<p>***Could not agree more. </p>
<p>edit to my above post. Demand exceeds supply. I’m sure you all got my point but it bugs me and I can’t fix it now. </p>
<p>halflokum, i totally agree. Most people absolutely do not have the same experience as Soozie’s very gifted daughter. My own D is a mere mortal and is happy with her internship and workshop this summer.</p>
<p>About EMC: In our area at least - I’m pretty sure it varies by area of the country - EMC is treated identically with non-union. My S is EMC and it does not give him any leg up in open calls. He rarely does open calls though. </p>
<p>That brings me to the other point alluded to in several posts–more important I think than equity are the connections and experience you establish at the auditions and theatres. These can indeed lead to other opportunities, although at the time it’s impossible to tell what will lead to what. Through these connections, you can find yourself in the fortunate position of being invited to skip the first audition and go directly to call backs. You can gain these connections in any number of unforeseen ways, so it’s best to do what you feel you’d most enjoy and of course wherever you can manage to land, whether that’s being in a theme park, an equity theatre, a non equity, an internship, or whatever strikes your fancy and keeps you busy.</p>
<p>My mortal went through 4 different auditions this summer before landing a role in a local community theater. It’s harder for the straight actors as there isn’t as much for them (at least in our area). She is super excited and grateful to be working before she heads off to college. And I’m happy too since it will be harder for me to get to the east coast to see her in whatever she is in at Drew 
What constitutes summer stock? Getting paid? Is there a definition? </p>
<p>@connections. : I think how EMCs are treated varies from call to call. I do know D attended an open call in NYC today When the organizers saw the large numbers of auditioners showing up they knew they could not see everyone. They decided Equity would be seen first. EMC were allowed to stay and would be seen after all equity. Non-equity had to leave and would not be seen. But again, I’m sure this varies from audition to audition.</p>
<p>@ Bisouu</p>
<p>In the olden days, summer stock was a specific thing where theaters operate in the summer hire a company of actors to do a series of shows. Some of those are still around. We know a young man who did one last summer. And, yes you get paid. Year round regional theaters are not usually called summer stock because it’s not just in the summer and also there’s no stock part since that’s the company doing different shows. Community theater is not summer or stock, either. And, you usually don’t get paid. But the definition of summer stock doesn’t seem as clear as it used to be. Probably because there are less and less of those theaters in operation.</p>
<p>My daughter’s college summers were not extraordinary at all. She only did summer stock one summer and only had the one offer. It was professional theater (though again, their season was not just summer). They had adult Equity and non-Equity actors who were beyond college age. But the college age actors were considered “interns” and only got paid $75/week!! My daughter was given housing with the adult (non-college) actors and the other interns lived at home with their parents. She used the $75/week for her food. It was a good experience but surely not nearly as cool as many college students do in summer stock. She was in one musical (Cabaret) as a Kit Kat girl…a role she had already played when she was 12), though one of the other Kit Kat girls is now starring on Broadway (so ya never know, everyone starts somewhere!). While not a job she has the fondest memories of, it was a good learning experience and living on her own, not in a dorm, and she was actually just 17 at the time. </p>
<p>But after that summer, she wanted to stay in NYC for her summers. Most of her friends from college (also located in NYC) did that. So, she didn’t audition for summer stock. So, the next two college summers she auditioned and got into a show that is connected to NYU called the NYU Reality Show. All the actors in that show are paid all summer to write/compose the show and to perform it at the freshman orientation in late August (a required show that all NYU freshmen must attend). She was given housing and food in NYC, plus a salary as an actor and a salary as music director. She also was in another show in NYC one of those summers at the same time (not for pay). And one of the summers, she was in a workshop of a new musical as well, staged by grad students in the NYU Graduate Program in Musical Theater Writing.</p>
<p>So, these college summers were pretty “mortal” and not extraordinary by a long shot. She did NYU Reality Show with other NYU students! It was a great job and she loved it. When she graduated, that summer she opted out of performing in the show, but continued with being musical director as it paid well and came with free housing. Also, I forgot but one of those summers, I think the one after graduation, she did NYU Reality Show in Abu Dhabi. So, basically her job for three summers of college was being hired by NYU and performing and musical directing. She only did summer stock once and while professional, it was low paying and not one of the so called top summer stock venues. </p>
