Equity Tour Switch to Non Equity Question

[Playbill_Trash]

Does anyone here know what types of changes are made to a national tour when it starts out as Equity and eventually changes to Non-Equity? I'm asking because that is what happened to the current tour of Something Rotten and I was thinking of catching it when it comes to Detroit, MI later this month.

I saw Something Rotten on Broadway with the OBC and loved it, so I made sure to see it when it went on tour in MI earlier this year. The tour started as Equity and was the cast with Rob McClure and Adam Pascal. It was great! Broadway quality (of course because it was an equity broadway across america tour) and basically the same production (sets, costumes, orchestra, overall production value) as Broadway - even though Adam Pascal's understudy was on which was disappointing, but the understudy was great. 

I now see that the tour is coming back to Detroit however it was confirmed on Playbill.com that it is now a Non-Equity Tour. The new promo photos show the same sets and costumes but obviously a different cast. 

So my question is, will this Non-Equity version have a smaller production value and be of lower quality overall? I understand that Non-Equity means that the actors are not in the Actor's Union and may not be getting paid fairly, but does the change affect the quality of the rest of the aspects of the production? Or will it be up to par with other Equity National Tours? I have seen several broadway national tours, but never a non-equity tour - very curious about what I'd be in for. 

Does anyone here have strong recommendations about equity vs non-equity tour quality?

Would appreciate some insight from others that know more about the differences! Thanks!

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Non-equity tours typically scale back production values. In terms of talent, equity vs. non-equity doesn't mean anything. There are incredibly talented talented actors who are both in the union and not in the union, and there are horrible actors who are both in the union and not in the union. Equity vs. non-equity is not a good or fair predictor of talent.

[Jakeevan942]

Work Light, the production company behind the Rotten tour, does a decent job of keeping shows looking as large-scale as they can, while physically scaling down the tour.

Talent levels on these tours can vary quite a bit, but the first season of a non-equity company generally has the strongest group of non-equity performers you will find.

No one will really know the quality of the performers until they actually launches in a few weeks-They just finished their first week in the rehearsal studio.

[Playbill_Trash]

Thanks to both of you! That's great to know about Work Light and the talent etc.  

Would you know whether or not the non-equity tour would still use the same broadway direction and choreography like an equity broadway national tour? That's a big reason why I want to see something rotten again and again. 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

It will be directed and choreographed by some sort of associate, possibly with some small changes. The sets are also sometimes a bit different as to be less expensive to move from place to place.

I remember a million years ago seeing Cabaret with Alan Cumming on Broadway, and then being horrified by the non-Equity tour. Allison Spratt (who moved on to bigger and better things) was great as Sally, but everyone else in the cast of mostly 20-something’s made it feel like a college production. The middle aged guy they roped into playing Herr Schultz was pure community theatre.

Regarding the equity versus non-equity argument, the main thing about equity is that usually, equity actors tend to be older and more experienced. It’s not about talent, it’s about being age appropriate for the roles, and having more seasoning. Someone who only recently graduated from college is not going to be as experienced as someone who has already been in the business for a little while. Experience is important. Also, I’m going to be honest: if an actor lives in New York City and has been actively pursuing acting for let’s say, five years, and still doesn’t have their equity card, there’s usually a reason for that.

However, the same doesn’t necessarily apply to actors based in regional theater cities, since while equity is the standard of professionalism in New York, in other cities it is really more of a (often false) prestige thing. This is why Non-equity tours can be very dicey, because they cast pretty much entirely out of New York.

[Jakeevan942]

The new Rotten tour is being set by Casey's associates, so expect a fairly faithful recreation of the full staging

[KathyNYC2]

Jakeevan942 said: "The new Rotten tour is being set by Casey's associates, so expect a fairly faithful recreation of the full staging "

One of the best tours I ever saw was the non Equity version of Miss Saigon. The best cast ever. Sets were slightly toned down. No helicopter. Projection of helicopter worked great. Everything was top notch. 

You cant really judge the quality simply based on Equity vs non Equity. 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

The non-Eq Miss Saigon tour was really good, although I think The Enginer and Kim, who had played their roles before in Equity tours, had either dropped their cards or worked something out with the union. Everyone else’s bio was like “recent BFA graduate” though. And yeah, the projected helicopter was fine, the original one was such a gimmick.

P.S. Why I remember this stuff from half my lifetime ago so well is weird. I guess when you’re a young theatre fanatic, your first experiences can be really impactful. 

[Playbill_Trash]

Thanks to everyone for your responses! this has been very helpful.

Another question, do non-equity tours sell merchandise that is regularly sold on equity tours?

Thanks

[sbflyfan]

I've had positive experiences with most non-equity tours I've seen. I feel that the tours that get to 'sit down' for a few days or a week at a time are more impressive and retain most of their set designs.

"Ghost" had such a high-tech production value that I wouldn't have guessed it was non-equity if I wasn't aware of it beforehand.  "Bullets Over Broadway" was also very good production-wise.

