning classes which they usually take in their senior year (and if the program they're going to doesn't have these, it should be a red flag!), that the chances of them getting non-eq work are very much greater than they are of being cast in a Broadway or off-Broadway show.</p>
<p>If you look at the majority of young performers in current and recent Broadway shows, especially the long-running ones (which, by the way, provide more secure employment than a new show), you will see that most have had prior experience in national tours. Many have been on the European tour circuit as well. In recent years, the national tours have been increasingly non-Equity. This is a source of much concern, debate, and protest with Equity members but the fact remains that Equity members cannot perform in these tours. </p>
<p>The competition is so very tough in this business, and particularly in Equity shows. The open calls, where Equity members are seen first, have to be held at regular intervals for all Equity shows in the city. Each and every one of these open calls results in hundreds, if not thousands, of Equity actors auditioning. New college grads have very slim chances of getting a part over someone who has had NYC experience. In fact, a very small percentage of roles are cast at open calls. This is a business where it's so very important to have contacts, to know someone who may know a casting director, who may know your agent (getting an agent is another story entirely :)), etc. etc. If a young grad is fortunate enough to be cast in a non-Equity tour, they get experience, make some decent money, have a great time, get themselves out there and "seen", get reviews written about them, and perhaps perform for someone who can help their careers.</p>
<p>As an example, for the past four years, the national tours of Rent have been non-Equity. The first three North American tours were Equity tours and most members in the Broadway cast since the last one ended in 2001, have come from those Equity tours. In the past couple of years, a few of the non-Equity kids have made it to the Broadway cast and automatically got their Equity cards. Just last month, the last non-Equity tour closed in D.C. and a superb member of the cast moved onto the Broadway cast, the following week. It's rumored that another will be there in the next couple of months. The chances of these kids making it into a Broadway cast without that non-Eq experience is pretty slim.</p>
<p>I'm not saying that it's always a bad idea, nor am I saying that someone who turns Equity at 18 will not have a successful career. I'm just saying that there are obstacles which they will face, in addition to the remarkable obstacles that all of our kids will have in this business to start with. It's best to know all aspects of a decision like this before it's made because once it IS made, it cannot be undone.</p>
<p>Monkey,</p>
<p>I've learned sooo much since we exchanged emails. I am very familiar with the program you are talking about. It's called the Equity Membership Candidate program or EMC. My D joined this program as a result of her one professional job at a regional equity company here in Philadelphia at the age of 12. This program allows non-equity performers to work in equity houses and credits them with one point per week of work (rehearsals and performance, although there are some limitations on the kinds of work that qualify for points). You may accumulate 50 points under this program at which point you must either join the union or you are not allowed further work in theaters under Equity contract. You can continue to work on a non-equity basis and your points are "good" for a period of 5 years after they have been accumulated. The difference (or one of the differences) between joining Equity at this point and joining in a situation such as my D has been offered is that when you join as a result of the EMC program, you pay your own membership fee (currently $1100 - minus any fees you paid - used to be $100 - to sign up in the EMC program). If you are offered a full Equity contract by a theater, as in my D's case, in most cases you are granted instant Equity membership and the hiring theater pays your membership fee. Of course there are many other issues to consider, as you pointed out, with regard to the kind of opportunities you will both lose and gain by having your equity card. The answer to this question - to join or not to join - is such a complicated one and many factors need to be considered. Each individual performer has to get the best advice they can as pertains to their individual situation - their goals, their opportunities, their history, their training, their "castability" (for lack of a better word) - all of these things and I'm sure many more come into play - and then each individual has to make his or her own choice. Believe me, this choice makes me very nervous but I'm trying to believe my husband when he says "Look at it this way - whatever choice she makes, she has a 50% chance of being right!" This is her career and while we have tried to help her gather information, we have to trust her to make this choice and then, as in any other circumstance, live with the consequences. We know that she is consulting knowledgeable professionals who know more than we do and we can only hope for the best.</p>
<p>For anyone who is interested, the link to the Equity website (I spent awhile there last night) is</p>
<p><a href="http://www.actorsequity.org/home.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.actorsequity.org/home.html</a> </p>
<p>Klri
Thanks for the kind words. You are right that I would love to see as many CC kids at UM as possible - for their benefit AND for mine - then I'd get to meet them and their CC parents and share the experience.</p>
<p>alwaysamom,
Just to set the record straight.... it was not wct who responded to the Equity question - it was me! Although I would love to hear wct's opinion on this issue as she has great credentials and background to go on!
