THE CEILING to Establish New Union Agreement for Developmental Theatre

When composer, writer and performer Blake Allen began preparing the upcoming musical presentation of The Ceiling, one priority extended beyond what audiences would eventually see onstage.

He wanted the actors and stage managers working on the presentation to be paid for their work.

For Allen, that conviction came from experience. After years performing in New York City and participating in one-night concerts, benefits and developmental presentations, he and the production team encountered something unexpected when preparing The Ceiling: there was not an existing Actors' Equity Association agreement that precisely fit the structure of the developmental presentation they were creating.

The Equity agreement ultimately used for The Ceiling is a Letter of Agreement referencing the League of Resident Theatres, or LORT, agreement. While the LOA structure itself is not new, using it to cover a one-night-only developmental presentation of this kind represented a new application of that framework.

The project included a two-week rehearsal process culminating in a single developmental presentation performance, supported by an eight-piece live band and the full range of technical elements the venue could accommodate, including lighting and other production cues. It existed somewhere between a traditional developmental reading and a more fully realized production, while remaining intentionally limited to one public performance.

Rather than move forward without union coverage, Allen and the producing team worked directly with Actors' Equity Association to find another path.

The result was a new agreement framework designed for this type of presentation, allowing the Equity actors and stage managers participating in The Ceiling to be compensated under a union agreement while contributing to their applicable Equity benefits.

For Allen, the significance extends beyond his own musical.

Working with Actors' Equity, Allen and the production team helped establish an agreement structure that can provide a model for similar developmental presentations in the future.

Long after a one-night performance has ended, that framework can remain. Another writer, producer or company mounting a developmental presentation may now have an additional path to consider when determining how to employ Equity actors and stage managers.

For Traguna Productions and Popson Productions, which is producing the presentation, that possibility reflects a fundamental value behind the project: developing new work while recognizing and compensating the professional artists whose work makes that development possible.

'We're incredibly grateful to Actors' Equity for working with us to create a structure that supported what this presentation needed while making sure the artists were protected and compensated,' Allen said. 'The exciting part is that this doesn't necessarily have to end with The Ceiling. If this framework can help another new piece employ union artists in the future, that means something.'

This new contract will indeed be a lasting impact of The Ceiling's one-night presentation.

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