<p>One thing that was NOT easy (the one year my kid tried for summer stock) also was getting an appointment to audition at StrawHats and NETC. You had to be 18 and she was only 17. NETC would not make an exception. StrawHats was willing to make an exception with a parental letter and stating how she had already done a year of college and lived on her own, etc. So, my kid couldn’t even audition at NETC if she wanted to. She could not audition for things like MUNY or PCLO because we don’t pay for our kids’ job hunting or pay for their summers once they are in college. She did luck out to get the one summer stock offer. I’m not sure how she would have fared in the following summers because she didn’t even try. She was happy with the performance and musical directing job (that also involved creating original material and she likes to create) at NYU and the fact that it paid well, and came with free housing and food, since we would not pay for those things for our college kids in summers. So, she could not opt for some summer experiences some kids do that end up costing money (or cost money to travel to the auditions) or costing the parents to pay housing, food, etc. And one thing she really wanted to do for summer that many of her NYU/Tisch friends did, but it costs $10,000 and we would never be able to do it, was to do the summer program through Tisch/ETW in Amsterdam. </p>
<p>Well OK then 
As a diehard fan of SoozieVT’s daughter (yes… she is that good… I’ve seen her in action), I will now peel myself off my shrink’s couch an assume my mere mortal daughter has a chance. </p>
<p>Pretty sure I’m not getting my daughter home from NYC any time soon either. But not because she wasn’t completely willing to go elsewhere this summer. She DID audition for things that would take her elsewhere this summer involving planes, trains and automobiles, but they didn’t pan out. Saw the same thing happen with her friends. Many are staying in NYC. Some landed gigs… some did not. My daughter did land a good gig in New Jersey. Yay New Jersey. You know NJ… that cool state right next to New York… where you can work for people that have been on Broadway, directed on Broadway, musically directed in shows that are off Broadway… or are headed to Broadway… Or will be hits in Spokane, Washington and for heaven’s sake, let’s not be picky??? yada yada yada. Back to @alwaysamom 's point a couple of comments up. </p>
<p>Stay open and work hard to get it. I think that’s a good mantra for summer stock work as well as what lies beyond.</p>
<p>Agreed. And with alwaysamom. Actually, none of my D’s friends at Tisch did MUNY or PCLO. Most of her pals wanted to live and work (in the arts) in NYC in the summer and that’s why she did it after only one summer trying the summer stock thing. So, she never tried summer stock again during college or since. She may have not gotten cast either had she tried. She went with the NYU job and staying in NYC and being in some other shows in NYC too (which didn’t pay but it didn’t matter because NYU/Realty show paid her well for her dual job with that and came with housing and food). So, this may be atypical of many on this forum whose kids seek summer stock work as their first choice. </p>
<p>I like your mantra, halflokum…the idea is to keep working. Get something to bring in money to cover your living expenses for summer (if your parents don’t pay them) and that may be in the arts or not, and even perform in shows for free (my D has lots of times!) in order to keep performing. My D could be in shows for free because she had a good supporting income from the NYU/Reality show for three summers that also came with housing and food…a good deal and she made money. But one of the free shows she was in the summer after soph year in NYC…her NYU directing friends directed and produced and rented a theater and cast mostly Tisch actors in it. So, this is an example of keep working, keep performing,no matter at what level and for pay or not for pay (and if not for pay, have another source of income that allows you to perform for free). </p>
<p>PS…yay for New Jersey! I grew up there. So did Alwaysamom! :)</p>
<p>You know it was my son who recently watched (I think) a Ted talk (or somebody came to his school with the same message)… who said you need to be working in what it is you want to be working in sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>My son makes a small fortune (compared to theatre daughter) as a lifeguard in our city which requires strict training and pays the guards well compared to minimum wage such that even people in their 30’s and 40’s are his peers. He has already put us on notice that he will be looking for work in future summers in what he wants to be working in (college studies in mind) and made some comment about his older sister needing to do the same. </p>
<p>It sounds so easy but I think older sister is actually already doing it even though the bulk of her paying hours this summer are in restaurant jobs in NYC and the rest of the time is spent on trains to NJ and rehearsal once she gets there. Alternative? Come live a home with no living expenses to worry about and probably do the same restaurant work but not be in a contact building show outside of NYC since you were not home when the auditions for those shows that will be on stage here were held. </p>
<p>I pick door number one. </p>
<p>Just thought I’d throw this out there since there are many opportunities for summer “work”. </p>
