BroadwayBaby0202
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Auditioning for Broadway shows......is rather stressful. I just spent nine hours waiting at a Hairspray audition and was seen for one minute. The casting director was reallllly nice and told me I did very nicely, but still...it's kind of frustrating not knowing if you made it or not. They said you could get a call tomorrow or in six months. I guess I'll just go to the next open calls whenever they have them again...
Does anyone else feel this way about auditioning for Broadway shows?
P.S. - For those of you who helped with my audition song, thank you very much!! I actually got there and was told that I could sing a song from the show and luckily I had the vocal selections, so I just decided to sing Amber and Penny's solo's from "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now."
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jazzygirlsings
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It depends on the show and how prepared I am as to whether or not I'm "stressed"...Though I wouldn't call it "stressed" so much as just "nervous".
But after you audition for a few of them, it's not really as big a deal. You have to do a good job, no doubt...but the truth of the matter is that a lot of the time, they've already cast the show or they've already had agent calls and open calls are more of a manner of protocol. (Not that people don't get cast from open calls...they do!)
And, due to Equity rules, they are REQUIRED to hold calls for Broadway shows every few months, whether they are looking for replacements or not...so what the casting director said is pretty much true. (And even if they aren't looking for people, it's good to be in their files in any capacity. You never know when they will cast another show and perhaps see your file and think of you...) It's never a bad idea to go to these, though a lot of people are pretty jaded about them...It's NEVER a bad thing just to get seen.
How old are you? Just a question...Casting directors that let you be seen as non-equity at a Broadway audition are usually very nice! MANY times, you sit there ALL DAY and don't get seen AT ALL! So, not only were you lucky to get seen, but it's also great that he was encouraging! I can't tell you how many times I've waited ALL DAY to sing EIGHT BARS of music! So yeah, one minute is an ETERNITY in this biz! LOL!
And I do stick by what I said to you before about being less "stressed" by being more prepared. Who knows, that preparation could have given you more of an edge...Do you have an audition book? If not, it would be a good idea for you to get your best songs from different genres into a book so you have them prepared at all times! 
But it is great that it was a positive experience overall.
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BroadwayBaby0202
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Yes, I know I was very lucky to be seen! There was about fifteen or twenty non-eq actors that weren't seen because they stopped at 6:00 exactly, but those people were able to schedule an appointment to meet with the casting director later on, which was great! Oh, and like you said, it's definitely a good idea just to go because you never know... I'm going to the next open calls in January but I'll probably audition for the North Shore production, rather than Broadway just because I'd have a better chance. I'm almost 16 by the way. I know it's young, but most of the characters in Hairspray are 16.
I have a question for you though. How old do you have to be to get your equity card? Or is there no age minimum? I do know that you have to have a certain amount of points from doing regional theatre, etc. in order to get it, but that's about all I know.
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jazzygirlsings
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There is no required age to get your Equity card. There are three year olds that have their cards and there are 103 year olds that have their cards! LOL!
You can also get your Equity card through working with an Equity production as non-Equity(you earn points toward a card OR they offer it to you after you've been with the company awhile)...many productions will offer it to you on the spot...It's strange as there is really not a completely set way to get it!
Just be careful, as it can be a double-edged sword. Once you are Equity, you cannot audition for many non-Equity productions, unless there are special guest artist contracts/etc... This can be a bad thing because you tend to have more opportunities these days starting out in non-Equity productions. That is also where you learn the most about the business and why you learn to really appreciate what the Equity card does for you by the time you've earned it.
I have had A LOT of friends that used to work A TON doing non-Equity work. Then they got their Equity cards and they haven't worked since or only work once a year or every few years...
Be careful how you get it as well...working at Disney World/Jekyll and Hyde Restaurant/many children's theatre companies/etc. is not the best way to get your card...A lot of casting directors like to see some regional theatre/tour experience with reputable companies on your resume as well...
Seeing as you are 16, the world is your oyster! I certainly wouldn't rule out going to non-Equity productions either...Just build up your experience and when the time comes to get your Equity card, just make sure to truly weigh what it means...
Hope that helped shed a bit of light on the subject...I'm sure Chevstriss could enlighten you a bit more. She really knows her stuff with this subject!
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Patch
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Truly, unless you're in a major market such as New York, Chicago, or L.A. it simply isn't worth joining Actors Equity. It just limits your opportunities.
I was Equity for a time, then upon moving to Nasvhille I let my membership expire because I had more opportunities without it. As a rule, outside of the markets mentioned above, most professional companies in other cities tend to be non-equity houses. You'll run into one that is Equity on occasion...but you don't find many and they tend to be very exclusive clubs to get in to.
I hate that "equity eligible" is no longer an option personally. It was the best of both worlds.
