EPAs

1560 Broadway, New York City
February 20, 2014, 7:30 am
NYC temp 18˚ F,  -7˚ C

There are approximately 80 people, mostly Equity members, some EMC, some non-union, all lined up and waiting for AEA's Audition Center to open.  At least it's warm in here.  Two years previously, before the current construction of the Equity building, we would all have been lined up along West 46th street, smelling the sickly sweet aroma of bags of restaurant garbage.  Some have coffee and bagels; some newspapers, headphones attached to iPods.  It is stock season, and we are participating in a daily ritual.  I have already figured the optimal time to schedule the auditions upstairs because in addition to these two, there are two more shows that many of us are interested in being seen for at different venues in the city.

The various types and experience levels vary like the EKG of an A-Fib patient.  There are newbies - one who literally disembarked at Port Authority Bus Terminal this morning.  One guy, a nodding acquaintance of mine for years now, has done at least four Broadway shows that I know of. There are a few former leading ladies who are in process of morphing into a new type - what ever that is.  "Type" of course, being a marketing word that agents use which does not serve the scope or depth of what we do.  Reading a paper up the line from me is a rather unremarkable looking woman who I recognize from a call yesterday.  She has a rolling drag-bag, the kind that adds to the precariousness of walking in this city.  Inside this pink coffer printed with purple flowers she has all the wherewithal to perform wonders.  Once she plies her necromancy she will morph, larva-like, into a magnificent butterfly.

The energy vampire is here.  He talks endlessly and seems to suck all the life and concentration out of the room.  He knows everything and wants to tell you about it.  There are at least a dozen that I have worked with personally.  To see a cross section of the acting community in New York, come have coffee with us here one early morning.

I have been going to EPAs literally for decades.  Like many here, I have my arsenal at the ready.  I have around 30 speeches of varying lengths from 20 seconds to two minutes that I keep well-oiled.  I have as many 16-32 bar cuts in my book of songs that I stay up on.  I can pretty well jump into any EPA, tailor my material toward the role that might be right for me, and present myself well.  This is a skill set that I have honed over many years.

EPAs scare some of us.  And not everyone has or wants to develop this type of EPA skill set.  There is nothing lacking in them.  We simply approach EPAs differently.  I am not necessarily a better actor just in this case, more adaptable vis-a-vis these types of auditions.  Some feel uncomfortable about "not being invited to the party" as one is in an agent appointment audition.  The feeling there is that at an agent audition, someone in a position of hiring has picked you.  EPAs smack of ones being pushy and insinuating oneself upon the casting director.

That's right - decades of EPAs.  

Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) were started to provide access for the many actors who do not have agent representation, though there are many represented actors here.  All Equity agreements have mandated EPAs.  Being required, people ask, are they not taken seriously by the auditors?  Do they not resent being here - a resentment which sets them immediately at an adversarial relationship with whomever comes before them? Not according to Tara Rubin, Bernie Telsey and James Calleri in a recent edition of Theatre Talk where they discuss how much they rely on EPAs.

It's not necessarily a one-for-one proposition. Getting the job for which you audition is not the only possible outcome of an EPA.   Some CDs do all their casting from these calls.  Some less.  Very often, EPAs are but one arrow in the casting director's quiver.  Very often they are used as screening auditions.  Think on it:  A casting director, who is doing what we're doing, (i.e. going from job to job) is paid to bring to his or her bosses some possible candidates for a role.  These actors must be right for the role and pleasant to work with.  (The latter often being more important than the former.)  Bringing someone in who is neither will make this the last job this CD does for this producer.  So if a casting director does not know you, an EPA can serve as a first date, so to speak, and if it goes well - perhaps a second.  The casting director puts trust in the actor that that actor will make the CD look good.

Most casting directors have hundreds of actors rolling around in their brains.  Getting to the top of his or her mind is the trick.  So, your agent did not get you an audition for this play.  Your attendance at the EPA might jog the CD's memory enough to get you called in to a subsequent audition. Very often I have been called in for an unrelated project because I had met or re-met a CD at an EPA for something else. Every theatre CD in New York at least knows my name, and many because I had initial contact at an EPA.

I find this preferable to paying for a "class," which puts the casting director in the position of teaching me as a "student."  With an EPA, we are on an even plane.  There are many casting directors who teach great classes and are both knowledgeable as well as excellent teachers.  There are informative and valuable seminars, classes and one-on-ones.  But if you are trying just to get access, go to an EPA.

Two sugars

"Who's in there?" is a frequent question among actors at EPAs. Many are angry that after waking up early, waiting in line, warming up and preparing for an audition they enter the room and only to find the coffee boy sitting behind the table.  Most of our contracts say that EPAs...

