Contract Limits

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 1:21pm

Today as I was headed back to the office from lunch I saw a political sign saying Congress should have term limits. So I began thinking, should Broadway actors have them as well? I know a few of us have seen shows and commented on how stale the ensembles were and that they were phoning in their performances. Would this be a good idea?

Thoughts?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 1:31pm

I believe that falls under "Just don't renew their contract then."

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 1:35pm

I believe this falls under "Dumb Threads That Should Never Have Been Posted."

[HoundDoggydog]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 1:40pm

Paljoey, how is anyone supposed to learn if they don't ask questions?

Correct, contracts are usually only for a year or so, and then get extended. Once a contract is up, it could simply not get renewed.

Updated On: 10/13/14 at 01:40 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 1:53pm

Yes, yearly contracts. But, if someone's contract gets renewed, they can still sleep walk through their role for a long time. Example: The cast of Newsies since the beginning of 2014.

[haterobics]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 2:34pm

Isn't this really someone else's job, though, rather than the actors? Someone in the creative team is responsible for monitoring this, no? The actors have no sense of how things are playing in the house (not to mention even the shows people say are boring get nightly standing ovations).

[anmiller07]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 2:42pm

Someone once told me that there is a type of contract specifically for ensemble members that allows them to stay with the show until they terminate; is that not true?

[Subjective Sarcasm]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 3:09pm

This idea has existed since 1912.

For further questions, call Actors' Equity.

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 3:24pm

"Run of the play" contracts used to be fairly common, but not so much anymore.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 3:39pm

Ensemble members are signed to Pink "run of the play" contracts. They commit to six months, every six months after they they have the option to commit to six more or do not commit and then they can leave whenever they want. The employment, for all real purposes, is at the discretion of the ensemble member. The only way to get them out is to buy them out with a substantial sum of money or to wait for them to grossly violate their contract.
Ensemble members know it. A few of them abuse it. The creatives can give notes, etc, but it is much harder for them to enforce than it is with principal actors.
This idea, really, is distinctly American. British and Canadian Equity BOTH have agreements where ensemble members are signed to specific terms just as the leads are and they are up for renewal every year, just like the leads. If you are not performing up to snuff, if you are calling out every sunny Saturday to hit the beach, if you age out of an age specific show, if you sleep walk through every performance, you are shown the door. It should be the same here.

[Pootie2]

Posted: 10/13/14 at 3:44pm

^Wow.

Wonder why that differs in the U.S.? The British/Canadian way of doing things do seem much more logical.