I saw a one-night-only performance of "Pippin" which retained most of its set design, but removed all of the aerial work. The commercials with the non-equity cast showed them doing the aerial stunts, but I'm guessing they didn't have enough load-in time to do safety checks for a one-night-only performance. If I hadn't been so familiar with the production, I wouldn't have missed it.

The only time I've felt seriously disappointed was seeing a one-night-only stop of "Cabaret" earlier this year (I'd seen the Equity tour in 2016).  Even though the promo photos and commercial showed a full set, all they used was a riser a few feet off of the ground, the large angled frame (resting on the stage) and two door frames. That was it. I know some non-equity tours have a second "more" scaled-down version of the set they can use for short stops, but this one was just plain lazy. It was the only time I felt ripped off.



 

[RippedMan]

sbflyfan, what is your tour stop? A lot of it depends on what that theater can handle. Funnily enough, I did a tour of Cabaret awhile back, and we had different tiers depending on what could fit in. When we were in a normal size house, we'd have the full set, lights, etc. But once we played an old vaudville theater, and their load in door was literally just a standard door. So we did the whole show with no set, just chairs/tables. For a show like Cabaret, I think a scaled-down version is okay. But yeah, that def. sucks. 

[BwayLB]

The only non Equity tours I’ve seen are Hairspray, 42nd Street and Rent 20th anniversary. They usually dont bother me and recreating the staging is forgivable.

[mailhandler777]

I saw non equity tours that were great in terms of the set mostly matching the one on Broadway and some very cheap looking. The talent in them though was outstanding and one young lady I saw in Rent 10yrs ago was none other than Christine Dwyer.

[sbflyfan]

RippedMan said: "sbflyfan, what is your tour stop? A lot of it depends on what that theater can handle. Funnily enough, I did a tour of Cabaret awhile back, and we had different tiers depending on what could fit in. When we were in a normal size house, we'd have the full set, lights, etc. But once we played an old vaudville theater, and their load in door was literally just a standard door. So we did the whole show with no set, just chairs/tables. For a show like Cabaret, I think a scaled-down version is okay. But yeah, that def. sucks."

"Ghost" and "Bullets..." were in larger touring houses in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and ran for 1-week and 2-weeks.  I saw "Pippin" at the Warner Theatre in Erie, PA (seats 2,250) and "Cabaret" at the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling, WV (2,400 seats). I don't normally go out of my way like that, but I wanted to see those last two because I was particularly fond of the productions. I also enjoy visiting theaters I haven't been to before or wouldn't normally have a reason to visit, so that's always a fun part of it, as well.

[RippedMan]

Oh that’s interesting! I’ve played the Capitol and it’s quite massive. Maybe they just didn’t have time to put it all up or maybe that’s just how the tour is? It’s a Prather tour and their two home-base theaters have no fly space and are quite s

[RippedMan]

Oh that’s interesting! I’ve played the Capitol and it’s quite massive. Maybe they just didn’t have time to put it all up or maybe that’s just how the tour is? It’s a Prather tour and their two home-base theaters have no fly space and are quite short in terms of height, which could be the reason for cutting the second level. 

[Miles2Go2]

Playbill_Trash said: "Thanks to everyone for your responses! this has been very helpful.

Another question, do non-equity tours sell merchandise that is regularly sold on equity tours?

Thanks"

When I caught the non-equity tour of Rent earlier this year, they had quite a bit of merchandise. Probably not as much as you’d see with most touring equity productions, but more than I was expecting. I don’t know if that’s the norm, however. 

[Playbill_Trash]

Miles2Go2 said: "When I caught the non-equity tour of Rent earlier this year, they had quite a bit of merchandise. Probably not as much as you’d see with most touring equity productions, but more than I was expecting. I don’t know if that’s the norm, however."

 

Good to know, thanks! Really hoping to find the "Make an Omelette" Something Rotten Apron on sale haha.

 

[Miles2Go2]

Good luck! I’m seeing Wicked again (my third time) this week on tour and I already have a long list of merch I want so I’ll likely be spending a small fortune. Lol

[Jakeevan942]

Work Light tours, even non-equity, the past few years have all had Merchandise touring with the show. However, the decision for merch/no merch on a non-equity tour comes down to two things-Does the third-party merchandise company think they will be able to at least break even on the operation, and is there room on the limited number of truck for the merchandise cases to travel with the show.

To address a couple of other things which have come up here, the recent Pippin and Cabaret tours produced by Prather bought the physical show-sets/props/costumes from the equity producers, cut it down, and sent it back out as a fairly full representation of the full show. The variance come from the size venue the show is booked in, and at times, how late the trucks arrive in the morning. I know that Pippin was booked in a few houses that simply could not accommodate the aerial rigging, whether the show would have been there for a day or a month. I saw the tour in a venue that had the fully aerial in tact. I didn't see the Cabaret tour this spring, but from the new b-roll they shot, it seems like they were traveling with a full approximation of the Roundabout set, complete with the second level. For whatever reason, whether space in the venue, or timing loading in, it may have been cut-I have known one-night shows to get caught in a storm driving overnight, miss load-in by a few hours, and need to do a cut-show in  a venue that could have fit the full tour, but there was not time to build the full show.