"...shall be conducted by the director and/or Producer (or designated representative); any such representative shall have the authority to set up a subsequent audition and to share in casting recommendations..." 
     --- AEA Off-Broadway Contract, Rule 4 (D) (12)

There's the rub - casting authority.  We all know that sometimes we do, in fact, get the coffee girl or boy to audition for.  But I can enumerate any number of big time CDs who were, once upon a time, assistants to the assistant. Though I may be thrust into a state of high dudgeon at such an occurrence, it's a small business and casting personnel migrate from job to job and though my audition may be between coffee runs today, I am making an impression that might pay off down the line.

EPAs are not for everyone.  For some, these calls are too frenetic; too crowded. There are also those who have never been to an EPA due to some perceived idea that those who attend these calls are inexperienced, boorish, low-class or other epithets.  Not all who go to EPAs are unrepresented, either.  Some signed clients of agencies use EPAs, too.  Agents don't always submit us for things that we are perfect for, or do not realize that something in our experience and talent could give us an upper hand in a given role.  Some agents don't have clout with certain casting directors.

EPAs have improved over the years.  There are two main reasons for this: Equity has been enforcing the EPA clauses in the contracts and AEA members have been upping their game and showing up prepared, professional and for the appropriate roles.

If you have not been taking advantage of this marvelous opportunity - I urge you to.  People are getting work.

Touring- or Why Are These Clowns on Council Giving Away the Store?

I asked an Equity member for his signature for my petition to run for Council.  He asked. "Are you on Council now?"

"No," I said.

"Then I'll sign your petition.  I won't support any of these clowns who are in now!"

A bit extremist perhaps, but he expressed very well the anger that has been building like a storm surge among our membership over tiered tours. 

Background

If you haven't been following the controversy or are just unsure about the facts: Two shows, NEWSIES and KINKY BOOTS, both with shelves full of Tonys and other awards, have announced tours.  In their respective EPA adverts their contracts were listed as Production Tier and Short Engagement Touring Agreement (SETA) tours, causing outrage.  A grass roots movement was born, manifesting itself in a Facebook group and other social media.  They decided to attend en masse the Eastern Region Membership meeting of January 17 and demand answers.  The groundswell of unrest was such that the Council held a town hall meeting specifically to address Tiers/SETA tours. The crux of the controversy was whether these shows - both doing great business on Broadway - should be allowed to pay actors less on the road.  For simplicity's sake, I'll just list the actor, not the SM or ASM, minimum weekly salaries:

At first glance, the reduced salaries jump right off the page.  Why did the membership (more than 90% of the voting members) ratify this?

Ten years ago there was a great hemorrhage of union jobs to the non-union sphere.  The Production Contract negotiations of 2004 were crafted with addressing this situation in mind.

The main goal was to win back the road.

But there is more to Tiers/SETA than the salary page.  A part of the package compensation is participation in overages.  (The amount over what has been guaranteed to the producer)  Producers are not allowed just to capriciously "pick a tier."  Indeed, there would be little use for any tier system in such a case.  There are financial hoops for that producer to jump through.  Also, Presenters, which are the people, distinct from the original producer who offer a guarantee in exchange for presenting a show at a given theatre, have a bigger role in the business.  If the Presenter is not confident that he or she can sell a given show, a smaller guarantee might be offered. (Click here for a glossary of road terms)

Now, when the overage is big, the share going to those under Equity contracts is also big, effectively increasing their salaries.  Some people have made more in overages than salary. But conversely, when there is little or no overage, you make the same (reduced) salary that you were contracted for.

Another contentious element of Tiers/SETA are the per diems.  In a class A tour, the idea is always to try to live off ones per diem and bank the salary.  That is not always possible with Tiers/SETA.  The per diems in many cases, do not reflect todays economy and prices on the road.

A not so discerning audience

"If it's not Equity it ain't Broadway."  Unfortunately, a good portion of the ticket-buying public either does not know or does not care about the difference between union and non.  What leads foremost in the consumer's mind is that such-and-such a show was a hit on Broadway, and "now it's coming to your town!"  The shows are marketed title first and as other media - movies, TV, sports - are the go-to events for ones entertainment dollar, theatre becomes a special (read seldom) event.   Much the same as standing ovations are ubiquitous at every curtain call on Broadway, just attending the latest iteration of a Broadway tour will present to the audience member the foregone result of being transcendant.  Theatre-going in many communities outside of New York is rare enough and special enough and costly enough that audiences will feel foolish if they don't enjoy the show.

Please don't think that I am saying that everyone outside of New York is a rube.  But the ones that make up most of the ticket buyers - the ones who are marketed to - often are less communicant with theatre-going in general.

So, that's the history.  What to do?

