Could the struggling actor dig themselves further in the hole by the “pay-for-play” method in Hollywood? 

“Pay-For-Play” is becoming a “thing” on the acting circuit. Professional actors, directors, producers and such, are holding workshops and charging struggling actors a fee. These workshops, however, give off the impression that they can directly land students a role on networks like CBS, NBC, etc.

Students spend around $50 per session (or workshop).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, these “workshops” have been around for decades. However, the demand for television and streaming production have increased the need for actors. Thus, decreasing the need for casting in-house. The workshops now serve as a casting outlet. THR reports that there are 20+ companies that offer workshops. These workshops produce over 450 sessions in one month during pilot season.

But…the state of California says this is against the law.

The Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act, which was passed in 2009, outlaws workshops and casting directors from charging or attempting to charge an artist for an audition or employment opportunity. No one has been prosecuted under this law as of yet. After conducting over 65 interviews with industry insiders, many simply believe the law is being ignored.

Whether who’s wrong or right, the acting student suffers financially during this process. THR states that the average student can spend $1,500 a year on two to three workshop classes while hoping to land a role that will offset what they spent. A typical entry-level role will pay about $1,000 per day.

To us, along many others, believe that the students are being exploited.

“They’re seen as this laughable commodity,” says casting director Billy DaMota, an industry dissident on the issue since the 1990s. “So it’s easy to exploit them.” The actors who subsidize the system understand the game. “Everyone going there knows exactly what it is,” says one actor who asked to remain nameless. “Everyone knows it’s not educational.”

But nothing has happened. “Half the people that are on network television today paid for their job interview — the one-liner roles,” says casting director Dea Vise, a business partner of DaMota’s and fellow heretical voice on the issue. “It’s that prevalent.”

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