Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under paid
Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under paid
#1Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under paid
Posted: 4/19/21 at 11:57pm
Sorry not sure how to post the link.
Hi. My name is Alex Ellis. For most of my 20’s I was in NYC performing on Broadway. I did two National Tours and two Broadway shows. The first tour, I starred as Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Why? Because I was overworked and under-****ing-paid. TROIKA ENTERTAINMENT (http://www.troika.com/) is a literal piece of garbage. I did over 30 one nighters in a row!!!!, slept on the FLOOR of a bus, was made to wake up at 4am routinely to hit the road to the next town. One week my show schedule was double, double, single, double, double, single, double. THAT’S 12 SHOWS IN ONE WEEK. As in two shows a day. As Millie. That’s like Elphaba on crack that has to tap dance. But like, in Waco freakin' Texas. I got sick in Florida, because I wonder why?! I was told if I called out, I WOULD LOSE MY MONEY. I was clearing only $600 a week after taxes and agent fees. As THE LEAD. I was treated like ****. This was NON-UNION. And for any newcomer with bigs hopes and dreams, HEADS UP! It was beyond a doozy!
On my next tour, Legally Blonde, I finally got the balls to tell the stage manager he was a literal piece of ****, because he promised me after months of preparation, I would go on as one of the leads in my hometown, with my family and friends in the audience, and when that time came he put the OTHER understudy on in spite of me. Knowing my self worth, I left the show after that. I was the ONLY person at the time calling him out in the hallway right before the show. Months later when my track opened back up after leaving to go work with Cirque du Soleil (ANOTHER fuggin' train wreck company that treat their actors like garbage), I was told I wasn’t allowed to come back.
MY POINT . IF YOU SPEAK UP, YOU GET FIRED. IF YOU CALL OUT, YOU LOSE MONEY. Try asking for time off for a family wedding, or life event you don’t want to miss. HA! Not a chance. IF YOU HAVE A VOICE, YOU GET BLACK BALLED. The ONLY show that was heaven on earth to me was #catchmeifyoucan . I was treated well, fulfilled all my wildest dreams, got paid weekly, went on as the lead, made extra money for TV spots and commercials, LOVED my fellow actors and creative team and had great health insurance. Until it ended and all of that was stripped. My last show before leaving NYC, was #onacleardayyoucanseeforever and that was a mess the minute I walked into the first day of rehearsal. I could tell something was very wrong on day one. The director had to ask me my name multiple times and one time asked me to go get him a shake from Green Symphony because he was on a low carb diet. Um…sure? Because if I didn’t.. would my stage time be revoked?! Was I going to say NO?! Harry Connick Jr. was my closest friend on that show. And he was nice enough to tell me the show was closing way ahead of time, so I had a heads up on how to prepare my life moving forward. After a slew of auditions that followed, CASTING (that’s a whole other chapter hineeeyyy), was putting me in the understudy prison cell. And let’s get one thing straight. I am a damn good actor, singer, dancer, collaborator, team player, HAPPY PERSON, will go the extra mile, meet my deadlines, and SHOW THE F*CK UP, full out. ALL THE TIME. It's in my bones. I am NO ONE’S understudy but my own. I won’t work double to get paid less. So I left. I moved across the country to get my head back on straight and to get my soul right.
THIS MUST CHANGE. Actors' Equity Association has done NOTHING to support their actors over this past year (and for many years prior), yet are asking each actor for money (WHAT MONEY?!) to be able to stay in a union, I mean corporation , that gives little to no ****s about them. #NOPLANNODUES . TREAT HUMANS BETTER THAT MAKE YOU MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Also, white actors… SPEAK UP. Love n light hineys. TELL YOUR STORIES, SHARE SHARE SHARE. YEARS OF THERAPY TO REVERSE THIS PTSD.
Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist.
Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino.
This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more.
Tazber's: Reply to
Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian
Updated On: 4/20/21 at 11:57 PM
#2Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 12:17amThey have u listed as a male on IBDB.com
#3Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 12:27amMillie was non-equity. That story is not surprising in the least. The rest of it I’m having difficulty pinpointing the actual grievances beyond not getting a lead role.
#4Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 12:34am
I understanding wanting to say your truth, but no need to insult hardworking understudies to justify your arrogant attitude.
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#5Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 12:35am
Alex Ellis WebsiteWell, they may have fewer stage opportunities now. But they seem to be being cast for tv.
Updated On: 4/20/21 at 12:35 AM
#6Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 12:35am
Seems odd to be griping about a non-equity tour as a reason to be upset with Actors Equity...
I think every time there's a big and deserving story (Scott Rudin), others feel the need to try to make something out of nothing. This reeks of a bitter actor who didn't get the roles they wanted. Nothing to see here.
InTheBathroom1
Broadway Star Joined: 10/6/18
#7Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 7:50amWelcome to being an actor. It may be time for this girl to find a different job.
Broadway61004
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/11
#8Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 9:09am
So they called the stage manager a piece of ****, quit the show, and then were surprised when the company wouldn't re-hire them?
#9Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 9:11amUnderpaid? Shouldn’t Alex be complaining to her agent for negotiating a bad deal for her?!?
#10Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 9:17am600 a week is more than I’m making right now. I’d take 600 a week.
#11Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 9:39am
Her attitude is a bit much. When one signs up for a non-equity production, you're at the mercy of the producers unfortunately. Her experience on the Legally Blonde tour sounds like someone in power was playing games. I'm sure this wasn't the first time that an actor/actress has experienced this. She comes off unlikeable.
Broadway61004
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/11
#12Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 9:52am
CATSNYrevival said: "600 a week is more than I’m making right now. I’d take 600 a week."
