Buzz Roddy's 2014 Candidate Statement

If you have the time, and you will be in New York, I would love to meet you.  Please come to The Players Club on Monday, April 14th 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm EDT to meet me and many other candidates in all categories (Principal, Stage Manager and Chorus)

and of course, the National AEA Membership meeting on Friday, April 11, (2PM EDT, 1PM CDT, 10A PDT) all over the country.  I will be at the New York Hilton, but there is a telephonic hook-up with the rest of the office cities.

*reprinted from Equity News April 2014

The Alphabet Soup of Actors' Equity Governance

One of Equity’s most enduring statistics is the paltry member participation in officer and council elections.  Last election, despite the ability of the membership to vote electronically, fewer than 15% of our almost 50,000 members even returned a ballot. This is a typical number for the last decade.

Some cite narcissism and apathy as the causes, but Equity members have historically hurled themselves into worthy causes, great and small.  Whether saving whales or demanding civil rights, we are an active and vocal society.  How then to explain the lack of involvement in our own organization that seeks to improve our own condition?

Rather than being apathetic, it is likely that most of us just do not know how our union’s government works.  If this describes you, you are one of many.  Equity does little to engage the member into voting.  Most of us don't know any of the candidates unless we or our colleagues have worked with them or seen their work.  All the candidates write blurbs saying things that just about everyone will agree with.  Also, most of us only know, in a general way, what we are electing these people to do.  Here are some basics:

First, you should know that the boss is you, the member.  It probably does not feel like it, but Council is beholden to our wishes.  There are many ways to exert your authority.  You can attend a membership meeting.  Write to Council (all letters must be read and attached to the minutes, as per our by-laws) You can join a committee.  You can run for Council.

Did you know that any member in good standing can observe a Council or Regional Board meeting?  (And please do.  They meet every month and Council members always notice when the boss is in the room.  Contact your region’s office.)

There are two components in the running of our union.  The first are your electeds – the Officers and Councillors, who set policy.  The second is the staff, who carries out the will of the membership as expressed through Council.  The former are volunteers; the latter are paid employees.

Acronyms demystified

Like any organization, those who work day-to-day at the union use their own shorthand.  While acronyms serve to save time and breath, they often alienate those who are not in the inside - i.e. the Members.  Here goes...

Council debates and sets policy nationally. Regional boards set policy locally. The country is divided into three discrete regions: Western, Central and Eastern.  Each Councillor serves 1) in a national capacity and, simultaneously, 2) as a board member in his or her region of residence.

Staff (Appointed and hired by Council)

Hence, a Councillor in the Central region will attend the monthly CRB (Central Regional Board) meeting.  We recently hired Sean Taylor (on staff as the Central Regional Director or CRD) to run the Central Region office.  In addition to Councillors from this region, there are members who are Non-Councillor CRB members (and who do not attend National Council meetings)

The Los Angeles office is run by staffer, Ralph Remington, the Western Regional Director (WRD), who is in charge of operations there.

The Eastern office houses the ERD, Tom Carpenter.  Tom also serves as our General Counsel (i.e. our in-house lawyer).

In addition to the Eastern offices, New York houses the National office for which Mary McColl, our ED (Executive Director) supervises national affairs.  She's staff, too.  The head of all staff in the country, as a matter of fact.

Electeds

There are 5 elected Officers: We have one President (currently Nick Wyman) and three national Vice-Presidents.  The 1^st VP works chiefly as a Principal Actor; The 2^nd VP mainly as a Chorus performer; and the 3^rd VP is a Stage Manager.  (Paige Price, Rebecca Kim Jordan and Ira Mont, respectively) The fifth officer is the Secretary/Treasurer. (currently Sandra Karas)

Each region has its own Vice-President, too.  Besides the Eastern Region Vice-President (ERVP - currently Melissa Robinette) there is the CRVP (Dev Kennedy) and WRVP (Doug Carfrae).  They serve as Chairs of their respective regional boards (see above) and each have 3 Vice-Chairs, who are elected internally, (i.e. not by you and me) serving alongside.

The 75 Councillors-At-Large are segregated into categories: Principals, Chorus and Stage Managers.  There is cross-pollinizations between these groups:  There are chorus Councillors have have worked under principal contracts; Principals who have worked as stage managers, etc.  All Councillors vote and consult on all issues whether they be specifically germane to their category or not.

Again, I reëmphasize: No one on Council receives a salary.  They are all volunteers.

There are also 9 Councillors Emereti, given that status for meritorious service to the Association.  The Emereti provide insight and discuss issues, but do not vote.

