Bypass New York and L.A. and Start Your Career in Boston
By Wyatt Elling
Boston is known for having one of the proudest populations of city dwellers in the nation. They love their Red Sox and clam chowder, and don't believe for a second that New York has anything on them. And because New York is the acting capital of the East Coast, you'd better believe that Boston is trying hard to catch up!
There are numerous advantages for an actor living in Boston. It's within driving distance of New York, and other major cities on the East Coast. Boston also acts as the casting hub for most projects cast in the other cities in the Northeast. Boston has been a hotbed of art and culture for many years, and with dozens of colleges and universities, the interest in acting is huge.
SAG and AFTRA share an office in Boston, so it's convenient for actors to use a variety of acting resources for films, television shows, industrials, and commercials. The volume of contract acting jobs in Boston is about evenly split between SAG and AFTRA. National television commercials are usually cast under SAG, while regional and most voice-over work is cast under AFTRA.
While the bulk of the screen work in Boston is for commercials and industrials, Boston has become an increasingly popular place to film movies in the United States. It can stand in for a variety of cities during street scenes, and costs considerably less than New York. It's also close to many scenic locations in the Northeast and a wide variety of environments. And Boston itself is taking center stage more often on the silver screen. Movies like Good Will Hunting, Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Legally Blonde, The Departed, The Game Plane, The Perfect Storm, and Fever Pitch were filmed in Boston and about Boston. Most of the extra and supporting character casting is done right in Boston. In Gone Baby Gone Ben Affleck insisted on hiring as much local Boston talent as possible to give the movie an authentic Boston feel!
Boston is also no stranger to television production, with many scenes of TV's most popular shows filmed there. Everyone remembers Cheers and St. Elsewhere, and newer shows like Boston Public, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal all take place in Boston as well. Sometimes these shows are filmed elsewhere, but whenever an authentic slice of Boston is needed the productions film scenes and establishing shots in the real city, and cast local acting talent.
Boston has also become a popular location for reality television programming as well, with The Apprentice 3, Trading Spouses, and The Real World, all having filmed there. Boston's PBS affiliate is also one of the most active and well-regarded in the country, and they produce many popular nationally syndicated shows like This Old House, which is handled under AFTRA.
There are several large, well-respected casting agencies in Boston to choose from that handle both SAG and AFTRA work. Tighe & Doyle Casting, Potter Ruiz Productions, Collinge/Pickman Casting, and Boston Casting are all good choices for getting regular screen work. And most agencies cast for productions that take place in the entire Northeast, so if you're willing to drive you can expand your working range over the entire region.
Stage actors might have it best of all in Boston. The city is famous for a thriving theater community that sets itself apart from the glitzy extravagances of Broadway. The theater pack is led by the world-famous American Repertory Theater at Harvard, and there are over 200 active theater groups operating in Boston, ranging from professional Equity theaters to student groups. The huge population of students ensures a constant stream of productions, experimental material, and progressive stagecraft.
Boston is a great East coast alternative to living in New York for fledgling actors. It's cheaper than New York, vibrant, full of acting opportunities, and the fried clams aren't bad, either!
Have a question? Ask our experts!
