www.broadwayworld.com: For the uninitiated, before this week - non-union actors hoping to be seen at an Equity Principal Audition or Equity Chorus Call would have to make their way to Pearl Studios early enough to get their name on an unofficial list. Several actors told BroadwayWorld this would be posted on the door of the building, and it wouldn't be unusual to have people signing up at midnight. Many people would aim to get there at the crack of dawn for their chance to make the list.
2 comments:
This article spoke to me a lot because it gave me a sense of the real-time changes that are happening in the audition process for non-union performers. I had heard of people coming out the door at crazy hours just to be put on tape, but I never really knew how the chaos and danger was so prevalent. I appreciated that the article didn't simply present the facts, alongside the facts were real performers' and teachers' responses to the issue, making it feel more personal and tangible. It was also interesting that the article captured the ambiguity of Equity's decision, presenting positives and negatives! It did not act like Equity's decision is flawless, but it does show equity is processing toward a progressive future. It was fascinating how social media/digital lists have generated greater access to materials. This made me think of how far advocacy and community have come toward creating actual systemic change in the theatre world. I left the article a little more optimistic, but also with the knowledge that there is more work to do to make auditioning equitable for all performance artists.
The amount of stories and videos I have seen or heard regarding Unofficial Non Equity lists is truly astounding. Although I understand why it has occurred there seems like a more reasonable way to go about this. I enjoyed the possibilities of the digital sign up, and think that there is real substance to that idea, however it still obviously needs kinks worked out. I can see the pro’s and con’s of having lists outside versus when the doors open. I can see how it can be anxiety inducing not knowing whether or not the unofficial list would be accepted or not and people not being kind and potentially loosing or marking out peoples names (again horror stories). However the pro of having this list is that you can make your trek but once you write your name you can leave. Whereas, like the article expressed, with this new system people might be camping out outside auditions, which is certainly not ideal either.
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