600 a week is actually really good money for a non-equity tour. And two-show days are extremely common on them as well. She is of course completely entitled to the opinion that doing that is ridiculous and horrible, but frankly, don't sign up for a non-equity tour then because that's how every single one of them operates. If they treated their actors like union tours treat their actors, they'd be union tours.
#13Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 10:45am
I know a common refrain seems to be, "Well you shouldn't have done it in the first place." But if those tours didn't exist, are there other ways of getting experience and/or getting seen as quickly if they didn't do them? I mean, a web series is great on a resume is great but proving your mettle on a stage means something still, I would think. Where else could they do it?
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
#14Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 11:01am
I know here in nyc a lot of actors do off-Broadway gigs to gain experience.
Several years ago Lin-Manuel Miranda watched the Great Comet off-bway and was so impressed by Phillipa Soo that he wanted her to audition for Hamilton.
Broadway61004
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/11
#15Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 11:13am
everythingtaboo said: "I know a common refrain seems to be, "Well you shouldn't have done it in the first place." But if those tours didn't exist, are there other ways of getting experience and/or getting seen as quickly if they didn't do them? I mean, a web series is great on a resume is great but proving your mettle on a stage means something still, I would think. Where else could they do it?"
There definitely aren't a lot of other opportunities to get exposure unless you get real lucky with auditions for off-Broadway or regional houses (but even then, most non-equity actors at equity theatres bear the brunt of the work and end up being the ones helping out stage management and performing other functions, thereby stretching their hours and commitment even further).
The reality is, most actors start out working summer stock or non-equity tour like jobs that are 16 hour days, 7 days a week. Now, you can absolutely 100% make the case that those are horrible and that the industry itself needs a major awakening about how they treat young, non-union performers. But I get the sense from this post (and perhaps I'm interpreting their point wrong) that they're acting like what happened to them on those two tours was out of the norm and unethical and Troika specifically needs to be stopped, when they're in fact doing nothing that hundreds of other companies aren't already doing.
JohnyBroadway
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/12
#16Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 11:21am
Hence why the phrase "Ask if its equity." should be retooled. To the public eye it makes the campaign look like a complaint towards profitting off the lower quality of talent (which isn't true. So many incredible performers get their starts on these non-equity tours.) When in fact the main focus should be on the proffitting off of horrendous hours, low pay, and working conditions.
SouthernCakes
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
#17Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 12:37pm
I mean I did a non union tour - my first professional gig - and loved every second of it. The pay was similar to hers and the string of one nighters the same, but I enjoyed myself. I was young and getting to see the country.
I’m not sure what can be done? More and more things are going non union because our union is awful and only centered on Broadway contracts. I mean, look at all the tours casting right now: non union. Could we requiring cast people to only cast union shows? Can we require the directors to only cast union shows? Not sure what can be done. Actors complaining about their work is pretty tiresome because for everyone complaining there are 5,000 that would gladly do it and probably for less!
#18Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 12:52pmI'm aging myself here, but even back in the 90s, if you were starting to get into the business you had knowledge of non-union tours and how grueling they could be. And this was before any social media or even computers. As dancers, most booked their first touring gig in the non-equity Cats or A Chorus Line tours. You did it for 6 months, until you got injured or dealt with exhaustion. The turnover in these tours was always high.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#19Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 1:15pm
Cats didn’t launch as a non-equity tour until 2001. And it was Troika.
Updated On: 4/20/21 at 01:15 PM
#20Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 1:26pm
"But I get the sense from this post (and perhaps I'm interpreting their point wrong) that they're acting like what happened to them on those two tours was out of the norm and unethical and Troika specifically needs to be stopped, when they're in fact doing nothing that hundreds of other companies aren't already doing."
I think that's the point. I think the author feels that everyone acting like this is the norm needs to stop. I think these actors are saying that this shouldn't be some rite of passage. Being overworked for low wages and without protection to the point of exhaustion is unacceptable.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#21Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 1:47pm
That is what she's saying, but, again, okay? There's literally 10000000000 actors out there that would do that job for less pay. It's just how it is. Actors are desperate for work. So, what's the point? The point is there should be someone in charge... like a union... but how do you stop non-union work? I don't know. Maybe the Union should open up more and allow more members? But then do the current members want that? I don't know.
#22Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 1:54pm
Random quick question: how can a Non-Equity show, play an equity theatre?
"Ok ok ok ok ok ok ok. Have you guys heard about fidget spinners!?" ~Patti LuPone
#23Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 2:14pm
fashionguru_23 said: "Random quick question: how can a Non-Equity show, play an equity theatre?"
Not sure, but it happens more frequently than we know.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
RippedMan
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
#24Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 3:47pm
Yes they can and they do all the time! Look at all the season tours. Tootsie is going out essentially as a big first national tour playing all the major cities, just with a non union cast. And i'm sure the directors are union and whatnot.
felixleiter
Understudy Joined: 11/10/12
#25Alex Ellis : I was over worked and under F*CKing paid
Posted: 4/20/21 at 4:25pm
fashionguru_23 said: "Random quick question: how can a Non-Equity show, play an equity theatre?"
Ok. So a quick answer is to explain it this way: sometimes a theater is just a building and it can be rented by anyone or any company. An example of this is a venue like the Broward Center in Ft. Lauderdale, or The Fox Theatre in Atlanta. But, sometimes a theatre is owned by an organization that produces shows and has an existing agreement (or contract etc) with AEA (and other unions but getting into THAT aspect of it can get confusing) and therefore EVERYTHING that goes on that stage will involve Equity Actors and stage managers. An example of this would be a place like Papermill, or Goodspeed.
Yes, landlords at Broward and the Fox have agreements with other unions (IATSE being the main one) which can mean that you can attend a show and have a situation where everyone except the actors and stage managers are protected under a union contract.
