Send Charlotte St. Martin A Message: Dim All The Lights For Marin Mazzie — Page 2

I don't think all the theaters dim their lights for anyone... I remember I was going to a show the day they were dimming for Elaine Stritch, so I assumed they all did, so I stood outside of Studio 54 (the closest Broadway theater to wherever I was going).... and nothing. And many people were standing there for the same reason, so we all just shrugged and went about our business.

@BroadwayConcierge The house manager isn't allowed to turn off the lights - a union electrician has to do that. As far as Charlotte, she's the chief executive or the organization who was hired by the board of directors - but she's an administrator, not a decision maker, when it comes to stuff like this or most League business actually.

BroadwayConcierge said: "I'm tired of therealways being a hullaballoo when we could simply just dim the fr*gging lights. Dimming a marquee does not require a massive undertaking. Literally, the house manager just needs to remember to shut off the lights for one minute and turn them back on.

There needs to be a clear, transparent protocol in place."

YES. This is not too much to ask for.

As I believe I said in another thread, what is the point of having an honor if you only bestow it with an asterisk? It means each honor is an insult - and why?

If Marin doesn't deserve this, then who does? Joan wasn't given it because they said she wasn't really primarily a Bway talent, but had appeared on Bway (to a Tony nod) and was a huge supporter, but more known in popular culture. Well, Marin was Bway royalty. What, did she need to be bigger in popular culture. Again, what am I even doing parsing this - just dim the damn lights!

JBroadway said: "MikeInTheDistrict said: "Anna also being Marin’s last full role."



(her last role was in Terrence McNally's god-awful play "Fire and Air" at CSC, but I'd be willing to pretend it didn't happen if you are)

Oh, I had no idea she was in a play just earlier this year. If it was as bad as you say, I’m willing to pretend it didn’t happen, lol.

fashionguru_23 said: "I feel like we need something like every month the lights get shut off for those that passed from the community. And if theatre owners feel like they want to do more, they can."

In addition to the silliness of the "need" comment, what's ridiculous about this suggestion is that (a) it dilutes the gesture to nil (hence the surrender sentiment of Jimmycurry) and (b) it leaves us exactly where we started since it also says the owners can do more if they want. [Side memo: unless you represent Local One, the owners do not need your permission to turn their lights on or off.

Is there a list anywhere of people for whom they have dimmed all theatre lights? For me, it would help put in perspective whether or not doing it for Mazzie is an egregious error or is consistent with historic results?

I personally have no skin in the game. I only saw her in Enron. She was out for the only performance of Ragtime that I actually attended on Broadway, as well as both performances of Kiss Me, Kate that I attended.

I don't think I have ever heard it used in a labor context. The most common historical usage in this country was to refer to a group of businesses that banded together in ways that subsequently became illegal with the passage of the antitrust laws (price fixing, territorial agreements, etc.) Today the most common usage is in reference to drug cartels. But the word itself simply refers to a group that comes together to reach an agreement as to a common purpose. I don't think anyone could conjure up anything illegal about an agreement regarding light dimming although it seems clear that some of us here think what was done is criminal.

ah yes, well actually the League's point there is that the casting directors are not employees (hence NOT entitled to a union) and are exactly what the antitrust laws forbid, which is a group coming together without being entitled to the benefits of the Wagner Act to fix the terms on which they do business with producers. It is more of a PR argument than a legal one. And no, the converse is not true, because the League is a legally sanctioned party to collective bargaining agreements (and in fact, of course, the casting directors want to bargain with one party, not separately with every producer). And anticipating the next question, if the casting directors are deemed not to be a union, then the League is not doing anything prohibited, because they are NOT trying to reach a forbidden agreement. The producers would anticipate negotiating individually with the individual casting entities, as they have since the invention of casting directors.

Can someone explain the obsession that certain people on this board have with this whole light business? It seems to bubble up to the surface in a hail of incensed fury every time someone of note passes away. I hadn't realized that all of Broadway was ruled by one despotic autocrat out to extract petty revenge on the dead, but apparently that is the case -- according to these aforementioned souls.

I might be missing something. What's the riddle?

https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/09/broadway-theaters-will-dim-lights-for-joan-rivers-after-all

This was the statement Charlotte St. Martin made initially when The Broadway League (or the committee, whoever they are) didn't allow the dimming for Joan Rivers.

"On Monday Ms. St. Martin disclosed that a committee of the league – the trade group of theater owners and producers – had decided against dimming the lights for Ms. Rivers, saying the honor was reserved for actors and others who had been active on Broadway recently or were 'synonymous with Broadway – people who made their careers here, or kept it up.'"

How does that not apply to Marin Mazzie, of all people? Does William Ivey Long, who isn't the chairman of the American Theatre Wing anymore but dressed Marin in Bullets Over Broadway, need to write another letter?



Seeing some artists like Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Alice Ripley, Donna Murphy leading the charge in asking to #DimThemAll.
http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180915/actors-rally-to-dimthemall-on-broadway-for-late-rockford-star-marin-mazzie

Samuel J. Friedman, as of earlier today, will be dimming lights.

And just added: Lincoln Center Theatre, home of Marin's last Broadway outing:
"In fond memory of the extraordinary Marin Mazzie, Lincoln Center Theater will be dimming the lights at 6:45pm, Wednesday 9/19. Don't miss our additional tribute that evening from 6:45 to 7pm along 65th Street."