How to Start Acting in New York City: Equity Lines, Studios, Agents, and Your First 90 Days

You’ve got a sublet, a subway map, and a list of audition notices you can’t quite decode. EPA, ECC, non-member list, Open Access. Someone at a party told you to show up at the Equity building before dawn. Someone else said that doesn’t work anymore. Both of them sounded sure.

New York is still the center of American theater, and it shoots a great deal of TV and film too. But the city runs on systems that newcomers learn by trial and error: how the union auditions actually work, which sites casting uses, who is allowed to call themselves an agent, and how to train without spending your rent on classes.

The short version: decide whether stage or screen comes first, because the paths split early here. Learn the current rules for non-members at Equity auditions, which changed in 2025 and again in 2026. Pick one studio and stay long enough to get better. Check that any agent is licensed by the city, and know that state law caps their fee. Get your self-tape setup working in a small room. Then give yourself a 90-day plan you can actually follow.

What New York casts

Start with the stage, because that’s where New York is unlike anywhere else. The Broadway League’s season statistics show Broadway grossing $1.911 billion in the 2025-26 season, with 14.58 million admissions and 35 new productions. Below Broadway sits Off-Broadway; the Off-Broadway League, founded in 1959, counts theaters of 76 to 499 seats in its membership rules. Below that is a large Off-Off-Broadway and independent scene, where many new actors get their first New York credits.

Screen work is steady too. New York State’s film tax credit is 30% of qualified costs and, according to the city’s Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, is funded at $700 million a year through 2036. The state budget passed in May 2025 added $100 million a year for a new independent film credit and extended the program by two years.

The union picture matches. The SAG-AFTRA New York Local represents members working in New York State, Northern New Jersey, and Western Connecticut. Actors’ Equity’s Eastern Region office is at 165 West 46th Street, according to the union, in the same building as its audition center.

For a newcomer, that means two different first years. A stage-first actor spends it at open calls, small productions, and classes. A screen-first actor spends it on self-tapes, student and indie films, and background or co-star work. You can do both, but know which one gets your best hours.

How non-members get seen at Equity auditions now

Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) and Equity Chorus Calls (ECCs) are required open calls for many union productions. In New York, many are held at the Equity Audition Center, on the 16th floor of 165 West 46th Street. Our guides to Equity Principal Auditions and chorus calls explain what happens in the room.

Non-members can attend, but Equity members are seen first, and the way you get on the list changed. In April 2025, Equity ended the “unofficial” lists actors used to start overnight. BroadwayWorld reported that non-members now sign one official list at the Equity monitor desk, that the list opens only when the building’s doors open, and that each person may sign only their own name.

The other change is the end of EMC status. Equity stopped enrolling Equity Membership Candidates in 2023, and the union said that starting May 8, 2026, former EMCs are seen on the same basis as other non-Equity actors. If an older guide tells you to “get your EMC points,” it’s out of date.

Joining Equity now works through Open Access. The union’s page says you’re eligible to join if you have been paid to work as an actor or stage manager in theater in the United States. Whether you should join that early is a separate question; our guide to joining Actors’ Equity walks through it.

Where New York casting is posted

Backstage, which was founded in New York City in 1960, still carries a wide range of NYC listings, from student films to theater. Actors Access and Casting Networks carry much of the film, TV, and commercial casting. For stage work, Playbill’s job board lists New York EPAs, and BroadwayWorld’s non-Equity listings can be browsed without logging in. Our roundup of casting sites for actors compares the paid ones.

Equity’s own Casting Call listings now sit behind a member login, so non-members rely on the trade listings above, which carry required Equity calls.

For set experience, background casting is the open door. Grant Wilfley Casting has cast New York film, TV, and commercials since 1992, and says background registration is free with no experience necessary. Central Casting also lists a New York office on Eighth Avenue. Our guide to being a background actor covers how a day on set runs.

Train in one studio long enough to get better

New York’s acting studios are a big part of why actors move here, and the choice can be paralyzing. The trick is to pick a technique that suits you and stay long enough for it to change your work. Our guide to choosing an acting class has the questions to ask before you pay.

Long-running studios with classes for adults, all operating as of November 2026:

• HB Studio in the West Village has taught actors since 1945 and runs term-based classes (HB Studio).
• William Esper Studio in Midtown is known for its two-year Meisner program and also runs a summer intensive.
• The Barrow Group on Eighth Avenue offers adult classes and one-year programs (The Barrow Group).
• Stella Adler Studio of Acting on lower Broadway runs part-time workshops and a full conservatory (Stella Adler Studio).
• The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute on East 15th Street has conservatory and part-time classes (Strasberg).
• The Neighborhood Playhouse runs a full-time, two-year conservatory for adults 18 and up (Neighborhood Playhouse).
• Atlantic Acting School in Chelsea has full-time and evening conservatories plus part-time classes (Atlantic Acting School).
• T. Schreiber Studio offers adult classes from beginner to advanced (T. Schreiber Studio).

For improv and comedy, UCB has a theater and classes on East 14th Street, the Magnet Theater runs improv classes and class shows on West 29th Street, and The Second City New York teaches in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Degree programs include Juilliard Drama, NYU Tisch Drama, Columbia’s MFA in acting, Fordham Theatre, and Pace’s Sands College of Performing Arts. Those are auditioned, multi-year programs, not a class you start next week.

