A Message from Twin Cities Local President Peggy O’Connell

Dear Members,

Adages are usually born out of truth and, yes, history does repeat itself. At the turn of the 20th century, there were signs posted everywhere that said “No Irish need apply here.” 

At the turn of the 21st century, we see websites with audition notices that bring to mind Sam Landman’s hilarious Twitter feed, titled “Audition Notices,” with funny bits such as:

* “This play is about eating glass. We’re hoping for versatile actors who have nothing to lose, and hope to die. No pay.”
* “How many grapes can you stuff up your nostril? If the answer is more than five, we want you. Grape allergies a plus!”

We all howl, but we recall reading real casting notices we have all despised, such as “Free auditions!” or “Now casting Redneck Island. Qualifications include: You wear camouflage to church; your house has more miles on it than your car…(etc.).” Or my personal favorite: “Send only real doctors, no actors please!”

We’ve heard it all in this climate of today’s growing “reality” programming: the union busting, the young actors with no interest in joining unions and real-life audition notices that sadly rival fictional comic tweets. The good news is that with the merger of two grand old unions, SAG and AFTRA, we are now 165,000 proud members strong, and counting! We are actors and broadcasters, singers and dancers, voiceover artists and puppeteers, stuntpeople and fight choreographers, and we are pros … pros who love their work and respect each other’s work, and who deserve fair wages, image-protection, a pension, health coverage, and safe and decent working conditions.

Do not lose heart. The Irish made short work of “No Irish need apply here” and we shall do the same with “No actors please!”

Support our union (and happy St. Patrick’s Day),
Twin Cities Local President
Peggy O’Connell

Editor’s note: President O’Connell proudly claims Irish heritage.

A DAY IN THE LIFE 
— YOUR LIFE
REQUEST FOR SUBMISSIONS

Our newly merged union includes many categories of members, and that means we have a new opportunity to learn about the work we all do. 

Who better to talk about our work experiences than ourselves! We hope to include short pieces (and photos) submitted by our local members in every issue of this newsletter. That’s right, we are looking for content submitted by you the members: about jobs you have been on recently; about auditions or job interviews; about your union-related work and experiences in and out of the Twin Cities, or, as we plan to call it, “A Day in the Life.” 

Please submit your content and photos by email and mention “Day in the Life” in the subject line. Please include your full name and contact information with your submission. Submissions for the next newsletter will be due by May 15. 

NOTE: Submissions must be your original content. The editors will make the final decision on whether or not to include submissions, and reserve the right to edit all submissions. If your submission is accepted for inclusion, you may be required to sign a release.

TWIN CITIES LOCAL BOARD

President:   
Peggy O’Connell

Officers: 
Barry ZeVan
Tony Saffold
Tena May Gallivan
Mark Bradley

Local Board Members: 
Ansa Akyea
Randal Berger
Charles Brin
Bob Davis
Shawn Hamilton
Leigha Horton
Denny Long
Peter Moore
Michael Tezla 

TWIN CITIES LOCAL OFFICE

2610 University Avenue West #350
Saint Paul, MN 55114

Tel.  651-789-8990
Fax  651-789-8993

Colleen Aho, Executive Director, Ext. 15 
Timothy Ogren, Assistant Executive Director, Ext. 14 
Kari Forseth-Bales, Membership/Freelance Administrator, Ext. 11