Jesse Tyler Ferguson remembers being “nervous” about “off-Broadway” gigs because “unemployment was high” when he was starting out as a performer in “theater.”
Ferguson recently spoke about the difficult early days of her career, when she had to choose between pursuing her passion for acting and earning a basic income.
Speaking with Kathy Bates on their Jan. 14 episode. Dinner is on me. podcast, Ferguson shares his journey of navigating financial instability while working in theater.
“I started in theatre. I got my equity card very easily. [when] i did Shakespeare in the Park“Ferguson, 49, recounted.
However, after the show transferred to Broadway and ended a few months later, his career began to slow down, causing him to work various odd jobs to make ends meet.
“I worked in gift shops. I worked in coffee shops,” Ferguson recalled, describing the struggle to support himself during that period.
Ferguson continued to participate in theater, but the earnings were often insufficient.
“I’ll do Off-Broadway stuff. But there [were] At the time when you would check the paychecks in these off-Broadway shows they weren’t as good as unemployment,” he explained.
The situation forced him to make tough decisions: “I have to really think, like, ‘Do I want to eat, or do I want to expand my artistic self and take these great parts?’ And there [were] Times when I was really nervous about it.”
He highlighted the stark reality of the financial landscape in the arts, noting, “Taking the job would mean taking a pay cut because my unemployment was high.”
Ferguson’s Broadway debut came with it On the town In 1998 Later he gained recognition. 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee In 2006
I his work Shakespeare in the Park Includes performances A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2007), A Winter’s Tale And The Merchant of Venice (2010), et al The Tempest (2015).