Man, I've been living in the city for 8 days and it feels like about a month..in a good way! This city is incredible. I love it. So much opportunity! So much to see and do in such a confined area. I'm learning what it means to be a New York actor...so much more than I learned from ISU or WSU. But I don't know if that was my educations fault...I don't think anything can prepare you for New York or a career in acting. Everyone's path is COMPLETELY different....what kind of day job you have, where you work, even whether or not to continue acting. YOU are your best teacher...you can ask people about their experiences, but NOTHING prepares you for the career YOU will lead. Don't let anyone tell you how is 100%...because it's different for each individual person.
Auditions:
I'm discovering where to look for auditions and how to navigate the casting calls.
1. Actor's Access
2. Actorsconnection.com
3. Playbill casting notices
4. Backstage (but requires a fee)
5. Audition Update - tells you how busy certain auditions are
Ideally I want to be able to check these every morning and submit myself for what's right. It is time consuming though, so I need to be focused on only submitting for work I would actually take.
I'm still finding that I'm most successful when I've submitted to a certain company with a hard copy of my head shot and resume. I got a call from Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey for their touring company of ShakespeareLive. The audition went well despite it being a cold reading of Shakespeare sides...lots of stumbling over the language but I didn't have the time to make it a warm reading. I actually got an offer to join the company about 3 hours later which was FANTASTIC and very flattering to hear. But I turned it down...the contract was to live in New Jersey for 6 months and travel to high schools daily to perform abbreviated versions of R & J and Comedy of Errors. And the pay was $275/wk with very few equity points...just not the time for that in my life. I want to live in New York for more than a few months before I take something out of town, then I want it to be for a little more pay and a little more professional. The choices we make..
Apartments:
Still figuring this out myself.
1. Gypsy housing - group on facebook
2. The Listings Project - weekly email of subleases and rooms for rent.
3. Craigslist - hit or miss I hear...
The tough part is that I want to be able to take a job out of town and sublease my room. There's a chance I could find a 3 bedroom with Dave and his current roommate, but they don't want me to sublease...possible deal breaker. I'm not worried.
Jobs:
I think the best way to find a job is to ask friends what they're doing. I went on an hour and a half interview to be a server at a new Tommy Bahama restaurant. I pretty much had the job, but I didn't want to start right away and I wanted to take a much needed 10 day trip home for Thanksgiving...which I haven't spent with my family for 5 years. I'm pretty sure I can get the job when I get back...they really seemed to like me.
Caitlin Morrison has a sweet serving job too that I might be able to interview for. Both of these serving jobs have BENEFITS! CRAZY! Health, dental, 401k...who knew?
Dave Toomey has a receptionist job that pays $42,000/year with crazy benefits. But that would mean I couldn't take an out of town job very easily...which I don't like.
My old boss at Greenfield Village might be hooking me up with a job playing a young Henry Ford at the Detroit Auto Show! Stupid pay...$350-400/day plus $55/per diem...this is a huge break for me. Could be the Chicago and New York auto show too, so I'm incredibly lucky if I land this. That's why you always be a good employee...you never know when someone from your past will think fondly of you and recommend you for a job.
All in all, it's been a very productive first 8 days....I'm on this high and I don't want to come down. I will once I get settled...it's inevitable. But I'm enjoying every minute of this new life so far!
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