“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, and 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. READ MORE
