How Lay-Offs Affect Some NYC Actors
Aside from multiple Broadway shows closing, theatres shutting their doors, or productions being cancelled before they even begin, how is the recession affecting working and aspiring actors?
New York mag's new feature "My Laid-Off Life" relates seven stories from seven different New Yorkers (of 33,000 since August) who have recently lost their jobs -- and wouldn't you know it, two of them are actors!
26-year-old actress Cadden Jones has seen her hectic schedule of five auditions a day trickle to zero. "Now I have no reason to set the alarm," Jones tells New York. "All auditions have stopped. I
know you can’t really get laid off as a freelance actor, but it feels
like I was. It’s absolutely dead.
"I don’t have to dress any particular way for any particular role anymore. No 'young mom' or 'businesswoman.' Just me. I open my closet and realize, My God, I have no clothing to wear that actually fits my personal style. I don’t have to wear makeup, but I put it on anyway. Somehow mascara always makes me feel better."
Meanwhile, 44-year-old Marc Thomas was laid off from his job as a personal assistant at an architectural firm, but sees opportunity to renew his pursuit of an acting career.
"I moved here in 1988," Thomas says, "in pursuit of my dream to become part of the New York theater community—being laid off made me realize that two decades have passed and I’ve moved no closer to that goal. Now that I have some time, I volunteer-usher at many Off Broadway theaters, so I get to see tons of free theater. I also get to watch a lot of TV."
How has the economy affected your acting life? Fewer auditions? Cancelled productions? Less mony in the budget to see a movie or a Broadway show? Leave a comment and let us know what you're doing to cope.
Photo: Cadden Jones, courtesy of New York.
-- Daniel Lehman
People always hate to talk about when they are laid off. But as it has become every day's news headline since Yahoo started it with cutting 1500 of its task force last year, now a need of platform has been in demand where people can express their selves in words how they are feeling about their company, whey the got laid off was that justified or not.
And every thing they want to tell anonymously.And www.layoffgossip.com is providing you that platform.
Posted by: Layoffs | January 12, 2009 at 07:03 AM
Everyone is expecting recession getting over soon. I have a very close friend, who graduated from Harvard. Worked for ML for over 8 years, recently he’s been “right sized” too, despite of his outstanding performance and the increasing revenue he generated. OMG, now the banking industry is badly hurt, how long it would take for those financial background guys like him get back to the job market. Banking jobs are not there as much as before as easily seen on http://www.joboutlets.com and other job sites in the region
Posted by: jobs | January 19, 2009 at 09:20 AM