I fortunately know a little magic...

So you’ve graduated from school and want to move to New York City to be an actor...

You’ve out grown your local theatre scene and want to move to New York City to be an actor...

You’ve always dreamed of being on Broadway so you want to move to New York City to be an actor...

You live in New York City and want to be an actor...

Or like my longtime colleague Arthur, you’re an actor who’s just moved back to New York City and things have changed...

No matter what a person's particular circumstances are, taking the next step in his or her career to or in New York City can be overwhelming. There are so many things a person needs to know just to survive let alone thrive and be successful. Becoming acquainted with people who have a bit more knowledge or experience or reading a blog like this helps.

Trust me, I’ve been there. I know the struggle is real.

Straight out of University I was the ripest shade of green on the planet. I knew nothing. I was fortunate enough to book a summer stock season. The theatre was located about two hours outside of New York City. I had been to NYC before but never as an actor looking for work or looking to make a living. I had no idea what the hell to do. Luckily I became friends with people who did.

During the summer one of my cast mates, Leslie, became like my big sister. She was from Jersey and in my eyes was a theatre veteran, so worldly and experienced. She looked after me in all sorts of ways. She even took me to my very first New York audition.

Our contracts were soon to be up so Leslie and I wanted to find our next gig. For the audition we needed to be prepared with a song and dance attire to dance and a monologue. Finding material to use at auditions is whole other blog. Suffice it to say that being straight out of school, I had songs and monologues at the ready.

We took the bus to her parents’ house in New Jersey and stayed overnight. Early in the morning her parents drove us to the bus station to catch another bus to go into the City. We arrived at the crack of dawn and grabbed a bagel then whisked off to the audition. Luckily it was being held at a rehearsal studio across the street from Port Authority, the main bus station in NYC, so we didn’t have far to travel. That studio no longer exists.

At the time I didn’t know about the several versions of auditions that take place in New York City: 

Non-equity

Open call

ECC

EPA

Appointment

Agent appointment

Invited call

Leslie and I were going to what I now know is called a non-equity audition. It’s for people who aren’t part of the actors union, called Actors' Equity. The audition was solely for non-union performers.

The Non-Equity call, for our purposes is the lowest in the hierarchy of auditions. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with Non-Equity calls. It’s just that there are no rules to follow. Each audition is run independently. An actor will never know how it’s going to be run until the audition starts.

And if you want to audition, you have to get there early...really really early. And generally wait, sometimes all day, to be seen. And there is no guarantee that you will be seen. In a nut shell this is the reason most actors want to become Equity: they don’t want to waste their entire day waiting. But more on that later. Back to the Non-equity call...

If a non-equity audition is slated to begin at 10am, an actor’s best bet is to arrive at the audition site at 6am (or earlier). Inevitably he or she will not be the first person in line. Someone will have already been there and posted an “unofficial” sign up list.

Usually the first few people who arrive will label a blank sheet of paper with the name of the audition. They’ll put their name on the list at number one, two, and three and so on. Sometimes they’ll leave and come back closer to the audition time. Sometimes they’ll sign up a litany of friends and wait for them to show up and tag the originator out so he or she can take a break get some breakfast or even go home and go back to sleep.

The savvy actors who have left the audition site will show up just prior to the building opening. Oh yeah, actors are generally standing outside waiting in line because the building doesn’t open up until seven, eight or even nine in the morning. And the weather does not detour actors from lining up; cold, snow, rain, sleet, hail, and blistering sun, we are outside in line.

When the “in the know” actors come back to the audition site, they’ll join their friends where ever they are in the line. The building opens and all proceed to the audition room, hopefully in an orderly fashion. The unknowing actor will show up after the building opens or just joins the end of the line, believing he or she is ahead of the four hundred other people because he or she has signed up as number ten on the unofficial list. But that’s a crap shoot.

The unofficial sign up list is called so because no one of any power or input at the audition has posted it. It does not have to be honored by the people behind the table. If the people behind the table decide to honor the unofficial list all is fine. However should they not honor the list, those who didn’t stay in line will be screwed out of their efforts. In the end they will have gotten up uber early and signed up on a list for nothing. Their day will be wasted waiting to be seen anyway.