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jazzygirlsings
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| Patch wrote: | Truly, unless you're in a major market such as New York, Chicago, or L.A. it simply isn't worth joining Actors Equity. It just limits your opportunities.
I was Equity for a time, then upon moving to Nasvhille I let my membership expire because I had more opportunities without it. As a rule, outside of the markets mentioned above, most professional companies in other cities tend to be non-equity houses. You'll run into one that is Equity on occasion...but you don't find many and they tend to be very exclusive clubs to get in to.
I hate that "equity eligible" is no longer an option personally. It was the best of both worlds. |
I totally agree with you on everything you've said! (Hence, why a lot of my friends haven't worked as steadily since getting their cards...)
To be an Equity Membership Candidate is like being able to dip into both cookie jars! LOL! 
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Patch
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| jazzygirlsings wrote: | | Patch wrote: | Truly, unless you're in a major market such as New York, Chicago, or L.A. it simply isn't worth joining Actors Equity. It just limits your opportunities.
I was Equity for a time, then upon moving to Nasvhille I let my membership expire because I had more opportunities without it. As a rule, outside of the markets mentioned above, most professional companies in other cities tend to be non-equity houses. You'll run into one that is Equity on occasion...but you don't find many and they tend to be very exclusive clubs to get in to.
I hate that "equity eligible" is no longer an option personally. It was the best of both worlds. |
I totally agree with you on everything you've said! (Hence, why a lot of my friends haven't worked as steadily since getting their cards...)
To be an Equity Membership Candidate is like being able to dip into both cookie jars! LOL! |
Didn't they totally get rid of the whole "eligible" status?
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BroadwayBaby0202
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Thanks for the info!
I agree with both of you. I know I'm a bit young now to get my equity card now, but I live about twenty minutes away from Philly (where there are a TON of auditions all the time) and about an hour away from NYC, so I do think that when the time comes, it would probably benefit me to get my equity card. I'll probably wait until I'm 18 and actually living in the city, though.
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jazzygirlsings
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^Honestly, it kind of depends on when you hit the peak of what you do the best. For example, if you are a leading lady type, it's best to wait until AT LEAST your mid-late twenties...That's when you'll grow into yourself a bit physically...
I also have friends who play children that are well into their twenties and they got their Equity cards when they were in their teens and it works to their benefit because they've made a career out of playing young children...The span to get work in that area of the biz is not as long as one would hope in a lot of cases...
It's a very personal thing and you may be missing out on a lot of opportunities if you take it too soon.
I thought the same way you did about getting my card when I first moved out here, but here I am in my mid-late twenties and I am not regretting that I haven't taken it yet because of the experiences I've had watching others...and the experiences I've had have been great!
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BroadwayBaby0202
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Well, I guess I have it pretty good since I am usually cast as the quirky/ditzy supporting role, but I have also been cast as the ingenue several times. I do prefer playing the comic supporting role, though, and since they're usually younger than the leads, that's why I think I would enjoy my career more thoroughly if I started acting professionally now. I still agree with you about the equity card, though. I'll definitely wait until I'm a lot older and appreciate a lot more once I get it!
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jazzygirlsings
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| Patch wrote: | | jazzygirlsings wrote: | | Patch wrote: | Truly, unless you're in a major market such as New York, Chicago, or L.A. it simply isn't worth joining Actors Equity. It just limits your opportunities.
I was Equity for a time, then upon moving to Nasvhille I let my membership expire because I had more opportunities without it. As a rule, outside of the markets mentioned above, most professional companies in other cities tend to be non-equity houses. You'll run into one that is Equity on occasion...but you don't find many and they tend to be very exclusive clubs to get in to.
I hate that "equity eligible" is no longer an option personally. It was the best of both worlds. |
I totally agree with you on everything you've said! (Hence, why a lot of my friends haven't worked as steadily since getting their cards...)
To be an Equity Membership Candidate is like being able to dip into both cookie jars! LOL! |
Didn't they totally get rid of the whole "eligible" status? |
I don't believe they have officially gotten rid of it...there are still a number of theatres that still say that if you get in and you're non-Equity, that you will be eligible for EMC points...
It's all confusing! And they certainly don't do much to reach out to those that are non-Equity...
And be careful, Bwaybaby...Character roles are actually cast much older than you would think...It all changes once you really become involved in the business. You'll see what I mean only through experience. It's great that you are giving yourself those opportunities and getting yourself out there! You should be very proud of yourself!
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BroadwayBaby0202
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Oh, you're talking about EMC's? No, they haven't gotten rid of that. At the auditions yesterday, there were about five EMC's and they got to audition right after the equity actors and right before the non-equity actors.
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mtgirl118
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When I went to an audition for Broadway Junior, I was only able to sing 16 bars (a normal length) in front of 50 other kids. The casting directors didn't even talk to me. Then we danced in groups of 20 and 10. That's it.
Ellen Marie
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