Actors

There are currently four different types of actors: Stand-ins, Understudies, Players-Playwrights, and Soloists.

Actor: Stand-in

Someone who wants to try their hand once or from time to time creating a scene and fictionalizing it out, perhaps to have it posted.

Stand-ins are patrons who would occasionally like to wander up on stage and try their hand at pbem roleplaying from time to time. If you are interested in participating as a stand-in, simply join the patrons list and respond to calls for stand-ins as they are announced.

Stand-ins are a one time shot; but there is no limit to how many times you can act as a stand-in. The limit is only to how many supporting character slots are open. Accepted stand-ins are assigned one and only one existing supporting cast role. They work with a director to come up with a script and write the performance. Unlike other actor roles, the script and performance are for the same supporting character. There is no guarantee that the submitted piece will be used, but if, after any required edits, the piece is deemed acceptable, it will be posted as part of that characters official chronicle and the patron will receive a byline. Stand-in players do NOT however receive program credit or listings. However, should someone later become a permanent troupe member, they can request that any stand-in work be added to their credits retroactively.

Stand-in is the ideal level for a patron who would like to take the leap into acting/writing but who is unsure about their abilities, or is someone who would just like to try out what it is like to play, even if it is with a character not of their own devisement.

Though every effort will be made to accommodate stand-in requests, supporting cast members are usually the province of understudies and as such, not every request for a stand-in position can be accommodated and it is asked that patrons requesting a stand-in role keep this in mind and exercise patience until a role presents itself.

Once the stand-in role is concluded, there is no obligation or expectation that the patron will advance. But certainly, those who enjoy the experience are encouraged to join as a permanent troupe member by auditioning as an understudy.

Actor: Understudy

A permanent member of the troupe that plays different supporting (n.p.c.) roles and who writes plot outlines for others.

Understudies are permanent troop members. As such, they are privy to behind the scene e-mails regarding the workings of the chronicles that is not restricted to the directors, and are privy to some of the e-mails of other cast and crew members they might work with, such as when engaging in dialogue.

Like player-playwrights, understudies are required to create a script for another actor, usually, but not always, in a chronicle different from the one they are currently participating in as actor. They are required to act out the script they in turn receive by fictionalizing a series of outlines, as well as engaging in any dialogue.

On occasion, if a number of stand-in roles are to be accommodated, understudies might be asked to instead act as playwrights working to create new supporting roles; or they might be asked to work as a temporary assistant director for someone acting as a stand-in.

Understudies are the foundation of all that occurs onstage and their importance should not be minimized. The role of understudy is an excellent preparation for acting in a featured role as a player-playwright. It is in fact much more challenging in that understudies must adapt themselves to act and write in any all genres current within the Santa Cruz chronicles. As such, there is no requirement or expectation that understudies need progress to a player-playwright role. Understudies are the full equal to players in their participation within the S.C.C.

The significant difference between an understudy and a starring player is that the understudy does not retain the role they are currently playing or playwrighting and that they will migrate onto another once their performance/script is finished.

Though being an understudy is not a guarantee to a player-playwright role, a track record as a good understudy is a significant boost when considering player-playwright auditions. Player-playwright role auditions revolve around both talent and engaging and appropriate character submissions. However, as a proven quantity, any talent demonstrated in the capacity of understudy will be considered and weight given to the applicant as appropriate.

An understudy role may be held in addition to other roles as long as the actor has the ability to fulfill understudy duties. Except for player-playwrights and directors, duties of understudies are considered paramount.

Actor: Player-Playwright

A permanent troupe member who creates and fictionalizes their own character, while writing plots for players in other chronicles.

Player-playwrights are the stars of the Santa Cruz Chronicles. They create a character concept and work with the storyteller and directors to flesh out this concept. Once accepted, their concept is added to the chronicles as a featured character. Featured characters are the movers and shakers in the chronicles and it is their actions that mostly determine the course of events. In traditional roleplaying terms, this is what is considered a player character.