A non-equity call is like the Wild West: lawless, unprotected and it’s better to have friends to help you out and watch your back. In my non-equity days we traveled in packs. Leslie was the beginning of my pack and my pack leader.

If a day was particularly busy the pack would divide and conquer. Letting each other know which audition was light and which was overrun with other actors. On one Valentine’s Day my friend Helga and I were able to do seven (7!) non-equity auditions in one day. It was all thanks to our pack.

And after all it’s a numbers game. The more an actor is seen the more likely he or she will get cast. And that’s what we all want isn’t it?

I didn’t get cast at my first New York City audition, but that didn’t stop me. I still moved to NYC and began auditioning on the regular. I then stumbled across an “Open call”, the next rung up in the hierarchy.

At times the two terms “Non-equity” and “Open call” are synonymous. The main difference between a non-equity call and an open call is that some open calls are looking for Equity actors as well. Again the actual auditions are run by the producers which means no strict rules to be followed. There are still the unofficial lists and lining up before the sun rises. Some of these calls will see union members before non-union members. I remember being so pissed off when it first happened to me. I had been sitting with my pack waiting hours to be seen when a group of union members walked in. They were immediately put on line and auditioned.

“Flames, flames from the side of my face”.

Such is the case with Radio City Music Hall auditions, but that's the rule there. RCMH is governed by another union AGVA (American Guild of Variety Artists). So don’t be surprised if and when it happens.

And this is basically what happens for non-equity at an Equity call.

Sooner or later actors tend to tire of the waiting game of trying to be seen at non-union auditions. Thoughts of transitioning to union status start to fill their heads. (I did an earlier blog about union versus non-union. It needs to be updated, but for the sake of this blog let’s say being union is the goal. I’m pro union, but it’s a little more complicated than people realize). There are several ways to become union with one of the easiest being hired to do a union show. To get hired for a union show an actor has to attend a union audition. And technically an actor can’t audition for a union show unless he or she is union. See the problem?

When I finally had my fill of non-equity work, and working conditions, I set my sights on becoming union. Louise, who I had met while on scholarship at Broadway Dance Center, had also had her fill of the non-union life. We set out together to cross over into being a “professional”.

Whenever there was an Equity audition that we thought we were right for we would head over to the Equity lounge. There we would sign up on an unofficial list, and sit in the hallway outside the lounge on hard, backless benches and wait. And wait. And wait. We had to wait to hear whether the audition would be seeing non-equity actors or not. That decision was solely made by the people behind the table. There were times when the monitor got the word right away. Most times we would sit outside all day from 9am until 5pm without knowing, only to finally hear “They’re not seeing any non-equity today.”

Louise and I loving named the waiting area the “bitter benches” for obvious reasons.

We were waiting for one of two types of calls that Equity has. More often than not it was the Equity Chorus Call that peaked our interest. We were inexperienced but we knew enough to realize that our best chance of being hired for an equity show was in the chorus. What we didn’t know was how a chorus call worked:

1.      Official Sign-Up Sheet Procedures: An official sign-up sheet for Equity performers will be posted for each required Chorus Call in the Equity Office. You do not have to sign the Official

2.      List in order to be seen. You may audition by arriving a half hour before the scheduled call to receive a Chorus Audition Card, after the list has been called. Please understand, however, that auditions may be cut off when the starting time is reached:

3.      "Unofficial lists" cannot be honored.

4.      The official sign-up sheets will be posted at 9:30AM one calendar week prior to the call. For example, if the call is scheduled for a Tuesday, the list will be posted on the previous Tuesday. (Should that day be a holiday observed by the Equity office, the list will be posted the following business day.)

5.      The list will be removed at 5PM on the first business day preceding the date of the call. You may sign the official lists only during this 9:30AM to 5PM time period.

6.      You may sign the list only on the consecutive, numbered lines of the official Sign-up Sheet. (Cross-outs and erasures will not be recognized).

