Act Acting » Acting Agents » Seattle market
Seattle market
Question:
Hello all… I just graduated from college with my BA in theatre, and am moving to Seattle to pursue acting/theatre work. (Well, in addition to a day job unless I get fabulously lucky 
) My question is: can anyone tell me anything about the Seattle market?
Auditions in Seattle Check the Friday P-I and The Stranger (newspapers) If you live in the Southend, the Friday News Tribune (from Tacoma) lists auditions in that area. I pick up my copy across the street from Kidd Valley on Capitol Hill, but several newstands like Steve’s and Bulldog also carry it. A good place to check is the bulletin boards at Freehold. It’s at 10th Avenue and East Pine Street near Seattle Community College on Capitol Hill. There are three bulletin boards at the 10th Avenue entrance and one at the East Pine entrance. "The Actor’s Handbook" by Ellen Taft (available on Amazon.com. It’s a pretty comprehensive guide to theatre and commercial acting, including representation, in the Seattle, Portland and PNW area. They also have a hotline number. 206-464-6074 for a recorded message. break a leg John Floresca | CASEY FLORESCA actor, singer, second grader … | http://www.zipcon.net/acerolf/home.html (Casey’s dad) | http://www.laactorsonline.com/meetmems.htm
Response:
Eric, Here’s the deal about Seattle. I’ll give you the bad news first. It’s a great theatre town if you’re interested in doing lots of really interesting, risky theatre without getting paid for it. You can’t turn around in Seattle without tripping over a theatre company. Tons of people came here in the late ’80’s and early ’90’s to start their own theatres because the environment for it was right. Now, a lot of people are leaving Seattle because there’s not that much in the way of paid work. There are only a handful of big theatres that pay (and a few small ones that pay) and most of them are notoriously difficult to break into (figuratively speaking). There’s a local perception that the biggies cast a substantially large number of their principals from out of town, a source of much frustration for the plentiful local talent. Those local actors who regularly work on the equity stages here still need to go to LA to be in movies. There’s also not very much movie or TV production happening in Washington State. There was a mini movie production boom a decade ago, but it never matured into any sustained industry. There is currently only enough business to keep one or two film camera rental houses in operation, a hint at the state of the industry here. I tell you this not out of bitterness (I’m still involved in theatre here, but I’m not an actor) but because you should not come here with unrealistic expectations about the market. And now, something positive. For musicals, check out Civic Light Opera. I’m pretty sure they pay, but I don’t think they’re Equity. Also, the Fifth Avenue brings in touring shows and does some local productions of big huge musicals, and they have open auditions when they need people. A college friend of mine had a speaking part in "The Music Man" there very shortly after moving to town. Many other groups seem to do at least one musical a year. The Empty Space has a musically-inclined artistic director (Eddie Levi-Lee). They are a professional theatre. They hold general auditions once (?) a year. The Bathhouse Theatre also seems to have an occasional musical. They also do Shakespeare in updated settings (usually his lighter fare). Their AD is Arnie Zaslove. Other big theatres in town are Intiman, The Seattle Rep (they have generals every year), and ACT (A Contemporary Theatre). I don’t know if ACT and Intiman have general auditions. If they do, they’re not as widely publicized as the Rep’s. There are also some fine organizations in nearby cities. The Village Theatre in Issaquah (20 minutes from Seattle in light/no traffic) is technically considered a "community theatre" but they have a reputation for high-quality and professional work. They pay, and they just moved into a new facility. If you have opera chops, check out Tacoma Opera. There’s also TAG (Tacoma Actors Guild (or Group? I don’t know)). Tacoma is about 35-40 minutes south of Seattle. For bold, innovative unpaid work, there are several respected fringe theatres. Annex Theatre is a decade old theatre that specializes in new work with an aesthetic of "Big Cheap Theatre." Annex can be a bit cliquey, but with persistence you can find out about auditions and get in with the group. Theater Shmeater ("The Shmee") does a mix of classics, new and/or obscurer plays and late-nights (featuring The Twilight Zone). Book-it Repertory Theatre dramatizes works of literature. They have a reputation for doing excellent work and for innovatively solving the page to stage transition. I apologize to any Seattleites who may be offended by my omission of their favorite theatres, but if you live here you can imagine the enormity of trying to cover all the fringe groups in town. Perhaps someone could pick up the thread and add more. As for agents, the actors I know had the earliest success signing with Topo Swope, E. Thomas Bliss and Terry-Terry. I don’t know any of these agents, so this does not constitute a recommendation. I had a very close friend who was with Topo Swope, and was very happy with her. She seemed to have a lot of auditions. To summarize, whether you will like it here depends on what you want to accomplish. In my opinion, if you want to make a living as a stage actor, you’d be better off in Chicago or New York. If you’re looking for a good city to live in while you beef up your resume with unpaid work, Seattle is great. (The surrounding environs are varied and wonderful – mountains, desert, rainforests, ocean coasts, skiing, hiking