How can I get into Union acting?

Question

I heard that becoming a Union actor is really hard. my drama teacher told me that in order get into the Union you have to do something Union! i dont understand!!!! How can I get into the Union and can you give me more info on it

Answer 1

The first thing you have to do is choose a union, the three major Unions are :
Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) they represent theatrical actors and stage managers

AFTRA (The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) represents its members in news and broadcasting; entertainment programming; the recording business; and,commercials and non-broadcast, industrial, educational media.

SAG, the Screen Actors’ Guild which represents film actors

But once you choose one make sure you are ABSOLUTELY ready, once you sign up for a union you can ONLY work union jobs, a lot of the time in the very beginning, you will be going up to auditions you will be going up against very experienced actors
And Kepp in mind once you join there will be an initiation fee (around $1,000+) you'll have 2-5 yrs to pay it off and most unions do not except credit cards.

But once you've joined and you've gotten your feet wet, it will be well worth it, it is MUCH easier to make a living as an actor once you have joined a union.. So good Luck and I hope this helped!

Answer 2

All you have to do is work in a union show -- film or stage. You don't have to choose a union. You can join all of them if you want to. I got my SAG card working on a local film -- it was a union shoot, and it gave me the "in" I needed. It's a Catch 22 situation - you can't join the union without being in a union film, but you have to be in the union to get a union gig. Most of the actors I know got in the way I did.

You can do non-union work even if you're a SAG, AFTRA, or Equity member. Just use a different name. It's not strictly legal, but it's done all the time. Work is work -- if you can get a regional theatre job for a few weeks, go for it.

A lot of regional and repertory theatres hire Equity and non-Equity actors for their shows. They have a contract with the union that specifies how many union and non-union actors they can hire. If you can get a role in an Equity production, you'll be eligible for an Equity card. It's not really all that hard, you just have to be persistent.

Find a theatre company that hires union actors, and get a small role in one of their shows. That's your "in" to the union.

Don't give up!