7.      You may only sign one name at a time on the list. If you wish to add an additional name, you must return to the end of the line.

8.      If you are not present at the half-hour to receive the Chorus Audition Card, you will lose your place on the list. If you are on a line for any other call, the Chorus Call takes precedence. Therefore, if you are not present at the designated time to receive the Chorus Card, you will have to wait for the entire Chorus list to be read.

9.      Non-Required Calls: These Chorus Call procedures are established only for those auditions that are required by Equity contracts. Where Chorus auditions are not required by Equity contract (such as, emergency replacements, additional calls, callbacks, and so forth), these procedures may be adopted by the Producer, after consultation with Equity.

10.  A monitor will be present only at Chorus Calls required by Equity contracts.

11.  The monitor will report violations of Equity's “Safe and Sanitary” rules.

12.  You must have your paid-up membership card with you at the time and place of the call (or written verification from the Equity Membership Department of your paid-up membership status). Due to the very high volume of activity, membership status cannot be verified by telephone; therefore please always carry your card.

13.  You must, whether or not signed to the "pre-signup sheet”, be at the audition site at least one half hour prior to the official start of the call. Actors' Equity Association – Chorus Audition Procedures (New York and Los Angeles)

14.  Monitors will distribute the Chorus Audition cards as follows:

15.  At the half-hour prior to the official start time of the call, the monitor will read out the list in the precise order that the list was signed. (Names that are illegible, crossed out, erased, written over, or otherwise illegible will not be read.)

16.  Audition cards will be distributed in this same order.

17.  If you are not present when your name is called, you lose your place on the list. You will, however, if you are present before the list is completed, receive a card at the conclusion of the reading of the list.

18.  You may not “hold” another Equity performer’s card.

19.  You are required to show your paid-up membership card before you receive the Chorus card.

20.  The monitor will post the names and titles of all employer casting personnel conducting the Call so that you know for whom you are auditioning. The monitor will ensure that at least one of the casting personnel is a member of the artistic team.

21.  The monitor will also advise you as to what the requirements may be for the audition. For example, “up-tempo,” “ballad,” “16 bars,” and so forth).

22.  "Typing" is the method used by casting personnel to audition only those whom the casting personnel determine to be physically right for the production. The following rules shall govern:

23.  Typing is at the complete discretion of the casting personnel.

24.  Typing may only occur at the start of the call and typing must be completed before the audition begins.

25.  Typing is determined solely by the casting personnel for each individual call. For example, there may be typing at the women’s singer/dancer call in the morning but there may be no typing at the men’s singer/dancer call in the afternoon.

26.  The length of the audition is at the discretion of the casting personnel. This will be announced as performers prepare to enter the audition room. The length of the audition time may be changed throughout the call. For example, the call may begin requiring 24 bars of a song, and afterwards, the requirements may be changed to 16 bars, and so forth.

27.  For dance auditions, you may be called in groups to learn combinations. You may also be auditioned in groups. The size of the dance group is generally determined by the size of the audition room.

28.  If you receive an audition card and have not left the audition room, you must be seen (or typed, if typing is used). If you leave the audition site and are not present when called to audition, you will lose the right to the audition. You may, if you choose, wait until the end of the call, but there can be no guarantee of your being seen.

29.  Should one part of the call run late and, in the opinion of the monitor, will probably run into the next call, the first call must be stopped and the second call begin as scheduled. If you did not audition during the first

That's how it was for us when we first started. Beginning with auditions on August 1st, there are new rules governing the Equity Chorus calls. New York City has finally joined the digital age. Now the rules are the same for L.A. Chicago and New York:

An Equity monitor will be present only at chorus auditions that are being run according to these ECC procedures in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. When chorus auditions are not required by Equity, the producer may choose to utilize these procedures after consultation with Equity.

1.      Members may sign up for ECCs using the online sign-up feature on Casting Call, accessible through the Member Portal. Online sign-up for each chorus call will begin at 9:30 am one week prior to the date of the audition (or the next business day, if the audition is scheduled on a weekend), and will end at 2:00 pm on the business day prior to the audition. Members who are not able or do not wish to sign up in advance may audition by arriving at the audition venue 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the call to receive an audition card after the ECC sign-up list has been read. Please note that once the first member has entered the audition room for each call, the casting personnel may close that call, at which point no further chorus cards will be distributed for that call.

