Guide | Actor’s Guide

Kermit learned the hard way. Find a community to help.

Most people who move to New York City for work do so for

An entry-level job in Manhattan is always going to be hard. They pay is worse and the cost of living is higher. For many positions and career paths, it is a weeding out process. Can you survive the long hours with little sleep and stretching your skimpy budget? If you do survive the pay and prestige increases and soon you’re living the good life–at least that’s the usual pattern.

But what about actors? That hopeful breed who flock to the urban jungle of New York looking for their “big break?” I wish I could say just pay your dues and you too will soon be living the good life. But, I can’t. Unless you’re coming to the city with a really strong resume from another magnet city like LA and Chicago (and I mean a resume that includes major motion pictures or the Steppenwolf) in which case you should get the recommendations of the NYC agent you already have, right? In truth moving to NYC as an actor is hard. Everything you’ve done before means nothing. There are a hundred people willing to fill even the most menial role. The saying, “its not who you are but who you know” is true more often than not.

So should you just give up? No. You should go into the experience with your eyes open and your expectations realistic. Everyone who has survived and thrived in the New York theatre scene has done it in a slightly different way–everyone who makes it is, in a way, an exception to the rule–but in my experience everyone who achieves a measure of success acting in New York has built a community. Some people follow the “muppet route” and bring their group with them. Others have to find a group. One group, the Crook Theatre, even makes it a point to find talent new to New York City.

Whether you take classes, workshops, audition, or hopefully all three make it a point and part of your plan to build a community. I don’t know how it will happen when you finally break-in but I know that when you do you’ll be able to look back and point to the people who helped make it happen. Feel free to share your ideas and links for ways to network. Check back later and I’ll do the same.