Charlie going Non-Union

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 11:05am

Just to add to the just of non-union tours this year... oof what a bad time to be a union actor...

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 2:51pm

SouthernCakes said: "Just to add to the just of non-union tours this year... oof what a bad time to be a union actor..."

The tour did a year on an Equity contract and there likely isn't enough demand for it to do more than that. 

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 2:55pm

The tour was originally going to go from a Production Tour to a SETA tour this fall, but I guess the producers decided they’d be better off going non-eq. Definitely stinks for any actors in the current Equity tour if they were planning to stay, but I’d wager that most of them weren’t going to stay once the contract changed anyway.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 3:10pm

More so it’s a concern because the wages aren’t bad. Just feel like the union has let its members down by letting this go non-union. It’s not like it’s Bandstand. It’s a major property.

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 3:20pm

SouthernCakes said: "More so it’s a concern because the wages aren’t bad. Just feel like the union has let its members down by letting this go non-union. It’s not like it’s Bandstand. It’s a major property."

The union didn't "let" it, it's not their decision to make. Charlie was a flop on Broadway - bad reviews and didn't make its money back. That it was able to do a year-long tour was a small miracle in and of itself. It's not as if it could have done another year but the producers decided to go non-union. It had played all of the union houses that wanted it, and now will likely be playing smaller venues where the gross potential is smaller. Think of it as a success that it employed Equity members for 12 months, nit a failure because it didn't employ them for 24 months. 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 3:27pm

There will always be non-union kids fresh out of college willing to work for cheap, and there will always be producers who are happy to save a boatload of money by hiring them.

If it’s supposed to be a very young cast - Hair, Rent, Spring Awakening, etc, I don’t really have a problem with it. Equity actors tend to be a bit older by nature, and if you need to cast people who are supposed to appear to be teenagers or very young adults onstage, you don’t really need seasoned showbiz veterans, just young, talented people with basic training. I mean, you could GIVE them their Equity cards, but business-wise it makes more sense not to.

Just don’t call it a “Broadway tour.” It’s not. Broadway = Equity pretty much by definition.

[FosseTharp]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 3:30pm

I’ve always wondered why Equity didn’t have an associate member option, like SDC does. I’m an associate member of SDC so I can take non union work, but only sign SDC contracts when working with Equity Actors and Stage Managers. I know there is the EMC program— but that’s simply to earn points to join the union as an option outside of needing a contract to do so.


I have plenty of friends who’ve had consistent work on non-eq tours and regional/Summer Stock productions; and then get an Equity contract, joining the union, and then they’re not able to get much work after that contract ends.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/19/19 at 4:02pm

I just don’t see why the Union can’t compete with these tours? Pay wise, it’s better than most regional gigs, and longer employment, so why can’t the Union created a tier that is closer to the TYA contract for the second, third year tours.

I do respect that Jersey Boys has yet to tour non-union

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/20/19 at 1:09am

FosseTharp said: "I’ve always wondered why Equity didn’t have an associate member option, like SDC does. I’m an associate member of SDC so I can take non union work, but only sign SDC contracts when working with Equity Actors and Stage Managers. I know there is the EMC program— but that’s simply to earn points to join the union as an option outside of needing a contract to do so.


I have plenty of friends who’ve had consistent work on non-eq tours and regional/Summer Stock productions; and then get an Equity contract, joining the union, and then they’re not able to get much work after that contract ends. "

Equity is a very New York-centric organization, and many actors in regional theater cities who are eligible to join are afraid to, since there are always a limited number of contracts available, if any at all. I agree that Equity needs to not make it so hard for its members to actually get work. 

That said, Broadway tours should stop going non-union. It’s false advertising.