Philadelphia actors find work locally

As the new theater season gets underway, theater lovers are looking forward not only to particular shows, but also the familiar actors who will be appearing in those shows. Many of these live and work primarily in Philadelphia, including actors like Ben Dibble and Mary Martello, who are currently appearing in Walnut’s 9 to 5.

Although several recent articles have been written about how hard it is to make a living as a performer in Philadelphia, Brian Kurtas doesn't see it that way. “Actors move here,” he says, “because they can make a living and start a life. Philadelphia may not have the cachet of New York or Hollywood, but,” he adds, “the theaters invest in the artists, and in return, the artists invest in the theater.”

Kurtas himself has returned to his Philadelphia roots. He began as a casting apprentice at the Walnut Street Theatre, then moved to New York where he did casting for corporate events, and now, recently married, he has come back to Philadelphia to continue his career.

According to Daniel Lehman (click here for article), in 2012 Philadelphia had 51 professional stages employing more than 1,000 people. Actors Equity claims that there are over 900 members living in the area.

Buy local

Local theaters have been making a real effort to ensure that these local actors are working actors. “We have a fierce dedication to casting locally,” Kurtas says. In one event, the Greater Philadelphia Annual Auditions (GPAA) held at the Walnut Street Theatre in April, focused on auditioning local talent. These auditions brought together Equity, non-Equity, and graduating students to audition for local theater casting directors. Over 35 local theaters sent auditors to the auditions.

These auditions were initially run under the auspices of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. But when the Theatre Alliance ceased operations two years ago, the Walnut Street Theatre — the oldest theater in the country — stepped up and made a two-year commitment to continue the auditions. “We felt passionate about how important this was to the community and the institutions that were part of the Theater Alliance,” says Kurtas, who is “thrilled that the auditions have been such a success.” So successful, Kurtas says that even though the two years are up, “we are continuing the program again this coming spring. An announcement will be made to the community in January.”

The auditions were a three-day process. While the first day was for Actors Equity actors who could come from anywhere, the second day was for non-union actors. This was where an effort was made to go local. Out of the almost 500 applications for the approximately 100 slots, representatives from the community of theaters went through the applications and selected those who would be seen. This is where the “commitment to fostering and cultivating local talent” was a factor — one of the criteria for selecting the actors was location.

The third day of auditions was for graduating college seniors. Kurtas contacted the heads of theater departments within a 50-mile radius of Philadelphia. The students came from Temple, the University of the Arts, Arcadia, West Chester, Rider, and other local schools.

Planning ahead

The auditions took place just as theaters were putting together their plays for this season, so they had some idea of their needs. An actor might be contacted directly by a theater after the auditions or called back in to read for a specific part at a later time.

“It’s exciting to discover someone new and talented that you can use,” says Kurtas. “The Walnut Street Theatre did hire and call back several artists from all three audition dates this year.” While he cannot provide details about other attending companies, he acknowledges that he was told that “some of them did call back actors from the call.”

These are not the only auditions in town for local actors. In addition to the job listings on the Theatre Philadelphia website, the local film schools also hold auditions for student films. This year, Kathy Wickline Casting ran a day of auditions for Temple University senior films on October 11, and last year Drexel University held their own auditions, run by Barry Brait, for students from Drexel and any other local universities who were interested. This is in addition to individual casting calls for individual films. Performing in student films gives seasoned actors a chance to try out new roles and starting actors a chance to put together a reel of their work.

On with the show

While the auditions at Walnut Street Theatre and the local film schools focus on the actors, Theatre Philadelphia, an organization that replaces what was once the Alliance, turns its attention to the shows. Joel Sumner, administrative director of Theatre Philadelphia, says the goal is to “highlight the work of the community to the city itself,” making sure that Phildelphia audiences know what is going on here.

One of the ways they do this is through the Barrymore Awards, which honor what is best in the city. According to their website, during the past season, from September 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014, the judges, drawn from the local arts community, saw “almost 100 professional productions at 31 theatres featuring the work of more than 450 artists throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.” (The nominees can be seen here.) The awards will be announced on October 27, 2014 at the Merriam Theater.

While theaters are mainly interested in putting on good shows that draw an audience, it is nice to know that they are aware of building a community that includes the actors as well as those who come to watch.

Above right: Local favorite Mary Martello in the Lantern's production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane. (Photo by Mark Garvin)