A blog post from the confused but enthusiastic cast & crew of It Happens in Florida

At It Happens in Florida, we take the craft of acting very seriously. Which is why, when someone mentioned joining SAG, the cast immediately got fired up.

Unfortunately… no one knew what SAG actually stood for.

Raymond was the first to declare, “I’ve always wanted to be part of that—Secretly Acting with Gators!” Oscar nodded solemnly and said, “It’s like the Navy SEALS of Florida acting. Real prestige stuff. You do your lines, you dodge a tail swipe, and no one ever talks about rehearsal because the gators weren’t supposed to be there.”

Ashley, who insists she once performed Hamlet at a reptile farm (citation needed), said she’s been waiting for this opportunity her whole life. “This is why I trained in method acting,” she declared while covered in mosquito bites and wearing a bedazzled swamp boot. “If I have to cry while making eye contact with a sunbathing gator named Carl, I will.”

Our audio guy, Cal, started making “official SAG patches” on his Cricut machine—featuring a gator in sunglasses, holding a script. Our director got suspicious when someone asked if joining SAG meant we’d finally get “that union-sponsored airboat.” (It does not.)

By mid-afternoon, someone had built a swamp-themed obstacle course in the parking lot “for the physical test.” There was also a whispered plan to relocate a baby gator from someone’s cousin’s pool “so the SAG people know we’re serious.”

Eventually, we tried to explain that SAG actually stands for the Screen Actors Guild, the official union for film and TV performers. Everyone stared at us like we’d just announced karaoke night was canceled.

Oscar: “So… it’s not gator-related at all?”
Raymond: “What are we even doing with our lives?”
Ashley: “Can I still wear the boots?”

Despite the crushing disappointment, we’re still pursuing membership. Real SAG, that is. Because It Happens in Florida deserves a seat at the professional table—even if we thought that table had a gator underneath it.

So here’s to dreaming big, acting bold, and maybe still Secretly Acting with Gators on the side. 🐊🎭

–The Cast & Crew of It Happens in Florida
(Professionally unqualified, emotionally overqualified)