<p>Theatre Aspen has an apprenticeship program during the summer that your kids may want to consider for next year. My daughter was never in the apprenticeship program, as it is rather new, but did get her equity card by working at Theatre Aspen a few years ago and is back there again working this summer. She was just coming off as a lead in a year long production touring contract and had offers for a Broadway show and Theatre Aspen following her tour. This would have been her 4th Broadway show but she chose Theatre Aspen at 1/3 the salary plus housing for the summer (which if you know Aspen, isn’t cheap!) and a gym membership. She couldn’t be happier about her decision as everyone associated with the theatre is wonderful, and it doesn’t get any better than summers in Aspen. </p>
<p>I’ve already been a bit amazed at what connections can do. S did a little community theatre production last year. When he applied to audition for the WV Public theatre for summer stock this year, they originally responded saying they had no openings. He mentioned it to one of the guys he worked with at the community theatre, who knew the director…poof next day he had a slot, he even made it to the call back. </p>
<p>Two weeks ago a director from one of our Community Colleges text S and asked him to come audition for his summer production, the director was given is info by somebody else in that same little community theatre show. There is no pay involved but my S said “I’m going for it, you just never know who you are working with, who knows who and where it will take you. Plus I love this show, it will be so much fun, I hope I get the part”. </p>
<p>Also…lady I work with has a son who graduated from PPU several years ago so we always talk about what my S is up to. I sent her a youtube link from S’s high school musical, she forwarded it to her son. Turns out her son is now an apprentice agent at a casting agency…poof he gets an email about the theme park job. </p>
<p>We’ve learned quickly to do it because you love it and just plain old do it because who knows what else will turn up.</p>
<p>AlisMom - I want to spend the summer in Aspen! I wonder if they need a middle aged chubby white woman with no talent but a good sense of humor? LOL</p>
<p>@AlisMom - It is always fun to hear about your D’s amazing career, and summer in Aspen sounds fabulous! Next time she’s turning down a Broadway contract, maybe she can see if our D can stand in for her? ;)</p>
<p>Our D (rising Junior) chose to do unpaid summer shows at school her first two years, turning down paid summerstock offers (from Strawhats) her second summer. At the time I thought turning down paid work was a poor choice, but the contacts she made both summers (the school brings in outside directors) have since paid great dividends. This year she didn’t schedule any auditions for summer theatre, saying she wanted to come home for her final summer before graduation, but an offer she couldn’t refuse came her way as a direct result of a prior summer’s school show. So as others have said, it seems that keeping engaged with projects you enjoy (paid or not) can be a great way to generate future work.</p>
<p>Yes, keep working at any level and in any capacity…more and more contacts are made and that can pay off in this industry!</p>
<p>Alismom, Theater Aspen sounds pretty amazing if your D is turning down Broadway contracts for it! But it sure is a nice place to be in summer, compared to in the city (in my opinion!).</p>
<p>First - If AlisMom is the Mom of the Ali I am thinking of (spent this year a bit green?), she is probably a terrible example. Her daughter is probably not far from being a major Broadway player, big rising name. </p>
<p>Second - there are many summer stocks still in existence. I run one. Same actors, three shows, works nicely. GA in a few Bway vets, and fill out with college kids. Unifieds are still the best way to book them.</p>
<p>It just depends on what you want your summer job to accomplish?</p>
<p>Theatre Aspen is a wonderful company. I can absolutely understand why Alismom’s D would love to return there. By the way, it isn’t at all unusual for the actors there to have had extensive professional experience, including Broadway gigs. </p>
<p>TheatreHiringCo - thank you for that vote of confidence. 
</p>
<p>I do believe that Theatre Aspen’s apprenticeship program is very competitive and certainly not a given for anyone.<br>
Summer stock (or an internship or apprenticeship) is a great opportunity for young actors. My daughter actually spent two summers doing summer stock in Clinton, Iowa with a director from our home state of Texas. </p>
<p>As for the Broadway show, my daughter and I have always relied strongly on intuition, following our gut and our heart. Coming off a year long tour, and given the shows, it just seemed like Aspen was a better fit for her at the time.</p>
<p>AlisMom, your daughter has had a great deal of success. She has already been in a few Broadway shows and a lead in a big national tour, and so while Broadway is a cool gig, this wasn’t her first chance to be on Broadway and it sounds like she made a positive decision to be a lead in the show in Aspen! She’s fortunate to have a choice and prestige is not everything. The opportunity has to be one you really want to do and she has found it, it seems. With her success, there will be other chances to be on Broadway again. Broadway isn’t the end all and be all for an artist and picking and choosing the right projects (if you have that good fortune) is where it is at. I can think of a short gig later this summer that my D is doing where she is the lead, that does not pay well but she really wanted to work with who is involved on this project. So, as you know, a lot goes into the decision when it comes to taking theater work. </p>