The Equity Curse

Something MUST be down about the equity curse. It is just plain STUPID that you need your card to audition - and then it PREVENTS you from getting work.

I have my own stories of woe - TWO from this week! BANGS HEAD ON TABLE! (and I was told to not even AUDITION for the next (in July) "equity" production of Westchester because there are not "equity" contacts. Um....how can you be an "equity" production with not "equity" contracts? - granted the production is one I would NEVER be in because it's a big belty tappy everything I don't do musical - but still!)

But also - THREE GIRLS IN MY CAST now have the same problem. Two girls were offered roles in Westchester's July production (That only runs for three weeks), but only if they DONT take their equity card, which they are supposed to receive from the theatre on Thursday, and another girl was offered a role in one of the shows I was in final callbacks for - under the stipulation she doesn't take her card until September when that show is over - so she will be working for $300 a week before taxes for 5 months! If she TOOK her card as planned - they would take away her contract. Um - this is stupid. Just plain old stupid. And how does one fix this? I have no idea! But - if I have time once MY FAIR LADY closes - i'm gonna be getting my butt to those equity meetings held on our two show days - and I'm gonna speak my mind and try to find a solution - because being int he union should NOT PREVENT you from getting work!

GRRRRRRR! GRRRRRRRRRR! GRRRRRRRRRR! I am filled with frustration and rage over this!

At the very least I ask - that the production PLEASE at least post in their auditions if there are or are not equity contracts available! I mean - one girl in my cast was kept for 8 hours at an audition - after the audition -t he producer said - I see you're getting your equity card at the end of the week - is that true? Girl said yes - producer said: "Oh, sorry." That was it! I mean - DONT KEEP THE GIRL FOR 8 HOURS IF YOU KNOW YOU AREN'T GOING TO USE HER!

And let's not forget about that time I paid $250 on coaching for the Guenevere understudy in Camelot only to have the producer tell me there were no equity contracts! WHAT! You couldn't have told me that BEFORE asking me to learn two new songs and a very long set of sides?

COME ON PEOPLE! If someone is going to call out of work, skip a class, dedicate a day, spend money, etc... on an audition - you should at least be HIRING!!!!!!!!!!

Grumble grumble grumble grumble grumble...

I'm gonna go work for NASA.