The real engine of the union is its committees.  The committees do the hard work and the draw-down of what they argue and decide about goes to Council. There are committees for just about every area of interest to Actors and Stage Managers.  There are contract committees, like Production, L.O.R.T. and Stock. Other myriad committees include: Equal Employment Opportunity; Member Education; Senior Performers.  There are region-specific committee as well as national committees. Some of these are Councillor only. (National Public Policy, House Affairs, Organizing, for example) This is due to a need for confidentiality.  Confidentiality is vital when Council is debating policy ahead of bargaining with our producers, for example.  

Most committees, however, are open to the membership.  Some have membership criteria like place of residence, but most are open to any member in good standing. There is no need to have any prior knowledge of parliamentary procedure.  What is required is passion.  Again, no pay here - just satisfaction at fighting the good fight.  To volunteer for a committee, call the office for your region. Everyone can participate, each to his or her own strength, and in every capacity.

Get to know your Council.  Here's a list (current as of March 2014) of the people who represent you.    For more, click on the “About Equity” tab at the top of the Equity’s home page.

What You and Your Castmates Have In Common With Fast Food Workers

Fast food workers demonstrating outside a McDonald's in Harlem last year

New York City 18 March 2014 - I was happy to see a lawsuit by fast food workers today, seeking to be compensated by their employers for wage theft.  These workers are trying to form a union.

Traditionally, the AFL-CIO has not tried to organize these types of workers because the prevailing perception has been that the fry cooks, cleaning crew members and cashiers engaged at these jobs were teenagers and only working these jobs on their way to something else.  A union could never take hold was the thinking.  The demographics have changed, though.  Being a fast food worker is still an entry into the work force for some; a way to learn how to work before going off to bigger and better things.  When most of these restaurants were in suburban communities, the workers were teenagers and young adults usually with other support.  As fast food restaurants have become prevalent in urban centers, and as the economy has devolved to its current state, there are more who work at Burger King or McDonald's not for pocket change after school, but to pay rent and support a family.  (Read an article about one worker's plight.)

In America, we like to think that we live in a free market economy where all work is compensated commensurate with its "value."  It is a truism, accepted by many, that wages at such places should be low, because these workers are all replaceable; there is not a lot of skill involved in their work.  These people are not doing a "real" job.

You know - kind of like civilians think of actors.

Many AEA members are mystified as to why I go on about the Labor Movement and Equity's place in it.  You may not know that Actors' Equity is one of the most successful labor unions in America today.  Despite a major push to kill unions in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Indiana and other states, our membership is growing every year.  Currently, we are just shy of 50,000 members, nationwide.

It is remarkable that theatre artists who are usually some of the most socially-conscious and politically-active people around do not make the labor movement one of their core causes.  Many view the labor movement through a sepia toned prism where muscle-bound, overall-clad men march with a wrench resting on their shoulders. The 1930s - 1960s was the labor movement's golden age.  It was certainly one of the major factors in the raising of millions of poor folk into the middle class.  The labor movement has also been one of the most dynamic engines of social justice and amelioration worldwide.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s favorite union was the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), local 1199.  His famous "I've been to the mountaintop" speech was addressing sanitation workers in Memphis in 1968 who were striking.  The International Ladies Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) were instrumental in helping its membership, typically new immigrants, not only to have safe working conditions and a livable wage, but provided classes in English language, citizenship, money management and health among others.

So when I blow on about Big Labor and Equity's place in it, I am really talking about making the world a better place.  It's often difficult to see the direct line between the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Fire of 1911 and the current company of Hairspray at a Stock theatre in New England.  There is, though.  We continually and directly benefit from the work of countless others who have preceded us.  Some of the problems that existed then are not our focus today, yet there are always new problems that Unions need to confront as a unified force.  The landscape is ever changing, and we must adapt - often just to not lose something that we think of as an unchanging done-deal from long ago.

A rising tide lifts all boats.

Our work together improves not just our lot, but all people.  Even the non-union theatre benefits from our work.  Non-union wages are based on union rates, and though they do not have benefits like pension and health, wages would certainly be much lower if producers did not refer to Equity agreements when budgeting these jobs.  Globalization has made manifest the difference in what our working conditions are compared to those in other countries. If you've been following anything about how smartphones are made or the conditions for garment workers in Asia who make clothes sold here for pennies, you know that there is gross chasm of inequity between us and them.

