He'll show you to your seat, then take the stage like a 'Superstar'

By day, he helps audience members find their seats. By night, he’s onstage, commanding them. For actor Tyrone Huntley, the hustle is part of the role in Los Angeles.

- BY MARIELLA RUDI

Photographs by JASON ARMOND Los Angeles Times USHER Tyrone Huntley helps people to their seats at the Bowl, where just a few weeks earlier he performed in "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Less than 48 hours after raising his voice to the heavens as Simon in the Hollywood Bowl's electric, weekend-only production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Huntley was back at the iconic amphitheater — not under the lights, but beneath them — wearing a white polo and usher’s badge, guiding concertgoers to their seats.

“It was surreal getting back to work and being on the other side of the stage,” Huntley said, overhearing people talk about the early August show days later. “They didn’t know who I was, so I was just listening and smiling and knowing that we certainly made an impression.” Even marketing staff at the Bowl noticed, posting him on TikTok in a clip seen by some 30,000 viewers so far.

Huntley is one of many working actors caught between ambition and survival. As film and TV production in the region drops to historic lows, many industry workers have turned to service jobs or side gigs to stay in the entertainment capital. The region's slowdown has been brutal: the twin strikes of 2023, studio belt-tightening, productions lured out of state and wildfires that shuttered work this year.

The result is fewer auditions, shorter runs and a scramble for survival jobs - even for performers who've just taken center stage.