[Chevstriss]

how is it that I can be the ONLY person called back for a particular role, and still not get cast?

This has been happening to me all my life. At a large call, I am often the ONLY woman asked to stay and read. Or I go to a scheduled call back and NO ONE else is called in for the role (usually one I've done before). And I never hear from them again. And find out the role goes to someone they've known for years.

But I have to keep reminding myself "It's ALWAYS about money."

of course, MY money is of no consequence. the fact that it costs me big bucks to alter my schedule and get to an inconvenient callback never enters the equation.

[Set_Buildin_Dad]

Are they giving the roles to non-equity actresses to save money?

[Chevstriss]

[Set_Buildin_Dad]

I don't know what to tell you. Looks like this is the way of the world right now. Maybe you need to partner up with some other talented people from your area and form you own production company.

[Celeste_SM]

You hit the nail on the head. My company only offers two guest artist AEA contracts and tries very hard to only hire locally to avoid paying per diem. If it looks like we might not have anyone for a particular role, except an AEA person, then we call them back to be sure they're right. Usually they're the one we want, but we only get two contracts and we obviously have more roles to fill. So it becomes a balancing act of whether we have enough talent in the non-eq pool to cast certain parts, and whether we have non-eq alternatives at all.

It sucks, but that's how it works. It's a competitive and expensive business. You chose to be an Equity performer, and that's part of the hardship you take with it. You can always turn down the callback.

[Chevstriss]

but when called back, one would assume the company has the money to cast you. If they are gonna go to the expense of traveling to NY, and hold equity calls, they could state upfront what roles will and will not be non-eq, not call back people and decide later.

I'm spending over $1500 in expenses just this week to get to callbacks. That's more money than some of these entire gigs will pay for the run.

when I joined equity in the 80s, a theatre was either union or it wasn't, none of this "hold union auditions but cast all non-union" was going on. So I chose to join, as you say, when it was "understood" that as you moved forward in the profession you joined the union and kept moving forward.

There was vitually no such thing as a "non eq tour" back then

[candymancan]

Some people do the call-backs to see if some people have more potential than they all ready saw. Maybe the directors all ready knew enough about the others and not enough about that one person.

[Celeste_SM]

In my situation, actors know there are two contracts on every show. But we don't know what roles we'll use them on until we see what the talent pool presents. I do sympathise with AEA folks, but it's just the way the business works. Maybe work from within the union to boycott companies that have audition/casting practices that you consider unfair to union members?

It always blows me away that AEA people fly in from NY to audition for our shows, given that they'll probably barely break even - IF they get a role/contract.