etc.) If you want to start your own theatre group you’d find a lot of kindred spirits here. I hope this helps. Sorry if it seems negative, but I think it’s a pretty accurate appraisal of the professional acting opportunities in this town. Regards, Mike michaelrainey at foxinternet dot net – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello all… I just graduated from college with my BA in theatre, and am moving to Seattle to pursue acting/theatre work. (Well, in addition to a day job unless I get fabulously lucky ) My question is: can anyone tell me anything about the Seattle market? Where is a good place to get a start? Are there any particular agencies that are ideal for a young, dewy-eyed actor? <grin What about musical theatre opportunities? Any information/advice would be duly appreciated — I’m not going into this completely blind, but I’d love to hear particularly from anyone who’s worked in the area. Thanks! Eric
Response:
- am a novelty entertainer billed as "David Lander Sleight-Of-Hand – Artisan" , maybe you have heard of me? Well at any rate I just – thought I would get in Nice to see you here. I performed at the American Theater of Magic in NYC in about 1976-77. In onme corner a pipe dripped from an upstairs souvlaki place. Prior to that it was some sort of torture museum and prior to that a Ripley’s Belive it or Not. Broadway between 45-46 Street. They tore all that down and built a slum called teh Marriot Marqauis :-}. Anyhow –I did the Houdini Blade Box with my wife Rita, did an act with an audience volunteer, MC’d the show and had a voice over running at the entrance. You ARE a performer and an actor too. I sure as heck convinced many people that I REALLY was doing what actually was a trick. I am sure that you do the same thing. In levitations I did the Super-X or Flying Carpet depending on teh weight of the volunteer. Did a beheading too! Ray Normandeau, Rita Frazier (Normandeau); NYC actors. http://www.buzznyc.com/actors/res.frazier.rita.html http://www.buzznyc.com/actors/res.normandeau.raymond.html See Ray with a Coney Island Mermaid Parade bare breasted mermaid.
Response:
Hello Heidi. My name is David Lander and I live in lexington, KY. I was wondering is you could share with us what cities you are talking about. The question is purely academic, as my income does not come from acting per se. I am a novelty entertainer billed as "David Lander Sleight-Of-Hand Artisan" , maybe you have heard of me? Well at any rate I just thought I would get in touch with another local performer. PS I am looking for someone to help me direct a project I am working on. The conditions of the performance are rather unique. It is in it very early stages right now. If you are a far distance we can work via video tape if necessary. On a high note, since my budget is very low I can’t pay you, but I can return the favor. Magically yours, David Lander
Response:
If you want to live off of your theatrical earnings, there are better places to live. The question I pose to all of you is where?
I’m currently living in KY, but came here via Chicago. I have a "real" job, and I get to work in the theatre about one week out of the month. It works out that I make about the same for that week as I would have made at my job had I not taken that week off. My plan of action is to get out into the region instead of trying to work only in this place. I’m w/in 3 hours or less of more than a handful of cities where I’m pretty sure I could find work. Just gotta quit this day job and get going.
Response:
John W Ireland wrote (in response to)If you want to live off of your theatrical earnings, there are better places to live. The question I pose to all of you is where?
I don’t think it matters where you live unless you are totally focused on location-specific theatre. (i.e., if your goal is to work on Broadway, you probably need to live in New York). My partner and I live in Florida, which is largely a cultural wasteland. We do NO–as in NONE–’legit’ theatre work in Florida. We spend perhaps 50% of the year performing a stunt show at Renaissance Festivals around the country, 3 of which are in Florida. The other half of our year we do plays in other states (usually regional theatre), and work as guest artists in Mask and Movement theatre in other states. Why live in Florida? We start our year there with Renaissance Festivals in the spring; housing is cheap; and our time off is usually in December and January, so we might as well be warm. We’ve considered moving somewhere (such as the Baltimore/DC area) with more local theatre–it would be nice to work where we live–but we’ve discovered that almost every city has a perception of "they like to get actors from out-of-town." I don’t know if that perception is a reality, but I do know that we get paid more and treated better when we’re flown in. So what it comes down to for me is: Go to the major professional contact areas in your field (SETC or other big auditions if you’re a regional theatre person; academic conferences if you’re a guest artist, etc.) but live where it’s cheap and comfortable, and make sure you’re near a major airport. If you want to be on Broadway or in mega-movies, or in soaps, you probably need to live in NY or LA. But when it all boils down, most other markets are pretty interchangeable unless you’re very specific about what YOU want from the area in which you live. Allison Williams
Response:
Cool! I designed the set and the video system for Annex’s production of Diva. Christina’s a great person to know. She’s got a lot of integrity. If you’re in Seattle in August or September come to Annex and check out "Little Rootie Tootie" by Eric Ehn. It’s directed by Ken Judy, and I’m doing the film/video layer of the production. It’s going to be a great show.
