Non-Equity Tours - Scam?- Page 4

[winston89]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 9:15pm

I agree with the remark that eq vs non eq doesn't comment at all on talent. A crappy preformer is a crappy preformer no matter what.

Here is what I feel with regards to union members feeling that tours are taking away from union jobs. If they dished out more options for actors to join equity then this wouldn't be an issue. Right now, there is three ways that I can think of right off the bat. The first one is to work fifty weeks in a regional theatre that is certified by equity, do a national tour, or dish out some obserd amount of money to get in. Most, of the actors that are looking to be part of the union don't have the the money to pay their way into the union so they only have two other opetions. The other two are both easy to do. But, someone could have not the best of luck with getting a regional theatre gig and have better luck with a tour and vice versa. I believe that if equity made it easier to have non union members get in then there wouldn't be this whole debate.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 9:18pm

Besides not getting health insurance what are the other disadvantages of being on a non-union tour.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 9:22pm

There are many. They can get away witha LOT in how they treat actors.... In adition to salary and health benefits, Equity has heavy regulation on housing, travel, call tims, vacation times, rest periods, duties that the cast can't be made to do...... the list goes on and on....

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 9:23pm

Regardless of HOW you get into the union,everyone has to pay the same amount. If you're cast in a tour,and have to join the union,you pay the same amount as the person who accrued 50 weeks in a regional situation. The fee may change, but in a calendar year EVERYONE who joins equity pays the same.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 9:25pm

50 weeks-is that literally 5 weeks as in Sunday-Saturday? or what?

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 10:37pm

I don't have any connection with the Chorus Line tour or any official information, but it's been widely reported that this will be a non-Equity tour.

junkyard, I agree with you that Equity has to take a firm stand on this issue. The road will be entirely non-union in a few years if nothing is done. Broadway is indeed the only real bargaining chip Equity has. Local 802 (the NY musician's union) owes you guys an enormous debt from 2003 that they had better repay when the time comes.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 10:58pm

Any clue what the 08-09 non eq tours will be?

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/9/07 at 11:04pm

"But recently I saw--for instance--the Fosse non equity tour a few years back and thought the dancers were excellent--they also made a fe wminor changes from the standard (no Dancing Man and they added the full Take Off With Us)"

I remeber that. It was in Pasadena. It was only 2 acts and Steam Heat and other songs were in Act 1.

Posted: 6/9/07 at 11:14pm

Yep (2 acts made more sense to me too)--as I said the only really missed number for me was Dancing Man--but adding the full Take off With Us and Me and My Shadow from Big Deal was worth it...

I'm not trying to ruffle feathers but it doesstrike me that the majority of people in this thread who think that non equity tours are evil are... equity members.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/10/07 at 2:35pm

I'm not an Equity member, and I don't think non-Equity tours are "evil". It makes good business sense for producers to try to put their tours out as cheaply as possible. It is the purpose of unions to use collective bargaining to give individual employees some leverage to counter this type of financial pressure. It's easy to scoff at unions, but middle class working Americans owe much of their lifestyle to the labor movement.

If you're an actor and want to depend on the benevolence of Broadway producers to provide you with a living wage and benefits then go ahead and support non-Eq tours.

Updated On: 6/10/07 at 02:35 PM

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/10/07 at 3:52pm

Non-Equity tours are really a stepping stone in actors careers. I mean-can't you get your card through an non-union tour? Even though you dont get health insurance its still worth it.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/10/07 at 5:50pm

Honestly, living in the Midwest, I take whatever I can get. If I want to see the show, I don't care if the tour's Equity or not.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 6/10/07 at 6:47pm

I now live in Houston after living in NY for my entire life. I have seen touring companies in Houston (equity) and non-equity (in galveston). The non-equity tour ticket prices are always twice as high as the equity ones downtown, that to start off with bothers me to no end. But what bothers me more is the quality of the shows. I have now seen the current non-equity tours of Hairspray, Man of La Manche and Aida tours (I think I saw one or two more but I forget whcih ones).

They were all horrendous and I have decided to NOT buy tickets to the non-equity tours again. My friends ought the tickets and if we had known they were the non-equity tours would have NEVER bought them.

The sets of all three shows are horrible. I have seen community theatre with sets that work better than any of those. Man of La Manche had the best of the sets and seem to work. The Hairspray sets were all on wheels that were brought off and on by actors and were flimsy and shook horribly every time they were brought on and off.

