By Michael Radoslav

Photo by Michael Radoslav

Breaking into show business in Canada can often be a herculean effort.  Our country is known for having some of the toughest entry requirements for its performers union, ACTRA. This has been at times a discouraging reality for aspiring actors.

In November 2010, however, ACTRA cut its credit requirements for new members in half, from six credits to three – effectively welcoming, rather than restricting, membership. The vote in favour of making these new modifications was a resounding 82.1 per cent.

ACTRA Toronto, the largest chapter in the country, spearheaded the move to give those with the acting dream a better shot.

“The time frame was gapping larger rather than narrowing” says Heather Allin, president of ACTRA Toronto. “We thought six credits as a bar was set so high that not only do people have trouble getting over it, they give up before even giving it a try.”

The impact is already being felt. Marlene Cahill is the branch representative for ACTRA Newfoundland, a region where projects are primarily union. Although 95 per cent of productions in Newfoundland go through ACTRA they still witnessed a surge in enrolment. About 20 per cent of the branch’s members held between three and six credits, so they became eligible with the requirement change.
[pullquote]“It’s nice for people to feel embraced by the union instead of intimidated or estranged by it.”
- Bryn McAuley, YEAA[/pullquote]

The move is a boon to young performers, many of whom joined as apprentices before gaining enough credits to reach full membership status. “They’ve been telling us for years that this is taking forever,” says Karl Pruner, director of communication of ACTRA Toronto. Pruner says young actors grouped together and presented well-founded and economically sound concerns, but the jobs to help them reach their goals simply were not there.

Despite the new rules, Pruner maintains ACTRA still has some of the toughest standards in the world, and jobs are still not as plentiful as in the past. But, he says, that little bit of give will go a long way in helping emerging talent in Canada.

The Toronto Youth Caucus was replaced in February 2011 by the Young Emerging Actors Assembly (YEAA). Created for ambitious young performers, the group – founded by Bryn McAuley and Eli Goree – aims to offer more opportunities to aspiring actors.

“I started it to help the 18-year-old version of myself,” says McAuley. She has been a member of ACTRA for more than a decade, joining as a six-year-old.

YEAA aims to open communication with young actors in Toronto, highlight the success and accomplishments of young performers, and host events to bring the community together and introduce them to members of the industry.

Eli Goree and Bryn McAuley, founders of the Young Emerging Actors Assembly (YEAA), photo courtesy of YEAA

McAuley was proud of a recent event where young actors received feedback on their demo reels from decision makers in the field. At the ACTRA conference in late February, McAuley says she saw more young people than ever in attendance. She credits the change in regulations and events YEAA has been hosting for the turnout.

“I saw a lot of young actors at the conference who were getting their third credit on the day, and were very excited about that,” she says. “It’s nice for people to feel embraced by the union instead of intimidated or estranged from it.”

One performer who received his final credit that day was Tony Babcock, a 23-year-old actor from Toronto. He became an ACTRA apprentice in November and thanks to the changes gained full membership in just four months.

“I needed to get to that point where I felt like I was capable of doing the big work,” Babcock says. “I didn’t want to join prematurely, I wanted to wait until I was ready.”

“I feel like I do have a support system in place now, like I do have them looking out for me,” he says.

Vanessa Broze, a 27-year-old ACTRA apprentice in Toronto, is working towards her final credit.

She says she was intimidated in the past by the steep requirements and decided to go the non-union route instead. She became an apprentice this past December after hearing about the changes.

“I thought that the six credits were pretty daunting,” says Broze. “Then they lowered it to three credits and I felt safe joining.”

The Toronto youth group is standing alone in the country at the moment. McAuley says there are no plans for nationwide expansion but would gladly talk with anyone interested in starting a group within their own chapter.

Right now YEAA is focused on promoting themselves to the community in Toronto.  “It’s still quite underground,” McAuley says. “We have a huge percentage of our demographic to still reach.”

Many young performers rely heavily on non-union projects when starting out. A change made to include degrees and certificates from post-secondary institutions as credits helps cut back on that need. The goal is to move new actors closer to ACTRA membership while steering them away from non-union productions.

Karen Woolridge, public relations for ACTRA Toronto, says the initiative helps protect new actors. Woolridge was frustrated watching students come out of institutions and walk into non-union work because they were convinced it would help their career. She says the result was “a whole resume of non-union work that no one respects.”

Broze was initially advised to pursue non-union roles to help break into the industry. She says she had some great experiences working non-union, sufromch as meeting her fiancé, a cinematographer on her first project. However, she also had bad experiences.

Babcock also found non-union work a mixed blessing. “It was a learning experience, there were some up’s and down’s,” he says. Babcock recognizes the need for young actors to take on roles that present themselves and says that kind of work is fine as a starting point, but not as a career.

Broze agrees joining the union is necessary to pursue acting as a serious profession. “Some people are just happy to work even if it’s free,” she says. “You almost feel like you’re paying your dues when you’re a young actor doing that, and that’s okay, but hey, you can’t keep doing that forever.”