Agents: licensed by the city, capped by state law

New York regulates agents more tightly than many actors realize. The city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection says that if your primary business is finding engagements for artists, you are a theatrical employment agency and need an Employment Agency license. Personal managers whose main business is managing artists may be exempt. Outside the city, the New York State Department of Labor licenses agencies.

State law also limits what a licensed agency can take. New York’s General Business Law section 185 caps an agency’s fee for a single theatrical engagement at 10% of your pay, and says an employment agency shall not require or accept a deposit or advance fee from an applicant.

So if someone calling themselves an agent asks for money before you’ve booked anything, walk away. If you’re in SAG-AFTRA or plan to join, check the union’s franchised agents list for the New York Local too. Our guides to agents versus managers and spotting acting scams cover the rest.

Use the help most newcomers miss

The Entertainment Community Fund’s Career Center runs seminars, webinars, and workshops open to early-career performing arts professionals, not just veterans. You start by attending an orientation and filling in a short registration about your work and goals.

Once you’re in SAG-AFTRA, the options grow. The Local’s page points members to the SAG-AFTRA New York Conservatory, and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Robin Williams Center on West 54th Street hosts screenings and programs for members. None of these replace a weekly class, but they’re a cheap way to keep learning between jobs.

Self-tape in a small apartment

Even in a theater town, screen auditions usually start on tape. Self-taped auditions became the norm rather than the exception after the pandemic, Backstage reported, and SAG-AFTRA added self-tape guidelines to its November 2023 TV and film agreement.

A New York apartment is not a studio, so plan around it. One blank wall, one soft light source facing you, a phone at eye level, and a quiet hour. Our guides to a self-tape setup on a budget and self-taping alone cover the details, including what to do when your roommate is home.

The lines are the real bottleneck. Sides often land in the evening for a tape due the next day, and you need the scene in your body before you film. Offbook helps there: upload the sides, pick your role, and realistic voices read every other character, then wait for you to finish your line before cueing the next one. Rehearse on your laptop with the full script on a big screen, and listen to the scene on your phone on the subway the next morning.

When you think you’ve got it, Offbook can hide your lines while the other parts stay visible, so you’re testing from the cue rather than reading. Then grab a live reader for the actual take; our guide to finding a self-tape reader has ideas.

Getting around on a subway budget

The subway is how most of this city moves, and the MTA fare is $3 for subways and local buses as of November 2026, paid by tapping a card or phone. Audition days often mean Midtown, so if you’re choosing a neighborhood, price the commute to West 46th Street and the Garment District, not just the rent.

Build your week around geography. Put classes and in-person calls on the same days when you can, and keep a printed headshot and resume in your bag for the open call you didn’t plan on.

Your first 90 days in New York

1. Days 1 to 14: Make an honest one-page resume with our free acting resume builder, and set up profiles on the casting sites you’ll actually use.
2. Days 1 to 14: Prepare two contrasting monologues, one comic and one dramatic, from our monologue library, so you’re ready for open calls.
3. Days 7 to 30: Attend one EPA as a non-member to learn the building, the list, and the timing. Go for the practice, not the job.
4. Days 15 to 45: Audit classes at two or three studios and commit to one for at least a term.
5. Days 15 to 60: Submit to Off-Off-Broadway shows, readings, and student films; ask for footage from every screen job.
6. Days 30 to 60: Attend an Entertainment Community Fund Career Center orientation.
7. Days 30 to 90: Record a practice self-tape every week using scenes from our free acting scripts, and log every audition in our free audition tracker.
8. Days 60 to 90: With footage and a few credits, research agents; confirm each one’s city license and, if you’re union, the SAG-AFTRA list.

Comparing cities? The same guide exists for Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, and Dallas-Fort Worth. If you’re still deciding whether to move, start with LA or New York: how to decide.

Questions actors ask

Can non-Equity actors audition at Equity auditions in New York?

Often, yes, but members are seen first. Since April 2025, non-members sign one official list at the monitor desk, which opens when the building opens, and each person signs only their own name. Since May 8, 2026, former EMCs are seen on the same basis as other non-Equity actors.

How much can a New York talent agent charge?

New York’s General Business Law caps a licensed agency’s fee for a single theatrical engagement at 10% of the actor’s pay and bars agencies from taking a deposit or advance fee. An agent who asks for money up front is a red flag.

Do I need to live in Manhattan to act in New York?

No. Plenty of actors live in the other boroughs and commute. What matters is how long it takes you to reach Midtown, where much of the audition activity is, and whether you can get there early for an open call.

Should I start with theater or on-camera work in New York?

Pick the one you want most and give it your best hours, because the first steps differ. Theater starts with open calls, classes, and small productions. Screen work starts with self-tapes, student and independent films, and background or co-star roles. Many New York actors do both over time.

Is the Equity Membership Candidate program still a way in?

No. Equity stopped enrolling EMCs in 2023, and EMC status stopped carrying priority at auditions on May 8, 2026. Today, being paid to act or stage manage in U.S. theater makes you eligible to join through Open Access.