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Question:

I’m in New York and not really in the game any more for now, but I’ll give my opinion and you can take it for what it’s worth.  First I am equity and not Sag or Aftra, and most of my auditions have been theater rather than commercial or movie.  In New York it is true that when you get something it is possible to be "seen" by the right people, and networking can be easier. It is a remarkably small world when push comes to shove.  Many auditions I have been on are equity auditions, but there are many I couldn’t go on because of equity.  I suggest looking at a few issues of backstage.  It will give you at least a feel for what auditions are available in New York.  The last word though I would say that if your mindset has you comparing yourself by type to a commercial rather than a dramatic character, that seems to be more of an LA thing.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Interesting question, Steve. You will have the same problem in NY that you had in LA. In fact, it might be worse, what with all the commercials shot here. However, there are also many opportunities to be seen here that there aren’t in LA or Seattle. Namely, the theatre district is much more concentrated in an area, and it’s easy for an agent or CD to make two (or even more) showcases in a night, if so motivated. This is really a toss-up situation, then. I’d say go for it, *if* you can either afford it or have an alternative career to support you while you pursue acting. But that would be true in LA or Seattle, too, except this is NY, and you haven’t tried it here. to clean up: Hi All, I am currently a Seattle-based actor with a strong theatre background, however, I am lacking union affiliation.  I am planning a move to the "motherland of all theatre" and would appreciate your thoughts/advice regarding Equity and/or SAG eligibility prior to the move; particularly because I came here from LA and could not get any serious looks (agent-wise) there without being SAG eligibile, despite consistently praised theatre performances.  Do you think NY is more open-minded in that regard??  Will I have the same trouble landing auditions (Equity theatre, agent and otherwise)??  Should I stick around here a bit longer in hopes of landing the gig that will open union doors??  As you may know, there’s great theatre here; but not much in the way of union on-camera gigs… I am Caucasion, play 35-45+, and probably most closely resemble the black-overcoat guy in the Sprint commercials, just to give you some idea of my "look." I know many of you are in, or near, or have been in NYC…so your experiences would be of great value. Thanks in advance for your time, Tao te Carl

Response:

clean up: Thx, guys…really appreciate the positive feedback, and now I’m looking forward to the challenge!!

Kepp us posted, Steve. Maybe we can start up a regular off-line meeting type situation with the NYC acting community here… Tao te Carl

Response:

Interesting question, Steve. You will have the same problem in NY that you had in LA. In fact, it might be worse, what with all the commercials shot here. However, there are also many opportunities to be seen here that there aren’t in LA or Seattle. Namely, the theatre district is much more concentrated in an area, and it’s easy for an agent or CD to make two (or even more) showcases in a night, if so motivated. This is really a toss-up situation, then. I’d say go for it, *if* you can either afford it or have an alternative career to support you while you pursue acting. But that would be true in LA or Seattle, too, except this is NY, and you haven’t tried it here. clean up: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi All, I am currently a Seattle-based actor with a strong theatre background, however, I am lacking union affiliation.  I am planning a move to the "motherland of all theatre" and would appreciate your thoughts/advice regarding Equity and/or SAG eligibility prior to the move; particularly because I came here from LA and could not get any serious looks (agent-wise) there without being SAG eligibile, despite consistently praised theatre performances.  Do you think NY is more open-minded in that regard??  Will I have the same trouble landing auditions (Equity theatre, agent and otherwise)??  Should I stick around here a bit longer in hopes of landing the gig that will open union doors??  As you may know, there’s great theatre here; but not much in the way of union on-camera gigs… I am Caucasion, play 35-45+, and probably most closely resemble the black-overcoat guy in the Sprint commercials, just to give you some idea of my "look." I know many of you are in, or near, or have been in NYC…so your experiences would be of great value. Thanks in advance for your time,

Tao te Carl

Response:

Hi All, I am currently a Seattle-based actor with a strong theatre background, however, I am lacking union affiliation.  I am planning a move to the "motherland of all theatre" and would appreciate your thoughts/advice regarding Equity and/or SAG eligibility prior to the move; particularly because I came here from LA and could not get any serious looks (agent-wise) there without being SAG eligibile, despite consistently praised theatre performances.  Do you think NY is more open-minded in that regard??  Will I have the same trouble landing auditions (Equity theatre, agent and otherwise)??  Should I stick around here a bit longer in hopes of landing the gig that will open union doors??  As you may know, there’s great theatre here; but not much in the way of union on-camera gigs… I am Caucasion, play 35-45+, and probably most closely resemble the black-overcoat guy in the Sprint commercials, just to give you some idea of my "look." I know many of you are in, or near, or have been in NYC…so your experiences would be of great value. Thanks in advance for your time, Steve

Response:

Thx, guys…really appreciate the positive feedback, and now I’m looking forward to the challenge!! Steve – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m in New York and not really in the game any more for now, but I’ll give my opinion and you can take it for what it’s worth.  First I am equity and not Sag or Aftra, and most of my auditions have been theater rather than commercial or movie.  In New York it is true that when you get something it is possible to be "seen" by the right people, and networking can be easier. It is a remarkably small world when push comes to shove.  Many auditions I have been on are equity auditions, but there are many I couldn’t go on because of equity.  I suggest looking at a few issues of backstage.  It will give you at least a feel for what auditions are available in New York.  The last word though I would say that if your mindset has you comparing yourself by type to a commercial rather than a dramatic character, that seems to be more of an LA thing. Interesting question, Steve. You will have the same problem in NY that you  had in LA. In fact, it might be worse, what with all the commercials shot  here. However, there are also many opportunities to be seen here that there  aren’t in LA or Seattle. Namely, the theatre district is much more concentrated in  an area, and it’s easy for an agent or CD to make two (or even more)  showcases in a night, if so motivated. This is really a toss-up situation, then. I’d say go for it, *if* you can  either afford it or have an alternative career to support you while you pursue  acting. But that would be true in LA or Seattle, too, except this is NY, and you  haven’t tried it here.  to clean up: Hi All, I am currently a Seattle-based actor with a strong theatre background, however, I am lacking union affiliation.  I am planning a move to the "motherland of all theatre" and would appreciate your thoughts/advice regarding Equity and/or SAG eligibility prior to the move; particularly because I came here from LA and could not get any serious looks (agent-wise) there without being SAG eligibile, despite consistently praised theatre performances.  Do you think NY is more open-minded in that regard??  Will I have the same trouble landing auditions (Equity theatre, agent and otherwise)??  Should I stick around here a bit longer in hopes of landing the gig that will open union doors??  As you may know, there’s great theatre here; but not much in the way of union on-camera gigs… I am Caucasion, play 35-45+, and probably most closely resemble the black-overcoat guy in the Sprint commercials, just to give you some idea of my "look." I know many of you are in, or near, or have been in NYC…so your experiences would be of great value. Thanks in advance for your time, Tao te Carl

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