to the basic COST Agreementmore closely rather thannegotiate individually,” said ChiefNegotiator Beverly A. Sloan. “Itwill also give members greatersecurity in knowing basic termsas they move from one COSTtheater to another.”

The negotiations, whichspanned three days, providedbenefits on both sides, as Sloannoted that the union achieved allof its proposals in some form.An additional assistant stagemanager is now required forchorus musicals and large castproductions in the top two tiers.

ASMs will receive a minimum oftwo days of paid pre-production.And, stage managers and ASMswill now receive tech weekcompensation of 1/6th ofcontractual salary for eachproduction.

Minimum salaries willincrease 2% in each of the firsttwo years of the agreement and2.5% in years three and four inall categories.

Actors will be able to submittheir own recorded audition if aproducer requests to see thembut they are unavailable for ascheduled audition. If a theater

changes its season after EquityPrincipal Auditions have beenheld, and will be schedulingauditions for the newproduction, producers shall

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Year in Review .....................2

From the President ................3

#EquityWorks .......................3

Annual Report ......................7

In Memoriam......................16

ACTORS’ EQUITY: STANDING UP FOR OUR MEMBERS

www.actorsequity.org

EQUITYNEWSDECEMBER 2015 / Volume 100 / Number 9

January MembershipMeetings Set

Start off 2016 by attending anEquity Membership Meeting

The Eastern Regional Membership Meeting will conveneon Friday, January 8, 2016, at 2 p.m. EST in the Council Roomon the 14th floor of the Equity building at 165 West 46th Street,NewYork, NewYork.

The agenda will include:• Presentation of the St. Clair Bayfield Award and the Joe A.

Callaway Award• Report of the Eastern Regional Director• Report of the Eastern Regional Vice President• Membership discussion period in accordance with the by-

laws

The Central Regional Membership Meeting will conveneon Monday, January 11, 2016, at 6 p.m. CST in the MemberCenter (1st floor) of the Equity building at 557 West RandolphStreet, Chicago, Illinois.

The agenda will include:• Report of the Central Regional Director• Report of the Central Regional Vice President• Membership discussion period in accordance with the by-

laws

The Western Regional Membership Meeting willconvene on Monday, January 11, 2016, at 11 a.m. PSTat I.A.T.S.E. Local 80 Meeting Hall (Ground Floor) at 2520 WestOlive Ave, Burbank, CA 91505. Free All Day Street Parking.

The agenda will include:• Report of the Western Regional Director• Report of the Western Regional Vice President• Membership discussion period in accordance with the by-

laws

Note:The Annual Membership Meeting is Friday, April 8,2016, in all regions. The regions will be connected so that allmembers may hear the statements of the candidates running forelection to Council. Please check the Member Portal for anyadditional information or changes about all MembershipMeetings.

For members with disabilities who would like to request anaccommodation to participate in the Membership Meeting,please contact Governance Associate Allison Bodwell at 212-869-8530 ext. 318 two weeks prior to the meeting.

Equity’s New Production Contract Ratified

The new ProductionContract has beenratified by a 97.04%

“yes” vote and is in effectimmediately. The compensationincreases of the new four-yearcontract are retroactive toSeptember 28, 2015. Thecontract will expire in 2019.

In an historic move, a changeto the eligibility requirements toaccess health insurance willbenefit all members for the lifeof this current ProductionContract. Now, a member maywork 11 weeks under any Equitycontract to achieve healthcoverage for six months and 19weeks to gain a full year ofhealth coverage. This is the firsttime a negotiation with one

bargaining partner will help thefull Equity membership.

“Because of thesenegotiations, the trustees of theEquity-League Health Fundhave approved a change to theeligibility requirements that willbenefit all of our members whowork under contract, and thischange is guaranteed for thefour years of the new contract,”said Executive Director MaryMcColl. “Put simply: It’s easierfor our members, everywhere, toaccess health coverage. Andthat’s fantastic.”

Monetary gains within thenew contract increase in eachyear of the contract. Importantquality of life issues are alsoaddressed in the new

agreement, includingimprovements that make sickleave available for moremembers, access to physicaltherapy, stronger languageregarding schedule changesand housing for tours.