We're fortunate that we are in an industry that is not out-sourceable.  We are in a strong position when we stand together for change.  Of course, our primary work must always be to better the lives of stage managers and actors.  And by our becoming ever stronger, we can then join with other labor organizations - in our industry as well as others - and make life in all of America (and yes, the world) better.

I know it's hard to get misty-eyed when talking about the Labor Movement. I come pretty close, though, thinking about the people I know who serve on Equity committees for no compensation other than the knowledge that they are doing good works. Even our paid staff, many of whom could probably find better-paying jobs, serve Equity's membership because they believe in something higher.

So, all that "proud Equity member" jazz in my playbill bio?  It's a big deal.

Brave New World - On-Line EPA Sign-ups

Another no-brainer.

Actors waiting at an extremely early hour in an office building lobby for said building to open up, so that they might sign-up for Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) are mystified as to why Equity seems to be dragging its blue and white derriere when it comes to providing on-line sign ups.

 If ever there were an obvious need which could be easily met, it would seem, this is it.  Please pardon the New York City-centeredness of this post, but this is where the big problem is. EPAs generally last 7 ½ hours and have audition slots for 6 actors every twenty minutes, or 18 per hour to fill the contract requirement of 115-135 actors in a day.  

All things being equal, this provides each actor with 3.33 minutes to show him or herself in a good light.  In addition, if there is time and monitors are pro-active, they will fit alternates in when enough people have not used all of their 3.33 minutes.  With a typical monologue or 32-bar cut song taking between 1-2 minutes this usually happens.

During high season - i.e. summer stock season from late January to early April - the competition is heavy and to have ones choice of the day's appointment slots requires a pre-dawn get-up.  The timing is more critical if there are multiple calls and at different locations about the city.  On top of this comes scheduling the rest of ones life.  Some of us have full-time jobs. Some of us have to take the kids to and from school.

The benefits of signing up in your bathrobe at home and having your day planned before you walk out the door are patently clear.  Here is the down side:

Before I continue, I want you to know that I am in favor of going on-line (the internet on-line, that is).  But before we throw all to technology, we should be aware what we're trying to put in place.  With every technological advance comes new problems.  Here are some which will surface right away:

• Some members do not have access to the technology.  

For many calls, being logged on at exactly the right time will be imperative to guaranteeing a preferred audition spot. As opposed to a physical line, where members sign up in the order that they arrive, in the digital world, hundreds will "arrive" at exactly the same time and will have to vie for their spot in the virtual line. There is a large number of people who do not have smart phones (or data plans) and so cannot be on-line at will. Some do not have home computers or have spotty or no internet.  There are those, especially older members, who rely only on the public library for any internet access. One argument says that this being the modern world, one must have these tools to compete.  My mother was in the business back in the early 1950s and did not have a telephone.  This was not uncommon then. Certainly, making accommodations today for those with no telephone would seem ludicrous.  Some day everyone will have access to the web everywhere, whenever they desire, but we are not there yet.  Until the day when having personal, mobile high speed internet is commonplace, the playing field will not be a level one for actors when it comes to EPA sign-ups.

• Your competition just increased ten-fold.

With the analog version of EPAs one has to physically show up.  Inherent in this circumstance is a geographic limitation.  If one lives in Boston, a four-hour drive from New York, one would have to leave in the wee hours to sign up for an EPA in NYC.  There is a risk, that one could drive all that way, buy gas and parking and still not get an appointment.  Obviously if you have a guaranteed appointment, you might be more likely to come a greater distance, and help swell the ranks of those vying for an appointment slot.  Right now there are close to 30,000 AEA members in the Eastern region.  More than half of that number live in New York City.  A couple thousand more live within commutable distance to the city. Let's say one-fifth of this number attend EPAs.  I know NYC-based actor who will not go to an audition below 14th Street.  But, I also know actors who will fly across the country for an EPA.  If actors in Sacramento, California can obtain audition appointments in New York City, we will start seeing Golden Staters in the NYC Audition Center.  Not that Californians or Montanans or Mississippians are not welcome to NYC auditions.  This scenario will not be a daily event, given the expense of time and money, but multiply this times a couple hundred additional people vying for one of those 115-135 slots and the arithmetic is clear.