Good deal! Yeah, she raved about Eric Ehn’s work last time I saw her (a month ago I think, she came back for our drama banquet at Whitman). I will definitely have to check it out. (Damn, too much good theatre to see – I also need to check out Hamlet, which several of my friends are doing tech for, and How I Learned to Drive by one of my favorite playwrights..) Is Erin Kellington working on light design for Ehn’s show, by any chance? Eric
Response:
Hi . I movied to L.A from Seattle thats were i started my acting here’s some info. Roth Casting Associates: Jodi Rothfield is a wonderful coach she’s also a casting director. I think she’s still around (206) 448-0927 Rutledge Photographics: Wayne is a wonderful guy and a great photographer i still go up to Seattle to get him to take pictures for me (206)784-3889 Media Prints: to get your pictures printed (206)363-5473
Response:
If you want to live off of your theatrical earnings, there are better places to live.
The question I pose to all of you is where?
Response:
If you want to live off of your theatrical earnings, there are better places to live. The question I pose to all of you is where?
Friends who are working steady and supporting themselves in Florida theatre seem to think they’ve found the answer to your question. But if we all move to Florida, the answer will move somewhere else… ghoti <:)))<(
Response:
If you want to live off of your theatrical earnings, there are better places to live. The question I pose to all of you is where?
New YOrk Boston San Francisco Chicago Philadelphia and Branson MO. (not necessarily in this order) I no longer include my home, South Florida, on this list, because too many theatres have closed in the last ten years. A number of us stay busy, but it gets harder every year. Someone else will have to supply you the film and TV list, but you can probably guess. — ** NOTE: address is spamblocked – }:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( Dionysian Reveler "Why, you’re more than realistic – you’re nearly grotesque!!" Charles Busch, ‘Vampire Lesbians of Sodom’
Response:
snip Plus Mike Rainey, who is a very sweet guy.
Thanks, Chris. Hi, Mike. Long time no see….
How’ve you been? -Mike
Response:
Which director? I’ve done some work there too, wonder if we know the same folks. Let me know, I’d be happy to help you get your foot in.
Christina Mastin is the director… she came to Whitman last year (where she’s an alumni) to direct Diva Classification System, which was originally an Annex production.. I played Annie, and it was probably the best show I’ve been involved with — as far as having a director who was willing to push us further than we usually go (as well as a great script). So I’m hoping to get in with her – she’s been really helpful in getting whitman tech people work, but it might be more difficult as an actor. Hopefully she still likes me. Eric
Response:
Eric, Thank you for the detailed overview!
To add to Mike Rainey’s post about Seattle theatre… My goals are pretty ambiguous. It’s sort of a general ‘year off’ – to explore life on my own outside of college, etc. I suppose you could say that I don’t have any specific goals… I do want to obtain some more experience — I’ve managed to do quite a bit for where I’m at, with summer stock groups and a small college with a season of 8-10 shows plus student work, but I feel like I still have a lot to learn. So, no, I’m not going into this with the intention to immediately make money, just to practice my craft, get seen, and figure out how to get my foot in the door. I also have worked with one of the Annex directors, and I’m hoping that connection will help get me in over there.
Village Theatre (20 min outside of town) just went quasi-Equity, meaning they have a special contract with Equity to employ a small number of Equity actors per show. They pay, but not much (last I heard was $175/wk for union talent, less for non-union I would assume). They are traditional musical theatre, though, as is Civic Light Opera. Other theatres will do "musicals," but they generally are plays with songs, but not musical theatre form. Intiman has a hotline (don’t have the number with me) that one can call to find out about upcoming auditions. I once walked up to the theatre and dropped my headshot off when I heard they were doing unpublicized generals, and I got a call back out of it. They will also, sometimes, grant a general audition if you send in your p/r with a cover letter saying you are new to Seattle. There is a company called Cabaret Productions that does (c’mon, guess!) cabaret work and "industrial theatre." They hold generals, I believe, every year. Seattle Children’s Theatre is an Equity house that consistantly produces great work. Don’t be put off by the term "Children’s Theatre." The work can be very mature and challanging. I am understudying a production of Cyrano there this fall. They just closed a production of The Tempest. They hold generals every year. Additional, if you have the money and the inclination, you can easily produce a vehicle for yourself either in the massive Seattle Fringe Festival or in one of the small for hire theatre spaces (Hugo House, Odd Duck Studio, etc.). Some are nicer than others. Seattle is a great place to do casual theatre. When the mountians are out and the sky is clear, there is no more beautiful place. It is pretty easy to get sucked in to the theatre-for-nothing market, though. If you want to live off of your theatrical earnings, there are better places to live. My appoligies for any percieved omissions Chris Guilmet <insert something clever here my e-mail is spamblocked, remove one c, any c PS – Christina Mastin is currently directing Hamlet for Annex, Jeff Resta (playwright for Diva Classification System) produced The Pirates of Lesbos at Re-Bar a couple of months ago and continues writing. There – two contacts and you’re not even in town yet. Plus Mike Rainey, who is a very sweet guy. Hi, Mike. Long time no see….
