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| re: Actors’ Equity Association Announces ‘Open Access,’ Expanding Eligibility for Union Membership | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 09:52 pm EDT 07/21/21 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 09:51 pm EDT 07/21/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors’ Equity Association Announces ‘Open Access,’ Expanding Eligibility for Union Membership - kess0078 09:45 pm EDT 07/21/21 | |
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| Many years ago, I called Equity inquiring about requirements for joining, and the kind lady I spoke to actually told me it was sometimes worthwhile to wait to build up a resume with some good acting roles before jumping into the Equity audition pool with more experienced actors. I believe it was good advice. Many folks who worked quite a bit in non-Equity roles found that work slowed down significantly after joining Equity. I can understand the eagerness to join, as it seems to be a natural progression in a career to want to become more established as a professional and to go out for bigger shows in better theaters though. | |
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| re: Actors’ Equity Association Announces ‘Open Access,’ Expanding Eligibility for Union Membership | |
| Last Edit: Snowgrace 01:19 am EDT 07/22/21 | |
| Posted by: Snowgrace 01:12 am EDT 07/22/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors’ Equity Association Announces ‘Open Access,’ Expanding Eligibility for Union Membership - PlayWiz 09:51 pm EDT 07/21/21 | |
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| All this is fascinating...for several years in the 80s & 90s, if one earned a certain amount at a theatre, including a non-union one, one could become what I think was called an "eligible performer" & attend AEA calls (btw oh how I wish someone had told me back then how many of those were held merely because they were required by the union), but one couldn't join the union. So many members protested the increase in actors competing for audition spots that AEA put an end to that for us. It took a lot of us years to earn the points/contracts to ultimately join (with 4 points left, mine was thanks to a principal SAG contract which gave me eligibility first for THAT union), & it felt like a huge achievement when we did...That said, it's in huge part to the years of non-union tours & other productions that so much good came along during them & later. Maybe more theatres, including community, will all become union ones to accomodate all the new union members...time will tell. The world is changing... | |
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| re: Actors’ Equity Association Announces ‘Open Access,’ Expanding Eligibility for Union Membership | |
| Posted by: Squillo 10:20 pm EDT 07/26/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors’ Equity Association Announces ‘Open Access,’ Expanding Eligibility for Union Membership - Snowgrace 01:12 am EDT 07/22/21 | |
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| Too many of the discussions I’ve seen on AEA open access both here and elsewhere don’t even mention that AEA is making such a move during a pandemic. Theatre was already a fragile industry. AEA houses have closed, gone nonunion and reopened with one and two person shows. One of the arguments for open access has been, “If we all join, they can’t hire anyone else.” I’ve never bought it. AEA leadership thinks NOW is the time to take such a risk? The result could only be more AEA members competing for fewer jobs and destroying an already difficult audition system for a long time. The union’s leadership should have focused on tightening our belts and trying to regain what we had before 3/20, not reinventing the wheel when the industry barely exists. | |
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