• Frivolous sign-ups and no-shows

Getting up at sunrise to audition is a serious commitment.  Obviously, those who wish to be seen for a given show or season of plays have read the breakdown and have in mind roles for which they might be a good fit. One of the reasons that EPAs have become more effective hiring tools over the past couple of decades is that actors are focusing in on giving casting directors viable choices instead of just showing up to be seen, as used to be the case when EPAs started.  For this reason, CDs are taking EPAs more seriously than ever and using the EPA system as a real tool in casting a project. Casting is entirely subjective, of course, and there are roles for which one could possibly be right, but the role may not be an exact fit.  The only way to know is to show up and audition.  Appointments on the internet increase the likelihood that an actor might not be as assiduous in his or her assessment of the role's appropriateness.  And in the virtual world of obtaining appointments, it is more likely that an actor might sign up "just in case" he or she feels like showing up.  Virtual sign ups will increase the number of actors who show up for a role that is all wrong for them, or who will sign up and not show up at all.  In either case, if one of these gets an appointment which could have gone to you - you're still out in the cold. (Maybe literally)

• Tech glitches

I am sure you do not have to be told that networks go down all the time.  If the system crashes during sign-up due to an over-loaded server which would come from too many people logged-on, there would be nothing that could be done in real time.  The sign up would have to start from scratch when the problem gets fixed.  If some how there were  glitch where the completed sign-up list goes away into the ether - nothing could be done.  We all know this situation will happen a few times, no matter how many safeguards there are in Equity's IT Department.

• Sh*t happens

We're all busy. The best laid plans get way-laid.  Auditions run long, making our appointments later in the day stack up.  Trains stop dead in tunnels.  Traffic is insane.  Assuming that on-line sign ups were in place, what procedures would there be for missed appointments?  There do come times when one misses an assigned appointment and desires to obtain a later one the same day.  With virtual sign-up it would almost be assured that all appointments would be gone before the actual call even begins.  Would there be a virtual alternate list, too?  It is possible that leaving the system to a computer could prevent human remedies to human problems that arise in a given day?  Perhaps if the alternate list were not virtual - that one must physically show up to be on it - this could be one remedy.  Signing-up virtually would make ones schedule more rigid in this case, and not less.

• Solutions

"Alright already, enough!" I hear you say, "I want on-line sign ups NOW!" One of the most important elements in getting on-line sign ups to be a reality is member involvement.  Too many policies and systems for those who attend EPAs have been imposed by those who have no experience with same.  This is where we come in.  We have to be a part of this march into new technology.  Get involved.  Join the EPA Committee, write Council, go to membership meetings.  Tell the powers that be that we want to be involved in crafting this new system.  Here are some suggestions that I would offer:

• Partial On-line slots

Until we live in a world where on-line access and speed are more equal and ubiquitous, perhaps in every block of 6 audition slots, we start out with 2 out of the 4 being on-line accessible, with the remaining 4 of the traditional variety. This might be a good get-your-feet-wet test toward the move into on-line sign-ups.  Let's start with a call that usually would not have a high turn out. As Equity gets the hang of administering the system, it could expand to more calls and maybe eventually more slots being virtual and fewer early get ups.

• Geographic Limitations

Based upon member numbers (on our Equity cards) on-line sign-ups could be limited to - say people within a 100-mile radius of New York City.  Similar limitations could be applied to the L.A. or Chicago memberships.  Outside of these groups members would be required to physically show-up.  Actors who move around could petition to be included in any of these geographical groups.

• No-show policy

Let's establish a policy aimed at those who abuse the system, where those who blow-off three or more auditions are prohibited from signing up online for 6 months.  We all have times when time and circumstance collude to make us miss appointments. There are those, though, who selfishly game the system and this policy is aimed at them.

• Bar-coded or magnetized stripe membership cards

If everyones union card could be scanned at the audition, many benefits could be in place.  If every audition monitor had a digital reader, check-in for virtual appointments would be fool-proof and instantaneous; getting bumped for late-check in would save vitriol being hurled at the monitor; all demographic information would be updated instantaneously (no more white cards!); work search records for unemployment purposes could be printed out from ones account through the Member Portal.

• Texts/Twitter/Email notifications

Many AEA members use the excellent service, Audition Update, to keep abreast of how crowded calls are, who is in the room and other info helpful to actors.  Through the above-mentioned Member Portal, ones account could be set to be notified, in real time, on ones smartphone as to the progress of alternate lists, availability of appointments, last minute changes in audition preparation, cancellations, et al.

• Archiving

It's a small business and people move around a lot.  If there were a searchable archive of EPA/ECCs, one could see who they met and on what date, thus allowing them to better keep records and be on top of their careers.