Since I am running for Council, I would look like a strong, no-nonsense reformer if I were to say, "I stand for the elimination of all tiered tours!" (Although I do)

First, know that the current contracts were negotiated a few years ago and are in effect until 2015.  Contract negotiations will not start until then.  I am in favor of these contracts evolving - which is to say I want all tiers and SETA to go away.  I think every Equity member does, actually.  When we (Equity) negotiate our next contract, we can refuse to even entertain the idea of continuing things the way they are. I can tell you that the chances of this happening are slim to none. Why? The economy.

As discrete as show business seems to be from the rest of the economy, it has the same dips and swells that every other business has.  Unless the road has an enormous spike in business (see the legit section of Variety) and the way of doing business on the road is entirely overhauled in the next year or so, it is a good bet that some sort of tiers system is here for at least the next contract cycle.

The best we can do, as negotiating partners with the Broadway League (The producers' trade organization with whom we bargain) is seek to raise salaries and per diems and lower the thresholds for overage participation.  Eliminating tiers will be a long-term game.

Some say that 'Equity should grow a pair,' and just demand to do away with all tiers.  This is certainly a valid strategy, but not a viable one.  I can tell you now that the only recourse we would have when the League walked out of contract talks would be a strike.  The road would be shut down, and no union members could work on those tours.

"Fine," some would say,  "Take the hard line."

The trouble with such a strike is that there is a very mature infrastructure in the non-union sphere.  Producers like NETworks and Troika Entertainment are everywhere the union is not and would soon fill the void a strike would create.  The other thing to remember is that when shows go on the road, new producing entities are created, like the many-headed hydra - cut one head off and another grows.  It's not like the old days when it was us against the Schuberts. Producers and producing is diversified and vertically integrated.

The best solution - though not as sexy as the show business equivalent of a Norma Rae-like stance - is strong negotiation. We have to be smart and prepared at the bargaining table.  And our voices are being heard by Council.  The other thing to keep in mind is that while there are many who will not even consider signing on to one of these tiered jobs - there are many in our number who would.  More kids than ever are graduating from very well-endowed theatre programs in universities all around the country.  They are better trained than I was at their age - and hungry. Of course, the number of jobs has not increased since I was their age.

As to the clowns that the member who signed my petition alluded to: While I was not part of the original negotiations that established tiers, I know many that were.  Some very caring and smart people crafted and negotiated these contracts.  The main goal that tiers set out to accomplish was to keep these jobs union. Tiers have been successful in not only keeping jobs union, but taking back some of the ground lost in the previous decade.  Now we have to change the structure to reflect the changing economy - not raze the structure entirely.  Keep chiming in, though.  We have to let Council know how we feel.  Pack those membership meetings.  Write Council.  The by-laws of the Association state that all letters must be read at Council meetings.  Thanks for making noise.  Keep it up!

Can You Build Your Own Website? (Yes, You Can)

CAN YOU BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE? - YES YOU CAN!

By Buzz Roddy, Eastern Region Principal Councillor.

December 8th NYC Council Room of AEA - In an effort to help members more elegantly sail into the computer age, the Eastern Region Membership Education Committee sponsored a seminar entitled "CAN YOU BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE? - YES YOU CAN!"

"I'm a MAC…" declared the chiseled-jawed Jimmy Ludwig
"and I'm a PC," I countered (with a jaw not so chiseled.)

Buzz Roddy - PC user

Jimmy Ludwig and myself, fellow self-taught web site builders, hosted a seminar aimed at Members & Equity Membership Candidates (EMC's) who have thought a website might be a good idea, but had no idea where to start. Attendees were anxious about sticking their toes in the waters of the information super highway (pardon the mixed-metaphor) and were about 50-50 in their respective PC/Mac usage. Jimmy handled things from the MAC perspective and I, the PC. We fielded questions and tried to quash the fears of the web-phobic. In a lively 90 minutes, we went over how a website can burnish ones professional image and even directly lead to jobs. "Your website is a show," I said, "and you are not only the star, but the director and producer, as well."

Jimmy Ludwig - Mac user

"Why have a website at all?" asked one member. With the ubiquity of the internet in all areas of our business and much casting being done on-line, those who dismiss the web as a peripheral option will soon find themselves out of the loop and in the unemployment line. "We as performers have to keep in step with this technology," declared Jimmy, then holding aloft his iPhone, "in four years, even this will be out-of-date!"

Though not a technical tutorial, we went through the steps involved in getting ones website from being just an idea into a fleshed-out presence on the World Wide Web.

We cuddled up to dreaded terms like 'Domain Name,' 'Webhost' and 'HTML,' (Upon closer examination, they showed themselves to be not so threatening.) We discussed how building a website is a process and that it can cost very little money if you only do some homework. I saw not only the veil of trepidation lift from many faces, but the dawning of comprehension, and in some cases - even zeal.