2. Chorus Audition Cards will be distributed as follows:

a)      The Equity monitor will read the names on the ECC sign-up list starting 30 minutes prior to the start of each call. The names will be read in order and numbered audition cards will be distributed to all members present whose names are on the ECC sign-up list. After the list has been read, the monitor will distribute audition cards to any members present whose names were not on the ECC sign-up list. Members will audition in number order.

b)      Members who are not present when their name is read will lose their place on the ECC sign-up list and may receive their audition card after the entire ECC sign-up list has been read.

c)      In order to receive an audition card, members must have a paid-up membership card (or written verification from the Equity Membership Department of paid-up membership status). Membership status cannot be verified by telephone.

d)      A member may not “hold” another Equity member’s card in order to receive an audition card on their behalf.

3.      The monitor will post the names and titles of employer casting personnel who will be in the room conducting the call. The monitor will ensure that casting personnel meet the requirements of the associated agreement. Actors' Equity Association – Chorus Audition Procedures (New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles)

4.      “Typing" may be used by casting personnel to audition only those members the casting personnel determine to be physically right for the production. The following rules shall govern typing:

a)      Typing is entirely at the discretion of the casting personnel for each individual call. If typing is used at one call (e.g., the female singers’ call), it may or may not be used at any of the other calls for that production or season.

b)      Typing may only occur at the start of each call and typing must be completed before the first member enters the room to audition.

c)      Typing must be done in person and in the audition room. Typing of members may not be conducted using only headshots and/or resumes.

d)      Once typing is announced, no non-Equity or opposite gender actors may be seen at that call. Once typing of members has been completed, the call is considered closed.

5.      The length of the audition is at the discretion of the casting personnel. The monitor will advise members what the casting personnel have requested for the audition (e.g., “up-tempo,” “ballad,” “16 bars,” etc.). The length of the audition may be changed throughout the call. For example, the call may begin requiring 32 bars of a song, but may be changed later to 16 bars.

6.      For dance auditions, members may be called in groups to learn combinations and may also be auditioned in groups. The size of each dance group is determined by the size of the audition room and whether the combination(s) will be broad or tight (i.e., whether each dancer will cover a lot of room or will dance in a small space).

7.      If a member receives an audition card, they are guaranteed to be seen (or typed, if typing is used). If a member leaves the audition holding room and is not present when their number is called to audition, they will lose the right to the audition at that time. A member who has missed their number being called to audition will be permitted to be lined up at the end of the of the Equity portion of that call.

8.      If one call (e.g., male singers) runs late and, in the opinion of the monitor, will likely run into the next call (e.g., female singers), the first call must be stopped and the second call started as scheduled. In such a case, casting personnel must offer appointments to any members with audition cards for the first call who were not seen.

     Revised, July 22, 2016

At this point my pack had dwindle. Leslie had left the business having never gained her equity card and Helga found a man, got married and moved away as did many others. So Louise and I become audition buddies and went from audition to audition to audition to audition hoping to get seen in hopes of getting an equity card.

Louise wanted her card badly. She flat out refused to do any non-equity auditions. It was her card or bust. Me on the other hand, I was still going to non-equity calls. I mean I had to work, and non-equity stuff seemed to be where I was having the most luck and had the most connections.

A friend of mine, Manuel, suggested that I audition for a theme park. He was working as the assistant to the choreographer so I decide to give it a go. I got hired as a dancer. This came at the same time a bunch of other non-equity work happened for me. In fact I worked for two years non-stop.

Before the theme park would start, I was doing “Hello Dolly” at a dinner theatre in Pennsylvania. The next show was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I was one of the best male dancers they had. The company manager asked me if I would like to stay and finish out their season which also included The King and I. The money at the theme park was better but working for the dinner theatre lasted longer. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of my favorite musicals. I agreed to stay as long as I could play one of the brothers. I was informed that wasn’t possible and I would be cast as a suitor and I could be Lun Tha if I wanted the role. I was so upset. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t be a brother (now I know why). I declined the contracts and went off in a huff to do the theme park.