• Do ECCs NOW

All the caveats above about EPAs are, for the most part not germane to Equity Chorus Calls (ECCs) Right now, an open list is posted on the board at Equity and members sign up first-come, first-served. On the day of the call, the list is read and members receive appointments as soon as their names are called.  We could have on-line sign up for these calls today with very little effort or cost to the Association.  Just like now, the list would open at 9:30am, a week before the call. A computer terminal would be made available and members could sign up just as they always have.  (And illegible handwriting would no longer be an issue, nor would scratch-outs, repeat names or fake names like "Seymour Butts")  At the close of business, the virtual line would open and anyone could sign up from anywhere in the world.  On the day of the call the list would be read just as always.  If my dream of bar-coded cards were in place, members could swipe to check-in at a half-hour before the call just like now. Those who were not previously signed-up on line would be given appointments in the order that they checked in.  ECC virtual sign-up is something that is actually doable right now.

• ECC cards

While we're on ECCs, another element that could be streamlined is the Chorus Call Card. Right now every auditioning actor at an ECC is given a card to fill out - a mini resume, if you will - to be filled out by hand.  This is sometimes given to the auditor(s) in addition or in lieu of of a traditional photo/resume.  If there were chorus cards available in ones Member Portal account page that could be printed out, this would make every actor's presentation that much more professional and slick.  Few of us got into show business because we had good penmanship.

You probably have ideas and solutions that I didn't mention here.  What do you think?

EPAs

1560 Broadway, New York City
February 20, 2014, 7:30 am
NYC temp 18˚ F,  -7˚ C

There are approximately 80 people, mostly Equity members, some EMC, some non-union, all lined up and waiting for AEA's Audition Center to open.  At least it's warm in here.  Two years previously, before the current construction of the Equity building, we would all have been lined up along West 46th street, smelling the sickly sweet aroma of bags of restaurant garbage.  Some have coffee and bagels; some newspapers, headphones attached to iPods.  It is stock season, and we are participating in a daily ritual.  I have already figured the optimal time to schedule the auditions upstairs because in addition to these two, there are two more shows that many of us are interested in being seen for at different venues in the city.

The various types and experience levels vary like the EKG of an A-Fib patient.  There are newbies - one who literally disembarked at Port Authority Bus Terminal this morning.  One guy, a nodding acquaintance of mine for years now, has done at least four Broadway shows that I know of. There are a few former leading ladies who are in process of morphing into a new type - what ever that is.  "Type" of course, being a marketing word that agents use which does not serve the scope or depth of what we do.  Reading a paper up the line from me is a rather unremarkable looking woman who I recognize from a call yesterday.  She has a rolling drag-bag, the kind that adds to the precariousness of walking in this city.  Inside this pink coffer printed with purple flowers she has all the wherewithal to perform wonders.  Once she plies her necromancy she will morph, larva-like, into a magnificent butterfly.

The energy vampire is here.  He talks endlessly and seems to suck all the life and concentration out of the room.  He knows everything and wants to tell you about it.  There are at least a dozen that I have worked with personally.  To see a cross section of the acting community in New York, come have coffee with us here one early morning.

I have been going to EPAs literally for decades.  Like many here, I have my arsenal at the ready.  I have around 30 speeches of varying lengths from 20 seconds to two minutes that I keep well-oiled.  I have as many 16-32 bar cuts in my book of songs that I stay up on.  I can pretty well jump into any EPA, tailor my material toward the role that might be right for me, and present myself well.  This is a skill set that I have honed over many years.

EPAs scare some of us.  And not everyone has or wants to develop this type of EPA skill set.  There is nothing lacking in them.  We simply approach EPAs differently.  I am not necessarily a better actor just in this case, more adaptable vis-a-vis these types of auditions.  Some feel uncomfortable about "not being invited to the party" as one is in an agent appointment audition.  The feeling there is that at an agent audition, someone in a position of hiring has picked you.  EPAs smack of ones being pushy and insinuating oneself upon the casting director.

That's right - decades of EPAs.  

Equity Principal Auditions (EPAs) were started to provide access for the many actors who do not have agent representation, though there are many represented actors here.  All Equity agreements have mandated EPAs.  Being required, people ask, are they not taken seriously by the auditors?  Do they not resent being here - a resentment which sets them immediately at an adversarial relationship with whomever comes before them? Not according to Tara Rubin, Bernie Telsey and James Calleri in a recent edition of Theatre Talk where they discuss how much they rely on EPAs.

