Actors’ Equity Association EPA Auditions

December 28, 2009 by Dennis Baker 

Does AEA require producers to hold auditions for role that are not available, as Paul Russell states below? There are numerous AEA auditions postings I have seen online that tells actors when certain roles are not available.

Or as Paul Russell points out, what seems even more weird, is AEA requiring chorus auditions for productions that do not have a chorus? In New York, equity actors wait in line very early in the morning to sign up for an audition time slot, schedule around their day jobs, and pay for transportation. Why hold auditions for chorus roles, when the production will not have a chorus?

If you’re still idealistically holding onto the ‘audition-even-when-jobs-are-not-available’ folly then I challenge you this: Tell me the contents of the Val-Pak mailer (or similar) you received in March 2008. Or better still; name me the last time you filled out an application for a civilian job knowing that there was no available employ. (While you’re muddling in mental gymnastics the rest of us will plow forward.)

A lot of money is being wasted. And not solely from the pockets of producers. Actor dollars are being depleted without purpose as well. If an actor (AEA or non-union) has to take time-off from a survival job to attend an audition for which there is not opportunity for work; there’s money lost.

And at those required calls the producer and their casting representatives are not allowed by AEA to declare that, “Yes, Virginia there are no jobs.” An observer might find that to be a rather dishonest practice by a union that continually touts protection of its members.

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Comments

One Response to “Actors’ Equity Association EPA Auditions”

  1. Frank Sellers on May 21st, 2010 5:45 pm

    Well, acting unions are as much about the money and the bullshit as casting and talent agencies; they’re (almost) all more interested in getting money FROM actors rather than FOR actors. AFTRA’s a simple pay-to-play, but you have to pay out the ass to join. SAG, with its ludicrous catch-22 entrance hoops, portends to allow membership only for those actors who have proven their worth with their superior acting ability – like Paris Hilton.

    And both unions have so much power they can legally enforce antitrust practices by blacklisting any non-union members from auditions. I don’t know much about theater unions, but by the sound of it they’re just as nuts. The whole requirement to audition for no roles probably came about years ago when some dusgruntled union official wanted to stick it to a producer by forcing him (or her) to waste time and money holding pointless auditions. And screw the poor actors who have to waste their precious time and money; union officials don’t become union officials because they have soft hearts and want to help the world, they become union officials because they’re driven power mongerers who don’t generally give a shit about anyone but themselves. You don’t like wasting your time and money auditioning for non-existent roles? Fuck you. Too bad. Dance, monkey, dance!

    Unions have served this country well over the last century, but too often they’ve also been crucibles of megalomania. This whole situation with useless chorus auditions is probably (and lamely) justified as the “prevailing wisdom” of the union rules, but if it doesn’t stand up to the shit test (i.e., if it smells like shit it probably is shit) then it should be disgarded.

    It’s ironic that the most critically acclaimed movies are usually about the underdog fighting against the Machine or the Man who whoever the oppressor is to rise triumphant, yet show business is itself one of the most elitist industries in the world with several hurdles aspiring actors must jump to get any paid work. They perpetuate the very systems they love watching torn down at the movies, and thank God (not that they believe in any power higher than themselves) that it’s all just fantasy.

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