KCACTF: Actor's Equity

Ever considered acting professionally?  Wondered what that constituted?  It can be scary to think about because Acting is not a profession that has guaranteed work or pay.  The Actor's Equity was started in 1913 to create a more professional approach to this daring career choice.  I was blessed today to be able to attend a seminar called:  A Career in Theatre:  The Role of Actor's Equity and  A Practical Guide to the Business.  Tom Miller, the Director of Outreach and Career Development for Actor's Equity Association, came here to teach the seminar.  I went with my friends:  Alex, Brandon, Colin, and Kylie.

Tom is a very positive guy and it was an absolute joy to be in the room.  He used to be a working actor and therefore knew exactly what we were all going through.  He was very honest, helpful, and insipiring.    To start off the class, we went around and said our name, where we went to school, and our hometown.  Afterwards he told us that this technique is actually used during auditions to find out:  "Can you project?  Can a part of you come through just by saying your name and hometown?"  It is a "very small business and any opportunity you have to make an impact is important."

So what is Actor's Equity?  Actor's Equity is made up of actors and stage managers.  They negotiate contracts that consist of the following aspects:  salary, hours, benefits, insurance, conditions, and safety.  Tom told us that you should wait to join until you believe in yourself and are ready to treat acting like a business.  How do you know this?  "Can you keep an audition log?  Are you able to walk out of an audition and do a self-evaluation without being judgemental?  Be able to differentiate what control you have or don't.  Can you let go of everything that went wrong and give the best possible audition you can do in that moment?  Be present every beat.  Accept them, take them as life experiences, and let them go."

One quote I really enjoyed was, "We bring that emotional committment to everything we do."  I love this.  It is very true and reflects the dedication and work ethic of most actors.  Even with presentations for classes that I do not care about I cannot help but give them my all.  We have an attitude of, "Great!  Let's do it!"  He said that this can pose a challenge because it can get you injured.  "You know you can do it and will eventually be at that point, but keep in mind that you need proper training and to only do it at the proper time."  Haha, an example he gave was Broadway's "Spider Man" and the numerous accidents this show has had.