It's not necessarily a one-for-one proposition. Getting the job for which you audition is not the only possible outcome of an EPA.   Some CDs do all their casting from these calls.  Some less.  Very often, EPAs are but one arrow in the casting director's quiver.  Very often they are used as screening auditions.  Think on it:  A casting director, who is doing what we're doing, (i.e. going from job to job) is paid to bring to his or her bosses some possible candidates for a role.  These actors must be right for the role and pleasant to work with.  (The latter often being more important than the former.)  Bringing someone in who is neither will make this the last job this CD does for this producer.  So if a casting director does not know you, an EPA can serve as a first date, so to speak, and if it goes well - perhaps a second.  The casting director puts trust in the actor that that actor will make the CD look good.

Most casting directors have hundreds of actors rolling around in their brains.  Getting to the top of his or her mind is the trick.  So, your agent did not get you an audition for this play.  Your attendance at the EPA might jog the CD's memory enough to get you called in to a subsequent audition. Very often I have been called in for an unrelated project because I had met or re-met a CD at an EPA for something else. Every theatre CD in New York at least knows my name, and many because I had initial contact at an EPA.

I find this preferable to paying for a "class," which puts the casting director in the position of teaching me as a "student."  With an EPA, we are on an even plane.  There are many casting directors who teach great classes and are both knowledgeable as well as excellent teachers.  There are informative and valuable seminars, classes and one-on-ones.  But if you are trying just to get access, go to an EPA.

Two sugars

"Who's in there?" is a frequent question among actors at EPAs. Many are angry that after waking up early, waiting in line, warming up and preparing for an audition they enter the room and only to find the coffee boy sitting behind the table.  Most of our contracts say that EPAs...

"...shall be conducted by the director and/or Producer (or designated representative); any such representative shall have the authority to set up a subsequent audition and to share in casting recommendations..." 
     --- AEA Off-Broadway Contract, Rule 4 (D) (12)

There's the rub - casting authority.  We all know that sometimes we do, in fact, get the coffee girl or boy to audition for.  But I can enumerate any number of big time CDs who were, once upon a time, assistants to the assistant. Though I may be thrust into a state of high dudgeon at such an occurrence, it's a small business and casting personnel migrate from job to job and though my audition may be between coffee runs today, I am making an impression that might pay off down the line.

EPAs are not for everyone.  For some, these calls are too frenetic; too crowded. There are also those who have never been to an EPA due to some perceived idea that those who attend these calls are inexperienced, boorish, low-class or other epithets.  Not all who go to EPAs are unrepresented, either.  Some signed clients of agencies use EPAs, too.  Agents don't always submit us for things that we are perfect for, or do not realize that something in our experience and talent could give us an upper hand in a given role.  Some agents don't have clout with certain casting directors.

EPAs have improved over the years.  There are two main reasons for this: Equity has been enforcing the EPA clauses in the contracts and AEA members have been upping their game and showing up prepared, professional and for the appropriate roles.

If you have not been taking advantage of this marvelous opportunity - I urge you to.  People are getting work.

Touring- or Why Are These Clowns on Council Giving Away the Store?

I asked an Equity member for his signature for my petition to run for Council.  He asked. "Are you on Council now?"

"No," I said.

"Then I'll sign your petition.  I won't support any of these clowns who are in now!"

A bit extremist perhaps, but he expressed very well the anger that has been building like a storm surge among our membership over tiered tours. 

Background

If you haven't been following the controversy or are just unsure about the facts: Two shows, NEWSIES and KINKY BOOTS, both with shelves full of Tonys and other awards, have announced tours.  In their respective EPA adverts their contracts were listed as Production Tier and Short Engagement Touring Agreement (SETA) tours, causing outrage.  A grass roots movement was born, manifesting itself in a Facebook group and other social media.  They decided to attend en masse the Eastern Region Membership meeting of January 17 and demand answers.  The groundswell of unrest was such that the Council held a town hall meeting specifically to address Tiers/SETA tours. The crux of the controversy was whether these shows - both doing great business on Broadway - should be allowed to pay actors less on the road.  For simplicity's sake, I'll just list the actor, not the SM or ASM, minimum weekly salaries:

At first glance, the reduced salaries jump right off the page.  Why did the membership (more than 90% of the voting members) ratify this?

Ten years ago there was a great hemorrhage of union jobs to the non-union sphere.  The Production Contract negotiations of 2004 were crafted with addressing this situation in mind.

The main goal was to win back the road.

