Recurring status is a class of

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

s that perform on U.S.

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

s. Recurring status performers consistently act in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and receive a certain sum for each episode in which they appear. This is opposed to contract status, where the performers have a

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to ...

to be paid flat fees over time—often multi-year. Contract evaluations are periodically conducted, and actors that don't meet their " quota" may be dropped from their contract to cut costs. The practice has become widespread across the soap opera industry since the 1980s.

Description

In the U.S.

industry, actors billed as recurring status are paid a certain sum for each episode in which they appear. Conversely, actors on contract are paid a flat fee over a timeframe—often multi-year. Recurring performers consistently perform in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week whereas contract roles are guaranteed to appear in a certain number of episodes each week. Actors on contract are also committed to working for the show and cannot leave until the contract has expired; recurring roles allow actors to take other jobs. Contract evaluations are typically done every fiscal quarter, and the actors that don't meet their " quota" of episodes are in danger of being dropped from their contract to cut costs. Former contract actors may then return as recurring cast members, and recurring actors can be promoted to a contract role.

Dynamics

Almost unheard of from the beginning of television until the 1980s, more and more actors have been placed on "recurring" so the

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, a ...

in charge of making the show doesn't go over-budget. Dwindling viewership and economic downturn have led to all U.S. soaps to placing actors (usually veterans who have been with the series in excess of ten years, and who are usually acclimated to higher salary figures) on recurring. Some actors accept the move to recurring status, while other actors balk at the contract cut, instead finding work on Broadway, prime time television series, or rival soap operas.

Other regions

On Australian and British soap operas, contract negotiations are different, and a term such as "recurring status" does not exist. However, many of those shows have guest stars that appear frequently enough that literally speaking they could be described as " recurring".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Recurring Status Soap opera terminology