Best worst decision ever.

When I finally returned to New York City I went back to the bitter benches to try and get my Equity card. I thought surely I would be afforded better opportunities to play the roles and do the shows I wanted to do as an Equity member [insert laughter here]. I kept trying and trying to be seen, but to no avail.

At a non-equity call I ran into a former cast mate from the theme park. We caught up with each other and then inevitably we started talking about theatre and auditions. I asked him if he had any luck with getting seen at equity calls.

“Yeah sure I get seen all the time.”

“What? How? I never see you on the bitter benches outside of the Equity lounge.”

“Why would I sit there when I can sit in the lounge?”

Unbeknownst to me Equity had a program that allowed non-union actors to start to “transition” into becoming union actors. It’s called the EMC program and it stands for Equity Membership Candidate. It’s where an actor retains his ability to audition and work non-union jobs but grants him or her the ability to audition for union work as well.

There are three steps to becoming an Equity Membership Candidate

1.      Obtain an eligible position at an Equity theatre that utilizes the EMC program

2.      Complete the EMC registration form provided by the producer

3.      Return the completed form, with the non-refundable $100 registration fee payable to Actors’ Equity Association, to the producer for filing with the union.

Because of the rate of pay of the theme park and the number of weeks we worked, I was eligible for the program. A list of participating theatres is listed on the Actor’s Equity website. I now had a spiffy new blue and white card. But most importantly the rules changed:

New York City EPAs Only

1.      AEA Members First: Non-Members, including EMCs, are seen only when no Equity Member is auditioning or waiting to audition.

2.      Get There Early: You must sign up with the Equity Monitor on the EMC list before the midpoint of the scheduled EPA. When you sign up on time, your EMC privilege continues throughout the scheduled EPA. After the midpoint of the scheduled EPA, you may sign up on the regular non-Members list.

a.      If the EPA has a scheduled break of ½-hour or longer, the midpoint of the EPA is the beginning of that break.

b.      If the EPA has no scheduled break, the midpoint is halfway through the scheduled EPA. (E.g. EPA from 10 AM - 2 PM: midpoint is 12 Noon.)

3.      Bring Your EMC Card: To be signed up on the EMC list, you must present your own EMC card, signed in ink, to the Equity Monitor. (Good practice! This rule also applies to Equity Members signing up for EPAs with their Equity cards.) To make sign-up easier, please print your name on the card, too. The Monitors and Equity staff can't "look you up," so don't forget your card.

4.      Be There When We Call! If you don't respond when the Monitor calls you to audition, your name must be crossed off the EMC list. (Same procedure used for the Equity Member Alternate list and for the regular non-Member list.)

a.       If your name is crossed off, and you give your card to the Monitor again before the EPA reaches its scheduled midpoint, the Monitor will sign you up again at the bottom of the EMC list.

b.      If your name is crossed off, and you want to sign up again after the EPA has passed its scheduled midpoint, please sign up at the bottom of the non-EMC non-Member list.

Now I could go to an EPA, which stand for an Equity Principal Audition. There are a different set of rules for union members:

1.      An official Monitor will only be present at auditions that are being run according to these procedures.

2.      Monitors will report violations of Equity's “Safe and Sanitary” rules.

3.      Monitors and Equity staff are not permitted to have any discussion regarding anyone who is auditioning, nor may they discuss any casting issues, with the employer’s casting personnel.

4.      You must have your paid-up membership card with you at the audition or written verification from the Membership Department of your paid membership status. Due to a high volume of activity, membership cannot be verified by telephone.

5.      Monitors will sign performers only on the official EPA sign-up sheets.

6.      The Monitor will arrive one hour prior to the scheduled start of the call. The only official list of performers will be the one established by the Monitor. Only those actually present, with paid-up membership cards, will be placed on the list. You will be required to show your membership card again prior to admission into the audition room.