Other than for their obligation to write one script outline for other actors for each featured character role they hold, player-playwrights who came from the ranks of understudies are released from other obligations. In fact, they are prohibited from writing scripts in any chronicle for which they are starring as a featured character. However, if there is time and inclination, they are certainly free and are certainly encouraged to help out as understudies in other chronicles and their talents and efforts will certainly be appreciated.

Player-playwrights hold their starring role in one chronicle and can never hold more than one starring role on any one stage. They are just as eligible to audition for other chronicle positions as anyone else as long as they can comply with their playwright duties, and as long as those positions are on other stages. That is, they can have other starring roles, develop other featured characters; but the necessity of having to create script outlines as playwrights in other chronicles than the ones they star in means that any given player-playwright could never star in more than half of the existing chronicles. Player-playwrights who wish to audition for openings in other chronicles are given no consideration for their starring role in a given chronicle and must audition just like anyone else.

A player-playwright may leave a role at any time and his creation will then become a supporting cast character. If the actor makes arrangements for a finite hiatus beforehand and that absence is approved, the player-playwright may resume the character afterwards and the character will be placed back into the ranks of featured cast members. Otherwise, the created character is surrendered to the ranks of supporting cast characters permanently and way is made for a new featured character role to be created.

If a player-playwright's character is killed or otherwise removed from play through well-acted drama, the player-playwright is free to draw up another character, as long as it is approved of by the directors. It should be pointed out that though an audition is on the basis of a concept, and the writing - it is the player that is being auditioned, not the concept. Players who loose their characters through good plot driven action, or mischance of fortune are fully eligible to come up with another concept, director approval required before it is added, of course.

As long as they can fulfill their obligations as player-playwrights, player-playwrights can assume other positions in the troupe. However, their position as player-playwright is preeminent and if they are pressed for time, they will be asked to resign their other duties in order to meet their more prominent roles.

Player-playwrights receive bylines for any work they do as well as concept credit.

Actor: Player

A permanent troupe member, a type of which is no longer used.

Players without playwright duties are no longer allowed. Because of the overhead of creating script outlines for other actors to act against, any actor must balance her participation by also helping another actor's performance by drafting a script. The concept of a player is one which was the foundation of the Santa Cruz Chronicles but which was abandoned due to lack of troupe members willing to solely act as director-playwrights (Dungeon Masters, Game Masters, Storytellers). If you have come back to the chronicles as a former player and wish to participate again, you must audition or interact under the new guidelines.

Actor: Soloist

A player who forgoes interaction with other players to develop stories in a solo environment.

A solo artist, or soloist, is one who works with little supervision. Consider them a performance artist, a one-person show. They use the chronicle and game rules as a guideline, but otherwise emphasize more of the fictional aspects of these chronicles. In a way, they are just a variant of player-playwright in that they both act and script the same role. Though they are edited by the storyline editors, they are usually left free to create as they will as long as their work is well-written and engaging and keeps to the setting. Because of the nature of their work, soloists are required to keep their settings distinct from those where other actors are working, usually in another city, planet, or any setting that by distance, time or dimension keeps their environment separate. Otherwise, their characters are considered part of the featured cast.

Soloists' work can and will be edited. Just because they work with less supervision doesn't mean they are given free reign. The intent for this position is for someone with proven talent but who does not want to or who cannot accept usual sequence as required by player-playwrights. This is a somewhat lonelier role and though the artist can bring it alive, it is not for everyone. Also, solo artist must commit to creating at least one performance piece for posting every two months at a minimum.

Soloists are the equivalent of a player-playwright and must progress along the same track by working as understudies first. Any understudy can broach the possibility of becoming a soloist once they have worked as understudy for a full review cycle. Also, some soloists, if their characters are far enough removed from the main chronicle action, may run another character as player-playwright or as another soloist character. This will be offered or denied at director discretion.

Except for the particular nature of a soloist, they receive the same concept and byline credit as a player-playwright.