For the first time, theProduction Contract ratificationvote was conducted exclusivelyonline, saving the union tens ofthousands of dollars to be puttoward member services.

“I’m proud of the work we’veaccomplished at the bargainingtable this year,” said McColl. “I’mhonored to have sat alongsideCouncillors, members and staffwho worked effectively toachieve gains in areas that aremost important to our members.”

Changes to Eligibility Requirements forHealth Care Help All Members

EquityTakes a“Break”

Just in time to escape thebrisk early morning lowtemps in NewYork City,

Equity’s new fourth floor waitingspace opened on Monday, Nov.9, for members waiting forauditions, audition signups andVITA appointments. No longerwill anyone have to brave rain,frigid temps or hot, muggyweather. Complete with free Wi-Fi access, this dedicated respitefor use by members, EMCs andnon-members who areauditioning, is located in the skylobby of the NYC Equity buildingand is open from 6 a.m. to 5:30p.m. Monday through Friday.

The new space, which willalleviate waiting lines outsidethe building, and serve as anoverflow room for the officialaudition center, will be staffeddaily by a receptionist, who willbe on-hand to answer questions

and help facilitate the auditionprocess.

The area features free Wi-Fiand iPad stations, allowingmembers and guests theopportunity to visit the publicEquity website, peruse theofficial Equity Casting Call pageor pay dues online in theMember Portal. Also, food and

beverages are welcome insidethe room, which willoccasionally double as ameeting space for unionbusiness. Additionally, threedigital screens will keepmembers and guests informedabout pertinent Equity news,information and keyannouncements.

Union opens new fourth floor waiting space inEquity’s NYC headquarters

SuccessfulCOSTNegotiationincludes SalaryIncreases anda NewTier

With the recentconclusion of theCouncil of Stock

Theatres, or COST, negotiationson October 7, 2015, whichCouncil approved on November17, 2015, the new four-yearagreement will introduce abrand new COST tier, 2+. Tier2+ is meant to aid thoseemployers functioning in thesphere between tiers two andthree to get from one tier to thenext.

“Tier 2+ will fill the substantialgap between Tiers 2 and 3 andhelp enable producers to adhere

Editor: JOSH AUSTIN

Equity News Advisory CommitteeChristine Toy Johnson, Chair

(Eastern)

Nancy Daly (Western)

Diane Dorsey (Central)

Nicole Flender (Eastern)

Bruce Alan Johnson (Eastern)

Kevin McMahon (Western)

Liz Pazik (Central)

Barbara Roberts (Western)

Melissa Robinette (Eastern)

Buzz Roddy (Eastern)

EQUITY NEWS (ISSN: 00924520) ispublished monthly except for com-bined issues in Jan./Feb., July/Aug.,Oct . , /Nov. , by Actors ' Equ i tyAssociation, 165 West 46th Street,New York, NY 10036. Telephone:(212) 869-8530. Per iod ica lspostage paid at New York, NY. andadditional mailing offices. Copyright2003, Actors' Equity Association.Subscription price for non-membersof Actors' Equity Association: $25per year. Postmaster: Send addresschanges to Equity News, 165 West46th St., New York, NY 10036.

EQUITYNEWS

Area LiaisonHotline systemCall 877-AEA-1913

Equity has a national toll-freehotline system for members wholive in area liaison and officecities. The number is 877-AEA-1913 (honoring the year ofEquity’s founding). Each AreaLiaison city has its ownextension, where members canaccess news and informationin their region.

(1) Dial 877-AEA-1913

(2) Dial your city extension:811 Atlanta812 Austin/San Antonio813 Boston814 Buffalo/Rochester815 Chicago816 Cincinnati/Louisville817 Cleveland818 Dallas/Fort Worth819 Denver820 Detroit821 Florida – Central822 Florida – South823 Houston824 Kansas City825 Las Vegas826 Los Angeles827 Milwaukee/Madison828 Minneapolis/St Paul829 Nashville830 New Orleans831 New York832 Philadelphia833 Phoenix/Tucson834 Pittsburgh835 San Diego836 San Francisco837 Seattle838 St. Louis839 Washington DC/Baltimore

2 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

January/February • Equity News turns

100. First published in1915, the union’spublication celebratesits own centennial witha full-page spread inthe paper celebratingthe numerous, colorfulrenditions of itshistory.

