I am about to graduate from college, prepared to venture out into the real world as a (hopefully) working actor. I have family in England and studied theater there for a semester. My mother is British, and I'm in the process of getting a British passport in order to work there.
I was wondering if you could lend any insight into the experience of trying to be a working American actor in the U.K. Are they generally accepting or do they prefer it if you attended drama school in the U.K.? Are there more or fewer opportunities in London than there are in New York? Any insight or advice at all would be greatly appreciated. There's so much information on the Internet about how to work in London (visas, passports, etc.) but not really about the work itself.
—Cracked Actor
Dear Cracked:
I love it when I don't know the answer, because I get to do a bit of research and learn along with the letter writer. Such was the case with your query. Totally clueless on this subject, I reached out to colleagues who've worked on both sides of the pond and was fortunate enough to hear back from several of these firsthand experts. I leave this week's advising duties to them.
Fred Applegate, a highly accomplished Broadway and TV actor, lived in London while starring in "The Producers" in the West End. Says he: "Broadway and West Coast casting directors go all stupid over West End theater credits. It's as close to an imprimatur as you can get. So that's an asset, and that's good, because the money sucks. An ensemble member of a big London musical makes about a LORT B salary (about $700 per week), so don't think you'll be able to support yourself acting, unless you're really lucky. At least not at first. And not in such an expensive city: London makes New York look like a bargain. And it's worth remembering that the economy in the U.K. is worse than it is here in the U.S., so a survival job will be harder to find. As far as 'welcoming'...probably not."
About actors with dual citizenship, he adds, "There are 'dualies' in the ensembles of the musicals, and American stars doing plays at the Old Vic, and really big stars doing plays in the West End. And there are 'dualies' who are character actors onstage in the West End, but much older than you. However, if you were to find a production that was planning a trans-Atlantic transfer, in either direction, they'd be loving on you big-time."
Intercontinental casting director Alexa Fogel says, "I think there is always a need for Americans to play Americans in the U.K." She adds, "I don't think drama school is a requirement these days."
Ian Knauer is a successful, steadily working stage actor who moved to London only a few years ago. He weighs in as follows: "I'm in the same situation as your reader in that my mother is British and that's how I became a dual citizen. The passport and citizenship process was quite easy to do in the States, and the two passports open up all of the necessary doors over here." He adds that you'll have to get yourself "set up in terms of taxes and stuff like that here, but there are plenty of people who are willing to help out.
"As for work," Knauer says, "there seems to be less, and the pay is not as good." (Are you detecting a trend in these comments?) "I've had many more years of experience in the business than your reader, which seems to open doors to auditions and getting an agent. I'm not sure how difficult it would be as a young person just out of college. I find the Brits are quite receptive to Americans—it's just about if you fit what they're looking for. And there are quite a few times when casting people are looking for Americans for films."
Actor Cory English, who moved to London in 1998—with guidance, he points out, from a Back Stage article on London drama schools—disagrees on that last point: "There are not a lot of roles on TV or film for Americans. Some American plays are done, but name actors come over from the States to play them. The largest opportunity for work is in musicals. There is less of a talent pool for the musicals and plenty of work.
"I found that my U.K. drama school contacts help, but if you put in a year of meeting folks and auditioning, you could start getting work…if you're very good. I have an American friend who came over, having worked on Broadway, who has had a long career in musicals; he started working in under a month and is still going strong…. Not that we're in this business for the wages, but wages in the U.K. are a little less than half of what you make in the U.S. For example, Broadway minimum is $1,600. West End minimum, $700. And it can be just as expensive living in London as in New York City.
"The wonderful thing about working in Britain is the quality of storytelling. Yes, there is some crap there, just like America, but there you could get into a wonderful play and do some great work right above a 150-year-old pub. The show comes down at the end of the night, you grab a pint or two, talk about the show, acting, life, and you feel the history all around you. It's brilliant."
While none of that makes me want to pack up and move anytime soon, given that you have family there, it might be worth investigating. Even if you stay just long enough to build up a few credits (and drink a few pints), you get to return to the U.S. with the prestige of having worked in London, which, as Applegate points out, Americans always seem to find impressive. And I say, if you have an inclination, follow it. Do so sensibly, with awareness, but don't shrink from adventure.
Knauer points out, "No matter where the reader chooses to go—New York City or London—he will be in a similar place. He needs to meet people, get out and audition, and make it happen. It just depends where he wants to do that."
I've given the last word to English: "I think the more opportunities you can give yourself, the better. If you can open up a London and a New York market for yourself, go for it. Be bicontinental! Why not?"