The death of Broadway?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 10:25am

Here is an interesting article on Actors Equity. They are not looking so great (i.e. underfunded health plan). Will their heated arguments cause a Broadway shutdown in June?

http://www.backstage.com/backstage/features/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2049539&CFID=274171&CFTOKEN=72735524

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 10:53am

Paging Mr. Roxy, paging Mr. Roxy. Come in with declarations that the general public will give up on Broadway and never return if there is a strike. Over.

(Remember how the musician's strike killed Broadway and there are no audiences now?)

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 11:10am

Namo, you rock!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 11:44am

Maybe if Equity were a bit more expansive and inclusive, then it would have more of an impact and the public would be forced to take theatre more seriously. Right now, Equity really only benefits those who live in NYC. Outside of New York, there are only 2-5 Equity theatres per major metropolitan city provided few jobs for thousands of actors. Once you go Equity, then plan an spending the rest of your life in auditions competing with hundreds for a couple of roles. If you want to work in any city other than NYC, then being a member of Equity does more harm than good. Why are there so many non-Equity tours? Because actors want to work and there are more regional auditions for these tours. I can't afford to move to NY and I cannot afford to fly there solely for auditions. Rarely are there Equity tour auditions in other major cities. I'm too old to simply struggle and hope for work.

[WindyCityActor]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 12:09pm

Dear Mister Matt,

Yes, it's very frustrating for Equity actors here in Chicago. I can't speak from personal experience (since I'm non-Equity), but I have a numerous of Equity friends. In Chicago, you have to be a triple threat in order to survive. If you can't also sing and/or dance, you pretty much starve since those are most of the productions which can afford an Equity, even partial Equity cast (Please don't ask me to explain the Chicago Area Theatre Contract Structure - nobody really understands it.)

Asking smaller struggling theatres (at least here in Chicago) to go Equity would drive them out of business, since they couldn't stay afloat financially.

Asking Equity to be more expansive and inclusive sounds great...so long as it applies to both sides. As a struggling non-Equity actor, I'm trying to establish my reputation. Guess how I feel when an Equity actor flies "under the radar" or is given permission to audition for the same roles as me?

It's a "no-win" situation here in Chicago

Michael

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 12:34pm

Catch-22: Even if you are a triple-threat in Chicago, you still have to be able to afford a car and live in town. All the big musical Equity theatres are located in the suburbs where public transportation will not take you (Marriott Lincolnshire, Pheasant Run, Drury Lane). All the rest of the paying work is in town.

I know what you mean about reputation. Before I moved to Chicago, I built up a pretty decent reputation in Houston. I worked constantly and got to the point where I had to turn down shows. I move to Chicago, and no one really looks at the resume. The theatres are hiring the people they know and you have to start all over again. So what if I trained with Tony-winning producer Stuart Ostrow, worked with Jerry Bock and Edward Albee? Workshopped at Circle in the Square and was certified for 3 weapons with Society of American Fight Directors? Doesn't matter when the director wants to hire his friends again.

I got fed up and landed a decent day job. I haven't been in a show or auditioned in almost a year. I'll probably get back out there, but until then, it's nice to have a regular check and weekends free. How can the general public take theatre seriously when theatre people won't?

[lc1965]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 12:51pm

Mister Matt, you could have made all those compromises & sacrifices in NYC. Find a way if you're serious. You'd be shocked how many people in NYC theatre have escaped from exactly your situation. Good luck.

[sheekala]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 12:52pm

I've been out of it with some serious business here at work concerning a few of our favorite shows(and if they'll still be here in 04'), hopefully this thread's headline will come true as I could use a break..I've missed you all so much!Where do I send flowers if it "gets dead" as a friend used to say,should I forward them to Mr. Roxy?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 1:19pm

lc1965 - My decision to move to Chicago was strictly financial. I had a limited savings in which to move and find a job. In Chicago, I could live off the savings for almost a year. I moved one month after 9/11 and the job market was at an all-time low. It took 7 months of temping and interviews before landing a decent full-time job. Had I moved to NYC, I would probably have been broke and unemployed in 2 months.

[lc1965]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 4:05pm

But, darling, that's what actors DO! Just kidding. I suppose w/ that logic I should move out of NY because you pretty much just described my life. This is home, though, so I guess we're looking through the same frame from different angles.

[TxTwoStep]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 6:28pm

i live in Houston now, and it amazes me how many local born or trained actors get hired now OUT OF NEW YORK to play in regional houses here. They have to go away, get a reputation, and then somehow they have become valid....

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/11/03 at 8:45pm

Interesting observation. Time will tell, I Guess

If they strike, they strike . If I see a show , fine. If not, life goes on.

I guess I have mellowed in my old age. I know my feelings. Others will have to make their own decisions.

Updated On: 12/11/03 at 08:45 PM

[WindyCityActor]

Posted: 12/12/03 at 12:19pm

There's an interesting article on how Chicago Equity actors are dealing with this:

http://www.performink.com/Framesets/2frmBody.html

Healthcare Crisis Hits Actors Equity
Eligibility changed to allow fewer actors to be covered

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/12/03 at 12:30pm

Updated On: 7/9/04 at 12:30 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 12/12/03 at 12:47pm

TxTwoStep - That's been going on in Houston for years at TUTS, Alley and even Stages. But then, they're mostly Equity. To be Equity in Houston means very few jobs. You can actually make more money in Houston non-Equity because you can perform more shows per year even if they pay less. As an Equity performer, you'll be lucky to get one show a year unless you sign a deal with the TUTS chorus (I'm not a "dancer", so I didn't do this) or if you are the one preson every 3-4 years the Aleey will accept into the company (which is rather unlikely unless you have an "in" or you are from NYC).

Where have you performed? We probably know the same people and possibly know each other.