theatremom,
Thanks for that clarification. It's good to share it on this forum so that many can benefit from your thorough examinination of the pros and cons. Like so many other aspects of a performance career, this is just another one of those issues that has no clear cut path. I do appreciate how willing you are to trust your daughter's judgement after being provided with support and extensive study of the matter. I do know that a sophmore classmate of my D's who has her equity card has been somewhat frustrated at being so limited in what she can audition for. As alwaysamom stated, there are hundreds of professional actors going to these equity calls and a young actor in training has a difficult time competing with their experience and background. Keep us all informed as to what your daughter decides. I must say it seems way too soon to have to consider all of this, but time really does fly.</p>
<p>monkey, I apologize! For some reason, I always get you two mixed up and I have no idea why! :) I obviously saw your username on that post and still, in my brain, I typed in wct. Oops. I'm sorry. :)</p>
<p>CollegeMom....or somebody else</p>
<p>Why don't you start a new thread called "Equity/Non Equity Issues?"</p>
<p>theatermom,</p>
<p>Congrats to your Ds news about the MUNY in St. Louis. Wonderful!!</p>
<p>You asked about restaurants in St. Louis...oh my gosh....there are lots!! Go to 'The Hill' for great Italian feasts. It's such a quaint area. </p>
<p>There are lots of outdoor cafes all around the city, but I am warning you it gets hot and muggy in St. Louis in the summer.</p>
<p>J. Buck's in Clayton is good and for fine dining try downtown's Dierdorf and Hart's.</p>
<p>Now, I know that you will be going there to watch the show at the MUNY, but periodically there are big named free entertainment down at the arch. BB King performs each year....but I think that is in August or September.</p>
<p>Someone asked you before what your daughter will do for lodging. I would also like to know this. When you find out, would you let us know?</p>
<p>Enjoy St. Louis!! We certainly love it down there!</p>
<p>SUE aka 5pants</p>
<p>Ditto on "the hill". When we lived in St Louis we would just drive, park, and try a restaurant. We never had a bad meal. Most of the restaurants are also very affordable. The zoo is great and relaxing..Anheuser Busch near downtown has a great tour, and a place south called Grant's Farm. I was pregnant in July in St Louis....second week of consecutive 100 degree temps, so dress lightly and drink water.</p>
<p>theatermom and gkoukla, just want to add my congratulations!</p>
<p>Just for the record, I haven't left the building, although I probably should have. But, I figure I have the same right to post on these public boards as anybody else, so here comes my 2 cents again. :)</p>
<p>My daughter, the one without the "it" factor, spent the last few summers in equity theater but we decided not to take the contract offered, but rather go under EMC. Because she was only 17 it made more sense to her to forego the extra money but have the freedom to perform in community theater and regional non-equity theater. Since she wasn't offered the BFA and will therefore have more time to devote to community theater and theme parks, we now know that was the way to go. Also, she had the opportunity to work for Sundance Theater Lab last Fall and they suggested she wait. </p>
<p>My younger daughter, another BFA wannabe* (she's just been accepted into the PA High School here), has been working equity dinner theater for several years but was never offered the option. One theater offered EMC, but the other two paid "stipends" for performances, along with a lot of comp tickets.
