YOU CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE
“YOU HAVEN’T MADE IT UNTIL YOU’VE MADE IT IN NEW YORK.” THE APHORISM IS ALMOST BIBLICAL, etched into the minds of America’s aspiring and master artists. The Great White Way beckons and thousands follow. Not yet jaded BFA grads and community theatre ingenues alike have their minds set in one direction: toward Gotham. They dream of the actor’s tireless grind, the infinite Backstage audition notices, the pizza-snacking subway rats. They can almost smell the hairspray emanating from the freshly coiled pin curls in Ripley Grier’s hallowed halls. But before they book that one-way ticket, they might want to take one last trip back to the drawing board.
Unbeknownst to some, incredible work is happening all over the U.S. Established theatres are producing top-tier productions from the fruited plains all the way to those purple mountains, allowing local theatre professionals across the nation to fill both their creative souls and their wallets.
According to the Actors’ Equity 2018 Regional Theatre Report, which measured work weeks in cities other than the entertainment meccas of NYC, Chicago, or L.A., there’s work to be had outside of the major markets. Below we profile half a dozen AEA members who are making a living, and a life, in their resident metropolises.
BOSTON
to mold NYC into a place that’s quieter and cleaner but still maintains an invigorating theatre community and downtown charm? Beantown might be did a four-year stretch at Boston University and couldn’t bring herself to leave. That was six years ago; she’s since made the Hub her home. Where to work: Ramirez jumps from place to place, including the Reagle Music Theatre, Greater Boston Stage Company, Bridge Repertory Theater, Central Square Theater, and Moonbox Productions. This brings her to about 35-40 work weeks per year. An average SM salary averages out to $530 a week. “Equity has done a great job negotiating for stage managers, and we’re starting to see a real improvement,” she says.