But there is more to Tiers/SETA than the salary page.  A part of the package compensation is participation in overages.  (The amount over what has been guaranteed to the producer)  Producers are not allowed just to capriciously "pick a tier."  Indeed, there would be little use for any tier system in such a case.  There are financial hoops for that producer to jump through.  Also, Presenters, which are the people, distinct from the original producer who offer a guarantee in exchange for presenting a show at a given theatre, have a bigger role in the business.  If the Presenter is not confident that he or she can sell a given show, a smaller guarantee might be offered. (Click here for a glossary of road terms)

Now, when the overage is big, the share going to those under Equity contracts is also big, effectively increasing their salaries.  Some people have made more in overages than salary. But conversely, when there is little or no overage, you make the same (reduced) salary that you were contracted for.

Another contentious element of Tiers/SETA are the per diems.  In a class A tour, the idea is always to try to live off ones per diem and bank the salary.  That is not always possible with Tiers/SETA.  The per diems in many cases, do not reflect todays economy and prices on the road.

A not so discerning audience

"If it's not Equity it ain't Broadway."  Unfortunately, a good portion of the ticket-buying public either does not know or does not care about the difference between union and non.  What leads foremost in the consumer's mind is that such-and-such a show was a hit on Broadway, and "now it's coming to your town!"  The shows are marketed title first and as other media - movies, TV, sports - are the go-to events for ones entertainment dollar, theatre becomes a special (read seldom) event.   Much the same as standing ovations are ubiquitous at every curtain call on Broadway, just attending the latest iteration of a Broadway tour will present to the audience member the foregone result of being transcendant.  Theatre-going in many communities outside of New York is rare enough and special enough and costly enough that audiences will feel foolish if they don't enjoy the show.

Please don't think that I am saying that everyone outside of New York is a rube.  But the ones that make up most of the ticket buyers - the ones who are marketed to - often are less communicant with theatre-going in general.

So, that's the history.  What to do?

Since I am running for Council, I would look like a strong, no-nonsense reformer if I were to say, "I stand for the elimination of all tiered tours!" (Although I do)

First, know that the current contracts were negotiated a few years ago and are in effect until 2015.  Contract negotiations will not start until then.  I am in favor of these contracts evolving - which is to say I want all tiers and SETA to go away.  I think every Equity member does, actually.  When we (Equity) negotiate our next contract, we can refuse to even entertain the idea of continuing things the way they are. I can tell you that the chances of this happening are slim to none. Why? The economy.

As discrete as show business seems to be from the rest of the economy, it has the same dips and swells that every other business has.  Unless the road has an enormous spike in business (see the legit section of Variety) and the way of doing business on the road is entirely overhauled in the next year or so, it is a good bet that some sort of tiers system is here for at least the next contract cycle.

The best we can do, as negotiating partners with the Broadway League (The producers' trade organization with whom we bargain) is seek to raise salaries and per diems and lower the thresholds for overage participation.  Eliminating tiers will be a long-term game.

Some say that 'Equity should grow a pair,' and just demand to do away with all tiers.  This is certainly a valid strategy, but not a viable one.  I can tell you now that the only recourse we would have when the League walked out of contract talks would be a strike.  The road would be shut down, and no union members could work on those tours.

"Fine," some would say,  "Take the hard line."

The trouble with such a strike is that there is a very mature infrastructure in the non-union sphere.  Producers like NETworks and Troika Entertainment are everywhere the union is not and would soon fill the void a strike would create.  The other thing to remember is that when shows go on the road, new producing entities are created, like the many-headed hydra - cut one head off and another grows.  It's not like the old days when it was us against the Schuberts. Producers and producing is diversified and vertically integrated.

The best solution - though not as sexy as the show business equivalent of a Norma Rae-like stance - is strong negotiation. We have to be smart and prepared at the bargaining table.  And our voices are being heard by Council.  The other thing to keep in mind is that while there are many who will not even consider signing on to one of these tiered jobs - there are many in our number who would.  More kids than ever are graduating from very well-endowed theatre programs in universities all around the country.  They are better trained than I was at their age - and hungry. Of course, the number of jobs has not increased since I was their age.

As to the clowns that the member who signed my petition alluded to: While I was not part of the original negotiations that established tiers, I know many that were.  Some very caring and smart people crafted and negotiated these contracts.  The main goal that tiers set out to accomplish was to keep these jobs union. Tiers have been successful in not only keeping jobs union, but taking back some of the ground lost in the previous decade.  Now we have to change the structure to reflect the changing economy - not raze the structure entirely.  Keep chiming in, though.  We have to let Council know how we feel.  Pack those membership meetings.  Write Council.  The by-laws of the Association state that all letters must be read at Council meetings.  Thanks for making noise.  Keep it up!

