Post by rialvestro on Apr 23, 2010 4:46:12 GMT -5
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6avwQrXt0w4
Watch the video, read my story, and then comment, rate, and share the hell out of that video if you agree this is screwed up.
If you don't already know I work in Theater professionally. I have been working towards being an actor. I originally started as an actor and it wasn't till high school that I started getting into other aspects of theater as well.
Back in 2004 while I was still finishing my senior year I started working for Sierra Repertory Theatre or SRT for short. When I started there I was working as back stage crew and I thought at the time that this was a way to "stick my foot in the door" and work my way up to my true passion.
Right away I asked when they'd be holding auditions for any straight plays. (straight meaning non-musicals) I was told at the time that there were no straight plays that year. I later found out there were but figured they had already been cast before I asked about them.
The following year I check out a few scripts for the only straight shows that were playing that year. One of them I was told had no male roles in it and stupid me didn't bother to look at a script. I later worked back stage for that same show and found out there was a male character I could of played. Again I just figured he had already been cast before I asked about it.
The other 2 show I did look at scripts for, one of them I got an audition date from one of the directors, prepared my audition for weeks, showed up, and found out the audition date had been moved a week earlier. No one bothered to notify me and they had already cast the show. The last show I was going to audition for I won't even bother to talk about because that one was not any fault of the theater.
So after this I stated to get discouraged and took a different approach, didn't even bother to ask this time. Hey maybe I was annoying them by asking so much so I toned it down and hopped they would ask me. Still nothing.
Year 4, I start thinking about trying to find other work. Talking to some other people about other theaters they've worked for that pay more and I almost did it except for one thing that came up to change my mind.
My 5th year at the theater was their 30's anniversary and Denis Jones, one of the founders and director, was planning on doing another production of the first play SRT ever did which just happen to be Dracula. Of course I wanted to audition more than ever now. I went as far as to shave and show up for work dressed as Dracula just to show Denis what it would look like. Of course I didn't have to be Dracula he could of cast me as anyone. When I finally spoke to him about it he said I was too young. Again I worked the show and one of the actors in it who was playing Butterworth was the same age I am, and physically I look older than him.
This was Prudy much the straw that broke the camel's back for me after that I stopped working until later that same year I was offered a small part in "No Sex Please, We're British" which I happily took. I didn't care that I was still working back stage and was only on at the end of the first act, a part is a part.
Well during the rehearsal Denis who now knows me quite well and is fully aware of my training, treats me as if I've never been in a theater before. Giving me notes on stuff that I never even did and learned not to do in Basic Drama in high school like not looking directing into the audience.
There were 2 delivery men in the show and right in front of me he asks the other actor if he can sound like a different character. He didn't even want me to speak, he almost gave my part away to another actor. I was about ready to walk out right then but he helped convince Denis that the part was rightfully mine.
Later during the run I also found out that this other actor who was doing the same job as me was also getting paid much much more. Please do not repeat this part outside the fourm as I do not wish to get this person in any trouble. As an actor he had worked there before but this was his first time working as a crew member for SRT. He told me that he had crew experience but never puts it on his actors resume for fear of the same thing that's happened to me. The pay scale at SRT puts crew at the bottom followed by Company Crew, Non-equity actors, and equity actors get paid the most. (equity is the union for stage actors, SAG Screen Actors Guild is basically the same thing but for film.) We were both working as both crew and Non-equity actors. As crew members, me being a company member should of been paid more than him. However as actors he had been in more shows I feel he should get a little more pay than me but I wasn't even being paid as an actor. I was being paid as crew only.
This year, it gets worse. Not only did I again not get paid as a non-equity actor but this time they never even bothered to credit me for being in the show. My contract doesn't even show I was actor. No Sex had "Crew/Actor" righten on the contract. Dial M for Murder just showed "crew" and this time I was playing 2 characters.
Thompson who was a British bobby (cop) who appeared at the end of the play and had a couple lines and Williams who never came on stage but had off stage lines. I even gave both characters different accents so they sounded like 2 different people and did not even get any compliment for it. The head shots of all the actors normally get posted in front of the theater but mine was never hung up and there was plenty of room for it. I was never in the program. And they still have not put me on the web site.
As you can imagine I am very pissed. I've worked my entire life for this only to get stabbed in the back around every corner. In protest of this treatment I have done 2 things...
1. All staff, cast, and crew with the only exception being equity actors are required to help with strike at the end of the run. (that's when we take the set apart) I usually help out as much as possible but this time I completely ditched strike. I hate strikes and I don't see why I should strike a show I never even got credit for.
2. Filming inside the theater is strictly forbidden. Any filming has to be cleared in advance and even if you do film it's typically for personal archives and not to be posted on the Internet. I debated over this one for days. Even after filming I almost didn't post it but someone has to credit me for this show.
Both of these even though I'm breaking a few rules are being done in the form of non violent protest. The video will be taken down at such time when the theater grants me equal rights to any other non-equity actors. I don't know at this point when or if I will be working another show but I told them I will only work crew for musicals if I'm not acting and I will continue to ditch strike until the matter is resolved.
I was always told this was a hard business to get into. I found it easy to get into. No one ever told me that working back stage would make it harder to become an actor.