Response:
snip Thank you for the detailed overview!
You’re welcome snip I also have worked with one of the Annex directors, and I’m hoping that connection will help get me in over there.
Which director? I’ve done some work there too, wonder if we know the same folks. Let me know, I’d be happy to help you get your foot in. -Mike michaelrainey at foxinternet dot net – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyway, thanks again! Eric
Response:
Cool! I designed the set and the video system for Annex’s production of Diva. Christina’s a great person to know. She’s got a lot of integrity. If you’re in Seattle in August or September come to Annex and check out "Little Rootie Tootie" by Eric Ehn. It’s directed by Ken Judy, and I’m doing the film/video layer of the production. It’s going to be a great show. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Which director? I’ve done some work there too, wonder if we know the same folks. Let me know, I’d be happy to help you get your foot in. Christina Mastin is the director… she came to Whitman last year (where she’s an alumni) to direct Diva Classification System, which was originally an Annex production.. I played Annie, and it was probably the best show I’ve been involved with — as far as having a director who was willing to push us further than we usually go (as well as a great script). So I’m hoping to get in with her – she’s been really helpful in getting whitman tech people work, but it might be more difficult as an actor. Hopefully she still likes me. Eric
Response:
Thank you for the detailed overview! My goals are pretty ambiguous. It’s sort of a general ‘year off’ – to explore life on my own outside of college, etc. I suppose you could say that I don’t have any specific goals… I do want to obtain some more experience — I’ve managed to do quite a bit for where I’m at, with summer stock groups and a small college with a season of 8-10 shows plus student work, but I feel like I still have a lot to learn. So, no, I’m not going into this with the intention to immediately make money, just to practice my craft, get seen, and figure out how to get my foot in the door. I also have worked with one of the Annex directors, and I’m hoping that connection will help get me in over there. Anyway, thanks again! Eric
Response:
Eric, My bro-in-law and sister just moved from Seattle to LA. My sister graduated from Cornish. I will give them a call as well as another friend involved in the acting scene there and see what they say and let you know. However, I must agree with others, that there isn’t a whole lot. One benefit might be that it would be easier to get your SAG card there…IF you can get a job……and thus the experience/need the card to get the job to get the experience to get thejob cycle begins….. I’ll be in touch. Tra (as in Tray) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thank you for the detailed overview! My goals are pretty ambiguous. It’s sort of a general ‘year off’ – to explore life on my own outside of college, etc. I suppose you could say that I don’t have any specific goals… I do want to obtain some more experience — I’ve managed to do quite a bit for where I’m at, with summer stock groups and a small college with a season of 8-10 shows plus student work, but I feel like I still have a lot to learn. So, no, I’m not going into this with the intention to immediately make money, just to practice my craft, get seen, and figure out how to get my foot in the door. I also have worked with one of the Annex directors, and I’m hoping that connection will help get me in over there. Anyway, thanks again! Eric
Response:
Eric, Hey there, unfortunately I haven’t worked in the Seattle area but I lived there before a moved a few hours away for college..great place! Wonderful theatre district 
) I think maybe the best way to find out about places there is to look it up in a search engine or wait till you get there and settle in, and then thumb through a phone book ) Sorry I couldn’t be of much more help than that! Let me know how it all goes since I’m going to be going back there for the same reason you are ) Miyu – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello all… I just graduated from college with my BA in theatre, and am moving to Seattle to pursue acting/theatre work. (Well, in addition to a day job unless I get fabulously lucky ) My question is: can anyone tell me anything about the Seattle market? Where is a good place to get a start? Are there any particular agencies that are ideal for a young, dewy-eyed actor? <grin What about musical theatre opportunities? Any information/advice would be duly appreciated — I’m not going into this completely blind, but I’d love to hear particularly from anyone who’s worked in the area. Thanks! Eric
Response:
Hello all… I just graduated from college with my BA in theatre, and am moving to Seattle to pursue acting/theatre work. (Well, in addition to a day job unless I get fabulously lucky ) My question is: can anyone tell me anything about the Seattle market? Where is a good place to get a start? Are there any particular agencies that are ideal for a young, dewy-eyed actor? <grin What about musical theatre opportunities? Any information/advice would be duly appreciated — I’m not going into this completely blind, but I’d love to hear particularly from anyone who’s worked in the area. Thanks! Eric
Response:
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