Articles by Encore

What Is Dynamic Pricing for Theater and Concert Tickets?

The first time I noticed a ticket price “blink,” I was standing in a Broadway box office line with a coffee going cold in my hand. Same show, same date, same section. The number on the screen was not the number my friend had texted me an hour earlier. It felt personal, like the seating chart had a...

What Film and TV Extras Should Wear and Bring for Wardrobe

I grew up backstage in Chicago, which means I have a reflex: before I even look at the stage, I look at what everyone is wearing and why. On a film or TV set, wardrobe is storytelling too, just quieter. As a background performer, your job is to blend into the world the production is building, and...

Principal Actor vs Extra: What’s the Difference?

I grew up in Chicago backstage, where you learn early that “being in the scene” can mean wildly different jobs. On a film or TV set, the cleanest dividing line is not glamour, fame, or even screen time. It is the contract. A principal actor is hired to perform a contracted role with story...

Do Background Actors Get a Screen Credit?

I grew up backstage in Chicago, the kind of kid who thought the real magic happened in the wings and the projection booth. As an adult covering film and TV, I still get a little thrill when a crowded scene clicks and you can feel the world of the story expand. That thrill comes with a very...

General Admission vs Reserved Seating

I grew up in Chicago, spending a lot of time backstage, which means I learned early that the most dramatic part of a show sometimes happens before the first note. Not onstage. In the line. If you’ve ever heard someone say “It’s GA, so we should get there early,” you already know the heart of the...

Standing-Room-Only Theater Tickets, Explained

There is a particular kind of theater thrill that only happens on a sold-out night: the lobby buzzes like a beehive, the house staff moves with purpose, and someone near the box office whispers the three magic letters, SRO. A standing-room-only ticket is exactly what it sounds like, but in theater,...

Can Children Work as Extras in Film and TV?

I grew up in Chicago backstage, where the adults had call times and coffee, and the kids had clipboards and boundaries. On film and TV sets, that second part is not a vibe. It’s the law. If you’re wondering whether children can work as extras, the answer is generally yes, but it’s a tightly...

Commercial Background Work vs Film and TV Extra Work

I have sat through enough set holding to know this truth in my bones: “background” is not one job. The vibe, the paperwork, even the way the AD team or director’s world talks to you can shift dramatically depending on whether you are filling out a bustling restaurant in a TV series or playing “real...

What Changes When an Extra Gets a Speaking Line?

I have watched this exact moment play out in real time from the edges of a set: a performer who showed up as background gets quietly tapped, handed a new slip of paper, and suddenly the day feels different. Not louder, not glamorous in a red carpet way, but sharper. There is more attention, more...

Do Background Actors Have to Join SAG-AFTRA?

I grew up backstage in Chicago, where you learn early that the “background” is not background at all. Somebody built the wall flats, somebody ran the follow spot, and somebody filled the stage so the story could breathe. Film and TV sets have the same ecosystem, and background actors are part of...

Photo Double vs. Body Double: What’s the Difference?

I grew up backstage in Chicago, where the first rule of show business was simple: if the illusion holds, the audience believes. Film and TV take that principle and turn it into an art form, especially when a camera angle, a schedule crunch, or a sensitive scene calls for someone who can...

How to Get Hired as a Film or TV Stand-In

The first time I heard someone say, “We need a stand-in, not background,” it was delivered with the calm urgency of a stage manager calling places. Different job, different stakes. A stand-in is hired to help the camera, lighting, and grip teams rehearse and set up shots efficiently by putting a...

How Much Do Film and TV Extras Get Paid?

I grew up backstage in Chicago, where “call time” meant dinner plans were basically performance art. Years later, I still read the whole call sheet like it’s a playbill, and one question comes up constantly from friends who land their first background booking: what does this actually pay ?...

Extra vs Featured Extra vs Stand-In: What’s the Difference?

I grew up in Chicago in and around theaters where “background” was its own kind of choreography. Someone had to cross with purpose, land on a spike without looking down, and make the world feel lived in while the leads did their thing. Film and TV sets have the same ecosystem, just with more cables...

Kelly Reilly Confirms Dutton Ranch Season 2 Will Start Filming in Early 2027

There are certain characters who feel like weather systems. You do not just watch them, you brace for them. Beth Dutton has always been that kind of force, and now Kelly Reilly has confirmed we will be seeing her storm back sooner than expected. Appearing in London at the Paramount UK upfronts,...

Emmy Rossum on Speaking Up About Her Struggles

Emmy Rossum has been candid about living with PCOS, going through IVF, and navigating postpartum anxiety. When asked why she has been so open about such personal terrain, she offered a simple explanation: “It doesn’t really cost me anything.” For Rossum, talking about it is less about sharing for...

RIP Viper: Tom Skerritt Dies at 93

Tom Skerritt, the rough-hewn actor who sparkled amid ensembles in M*A*S*H , Alien and Top Gun before starring as small-town sheriff Jimmy Brock on the quirky 1990s series Picket Fences , has died. He was 93. Skerritt died Wednesday of natural causes, his family announced. “We are heartbroken by his...

Survivor 51: Two Voted Off, Extra Vote Twist

Some Survivor episodes feel like a slow simmer. This week’s Survivor 51 Tribal Council was a boil over. The headline result is simple: two castaways were voted off . One of them was Linnea Capobianco, and she called it a “brutal” elimination. The bigger ripple, at least in how this moment is...

John Anderson, Country Music Hall of Famer, Dies at 71

John Anderson, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee known for a voice that could make a familiar story feel newly lived, has died at 71. The news was shared by his family in a statement posted to his official social media pages. In their message, Anderson’s family remembered him not only as an...

Tyler Cameron’s ‘DWTS’ Baby Reveal, Explained

Some celebrity news travels the usual route: a glossy photo, a caption, a wave of congratulations. Tyler Cameron and his fiancée, Tate Madden, took a different path, one that felt fitting for a couple whose public life has always been intertwined with television. During a Dancing with the Stars...