Guthrie Theater's casting call seeking specifically non-union actors with "any time call availability" and schedules posted the night before. If you like the theaters of MN like I do, you should be aware of how they're abusing their prestige. support the artists, not the buildings.
Discussion 🎤Extras (Ensemble) are rarely equity as it’s difficult to maintain status in MSP.
It is normal practice to have equity roles and non-equity roles and has been for a LONG time. Non equity roles are super important for folks who view theater as a side-gig or a hobby. If it was equity only for ensemble you’d have insane ticket prices.
TL;DR - equity (union) for theater is more complicated than most unions.
Totally agree, but this casting call is asking far more than a standard ensemble role. They are asking for a full-time ensemble cast for multiple productions, and a "drop everything and rehearse" schedule. This is not a hobby or side-gig casting call.
Re-read the call… Tuesday - Friday AFTER 6 PM. The only all day is the weekend and that not the entire day. If you’ve done a production, this is normal.
Also, Tech is always that busy… community theaters can have 8 hour days for entire casts of volunteers for a week. At least they are getting some compensation for this role unlike most theater roles in the metro. (Touring shows notwithstanding) Heck, other ensemble roles at professional theaters may not pay at all, just the front line cast.
I don’t think you really get how this works… Getting a paid gig at Guthrie is desirable resume building for actors. The only committed full time equity theaters in the area are Guthrie and Children’s…
And if you do know what you’re talking about, you tell me what it takes to get your equity card, what it takes to maintain it, and what you can’t do when you have one… you’ll see why non-equity gigs are important.
I'm not hung up on the fact that they are specifically calling for non-equity actors. What I am harping them on for is the ridiculous expectations for a non union and, as you stated earlier, those who treat theater as a hobby or side gig to beholden to 10:00 p.m. emails saying they're called the next day and to drop all the rest of the responsibilities in their lives such as paying the bills. The Guthrie is banking on this exposure base compensation nonsense to Pad their pockets despite having plenty of money to pay a reasonable ensemble. Hand waving away the Guthrie's responsibility to pay the people who are in their Productions and comparing them to Community Theaters is apples to oranges. We are talking about a nonprofit company that made 8 million last year.
If you've been keeping up in the theater world recently, you would know that they dropped the point system to get your Equity card. It is never been more accessible to join the AEA as it is now. Clearly you're the one who really needs to read up on what's happening in the union. The only eligibility to join the union now is proof that you have been paid professional work as a stage manager or actor in the US.
No stage manager worth their salt is planning rehearsals the day before. That’s an expectation legal coverage in the event that they change the schedule. Apparently you’ve never worked a job where someone calls out sick and a manager calls you to show up with little to no notice.
But you’ve ignore my point on equity membership. If you are equity, you can’t work a non-equity role. That’s severely limiting in MSP.
From https://www.actorsequity.org/join/openaccess/ page itself:
I'd love to join, but I have a non-union job booked. Can I still join? You must complete any non-union theatrical acting or stage managing jobs before joining the union, but once your gig is over, you can join!
Once you’re equity, you can’t take another non-equity paying theater gig.
Note: it is a violation of Equity rules to work without signing the appropriate Equity contract or code.
Oh, and the rule change for Open Equity (joining without points) changed in May _of this year_… this is not some forever ago change that I missed.
As for the “rich nature” of the Guthrie, let’s take a tour of their latest financial statement (21/22) shall we? - Total Revenues from activities: 7.665 MM - Total Expenditures: 25.556 MM (5.780 MM went to artistic expenses)
So the cost of running the theater was about 3.5 times the ticket revenues. The only reason that theater runs is because of charitable donations (~6.5 MM) and specifically last year, PPP loans.
Advocating for equity in MSP means that more actors will be fighting for a very small pool of jobs. Yes, equity gigs are better but you’re very unlikely to get them consistently around here unless you are top tier.
No stage manager worth their salt is planning rehearsals the day before.
Too bad it's the director who makes the call for rehearsals. A stage manager can make suggestions and have a general idea of who to call, but the director always has the final say. It's not just legal mumbo jumbo. It's an expectation.
Oh, and the rule change for Open Equity (joining without points) changed in May _of this year_… this is not some forever ago change that I missed.
Open access started as a post-pandemic program in 2021 and then became permanent in May this year. You missed it. For a massive union like Equity, this is big news. You accused me of not knowing about how to get equity, yet you didn't know about the biggest change in their rules from 2 years ago. Don't be dismissive about my knowledge or experience if you don't know what you're talking about.
The contracting scope of being in Equity is a choice an actor needs to make based on the market they are in. This is nothing new, nor a surprise for any actor in MN or anywhere not on Broadway or LA. It is also a pressure for theaters to be union theaters. More members in the union = less talent they can pull from. The union is no longer an elite club, but a movement for all theater labor. If there isn't enough labor for theaters to pull from due to a large union presence in MN, theaters will then need to create union contracts which helps everyone in the theater scene.
The Guthrie is a non-profit theater. Their ticket revenue is a cushion for their business and have a mission statement that it is a theater for all. they give away millions of dollars of tickets every season which they should be praised for. The real money in the Guthrie is contributions and their 53 million dollar endowment which they pull from every year and another 61 million in investments. Even if the Guthrie was struggling due to their low ticket sales/costs, it shouldn't come off the backs of their actors who, in their own words, "Are extremely important to the success of the show".