Eventful Month

I am currently in a children's theatre show in NYC encompassing the month of January. It has proved to be rewarding because I like the show/script/my part, most of my fellow actors in the cast, plus it is extremely heartwarming to perform for adorably enthusiastic children. However, this is the type of project I regretted the moment I accepted the role, and also the type of project I swore I would never do again. Why? Because for a mere $100 stipend, I (along with the rest of the cast) am expected to perform a show EVERY SINGLE DAY - 7 DAYS A WEEK for the month of January. On Saturdays and Sundays we peform in the afternoon, and Monday - Friday we peform in the morning for schools or other groups.

When first starting out in the NYC theatre world about 4 years ago, I was happy to accept any role offered to me without complaints. I had a good attitude and I wanted to learn. Over time, however, I became more experienced and more ambitious with my acting career (understandably). And as a result of seeing actors (myself included) get their time wasted and be taken advantage of, I started to become more choosy with my theatre and film projects. And also set certain guidelines for myself, such as: 1)if there is a heavy time committment it should pay, 2)The people involved should be talented and know what they are doing.

So....I finally made piece with the inconsiderate performance schedule. But I feel with this project when I make peace with one aspect of it, other frustrations arise to test my waning patience. First, we were asked to set up and break down the set each and every day. This was something not outlined in the casting notice. The director/producer asked us actors to do this on opening day - what other choice do we have? We have to do it now! Furthermore, there is an ex-con (in the cast) with a heavy Staten Island accent, where every other word out of his mouth is a curse (did I mention this is a CHILDREN'S SHOW), who can't act for shit, and has never been in a theatre production before. As if that wasn't enough, the elevator in this supposedly handicapped accessible space has been broken for a week now, so every day we have to carry a disabled cast member up and down 5 flights of stairs. What will happen next - will we have to climb the facade of the building in order to perform this show?