What's in a Name?
Yesterday, I went down to the local ACTRA branch office to officially apply for my membership as an ACTRA Apprentice. I filled out the form and handed over my cheque for $75. Simple.
There was just one problem. It turns out I'm not the only actress named Nancy Kenny. I knew this, of course, from my IMDB records where I was stuck being Nancy Kenny II, but I never dreamed that she was also Canadian. Well, not only is she Canadian, she's a full ACTRA member in her late forties living in Toronto.
According to the ACTRA Bylaws (specifically Bylaw 1 - Section 3.1) An applicant for membership with a name identical to that of an existing member shall adopt a
change of professional name before being accepted.
Also, I unfortunately can't pull a Michael J. Fox here because according to Bylaw 1 - Section 3.2 The addition of a first and/or middle initial to an otherwise identical name shall not be considered a
sufficient change.
Well, damn! This is a pretty predicament. For me and the Branch Office. I was told this was the first time he encountered a name conflict in Ottawa.
Great. I'm special.
I was, however, told that the use of my middle name (or if you asked my mother she would tell you it's actually my "whole" first name) would be acceptable. So would the addition of a letter within the name (although I just checked and there already is an actress named Nancy Kenney). Or I could use a different name altogether.
The thing is, I don't want to use my middle name or change my name in any way. I've grown very attached to "Nancy Kenny". Plus, there's a whole legal aspect to consider. If I go by a different name for work purposes, what happens if the production signs me a cheque to that name. Can I cash it? How do I prove to the bank that I am the same person? How does Madonna do it? Or Sting? Or any of these other people? Anyone who knows the legal repercussions involved in having a stage name, please contact me with more information.
In the meantime, let's have some fun, shall we? What would be a good option for me? Here are a few I've come up with by making slight modifications to my legal name. Most of them, I will admit, are pretty brutal.
(Brace yourselves! I'm about to reveal my middle name; something that I am always reluctant to do. *Sorry Mom!*)
Options
Nancy Jane Kenny
Nancey Kenny
Nanci Kenny
Jane Kenny
Nancy Jane
NJ Kenny
Or maybe something completely different? Discuss!
There was just one problem. It turns out I'm not the only actress named Nancy Kenny. I knew this, of course, from my IMDB records where I was stuck being Nancy Kenny II, but I never dreamed that she was also Canadian. Well, not only is she Canadian, she's a full ACTRA member in her late forties living in Toronto.
According to the ACTRA Bylaws (specifically Bylaw 1 - Section 3.1) An applicant for membership with a name identical to that of an existing member shall adopt a
change of professional name before being accepted.
Also, I unfortunately can't pull a Michael J. Fox here because according to Bylaw 1 - Section 3.2 The addition of a first and/or middle initial to an otherwise identical name shall not be considered a
sufficient change.
Well, damn! This is a pretty predicament. For me and the Branch Office. I was told this was the first time he encountered a name conflict in Ottawa.
Great. I'm special.
I was, however, told that the use of my middle name (or if you asked my mother she would tell you it's actually my "whole" first name) would be acceptable. So would the addition of a letter within the name (although I just checked and there already is an actress named Nancy Kenney). Or I could use a different name altogether.
The thing is, I don't want to use my middle name or change my name in any way. I've grown very attached to "Nancy Kenny". Plus, there's a whole legal aspect to consider. If I go by a different name for work purposes, what happens if the production signs me a cheque to that name. Can I cash it? How do I prove to the bank that I am the same person? How does Madonna do it? Or Sting? Or any of these other people? Anyone who knows the legal repercussions involved in having a stage name, please contact me with more information.
In the meantime, let's have some fun, shall we? What would be a good option for me? Here are a few I've come up with by making slight modifications to my legal name. Most of them, I will admit, are pretty brutal.
(Brace yourselves! I'm about to reveal my middle name; something that I am always reluctant to do. *Sorry Mom!*)
Options
Nancy Jane Kenny
Nancey Kenny
Nanci Kenny
Jane Kenny
Nancy Jane
NJ Kenny
Or maybe something completely different? Discuss!
Labels: The Actor
posted by Nancy Kenny at
9:50 AM
5 Comments:
Whoa... that's annoying.
What about Nancy Kenney?
By
Anonymous, at 2:48 PM
As I mentioned above, someone already has that name... although whether or not it's in Canada remains to be seen.
By
Nancy Kenny, at 2:55 PM
add an O' to your Irish Kenny?
Or add an accent aigu instead of a y...that's how your mom says it anyhow
So my additional options are
Nancé Kenny
Nancy O'Kenny
Honestly, I don't really like any of the options put forth so far! You're in quite a predicament, Nance!
I think Nancy Jane Kenny is the best though. And there is something kinda cool about Nanci...but it's also a bit odd looking when you put it with the Kenny.
By
Anonymous, at 4:37 PM
Bob Dylan is a stage name. His real name is Robert Allen Zimmerman. "During his Dinkytown days, Zimmerman began introducing himself as "Bob Dylan". In his autobiography, Chronicles (2004), he wrote: "What I was going to do as soon as I left home was just call myself Robert Allen.... It sounded like a Scottish king and I liked it." However, by reading Downbeat magazine, he discovered that there was already a saxophonist called David Allyn. Around the same time, he became acquainted with the poetry of Dylan Thomas. Robert Zimmerman felt he had to choose between Robert Allyn and Robert Dylan: "I couldn't decide — the letter D came on stronger" he explained. He decided on "Bob" because there were several Bobbies in popular music at the time." - wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_dylan
Maybe you have a fave author or actor or such that has a name you could borrow....
By
Anonymous, at 9:18 PM
How about Phoenix Dark?
By
Darcy, at 2:44 PM
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