Matt Cavenaugh injured in WSS Tonight..- Page 2

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 12/27/08 at 8:54pm

"Equity has insisted that the understudy announcement be made outside the theater, with a slip of paper in the Playbill AND over the PA."

WRONG!!! You only have to have it on a board in the lobby, and slipped in the program. Or have it on a board in the lobby and a live announcement prior to the start of the performance. You do not have to have all three.

Per the Equity Rule Book. Pages 23 and 24.

http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/rulebooks/Production_Rulebook_League_04-08.pdf

Updated On: 12/27/08 at 08:54 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 12/27/08 at 9:34pm

I was gonna say what JustAGuy pointed out.

If two out of the three methods are not met(playbill insert, announcement or sign in Lobby) the actor is compensated one eigth of his weekly salary.

I wish I had seen the understudy.
Updated On: 12/28/08 at 09:34 PM

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 12/27/08 at 9:47pm

If two out of the three criteria are not met, not only is the understudy compensated with 1/8 of his or her salary, so is the Actor who is not performing. Making those mistakes very expensive...and making the stage managers life hell, if he or she forgets to give the inserts to the ushers or doesn't change the house boards.

Updated On: 12/27/08 at 09:47 PM

[Christoph]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 12:12pm

Well, I can assure you that two of the three were not met at yesterday's matinee. Even though I was rushing, I was seated about 10 minutes before the lights went down and there was no announcement. I checked my Playbill at intermission when I realized it must be an understudy and there were no slips included. Just to be sure, I checked with the two people I was with as well, and there were no slips in their Playbills either. A number of people around us were noticing that our Tony did not seem to resemble the leading man from the Playbill and put it together. I have a hunch they were looking because he was not on the same level as the other cast members. Maybe Cavenaugh has that issue as well, but as pleasant as Hydzyk was he did seem like a fill-in.
Updated On: 12/28/08 at 12:12 PM

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 12:34pm

I can see two possibilities for why this happened.

1) the stage managers didn't give the inserts to the ushers.


2) the ushers in your section didn't stuff the inserts into the program.

The easiest way to avoid this sort of problem is to make an announcement as well. Most producers don't like doing this because it starts the show off on a low note and many audience members are immediately put off, when an understudy announcement is made.

In any case Hydzyk and Cavenaugh are each entitled to 1/8 of their weekly salary. Hopefully the Equity Deputy in the company is on top of the insert situation and has informed the Company Manager of the problem.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 12/28/08 at 12:58pm

Matt delivers an honest, heartfelt and well-sung performance, and I hope he is on the mend soon.

And I hope Arthur continues to work on the obvious other problems in the show! It deserves to be much better than it is.