7.      Should performers who are present before the start of the call choose to establish and honor an unofficial list/order among themselves, the Equity Monitor will sign up those performers in the order in which they present themselves. This order must be established before the official start of the call. However, Equity and the Equity Monitor can take no responsibility for organizing and/or coordinating any such unofficial list/order.

8.      Day of Audition. Appointments will be scheduled only on the day of the audition in the following manner:

a.      Six performers will be scheduled in 20-minute blocks of time. The length of each performer's audition will be at the discretion of the casting director, with a minimum of one minute given to each performer. Any time left over within the 20-minute block will be assigned to “alternates” (see below).

b.      You will choose a 20-minute time slot for the audition, and be issued a white principal audition card with the time slot indicated on it. Time slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

c.       There are also two open-ended alternate lists:

                                                                                                  i.      List A: For those who are not signed up for an upcoming time slot, i.e. those whose only chance to audition at all is as an alternate. Members on this list will be called before members on List B.

                                                                                                ii.      List B: For those who are already signed up for an upcoming time slot, i.e. those who are already certain of being seen, but may wish to audition sooner. Alternates will be “filtered” into the auditions as time permits. “Open-ended” means that you may sign the alternate sheet at any time. You could, for example, choose to be an alternate instead of choosing a specific time slot (in which case you would be on Alternate List A). Should you choose, however, to sign up for a time slot and be on Alternate List B, you must sign one list and go to the rear of the line to sign the other. (Whether you sign the time slot list first and then the alternate list or vice versa, you will be on Alternate List B.)

d.      You must arrive and check in with the Monitor ten minutes prior to your audition time slot, as calculated by the clock in the Audition Center (or by the Monitor if the audition is in another location). If you are not present on time, an alternate will be given the appointment, time permitting. There can be no exceptions to this procedure.

e.      If you are an alternate, you must be available when your name is called. If you are not present when your name is called, you will lose the alternate slot. Please understand that there is no guarantee that alternates (from either alternate list) will be seen.

f.        If you miss your scheduled time, you are permitted to re-sign (on Alternate List A). If you miss your alternate slot, you are permitted to re-sign on Alternate List B (if you have also secured an upcoming time slot) or on Alternate List A (if you have not).

g.      A time slot insures an audition during that 20-minute time period. If the audition process moves quickly, you may audition earlier than the scheduled time slots. However, your time slot will be honored, provided that you arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled time.

i. When there is a lunch break, the Monitor will post a Lunch Time Information Sheet with the following: Name of show, time of break, and time Monitor will return.

ii. Sign-in sheets will not be “carried over”
to the next day.

Again these rules only apply to New York City auditions. Auditions in other cities such as Chicago and L. A. are run a little differently. You also have to keep in mind that there are two types of each of these calls: the required call and the non-required call.

Required calls are auditions that are literally required by Actors’ Equity Union by laws. It’s most often seen for long running shows and mostly on Broadway. But they can happen on any level. The people behind the table aren’t looking for any new actors but they must provide new actors with the opportunity to be seen. Lots of actors think these auditions are a waste of time because no contract will be given out and the people behind the table usually send someone who has no casting authority to sit in on the audition. However todays casting agency go-fer could be tomorrow’s Bernie Telsey.

I was officially on my way to becoming a “professional” actor. In upstate New York, where I’m originally from, only union actors are considered to be professional actors. Until you have your Equity card it’s just a hobby, I guess. It didn’t matter that you were being seen for professional high paying shows. If you didn’t have your card you weren’t professional.

This is just a lack of understanding. Upstate we were so far removed from the epicenter of musical theatre, Broadway and New York City. We had no idea that you could audition for any show, regardless if it was union or not, if the people behind the table allowed it or asked for submissions and  then gave you an appointment.

An appointment doesn’t have any rules. It’s most likely run by the theatre if it’s regional or by the casting director if it’s a high level regional or Broadway. The people behind the table will take out advertisements in the trades (Backstage, Variety), post it in Actors Access, or on Craig’s List and / or social media. An actor sends in his or her picture and resume or video or audio recording. Then the casting people will determine if an audition is given.

