Questions about Contracts/Renewals

[TreyKenyon]

Posted: 7/21/09 at 11:50pm

Sorry if these are stupid questions but I'm really interested in how Broadway contracts work.

1.) Is the option to renew or extend always/almost always there for the performer to make?

2.) Aside from having a new project lined up, do performers commonly leave for other reasons? (I would think keeping a job in this economy would be pretty important lol)

3.) Recently Ann Harada left 9to5 early to close Avenue Q (I'm not sure if she's going back to 9to5) and Megan Hilty also closed Wicked LA between out-of-town previews and Broadway previews (I'm assuming she was still technically contracted with 9to5).

So are performers often granted leaves to do other shows?

For instance, Will Swenson is doing a limited regional production of 110 in the Shade next year. For agruments sake, let's say he extends with HAIR. Would he be allowed to leave for a month or two to do 110 and then return?

[TheatreDork2]

Posted: 7/21/09 at 11:52pm

1.) No. It is up to the producers.

2.) Yes.

3.) Depends. If the gig pays more than their current show then they can break contract to do the other show.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 12:00am

Also, depending on how much the producers want that particular actor, they could agree to a few weeks or months off as long as the actor comes back after that.

Everything in these contracts is negotiable and comes down to the relationship between the actor and the producer. One always wants it more than the other.

[mina3]

Posted: 7/22/09 at 12:54am

1) Most contracts state that they will terminate on a specific date. The producer has to specifically make an offer of renewal, which the actor can accept or reject, in order for the contract to be extended.

2) There are plenty of reasons why an actor would leave at the end of his/her contractual term - needing a break, wanting to look for something new, etc etc. Leaving in the middle of a contract is more rare and difficult, usually requiring an extenuating circumstance. After a certain number of weeks, actors often get the option to give several weeks' notice and then leave. For example, a performer could be in Wicked for thirty weeks and then be able to tell the producers that his last performance will be four weeks later, for any or no reason.

3) Leaves are often built into contracts, yes. If the performer knows in advance that she's doing a workshop in a certain week, she can ask for those dates to be included as time off in her contract. Think Aaron Tveit's three months off to do Catch Me If You Can - that's part of his N2N contract. More well-established actors often get clauses stating that if they are offered a tv/movie role or original role in a new production, they can leave with a few weeks' notice. Also, these things can be negotiated as they come up, but the producers always have the right to say no.