Chicago

Do you like chili?

Do you like chilling?

Do you like games?

Well then the SAG-AFTRA NextGen Performers Committee's Game Night at the Kaufherr Center is the place for you to be on February 27, 2020! It's National Chili Day! Come chil(i) with us! 

Come play games with us and eat some chili. Friends are welcome to join our members, so bring your plus ones or twos. It'll be an evening of fun and community at the Kaufherr Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and we'll be chil(i)ng until 8:00 p.m.

NextGen Performers is a new Chicago Local committee devoted to helping the next generation of SAG-AFTRA performers develop their careers, utilize the amazing resources of SAG-AFTRA and connect with other union members. Every fourth Thursday of the month, we have Game Nights, so keep your eyes peeled each month for more information.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete form below to RSVP. Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP. 
Seeing this on your app? Please click here to log into the website and RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, please bring your membership card or digital card from the app (paid through April 30, 2020) for admittance.

For our next table read, we are pleased to announce that we are reading Three Hours from SAG-AFTRA member Aemilia Scott. This quarterly table-reading series is an opportunity for filmmakers to hear their production-ready scripts read exclusively by SAG-AFTRA actors, who will bring their written word to life while being seen by decision-makers. The reading will happen in the KRC before a live audience of SAG-AFTRA and IFP members, invited guests, producers and investors. The rehearsal will take place on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m., with the actual table read on Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020 at 5 p.m..

Below are roles that Aemilia would like to have you put yourself on tape – either video or audio. See below for character breakdown.

LOGLINE

A single mother living on the edge in Chicago’s Humboldt Park has three hours to find someone, anyone to care for her child, or risk getting the job that will keep both of them from losing their home.

SYNOPSIS

It is 9 a.m., present day at noon, Alma has an interview for a scholarship to nursing school. This will mean the difference between treading water with small jobs, and a new career. Alma is ready to ace this interview. She takes her daughter Ruby to day care, but because she’s behind on payments, and Medicaid is slow to help, she finds that she can’t drop off Ruby. Now she has three hours to find someplace, someone, who will care for Ruby. Place after place, person after person, Alma grows more and more desperate. Out of options, she is forced to make a terrible choice.

CHARACTERS

ALMA (Early 20s to early 30s, African American)

Alma is fiercely intelligent, and is about to nail a scholarship interview to nursing school. She is just this close to pulling her and her daughter up above the financial water line. However, she carries a well-deserved chip on her shoulder that sometimes doesn’t serve her well. She has so much grit, and we see that as she does everything she can to try to balance both her career, future and her daughter on that razor’s edge. However, when dealing with authority figures she tends to get on her back foot, and gets sometimes flustered and sometimes tongue-tied.

RUBY (Ruby should look 4-6 years old, African American)

Ruby is, like her mom, fiercely intelligent. She is precocious and at times full tilt sassy. This is both her most beautiful quality and the thing that is toughest for Alma, because Ruby’s curiosity has her constantly asking questions and escaping from the safe places Alma sets for her.

JASON (Any Ethnicity, 20s-30s)

Alma’s boyfriend. He’s smart, funny, but can run a little hot at times. He loves Alma and is a caring partner to Alma and mentor to Ruby. But he’s still a bit of a young buck, carries a temper, and has an underlying restlessness that the years have not yet softened. His affection for Ruby and Alma sometimes comes out in affectionate horseplay.

PEGGY (African American, 50s)

Alma’s Mother. Warm and affectionate at times, but can present initially as a little stern, and even disapproving. This comes from desperate worry about her daughter and granddaughter. She’s been working as a home health aide for years, and sees Alma’s leap to nursing school as a risk not worth taking right now.

OPEN (African American and LatinX Actors, 14-50)

Looking for actors, seasoned actors of all types. Please put yourself on tape, and include: a story about a time when you had a really bad obstacle in life, or a really tough challenge, and someone close to you helped you through it. Big or small, sad or funny, all stories welcome.

If you would like sides for any of the above characters to put yourself on tape, please email kathy.byrne@sagaftra.org to request sides for the role you are interested in. 

Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. Please upload your tape and headshot/ resume on Dropbox: Click here.

 

Calling all Regional members!

It’s a new year and we’re excited to talk #AdsGoUnion with members from across the country. Join us for your first commercials organizing meeting of 2020, and learn about the ongoing campaign, what the union is doing to grow more work opportunities and how you can be a part of the solution.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete form below to RSVP to attend in office or receive the webinar information. Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP. 
Seeing this on your app? Please click here to log into the website and RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing — no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome.

 

 

No gymnastics skills necessary, but knowledge is power when it comes to flipping a job from non-union to union. Often times professional SAG-AFTRA performers are offered an audition or job...that's non-union. Learn from fellow members and staff how to successfully turn that non-union job to union, so you and others can keep on working.

You will learn how to get the messaging right:

*What questions to ask

*How to be a conduit between you and the producer and between you and your agent.

*Back to basics and more

 

Sean Hennessy, Manager-Commercial & Corp/Ed and Kathy Byrne, Director of TV/Theatrical at SAG-AFTRA Chicago, will host a panel that will include members who have successfully flipped jobs. Be prepared, this will be an interactive event.

 

We will have a realistic conversation on flipping shorts/low budget films, web series and  corporate videos, etc.

 

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please complete form below to RSVP. Please note that you must be logged in to RSVP. 
Seeing this on your app? Please click here to log into the website and RSVP. 

This event is only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing — no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under 18 years old are welcome. SAG-AFTRA members, please bring your membership card or digital card from the app (paid through April 30, 2020) for admittance.