At what age does it make most sense to start earning an Actors Equity card? Right after college?

Question

I ask because I know its hard to get into non-union productions once ur in the union. and since 99% of union actors are unemployed... well... im wondering when exactly would be good to get it since i want to be on broadway.

I also think im going to be a freelance writer or perhaps novelist on the side. so thats what i would be doing if i was unemployed as an actor

Answer 1

To answer your main question, you can start earning your actor's equity card during the summer while you are in college doing summer stock. You might get enough hours to earn it by the time you graduate.

I do need to comment on your goal to be a freelance writer or novelist on the side. My friend who is a novelist and had a three book deal from Warner Books considers it a full time job all the time. She's either writing or rewriting or promoting/touring all the time, so if you are successful enough to make a living at it, being a novelist is a full time job.

Freelance writing -- kind of the same thing. To get enough projects to support yourself you pretty much have to do it full time, no matter how much Peter Bowerman and Robert Bly tell people they can make a six figure income in a couple of hours a day. If that was true, everyone would do it.

You might be waiting tables or slinging coffee or working in a bookstore to get by while you wait for your big break -- a job that won't stress you out and take away your mental/creative energy and which you can leave and return to when you do get parts.

One of my friends who is a great playwright still works at his day job moving sets around and doing other odd jobs for a theater company.

Being an artist requires sacrifice and few artists ever make a full time living at it.

Earning your union card will help in a big way though and like I said, I know actors who had theirs after graduation by doing summer stock every summer.

Answer 2

Hard, it is against the union rules for you to do non union work without permission.  But I think 'ASAP. You are going to need a really good college for acting such as Julliard, Rutgers, or North Carolina School of the Arts.  There are other union jobs besides Broadway. You choices for what to do while you are unemplayed as an actor are about as diffiuclt to make a living at as acting. Be a lot better is you were a published novelist with royalties coming in before you tried acting, but every delay is not good. Learn to wait tables in a restaurant.