However be wary and be smart: if you’ve been given an audition and you’re asked to come into someone’s home or in a hotel or any other non-public, non-rehearsal space or even sketchy rehearsal spaces (anyone remember Harlequin Rehearsal Studios, on the same staircase as an all-male full frontal nudity strip club? Go in the wrong door...) bring a friend or two along. Let other people know where you’re going. Make plans directly afterwards so someone is expecting you to be somewhere at a specific time. And above all else if it doesn’t feel safe to you, get out right away. You owe no one an explanation or an apology. Just leave.

Now with all the potential risk factors that COULD be associated with an appointment audition, this is definitely one of the more coveted types of auditions. If you’re given an appointment that means the people behind that table have pre-screened your product. They’re interested in it. So much so that they’ve given you a specific time to show up, as opposed to getting up at the crack of dawn and waiting to maybe garner one of a few audition spots.

The only unwritten rules associated with appointments are:

1.      Show up at least 10 minutes before hand. You will need to check in with someone, probably a monitor or stage manager, and you may have to fill out some sort of information card.

Which ties into the next point...

2.      Always carry a pen. In theory always carry one pen with blue ink and one with black ink. There’ve been times when I’ve been asked to only fill out a card in a specific ink color. It’s just better to appear prepared and be prepared

Speaking of being prepared...

3.      Always, always, ALWAYS bring at least one hard copy of your picture and resume. It doesn’t matter that you’ve already sent it electronically. Chances are the people behind the table didn’t print it out. More likely they didn’t want to lug everyone’s pictures and resumes to the audition. And it doesn’t matter if they’ve told you it’s not needed. Bring it. Perhaps someone behind the table or in the waiting area thinks you’re the right type for a different project. You have you promotional materials at the ready.

The people behind the table have given you an appointment. They want to see you. They think you could be right for the show currently being cast. Coming in prepared and professional works in your favor because they already like you. And this could be the deciding factor in you being cast.

At the very least you’ll make a good impression.

Making a good and professional, yet friendly impression is extremely important. Because once an actor gets to a certain level in his or her career, everyone is talented. Everyone is attractive. Everyone knows how the game is played. And everyone plays it well. The reward for making it this far up the ladder of success, outside of actually booking a gig, is the most sought after type of audition: the invited call.

Being invited to audition means someone behind the table knows you, likes you, and likes your work and work ethic. They have a desire to use you in their show based on their prior experience(s) with you. As opposed to an EPA or an appointment, an invited call is small in scale and generally a lot friendlier and casual in nature. But don’t let that fool you or lull you into a sense of calm or complacency.

An invited call is where the job is truly on the line. Contrary to popular belief, an actor can get hired from any audition, be it non-union, an ECC or an EPA or an appointment. However an invited call is where the action always happens. An actor or actors in that room will most definitely walk away with a contract. If there are only ten people invited into the room for one contract, the odds are one in ten. You can bet your diploma, your airline ticket, or your day job that those other nine friendly, fun and personable actors/singers/dancers are going to be giving Tony Award worthy performances during their audition. So if you want it, you have to do the same.

But first you have to get to that level. And that takes time. An actor has to spend hours upon hours waiting in lines at an auditions. And looking at trade papers, searching breakdowns, self-submissions and agent appointments.

By the way I haven’t forgotten about the sixth of our eight types of auditions, the agent appointment. The only difference between those and the other auditions listed here is that an agent submits an actor's picture and resume or video or audio to the people behind the table, in hopes of getting that actor a specific appointment time. If an appointment is given, all the same rules and guidelines from the other auditions apply, like showing up ten minutes early. The best advantage of an agent appointment is that the agent can potentially get feedback on the audition and why it wasn't booked. And even when an actor has an agent, he or she still has to be diligent about trying to get auditions and auditioning on their own.

You’ve been so diligent. You've read all this information about the different types of auditions. I believe diligence should be rewarded. I’m going to give you a bonus, some invaluable information, a magic formula that will save you some heartache, time and arguably most importantly, some sleep. I’m going to help you determine how early to show up at an audition (be it Equity or Non-Equity) for which you do not already have a predetermined appointment.