Can You Build Your Own Website? (Yes, You Can)

CAN YOU BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE? - YES YOU CAN!

By Buzz Roddy, Eastern Region Principal Councillor.

December 8th NYC Council Room of AEA - In an effort to help members more elegantly sail into the computer age, the Eastern Region Membership Education Committee sponsored a seminar entitled "CAN YOU BUILD YOUR OWN WEBSITE? - YES YOU CAN!"

"I'm a MAC…" declared the chiseled-jawed Jimmy Ludwig
"and I'm a PC," I countered (with a jaw not so chiseled.)

Buzz Roddy - PC user

Jimmy Ludwig and myself, fellow self-taught web site builders, hosted a seminar aimed at Members & Equity Membership Candidates (EMC's) who have thought a website might be a good idea, but had no idea where to start. Attendees were anxious about sticking their toes in the waters of the information super highway (pardon the mixed-metaphor) and were about 50-50 in their respective PC/Mac usage. Jimmy handled things from the MAC perspective and I, the PC. We fielded questions and tried to quash the fears of the web-phobic. In a lively 90 minutes, we went over how a website can burnish ones professional image and even directly lead to jobs. "Your website is a show," I said, "and you are not only the star, but the director and producer, as well."

Jimmy Ludwig - Mac user

"Why have a website at all?" asked one member. With the ubiquity of the internet in all areas of our business and much casting being done on-line, those who dismiss the web as a peripheral option will soon find themselves out of the loop and in the unemployment line. "We as performers have to keep in step with this technology," declared Jimmy, then holding aloft his iPhone, "in four years, even this will be out-of-date!"

Though not a technical tutorial, we went through the steps involved in getting ones website from being just an idea into a fleshed-out presence on the World Wide Web.

We cuddled up to dreaded terms like 'Domain Name,' 'Webhost' and 'HTML,' (Upon closer examination, they showed themselves to be not so threatening.) We discussed how building a website is a process and that it can cost very little money if you only do some homework. I saw not only the veil of trepidation lift from many faces, but the dawning of comprehension, and in some cases - even zeal.

Emphasizing the importance of keeping ones website current, Jimmy said "Having a website is like having a pet, you have to feed and walk it." Rather than an archival repository, it is better to think of a website as a living, growing document. And I always stress the importance of interactivity. It is good to have something for people to do on every page of a site. That said, just because one has a lot of mind-blowing technology at ones fingertips doesn't mean that one has to use it all. If your website is about you, the performer, don't overwhelm the reader's eye with too many animations; a list of your favorite movies or photos from your last trip to Mardi Gras. Both Jimmy and I are proponents of simplicity. My main rule of thumb - Make it fun, but always be professional.

Should I hire a professional web designer? Some came to the seminar pondering whether or not to hire a pro. Just as when interviewing a headshot photographer, asking to see past work is important, as well as making sure that you and your web designer are in accord about presenting your image. Cost, naturally, is an important consideration.

The questions from the floor came, at first with trepidation, much like the first day of Sex Education class. Web-wise, many felt embarrassed that they didn't know certain terms. Luckily, Jimmy Ludwig is the Dr. Ruth Westheimer of the web world and allayed any abashedness. As the room warmed up, questions came more rapidly as well as answers - not just from me and Jimmy, but from all over the room so that the seminar was more a dialogue than a class. As I said before, Jimmy and I are both autodidacts - everything we learned about web design was by trial and error. What we have learned is what works and what does not. For both of us our knowledge (and our websites) continue to evolve.

To paraphrase a common pop-psychology phrase, "Website design is a journey - not a destination." We gave a cursory page-by-page tour of our own websites and talked about desirable features: photos and resumes, of course, but we also touched on online video and audio demos and security. Many musical performers have need of web marketing for CDs (especially if they are not signed to a label). Some have club acts and want to keep fans updated. The web is an easy and low-cost way to accomplish all these. And in these days of blogs and instant disinformation, ones website can serve as a central source for press and official biographical info.

Jimmy, the MAC user, wanted to have apples available for snacks but thinking it would be partisan, we served oranges.

Buzz Roddy and Jimmy Ludwig are currently serving on Equity's National Council, (the governing body of the Association). Additionally, Buzz is a Vice Chair of the Eastern Region Membership Education Committee and Jimmy is Chair of the New Technology Committee. The Membership Education Committee presents seminars and workshops as a free benefit of Equity Membership. More seminars are planned - so check out the Equity website for specific dates and times.

from the Actors' Equity website December 17, 2008