Following weeks of discussion within the industry that most theater goers are unlikely to be privy to, Actors’ Equity quietly announced this week major changes to how non-union performers are seen at Equity auditions.
For the uninitiated, before this week – non-union actors hoping to be seen at an Equity Principal Audition or Equity Chorus Call would have to make their way to Pearl Studios early enough to get their name on an unofficial list. Several actors told BroadwayWorld this would be posted on the door of the building, and it wouldn’t be unusual to have people signing up at midnight. Many people would aim to get there at the crack of dawn for their chance to make the list.
Once the building opens in the morning, these performers would return. In some cases, an Equity Monitor would ask those on the list who were present to highlight their name on the list, and those who had returned would be seen if they saw non-union talent that day.
Broadway performer and choreographer Sarah Meahl (Death Becomes Her, Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream) became concerned about how this process was impacting her students trying to break into the industry. (She is a regular teacher at Broadway Dance Center and elsewhere.) Earlier this year, Meahl started a conversation on social media asking non-Equity performers to share their concerns about the sign-up process, acting as an early moderator. Safety of traversing the city in the middle of the night and midnight subway rides were one of the major concerns. That conversation ballooned to over 1,600 members.
The outcome was an attempt to modernize the unofficial list used at Equity auditions, posting QR codes outside Pearl Studios and Ripley-Grier Studios. A digital list was posted on social media ahead of an Equity open call. BroadwayWorld is told some auditions enthusiastically embraced the unofficial list, while others weren’t as supportive and added those names to their list below the in-person sign-ups. While it wasn’t a universal or perfect solution – the NUU list seemed to be making progress and gained over 7,100 followers on social media – and democratized a rather opaque process.
This week, it was announced at an Equity open call that “the unofficial list has officially become a thing of the past.” Non-union talent was told that the unofficial list – which BraodwayWorld previously covered in 2019 – would not be honored going forward. Instead, an official list would be created that must remain on the Equity monitor desk. Individuals can put down one name – should someone put down multiple names, the entire list would be disqualified. The list would become available only when the doors to the building open, to discourage middle of the night or crack of dawn lining up for a chance to be seen at an audition. An Equity representative confirmed the end of the unofficial list to BroadwayWorld.
While an official way to try and be seen at Equity auditions is certainly more progress than has been made in this regard in years – performers BroadwayWorld spoke to still raised concerns. While trying to discourage people from lining up in the middle of the night, Equity may be doing the opposite. Performers desperate to be near the top of the list may begin to line up earlier and earlier for first crack at the official list when doors open. While those we spoke to acknowledged no perfect solution, given a digital list could suffer the same issues as the unofficial list – they continue to advocate for a more equitable, fair, and safer way for non-union talent to have their shot at being seen at Equity auditions.