• Equitycelebrates Black

History Month with anexclusive panel

sponsoredby the EEO committee. The

union’s event encouraged panelists to discuss theircareers and how Broadway has changed their lives.

March• Late this month, Eastern Regional Vice

President Melissa Robinette, Chorus CouncillorAllyson Tucker, CRB non-Councillor Peggy Thorp andSenior Business Representative Larry Lorczak attendNational Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.where they pushed for more arts funding, spoke aboutwireless mic issues, 401(k) funding through the artsand arts education.

• Equity celebrated Women’s History Month with aspecial Equity News issue focusing on women whowork in a union and for a union.

April• After

its successin Chicagoin 2014,EquitylaunchesAsk If It’sEquity insevenliaison-areacities.

The campaign remains part ofthe union’s ongoing efforts to take back control of theroad and strengthen conditions for actors and stagemanagers on tour.

May• Kate Shindle is elected president of Actors’ Equity

and 16 others become Councillors on Equity’sNational Council. Other officers were re-elected fortheir seats.

June• The North Hollywood Audition Center opens! The

state-of-the-art center in Equity’s Western Regionaloffice opens and demonstrates another way thatEquity is building a strong foothold in the WesternRegion for union actors and stage managers.

• Equity celebrates the legalization of same-sexmarriage. Council unanimously passed resolutions inthe past in support of marriage equality everywhere.

July/August• Council approves the new four-year TYA contract,

which features substantial monetary gains formembers as well as safe and sanitary improvements.

• Councillors and members march in New YorkCity’s First Annual Disability Pride Parade in honor ofthe 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americanswith Disabilities Act.

• The union declares July 8, 2015, as Ask If It’sEquity Day to celebrate members on tour across thecountry.

September• Members across the country march in their local

Labor Day Parades, marching in solidarityand showing their union pride.

October/November• The New York Equity office opens its Fourth

Floor Waiting Space for members to relax in while theywait for auditions, audition sign-ups or VITAappointments.

• The new four-yearProduction Contract isratified by a 97.04% “yes”vote and features an historicchange in eligibilityrequirements to accesshealth insurance that willbenefit all members for thefour years of the newcontract.

• Equity’s belovedGypsy Robe turns 65.

2015

EQUITY AWARDSACCA – An American in ParisExtraordinary Excellence in Diversity on Broadway Award – It Shoulda Been You Kathryn V. Lamkey Award – Ellen AlberdingEquity/Alan Eisenberg Award Scholarship – Isabelle McCalla Rosetta LeNoire Award – Weston Playhouse Theatre Company

EQUITY FOUNDATION AWARDS Clarence Derwent Award – Phillipa Soo and Josh GrisettiRichard Seff Award – Julie Halston and Brad Oscar Roger Sturtevant Award – Amanda Hartley UrteaSt. Clair Bayfield Award – Amanda QuaidThe Joe A. Callaway Award – Suzanne Bertish and

Paxton WhiteheadPaul Robeson Citation Award – Arthur French

AWARDS

DECEMBER 2015 EQUITY news / 3

submit photo/résumé requestsand will schedule appointmentauditions for a minimum of tenactors who have submitted.

“The COST producers wereattentive and understanding ofEquity’s concerns, askingquestions and really listening toour responses. Likewise, welistened and learned about thecomplexities in running atheater and producing goodwork,” said Sloan.

When it comes to safe andsanitary, the negotiating teamworked with the producers tocreate a more detailed firesafety procedure conditions andemergency evacuation plan. Ifthere are stunts within theshow, a stunt coordinator will beengaged to teach themaneuvers and a fight captainwill be required every time thereare fights staged for aproduction, not only when thefights are large or involveextraordinary risk.

“The COST negotiationswere challenging, but alsointeresting and congenial,” saidCouncillor Ruth E. Kramer, chairof the COST committee. “TheEquity negotiating team worked

hard to break throughobstacles; our chief negotiatorBeverly A. Sloan and her staff,Jeffrey Bateman, KathyMercado and RaymondMorales, contributed necessary— and sometimes surprising —history, statistics, ideas andstrategies, and our bargainingpartners across the table wereindeed our ‘partners,’demonstrating by theirresponses to our argumentsthat they value our members.”

