For all of you Ms. In The Biz readers located outside of the US, I thought that it would be great to share the journey of an actress from across the pond. Hannah Scott is a British actress, voice over artist, and playwright with work primarily in the UK, Australia, and USA. She is a proud member of both the American and British Equity. Work and a backpack took her around the world, leading to Australia and finally settling in New York City where she joined The Circle in The Square Theatre School 2 year program.
Hannah, you are quite the traveler. How many countries have you worked in now?
I’ve been all over the world, but the bulk of my work has been in the UK, Australia, and the US, where I intend to stay. My focus for now is certainly New York City, where I have been based for the last 5 years.
What drew you to the US?
I can only talk for New York in particular, but there is a sense of community here like no other I have felt in either the UK or Australia. I owe a lot of that community life to the remarkable LAByrinth Theater Company. I am constantly working in NYC whether it be attending workshops, participating in staged readings, getting a more informal group together to read plays or work scenes, as well as attending free or donation based events at The MET. There is always a script coming – someone is trying their hand at writing and wants some feedback.
Also, there are EPA’s (Equity Principle Auditions) here in the US and solid websites for auditions, which is something that’s not available in the UK. NYC, and the rest of the US, is teeming with opportunities for work, even in the most nontraditional ways.
You trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London and The Circle in The Square in NYC. What differences do you notice between the two?
When I think back to training and working in the UK, I remember it being extremely proficient in terms of vocal and physical training. We were really put through the ringer to prepare and maintain our voices, as well as exploring and knowing the body as an instrument. It didn’t matter about size and shape, (nobody was worried about keeping fit for vanity), but the focus was put on the ability to morph your body and create stamina for long show runs. I have felt much more pressure in the US to be a petite lady, criticism aside, than I ever did in the UK.
I don’t remember my training in the UK being as visceral as it is here in the US. We did train in ‘method’, absolutely, but here in the US the training has been an incredible learning curve in acceptance of humanity; of digging down into your guts and showing what it means to be human for all its good and bad. No fear.
Have you found a difference in the systematic structure? For example, how is it working on stage here versus the UK?
Absolutely. In terms of unions, there is a major difference. We have Equity in the UK but it does not limit the work you do. Over there, Equity represents all mediums, without restriction by way of union or non-union work. I suppose it shows more that you are professional and is a type of protection in some senses.
It sounds like you are sold on working in the US. What about work permits?
That part is tricky. I am currently on an 0-1 Visa, The Artist’s Visa, which you can be granted for up to 3 years and then it needs to be renewed. In order to get the 0-1, I had to prove my history of work so to speak. Every play I was involved with, every TV show, commercial, as well as playbills, box office records, and pieces of press about me had to be found and submitted as record. It takes time to scour the records and documents sent over, but I did it, as do many hundreds of others. On top of that, I had to prove that I had offers of work for at least 1 to 3 years… which I don’t think is something most people (especially artists) can usually prove.
There are a few catches though – I managed to get an open visa which means I am free to work in any medium of the industry. Some people only get permission to work on stage, or screen, but not both. Some networks, for example NBC, are also nervous about the 0-1 sometimes. They prefer to work with actors who have green cards, not just work permits.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to work in the US, and alternatively, Australia?
The first thing is not to be intimidated. Start to collect materials of all the work you have done and don’t be afraid to ask for favors when you need things like box-office records or production stills. It’s frustrating at times because the documents are extremely important to you and time is ticking, but for the person you ask, it might not be/seem urgent. I often felt like a total a**hole by asking people over and over, but I pushed through because it needed to be done. Sometimes it helps to have a lawyer in case there are documents you didn’t think of, but it’s just as do-able yourself. NO FEAR!
Immerse yourself in everything you can. Build yourself a community of people you want to work with and can depend on.
Australia was different, as I had to be sponsored by a specific company, not just a manager, but it is a similar process in many ways.
One last thing… I see you do stunts?
I am an actress, writer and yes, stunt girl! I just wrote my first full-length play ‘Joanie’, which is having it’s first reading to the paying public in November. I am so excited to share this piece and flattered that many have been chasing it for production. My second play is in the works currently, and we plan to workshop it for the first time in January.
As for stunts, I was a gymnast and fighter growing up and it led to me doing my first stunt job on ‘The Dark Knight Rises’; fighting fist to fist with stunt coordinator Buster Reeves, who is a wonderful coordinator. One thing led to another and I started to get work more frequently in stunts – I just worked on ‘Dark Haul’ with Tom Sizemore and can be seen getting thrown through walls at any given moment. It’s so much fun.
Want to know more or get in touch with Hannah? Find her on Twitter and check out her site.
Twitter: @Gripoo
– Anne