There’s a pretty high demand for these jobs:

It’s a popular gig for local actors and comics.The villain at tonight’s murder mystery theater may be the patient who wants too much medication at tomorrow’s Kaiser workshop.

Role-playing patients at Kaiser and UC Davis’ School of Medicine have voiced commercials and sung opera. They do community theater, stand-up comedy, and the occasional stint at law school mock trials or police interrogation training.

Some actors appreciate medical venues for the variety, or the chance to learn more about doctors and health issues. The pay helps, too.

“The artist’s life is precarious,” said Arabella Grayson, who learned about the roles while taking acting classes in San Francisco. “This is steady. When the work comes up, you know you’ll get paid within two weeks.”

The roles pay $10 to $25 an hour for acting, and at least one job throws in free lunch. Some require experience, head shots and auditions, while others ask nothing more than a desire to help turn out better doctors. The modeling jobs — which involve invasive physical exams — often demand less skill and pay more, with $120 for a couple of hours’ work not uncommon.