Now the worst of the shows by far was Aida. The mic's did not wrk for the show and some members of the cast had to be handed hand mics by crew members in the middle of songs. There were two understudies that evening ( I completely understand understudies.) HOWEVER, there was an understudy for the father and he looked younger than Radames. This does not work at all! Atleast attempt to make him look younger. The costumes of the show were weird they were in Jeans and had guns (which does not work ni ancient Egypt).

The cast of all shows I have seen were adequate but none of them were exceptional but did get the job done to the best of their ability.

I know I am spoiled having lived in NY for so long, but I have subscriptions to two community theatres in downtown houston that put on far superior productions to the non-equity tours I have seen (and the tickets are half cheap!!!) I have recently seen a production of Seussical which was incredibly cute with far better sets, costumes, and acting then things I have seen on non-equity tours.

Enough of my rant. I am sure that I annoyed someone but I think that non-equity tours should be required to clearly state they are NOT the broadway touring production and should state they are non-equity tours for those who do know the difference.

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 6/10/07 at 11:51pm

"can't you get your equity card through a non-union tour?"
Uhhh....NO. That's why it's call non-union,it has no union affiliation. Equity is the actor's union.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:37pm

like Networks does Hairspray who is doing The Wedding Singer.

And I've read on playbill.com that DRS is non-union tour.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 11:37 PM

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:40pm

wow...

[WhenURScrap]

Posted: 6/12/07 at 12:01am

"I saw both the non-equity tours of Rent and Aida and they were great! It just saddens me that the actors make less and have less benefits as compared to the equity thing. "

Um ... think about it ... Actors Equity is a Union ... what does the union do? Job security, better benefits, making sure the actors don't get used to take away other people's jobs or their own job taken away, and most of all BETTER PAY! Brush up on your Shakespere.

hehe.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 6/12/07 at 1:30am

I was a union worker and it was so much better to have good health care at a reasonable price. It does matter to me how much I will pay to see a show depending on how much has actually been invested into it's production. I'd pay less for non-equity. If I really like that show, I rather tip the performers rather than pad the pockets of uncreative Production teams.

Now, everyone has to start somewhere, of course. Only a few performers really are so gifted, they don't need a whole lot of practice to become really good. The rest need to gain experience, hone their skills before they deserve the status as Stars. Many really good performer don't make it because of bad PR. In the Entertainment business, you have to make your own publicity, so no matter what, it is a lot of work. It is not though, more work than many others who work. I don't like those references either. Many of us have to do the whole work week grind to earn the same amount of money some Actors make in a couple of months. Of course, we have more job security and even good Actors could get fired if they get sick or develop some strange illness.

This is why it should be easier to become Union. Though their part would be that if everyone could join, you suffer from offering Medical Benefits to Actors who aren't contributing to the pool of money being shelled out, that must be why they are being so picky. It is a very competitive field that many can't make a living at, that is just the way it goes.

Yet in a town like mine, where you do pay 90-100 dollars for a show, you expect a Broadway quality show because we think we are paying for it. If you don't get it, then you have a reason to complain.

Touring though has to be expensive and trying on any performers nerves, adding in Hotel and Meal costs though these are also working expenses so they are tax deductible. Difficult when you are touring but better when you file your return.

It is the lack of employment for Equity jobs in Theater that really is the dilemma it seems here. If there were more equity jobs like say there are for Electricians, than more players can join the Union. If though, we don't support Union jobs first, non-union workers will have nothing to aspire to and healthcare, you don't miss until you need it. Since many shows do ask you to perform acts that defy gravity, a faulty set, cheap equipment may end your livelihood for good. That is where you wish you had a Union Job to back you up with.

It is just plan Real Estate. It is killing Stagework as well as jobs. The more and more it costs for Healthcare, rent, the less there is for pay. Just remember to back universal healthcare please. Every business, whether union or not is being choked by Healthcare Insurance Companies. If the premiums were reasonable, no one would gawk at paying for benefits. They are making obscene amounts of money and it isn't trickling down to the bottom. Now more than ever, it gets really clogged up at the top.

Well I want to know if it's equity no matter what and I should ask. Unless those of you feel you are well paid, to compensate enough to pay for your own health insurance, I don't want to be a part of the problem.