Summer/year-round work

Hi, I have a graduating senior and I’m a little confused on how things work with auditions. If you attend setc, uptas, a1s, strawhats, etc., and are lucky enough to receive an offer… how do you ask for time to wait until all auditions are completed?

I am also curious about on site location auditions- do places like the Muny, Wichita, the Fulton, flat Rock, etc., hold non-equity auditions ?

Finally, I would really appreciate any feedback on the unified auditions listed above or any others as funds are limited as is time.

Thank you!

You don’t, not really. If you get an offer, you can use it as leverage to try and get a more expedient response from another company you’ve been in callbacks with (e.g. “I’ve found myself with another offer that I have to make a decision about very soon. Working at [theatre] is one of my top choices–would you be able to tell me where I am in consideration so I know whether or not to let this other offer go?”), but you have to know that as soon as you play that card, the company that you do NOT have an offer from may just choose to release you from consideration. I mean, I’m a big fan of asking for what you want in negotiation–too many actors don’t realize how much they can get out of negotiations–so if you need another week or two to decide yes or no, just ask for it (but I don’t know that I’d ask for longer than 2 weeks). You don’t want to string along a company who has given you an offer for too long without responding…a bird in the hand is truly worth two in the bush!

@ohmtmom ~ Muny and Wichita hold non-equity auditions. I think the other do as well but not sure of that.

thank you for the info! i guess i’m confused about non-equity auditions at places like the muny, since it does not list that category on its website. It lists equity, st.louis residents, and only open calls for dancers. How do non-equity actors/singers audition at the larger regional theaters like that?

@ohmtmom ~ They used to have a call for singers… I guess they have enough dancers who sing that they eliminated that call? Their shows are pretty dance heavy. Or perhaps it depends on the season. I would check back when they post auditions.

@ohmtmom A lot of the theatres that hold equity auditions will see non equity “time permitting”. It’s all very confusing. The conferences like A1 and SETC, NETC etc are great places for non equity to be seen. Good luck!

I think UPTAs are worthwhile for graduating seniors. Many companies are looking for actors who are available year-round. There are also many internship/apprentice opportunities. Intern and apprentice work is hard work and low paying, but it’s a great way to get experience and work with some well established companies. Many companies are well acquainted with each other and one job can lead to the next.

My son (who went last year) thought UPTAs were a waste of time and money. Very low pay and small, small theatre’s in out of the way places. Yes, there are a few good places to work represented, but the vast majority (80-85%) are not. I have no idea personally, but that was his opinion and it was shared by his classmates.

For most unified auditions, you can check the website and see what companies will be attending that year or you can at least see what companies attended the previous year. That might be a way to tell if an audition is worthwhile or not.