National Tour of Doyle's SWEENEY TODD Going Non-Equity

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 7:24pm

According to a recent casting notice, the National Tour of John Doyle's SWEENEY TODD is going Non-Equity. Rehearsals begin in the fall.

NETworks is taking over the tour and is currently casting for the re-launch at the end of September, with booking currently scheduled through June of next year.

http://www.playbill.com/jobs/find/job_detail/21560.html

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 7:38pm

That kinda sucks. wasn't it inexpensive enough?

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 8:40pm

It's better than nothing. Still hoping to catch the tour again in either Chicago or Denver. It's definitely worth seeing if anyone out there has the opportunity.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 10:52pm

Damn, I don't play any instruments and I would love to be in a production of Sweeney!

[winston89]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 11:04pm

So, its going to be run by a production company that doesn't take a lot of care in its shows and the cast is going to be a non union one. I am still glad that this production of Sweeney is still going to be touring.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 11:14pm

I personally wouldn't go to see a show that is non-Equity. After all, I'm a union member: American Federation of Teachers / AFL-CIO. "Look For The Union Label"....from RC in Austin, Texas

[Prisoner 24601]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 11:48pm

I can see why they would go non-equity, the pool of equity members who play a bunch of instruments can't be that big.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/21/08 at 11:49pm

Well it's coming to Huntsville, AL, so I guess I'm not suprised it's going non-equity. But we're also getitng Spelling Bee and Spamalot (are they going non-equity as well)?

[winston89]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 1:16am

I THINK spelling bee is going non eq but I am not sure about Spamalot. It depends on when it is coming to Huntsville. Keep in mind that right now the spamalot tour does have actors that are equity. For example Gary Beach is in the touring cast. Granted its only for a few stops (and I am hoping that he goes to Broadway after he is done with the tour) and I am sure there are others.

The reason why I am in favor of non equity tours is that it gives people the chance who aren't in big cities to see broadway theatre. I know that the casts aren't part of a union and aren't always treated fairly. But, I know that they know that going in and that if you are smart you would negotiate yourself a good contract and you will be fine.

[Revolutionary]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 1:29am

I'm surprised NETworks wanted to keep the tour going in the first place. It doesn't seem like attendence has been all that high to begin with...

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 9:02am

Even Patti Lu was once non-eq RC ...

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 9:25am

I don't really understand where they're going to get a bunch of non-Equity people to memorize a Stephen Sondheim musical and be able to act and sing it and play it eight times a week.

Unless they go with people who are more traditionally musicians. Still, I would think this would be a hard one.

[mallardo]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 9:27am

I don't know about elsewhere but I saw it on a weekday night in LA and the big Ahmenson Theatre was pretty much full. The show got a great reception too - the quickest standing O in memory, which is not always the case in LA.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 9:55am

True Winston, I'm just not sure how the Spamalot tour is going to go Non-Equity and still keep a lot of their design elements like the projections and the guy who flies in in Act II.

Is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Non-Eq?

[BkCollector]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 12:27pm

"I don't really understand where they're going to get a bunch of non-Equity people to memorize a Stephen Sondheim musical and be able to act and sing it and play it eight times a week. "

Are you SERIOUS?

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 12:43pm

BK,

That made me laugh as well.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 12:48pm

There are tons of professional-level actors not in Equity. However, there are also many talented, experienced people who are not getting work because of non-Equity tours. Why can't there be some kinda compromise?

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 1:02pm

Chitty Chitty is an Equity tour.
Spamalot will remain Equity as well.
Spelling Bee is becoming non-eq.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 1:34pm

Awesome, thanks. I assumed Chitty couldn't sustain a non-eq tour.

[lildogs]

Posted: 4/22/08 at 2:11pm

There should be a compromise, Borstal, like for the European tours.

That being said, I have done a couple and several people from those tours are making their Bway debuts as we speak--GYPSY, SOUTH PACIFIC and GLORY DAYS all have Grease tour alumni in them, so plenty of talented people work in Non-AEA tours.

I do think casting SWEENEY will be tough, but it's tough anyway. And you know how musical directors are--they think they can pull performances out of actors, and usually they can't, but that line of thinking allows them to justify a musician-actor rather than the actor-musician.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 5/16/08 at 12:48pm

Well some actors can be in equity and non-equity shows they are called "Financial Core" but they have to pay a fee.

There is a description of it on Kathy Halenda site under theatre.

http://kathyhalenda.com/

[misto625]

Posted: 5/16/08 at 1:09pm

It's not an entirely new creative team as Adam John Hunter was the Production Stage Manager for Sweeney Todd on Broadway and probably was Associate Director for the tour, and David Loud did the music supervision for the show before as well.

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 5/16/08 at 1:46pm

No this tour going on on is Equity but will soon go Non-equity.

[bbonstage]

Posted: 5/21/08 at 12:29pm

Spamalot is a full production tour, and is scheduled to play Huntsville in that manner. Spamalot is currently booked for many months, and with the Vegas company closing, many markets have just opened up for the tour to play extensive sit downs.

[logan0215]

Posted: 5/21/08 at 12:48pm

I believe Sweeney and Bee will be under the Phoenix Entertainment group.

http://www.phoenix-ent.com/shows.htm

I just saw their production of Ring of Fire this past week in Dallas as a friend of mine is performing the female ensemble. I can't say the show itself has changed in quality from Broadway, but the talent was outstanding.

It's absolutely preposterous to assume that a non-eq tour would not encompass talent. Lea Salonga will be performing a non-eq tour of Cinderella touring through Asia with non-eq actors, is she not talented?