Emphasizing the importance of keeping ones website current, Jimmy said "Having a website is like having a pet, you have to feed and walk it." Rather than an archival repository, it is better to think of a website as a living, growing document. And I always stress the importance of interactivity. It is good to have something for people to do on every page of a site. That said, just because one has a lot of mind-blowing technology at ones fingertips doesn't mean that one has to use it all. If your website is about you, the performer, don't overwhelm the reader's eye with too many animations; a list of your favorite movies or photos from your last trip to Mardi Gras. Both Jimmy and I are proponents of simplicity. My main rule of thumb - Make it fun, but always be professional.

Should I hire a professional web designer? Some came to the seminar pondering whether or not to hire a pro. Just as when interviewing a headshot photographer, asking to see past work is important, as well as making sure that you and your web designer are in accord about presenting your image. Cost, naturally, is an important consideration.

The questions from the floor came, at first with trepidation, much like the first day of Sex Education class. Web-wise, many felt embarrassed that they didn't know certain terms. Luckily, Jimmy Ludwig is the Dr. Ruth Westheimer of the web world and allayed any abashedness. As the room warmed up, questions came more rapidly as well as answers - not just from me and Jimmy, but from all over the room so that the seminar was more a dialogue than a class. As I said before, Jimmy and I are both autodidacts - everything we learned about web design was by trial and error. What we have learned is what works and what does not. For both of us our knowledge (and our websites) continue to evolve.

To paraphrase a common pop-psychology phrase, "Website design is a journey - not a destination." We gave a cursory page-by-page tour of our own websites and talked about desirable features: photos and resumes, of course, but we also touched on online video and audio demos and security. Many musical performers have need of web marketing for CDs (especially if they are not signed to a label). Some have club acts and want to keep fans updated. The web is an easy and low-cost way to accomplish all these. And in these days of blogs and instant disinformation, ones website can serve as a central source for press and official biographical info.

Jimmy, the MAC user, wanted to have apples available for snacks but thinking it would be partisan, we served oranges.

Buzz Roddy and Jimmy Ludwig are currently serving on Equity's National Council, (the governing body of the Association). Additionally, Buzz is a Vice Chair of the Eastern Region Membership Education Committee and Jimmy is Chair of the New Technology Committee. The Membership Education Committee presents seminars and workshops as a free benefit of Equity Membership. More seminars are planned - so check out the Equity website for specific dates and times.

from the Actors' Equity website December 17, 2008

Unemployment Insurance Is A Right, Not Charity!

Unemployment Insurance – Get Your Money

By Buzz Roddy
Membership Education Committee

“Unemployment insurance is not charity – it is a right,” I hectored Members who attended AEA’s New York City seminar, “Unemployment Insurance – Get Your Money.” 
Many of us do not realize that while we are employed and drawing a paycheck, the employer is obliged to make contributions based on those earnings to the state Unemployment Insurance Fund from which U/I benefits are paid. To get it, all we have to do is put in a claim.

We are indeed entitled to this money, but how to navigate the byzantine protocols of the various states’ departments of labor?  What to do when Department of Labor claims specialists, unfamiliar with our category of employment, miscalculate or even deny our claims?

The October 7, 2013 seminar was hosted by the Membership Education committee. On hand was Unemployment Insurance (UI) expert Brian Curtis, Supervisor of Labor Disputes for the NY State Department of Labor.  Mr. Curtis walked us through eligibility, filing a claim, and getting ones benefit rate correct.  Possessing 36 years of experience and a gift of clarity, Curtis succeeded in delivering information in bite-sized chunks and answered members’ questions.  (In other hands, these two hours might have been a snore-fest, but the discussion was lively and enlightening.)  The seminar left Members empowered and even smiling with the knowledge that opening and managing an Unemployment Insurance claim is fully within their capabilities.

Some insights and advice:

•  UI is not charity.  It is a right.
•  UI applies to W-2 wages, not 1099 jobs
•  Your UI benefit rate is based on your past earnings
•  You can apply for UI benefits in the state that you live or in the states where you have worked
•  Keep good records (paystubs, W-2s, etc)
•  Can I work while collecting UI? (Answer: Yes—in certain circumstances)
•  Never send original documents to prove a claim
•  Learn the time constraints in opening or appealing a claim
•  Know your benefit rate to the penny before you file
•  If your benefits are denied – appeal. Never give up

So many actors who ask me about UI are either intimidated or ashamed about collecting.  There is no reason to be either.  Learning your states’ UI system and eligibility criteria, though daunting is not impossible.  And you, as a dues-paying member have help—and she has a name: Valerie LaVarco, Equity Business Representative for Unemployment/Worker's Compensation. She is your go-to unemployment insurance specialist. If you have a problem or question, contact her atvlavarco@actorsequity.org or at 212-869-8530.

Unemployment Insurance is for most of us a necessary bridge between jobs which allows us to keep up that dance class; pay the rent; eat.  And this money has been set aside for your use.

Now - get your money!

Reprinted from the Actors' Equity Website, October 2013