$450 a week is a joke. Those performers could make double that waiting tables or working a cash register at Costco. It really is quite exploitative of the producers. They're charging equity-only ticket prices, raking in all that cash from audiences, but paying their performers far, far less. They might as well pay them in pesos. If I were a producer, I'd do the right thing and pay my performers a livable wage.
If the producers were charging less than they did with equity productions, that would be one thing. If this was a Phantom-size, highly technical, expensive-to-move show, that would also change things. In those two hypotheticals, you could make an argument about touring economics. But that's NOT THE CASE HERE.
They're charging top dollar ticket prices and slashing the performers' salaries, so that their weekly cut, as a producer, gets larger.
yeah, it's a really poor contract for this tour. work for 3 months, have 3 months off, then go back to work for 2 1/2 months. they're not really looking to bring in the top [non-equity] talent for this tour. I've seen tours that break from Thanksgiving to New Year's(6 weeks off). But 3 months off is unheard of.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
I just can't imagine that they couldn't find a stop for this tour for the holidays. Seems odd. It's a pretty darn family-friendly show. I'm assuming it's going to be just drops and stuff. Sucks. It was such a big lavish show on Broadway.
"They're charging top dollar ticket prices and slashing the performers' salaries, so that their weekly cut, as a producer, gets larger."
That's not really how it works, at all.
The producers sell the show to local presenters, who set ticket prices. I can guarantee you that the producers are not charging "top dollar" prices to presenters to buy the show for a week, or weekend.
If the market research suggested that this show would do well on the road, it would be going out as a bigger show with a higher weekly guarantee, and therefore better contracts.
I have a feeling not much of anyone will be making much money on this tour.