Hollywood is still Hollywood - not Broadway West. Though second only to New York in the amount of theatre produced, Los Angeles' eye is still focused mainly into the lens of the camera. It's hard to make a career out of paying theatre, but the right theatre role can launch a career - so it's not to be underestimated.
EQUITY WORK
First stop is the Equity offices in Hollywood, where you can pick up lists of Equity-franchised agents, LORT and other Equity-contract theatres, dinner theatres, stock, and theatre for young audiences.
The major touring companies head for the big theatres like the Ahmanson and the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion downtown, the Schubert in Century City, the Pantages, the James A. Doolittle Theatre or the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. Casting is mainly done in New York, with opportunities for local actors usually limited to "Second Viking, Stage Left." Occasionally secondary parts, even leads, open up. Actors with legit agents have an edge.
There are two League of Resident Theatres (LORT) in Los Angeles: the Mark Taper Forum and L.A. Theatre Center. Each has several stages. In nearby Pasadena, there's the California Musical Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse. Take an hour's drive down the coast, and there's the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. Get a cup of coffee, drive another hour south to San Diego, and you'll find the La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre, and San Diego Rep. Turn your headlights north and you'll find San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), only one of a number of Equity theatres in the Bay area.
There are no Equity dinner theatres in Los Angeles, but there are three south of the city: The Grand Dinner Theatre, Anaheim; the Harlequin Dinner Playhouse, Santa Ana; and the Lawrence Welk Village Theatre,
Escondido. Equity stock theatres include the La Mirada Civic Theatre (Southern California) and the Sacramento Music Circus (Northern California).
These are just a few of the theatres out there. Drama-Logue's "year-end" issue regularly includes a comprehensive list of Southern California theatres. If you don't want to wait, there are a number of directories sold in drama bookstores.
Check with individual theatres for casting policies. Most have general auditions once or twice a year. Almost all maintain casting files, so send photos and resumes and request interviews.
99-SEAT (EQUITY WAIVER) THEATRE
It started because union actors, who aren't permitted to do community theatre, needed to showcase themselves to the film industry, sharpen their skills in front of audiences, and feed their souls. It became a Los Angeles "institution" in 1972 when Equity agreed to waive all rules and permit union people to work unpaid as long as the theatre was capable of seating less than 100.
Things stayed that way until 1988, when Equity voted to impose regulations on the Waiver houses regarding actors' payments, casting procedures, rehearsal conditions, etc. Some in the theatre community hail the new rules as an antidote to abuses; others think that some of these regulations are not only too tough, but a threat to the very existence of Waiver theatre.
Ultimately, the question isn't whether there will be regulations; it's what the regulations will be. So, for updates and round-to-round coverage of this and all theatre issues, read Drama-Logue and other newspapers and contact Equity.
Until recently, 99-seat theatre drew industry people like flies. It's harder now, because many casting directors and agents give these hours to the cold reading showcases where they'll be paid for their time. And too many bad Waiver productions have made audiences more wary and selective. It's still a valuable investment of time, however, so you'll want to think about...
THE WHY AND HOW OF DOING THEATRE
Like classes, be clear on your purpose. Are you doing theatre to get experience, to flex your acting muscles, for the sheer joy of it, or to be seen?
- For the experience: You're wide open. If you're non-union you can do community theatre and not be disappointed when the only industry person in the audience is an out-of-work lighting technician. (In fact, if you're really inexperienced, that'll be a blessing.) If you're a pro who just wants to shake off some dust, you can do Shakespeare, Pinter, Albee, whatever, at any 99-seat theatre anywhere, without experiencing the futility of trying to get agents to drive all the way to Glendale. So relax and enjoy it. One suggestion from theatrical agent David Westberg: "Make a list of 20 shows that you're right for and you'd like to take a bite at and watch for them."
- To be seen: Now you've got to be careful - starting with your choice of play and location. If you want industry people in the audience, whether you're union or not, you'll have to limit yourself to Equity or (more likely) 99-seat theatre. And, regarding the latter, you'll do best following the "play shopping" criteria theatrical casting director Susan Glicksman outlines for herself: "I look for something new. I don't want to see any more Barefoot in the Parks or Lovers and Other Strangers. I look for something local, preferably a large cast, 12 to 15 people - I don't want to see a two-person show. No Shakespeare."
Finally, you'll also have to be a bit of a critic. As rehearsals progress, ask yourself "Do I really want to ask somebody to sit through three hours of this?"
If the play, actors, director - or you - is bad, get out of it or at least don't invite people to see it. Yes, you have a responsibility to the production, but you have an even greater one to yourself. Invite people to see you in a play and you're putting your career on the line. Agents, casting directors, producers and directors have long memories and, as producer Buddy Bregman says, "If it's a bad production it'll permeate the person's psyche and the fallout will drop on your head - even if you were brilliant."
CHOOSING/GETTING IN A THEATRE
- Choosing: Reputations wax and wane as people exit and enter, so attend productions and decide if you like what you see. And read the critics; you can learn a lot about how often, how prominently and how favorably theatres are reviewed.
- Getting in: It can be as hard to get a part at a quality small theatre as to capture the lead in Andrew Lloyd Webber's next Broadway epic. Besides competing with scores of other actors at auditions, roles are often cast "in-house" long before a casting notice is put out.
A WORD ABOUT BURN-OUT
Can you do too much 99-seat theatre? Not if you need training and/or experience. But if you're a well-trained actor who's doing it mainly to be seen, be careful lest you get burned out and bitter.
"Equity Waiver is the best way to get an agent or be seen by a casting director. Believe me, we go all the time," says theatrical agent David Westberg. "But I think to go out and do Equity Waiver play after play after play is meaningless; something's not working. It's like Lysistrata. Why give away the only thing you have to sell - your talent? You can give it away for a certain time or a specific reason, but, after that, don't give it away anymore, because the more you give it away, the less people will be inclined to pay for it."
If you're dragging yourself to yet another read-thru, getting angry because the rehearsal took 15 minutes longer than expected, or if you have a vague feeling you're being ripped-off by, well, somebody, you're "waivered." For the sake of your fellow actors, your director, the playwright, your audiences, and, most important, your sanity, take a break. When you remember why you love it, you'll be back.