Judging when to show up at a call can be easy if you take into consideration some very important factors. These factors are what shows are being cast, what types are being sought, how old the characters in the show are, and where the audition is taking place. To this day my University friend Lester still calls to ask my guidance and we've been out of university for years!

 So now my magic formula about when to show up:

1.      Any audition that is searching for females in their early to mid-20s will be packed. If the audition is for a popular show like Rent, Wicked, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, Hamilton or any of the other juggernauts of Musical Theatre, it will be doubly bombarded with potential auditionees. Getting there as early as 6am for an 8:30 sign up would benefit you, especially if you have time constraints. And getting there even that early doesn’t always work. I’ve missed out on getting an audition appointment twice, even though I showed up to stand in line one day at 6am and another day at 530am.

2.      If the show(s) in question are looking for the opposite of what people behind the table consider “All American” generally showing up later is fine. However you have to also take into consideration what show the audition is for. If it’s something like Hamilton you’d better line up days before hand.

3.      Most Acting only auditions are generally not as busy here in New York. Or rather they seem to not be as busy. Actors have arrived at a non-musical EPA at noon, when the audition started at 9:30am, walked up to the desk, signed in and walked directly into the audition room. That is a virtual impossibility for a musical being done anywhere, unless word is out that it’s already cast.

High level shows like those on Broadway, despite what is told to actors, are almost always cast prior to the actual publicized auditions. Actors tend to stick with a project when they believe it’s going somewhere. Many of the leads of a new Broadway show have been with it since the informal reading at the writer’s apartment ten years ago. When the show has a need for someone new, the people behind the table have private auditions (see “Invited call”) usually well before required calls and agent calls.

4.      The rehearsal studio’s opening time (when you can get into the building) and its relationship to the start of the audition can also help you gauge when to arrive. The earlier the building opens the earlier people will get in line.

Back when I first started going to Equity auditions I only went to the ones in the Equity building on 46^th street. It just seemed right to me. At that time the audition studios were on the second floor. All the potential auditionees would line up outside the building in the wee hours of the morning. The line would stretch down the block. Inevitably when the 9-5’ers were on their way to work someone would ask what the long line was for. We’d simply say “a job”.

Back then we knew by landmarks on the street whether we would be seen or not. If we were on line at the church, it would be an all-day wait with no guarantee of actually getting to audition, no matter if we were Equity or not.

Time has progressed. The Equity Audition Center has moved to a new floor. There’s an early morning waiting room right outside the elevators for all actors where an actor signs up on a list in order to be lined up to go to the Equity lounge to sign up for an appointment time. We no longer have to wait outside. There is even a café and restrooms. Gone are the days of tag teaming with your pack mates to run to McDonalds around the corner for coffee or god forbid to use the restrooms.

I have my Equity card now. So I’m professional, even according to upstate actors. I’m no longer banished to the nether regions like a second class citizen. I have the privilege to attend Equity auditions and am barred from attending non-equity ones. I get to walk into the Equity lounge whenever it’s open. I just have to show my paid up and current Equity card.

Things have certainly changed.

The bitter benches outside the Equity lounge are gone now. They’ve morphed into a “future members’ holding area”, which is nothing more than a glorified hallway directly inside of the Equity lounge. But it’s inside the lounge. So it does have a little more civility to it. However the hunger, the desperation of those “future members” is still there, all tinged with the hope of dreams yet to be fulfilled. I can see it as I stride past with my appropriately colored Equity card in hand.

Everything is different now for me and for the Business of show. Yet I can still remember how I felt sitting there on those outside benches looking in, wondering, longing. And that’s why I write this blog: to help navigate the murky waters of life as a performer. I want to pass on the knowledge that was passed on to me. Because like my mentors probably did, when I was sitting outside bitter and unable to even use the bathroom inside the Equity lounge, I now walk by the future members’ holding area and think...

“...Poor unfortunate souls. In pain. In need...”