Watch the video, read my story, and then comment, rate, and share the hell out of that video if you agree this is screwed up.
If you don't already know I work in Theater professionally. I have been working towards being an actor. I originally started as an actor and it wasn't till high school that I started getting into other aspects of theater as well.
Back in 2004 while I was still finishing my senior year I started working for Sierra Repertory Theatre or SRT for short. When I started there I was working as back stage crew and I thought at the time that this was a way to "stick my foot in the door" and work my way up to my true passion.
Right away I asked when they'd be holding auditions for any straight plays. (straight meaning non-musicals) I was told at the time that there were no straight plays that year. I later found out there were but figured they had already been cast before I asked about them.
The following year I check out a few scripts for the only straight shows that were playing that year. One of them I was told had no male roles in it and stupid me didn't bother to look at a script. I later worked back stage for that same show and found out there was a male character I could of played. Again I just figured he had already been cast before I asked about it.
The other 2 show I did look at scripts for, one of them I got an audition date from one of the directors, prepared my audition for weeks, showed up, and found out the audition date had been moved a week earlier. No one bothered to notify me and they had already cast the show. The last show I was going to audition for I won't even bother to talk about because that one was not any fault of the theater.
So after this I stated to get discouraged and took a different approach, didn't even bother to ask this time. Hey maybe I was annoying them by asking so much so I toned it down and hopped they would ask me. Still nothing.
Year 4, I start thinking about trying to find other work. Talking to some other people about other theaters they've worked for that pay more and I almost did it except for one thing that came up to change my mind.
My 5th year at the theater was their 30's anniversary and Denis Jones, one of the founders and director, was planning on doing another production of the first play SRT ever did which just happen to be Dracula. Of course I wanted to audition more than ever now. I went as far as to shave and show up for work dressed as Dracula just to show Denis what it would look like. Of course I didn't have to be Dracula he could of cast me as anyone. When I finally spoke to him about it he said I was too young. Again I worked the show and one of the actors in it who was playing Butterworth was the same age I am, and physically I look older than him.
This was Prudy much the straw that broke the camel's back for me after that I stopped working until later that same year I was offered a small part in "No Sex Please, We're British" which I happily took. I didn't care that I was still working back stage and was only on at the end of the first act, a part is a part.
Well during the rehearsal Denis who now knows me quite well and is fully aware of my training, treats me as if I've never been in a theater before. Giving me notes on stuff that I never even did and learned not to do in Basic Drama in high school like not looking directing into the audience.
There were 2 delivery men in the show and right in front of me he asks the other actor if he can sound like a different character. He didn't even want me to speak, he almost gave my part away to another actor. I was about ready to walk out right then but he helped convince Denis that the part was rightfully mine.
Later during the run I also found out that this other actor who was doing the same job as me was also getting paid much much more. Please do not repeat this part outside the fourm as I do not wish to get this person in any trouble. As an actor he had worked there before but this was his first time working as a crew member for SRT. He told me that he had crew experience but never puts it on his actors resume for fear of the same thing that's happened to me. The pay scale at SRT puts crew at the bottom followed by Company Crew, Non-equity actors, and equity actors get paid the most. (equity is the union for stage actors, SAG Screen Actors Guild is basically the same thing but for film.) We were both working as both crew and Non-equity actors. As crew members, me being a company member should of been paid more than him. However as actors he had been in more shows I feel he should get a little more pay than me but I wasn't even being paid as an actor. I was being paid as crew only.
This year, it gets worse. Not only did I again not get paid as a non-equity actor but this time they never even bothered to credit me for being in the show. My contract doesn't even show I was actor. No Sex had "Crew/Actor" righten on the contract. Dial M for Murder just showed "crew" and this time I was playing 2 characters.
Thompson who was a British bobby (cop) who appeared at the end of the play and had a couple lines and Williams who never came on stage but had off stage lines. I even gave both characters different accents so they sounded like 2 different people and did not even get any compliment for it. The head shots of all the actors normally get posted in front of the theater but mine was never hung up and there was plenty of room for it. I was never in the program. And they still have not put me on the web site.
As you can imagine I am very pissed. I've worked my entire life for this only to get stabbed in the back around every corner. In protest of this treatment I have done 2 things...
1. All staff, cast, and crew with the only exception being equity actors are required to help with strike at the end of the run. (that's when we take the set apart) I usually help out as much as possible but this time I completely ditched strike. I hate strikes and I don't see why I should strike a show I never even got credit for.
2. Filming inside the theater is strictly forbidden. Any filming has to be cleared in advance and even if you do film it's typically for personal archives and not to be posted on the Internet. I debated over this one for days. Even after filming I almost didn't post it but someone has to credit me for this show.
Both of these even though I'm breaking a few rules are being done in the form of non violent protest. The video will be taken down at such time when the theater grants me equal rights to any other non-equity actors. I don't know at this point when or if I will be working another show but I told them I will only work crew for musicals if I'm not acting and I will continue to ditch strike until the matter is resolved.
I was always told this was a hard business to get into. I found it easy to get into. No one ever told me that working back stage would make it harder to become an actor.