Union Tours vs. Non-Union Tours

[Producer2]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 12:33pm

Hello everyone! I'm attempting to gather personal stories of the experiences (good and bad) on Union and Non-Union tours. Please reply with stories of horror, joy, filth, fun, rat-infested hotel rooms, living on a tour bus, especially specific tour companies to work with/not work with, etc. - to help educate young actors & dancers on the benefits of either.

Thanks for your help!

- Concerned Producer
NY Times Article

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 5:33pm

The bigger problem here has to do with the presenters, not the producers of the tours. If your theater has a series labeled, as many do, something like "Broadway in [insert city here]", you're insinuating that your presentations are Broadway productions. When you then book a production that is not a Broadway production, you can't lay the blame on the producer of the show you booked for your having mislead your audience. There are great and horrible Broadway shows, great and horrible non-union shows, great and horrible high school shows. Being an Equity production does not guarantee quality nor does non-union status guarantee a lack of quality. What AEA is trying to do with this campaign is position their shows as being of a higher quality than non-union shows which simply is not always the case.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 5:55pm

There are many great non-Equity professional productions out there, and yes, if the artists are getting paid - even a little bit - it's technically a professional production, but I have to agree with people who get upset with the non-Equity leg of a Broadway production being promoted as being the Broadway show. Not just because the performers are usually straight out of college (talented, but green and not always Broadway-caliber), but because usually it's not even directed by the Broadway director or choreographed by the Broadway choreographer. Even the sets will usually be cheaper than the ones used on the Equity tour. It's like a photocopy of a photocopy of the original production.

I'll never forget seeing the non-Equity tour of the original Sam Mendes Cabaret after seeing the Broadway production with Alan Cumming. Night and day difference, truly. It was like watching a college production instead of the Broadway show. Talented kids, and yes they were professionals, but it was NOT the "Broadway tour."

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 6:01pm

Catch Me If You Can.... OMG SO BAD!!! All college graduates.. well most. there was no set.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 6:12pm

Non-union tours are a hit or miss. The strongest one that came to mind was Hairspray. That tour was solid,especially when it first opened. And many of the young cast members moved onto union projects.

[RENT_is_Wicked2]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 8:59pm

I've seen both great and terrible equity and non-equity shows. I saw Flashdance when the tour was equity. Worst equity tour show I've ever seen. (Now it's non-equity I believe, but refuse to see it nonetheless.) The American Idiot tour was non-equity and I thought it was astounding. Both union and non-union shows can be just as bad or good as the other.

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 9:31pm

Why all the "Catch Me If You Can" hate?

I saw it on Broadway. I saw it on tour.

Yea the tour set was kinda crappy.

I liked the tour better.

[morosco]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 9:52pm

I always thought that The League should create some kind of "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" that would be prominently placed on all of the advertising for true equity Broadway tours.

But when you think of economics those non-equity tours sort of subsidize the equity productions that are usually hot blockbuster hits and are very expensive for the promoter to have in their season. With some equity and some non-equity the cost gets spread across the entire season.

I often wonder if the average ticket buyer in everywhere-else America even notices any difference in quality.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 10:47pm

I saw Ms. Saigon non union. Best tour show I ever saw...went back a few times and it was just as good each time. Cast included Jon Jon Briones as the engineer - he is now in the London Production.

[rcwr]

Posted: 1/15/15 at 10:49pm

I wish the NYT article had explained more details about the difference for actors on Equity vs nonunion tours (and anyone else working on the show who comes under the Equity umbrella -- does Equity cover more than actors? Sorry for my ignorance; I would love to understand this better). I turned in my Mamma Mia tix this past fall in Boston when I found out it was nonunion, but not because of any assumption about quality -- just because I want to support unions.

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 1/16/15 at 12:02am

@Kathy Saigon non union tours were excellent.