It just depends on what you want. Personally, I think these kids are too young at 18-19 to want equity status just yet. Of course, it's the ultimate goal, but to join the union now will mean a lot of restrictions in a field that is so competitive chances of getting a lot of equity work are slim at this point. </p>
<p>So, I guess it depends on what you want at this point.</p>
<p>*Wannabe--somebody who "wants to be" something. Not meant to be a
regional or negative term to demean.</p>
<p>jeez......</p>
<p>Hi 5pants!</p>
<p>You may become my "best friend" as we get closer to the summer with all your knowledge of the St Louis area. I'll need all the help I can get!</p>
<p>With regard to lodging and such, I've been amazed at how much the MUNY does for its performers. Whether or not my D decides to take her Equity card or not (and relax everybody, nothing is in granite yet - she still has several weeks before she will be asked to sign anything - we all know how many times we all change our minds about an important decision if given enough time to gather information and think something through thoroughly) the MUNY is paying her a salary and a very nice per diem that will more than cover her room and board. In addition, they pay her transportation to and from St Louis and they accept the responsibility for finding her local housing and transportation! Not so bad........ I'm liking this theater a lot!!</p>
<p>The other thing to keep in mind with regard to the possibility of her accepting her Equity card at this point is that her main focus for the next three years is her education at UM - performing arts and otherwise. In all honesty, if she is accepted to study abroad in the Spring semester of her junior year as she is hoping to do, she will not be around to audition for theater work that summer. So this summer and next summer are her only two opportunities to work professionally. By the time she graduates, she will be 22 and I believe that the folks advising her, those who know her strengths, her skillset and her work ethic, are thinking she will be in a reasonable position to compete for quality work at that point and certainly will not be a "child." Otherwise, I believe that they would advise her in no uncertain terms to wait and not one person has done that.</p>
<p>Please don't take the above as a criticism of any of the information that has been shared about this issue. I so value and appreciate everyone's knowledge and input - that's why I share this kind of information. We just have to trust those closest to my D and trust her. She is a thoughtful, intelligent young woman and is the last one anyone would accuse of being blinded by stars in her eyes. I know that she will continue to solicit advice and information, as will we, and then, I trust, make an informed decision and live with it.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Keep that info coming. Anyone know anyone who has accepted an Equity card on the early side and been happy about it?</p>
<p>PS Monkey - the girl you mentioned at PSU is the same one who left school to work and has now come back, yes? If so, I think her situation differs from my D's in that she is obviously interested in working as much as possible even though she is in school. My D has NO desire to leave school, no matter the circumstances.</p>
<p>Theatermom and alwaysamom - you are both very good with information you share, and we all appreciate it! This is especially helpful for my son because we have STRUGGLED with this equity issue for several years, and he is now 17. He has been in 3 equity shows and has been so anxious to get into the Equity Membership Candidacy program. If he had, he would already be half way to his equity card. People at our equity regional theatre have encouraged him not to do this at his young age, and as a result he has not entered the program. They were concerned about him earning the points too soon and before he was established in NY with a great resume. If he got those points, he couldn't do the other many wonderful things he does locally - for example, he is currently in his 6th show at our local (non-equity) dinner theatre. He earns great money there and does not otherwise have to hold a job to pay for car insurance. I'm printing all this good info. for him.</p>
<p>Theatermom - hope to meet your talented daughter one day. When you are in St. Louis, I'd recommend a half day at Grant's Farm. That's where I spent a lovely afternoon when Eric shadowed Sue's twins at Webster classes. You get to sample Anheuser Busch beer and relax with many wild and exotic animals. I felt like a kid at the zoo! You must ride the tram through the whole park! I haven't relaxed that much in ages.</p>
<p>Theatremom,
Actually the sophmore that I mentioned was NOT the same young lady who left the program for a year to do a national ( non-equity ) tour. The student i was mentioning got her card at a very young age after performing in an extended Broadway run. There definitely are some of her classmates who are chomping at the bit to get school over with and start working. Luckily, my D is also of the mind that the training and experience she is getting at school is the most essential thing right now. Her program provides lots of opportunities to perform outside of the class and university setting so I think that aspect is satiated for now.
The only drawback to her four month summer commitment is that she'll return once classes have already started ( four days into the semester ) and this might impact her ability to be cast in the fall musical.</p>
<p>Theatermom,
My daughter is the one Monkey is referring to. She did a Broadway production when she was much younger and had to get her card as a result. It has been a very frustrating experience for her as a young adult. Most regional theaters only have a very few spots that they reserve for equity performers and they normally go to the leads. My daughter, who just turned 20 ...is very youthful looking (something that will probably serve her well in the future), so she isn't usually looked at for an adult lead yet. Ensemble performers are rarely cast from these equity ranks. So while many of her friends are performing this summer, as of now, she will not be. She goes to Equity auditions, as alwaysamom stated, with hundreds of other equity women, who are all considerably older than she. Is it worth giving up her equity status now? Probably not. Once she graduates and is able to audition "full time" as opposed to the infrequent auditions she can get to while at school, then I think she'll be better off. But, as a young performer in college, my advice is to WAIT. Thank goodness my D's main emphasis is getting an education right now and she loves being at PSU, so even though she does regret the fact that she won't be spending the summer on stage, she feels confident that her time will come once again. Hope this gives a little perspective from a mom who's living it.
Michele</p>
<p>Thanks bdwaymom, for sharing your first hand experience. It's so helpful to get information directly from those that are in the throws of it. We can all gain a lot from learning through other's experiences. That is what I appreciate most about this forum.</p>