Members of the COSTbargaining unit consisted ofTodd Schmidt of Paper MillPlayhouse, assisted by ChrisSlavik; and Jason Loewith ofOlney Theatre Center, assistedby Fred Paul.

Equity’s negotiating teamconsisted of Ruth E. Kramer,chair; Michael Dotson, 1st vicechair; Mark Aldrich; LindaCameron; Wally Dunn; ChristineToy Johnson; Matthew J.Kilgore; Jeanne Lehman; andJason A. Quinn. Equity staffmembers included SeniorBusiness RepresentativeBeverly A. Sloan, COSTBusiness Rep Jeffrey J.Bateman, Business Rep KathyMercado, and RaymondMorales, Assistant to the SeniorBusiness Rep.

Staff successfullynegotiated Equitycontracts for 12 actors

and two stage managers forthe world premiere of HalPrince’s new stage musicalPrince of Broadway, whichplayed two engagements inJapan and is aiming for aspring 2016 run on Broadway.

La Mirada, CA – A newMSUA Agreement withMcCoy/Rigby Entertainmentfor its production of The LittleMermaid will utilize 21contracts for the duration of the

10-week run.Minneapolis, MN - New

Epic Theatre has joined theEquity family as a transitionalSPT-1 for the 2015-16 seasonadding more than 18 newmember workweeks.

New York, NY - MODTheatre Company, a newnonprofit member company,comprised of artists andeducators and dedicated toadapting literary classics forthe stage, is producing its 2015inaugural production of AChristmas Carol under the Off-

Broadway Transition Contract.New York, NY - After a

period of financial hardship,Fallen Angel TheatreCompany, a nonprofit membercompany committed topresenting dynamic Irish andBritish plays written by andabout women, is once againproducing Off-Broadway underthe Transition agreement.

New York, NY - Futurity, co-produced by Ars Nova andSoHo Rep, extended its sold-out run for three weeks underthe Off-Broadway agreement(moving up from the Miniagreement), allowing for 16members to be paid at thehigher contract salary.

Portland, OR - Tears of JoyTheatre will produce WhenAnimals Were People under anew TYA agreement, resultingin eight workweeks for onemember.

Tokyo, JAPAN - As a resultof successful COST agreementterm negotiations, over 25contracts are expected for thethree-week Tokyo engagementof the McCoy/RigbyEntertainment production ofDreamgirls.

Due to accommodationsmade by the Business Theatre& Events committee chair,Eastern Regional staff wasable to successfully negotiateterms for a new product launch

event — the LG washingmachine — took place in TimesSquare. Equity was able toachieve a total of sevencontracts, gaining 21workweeks for a total of$25,386.

TRACKING WHATYOU’RE OWED

Western Regional staffrecovered almost $800 inmissing vacation pay for twoactors from Western RegionalLORT Theaters. Additionally,staff recovered over $600 inunreported health, pension anddues payments, and over$1,700 in media fee paymentsfor 14 actors from a WesternRegional TYA employer.

# EquityWorksTheater News & Notes

COST Negotiations(continued from page 1)

By Kate Shindle

This time of year alwaysbrings reminders ofcommunity, family andgratitude. I, for one, believethat I have a lot to bethankful for this year.

In our industry, though,the holiday season alsobrings an increasedworkload. Here in New York,schedules are changing,performances are added toalready demanding weeks,and it can seem like a majorbattle just to weave throughthe Times Square crowds onthe way to half hour.

Despite these challenges,it’s a great moment to be inthe theatre. Our business israpidly changing andexpanding, and new modelscontinue to emerge fordistributing live theatreacross various platforms. I’mexcited to explore the waysin which we can increase theaccessibility of our art form.In truth, we have to do so; asproducing shows becomesmore and more expensiveand ticket prices riseaccordingly, we must seekout new frontiers fordelivering theatre, whilesomehow preserving thefundamental treasure that isthe live interaction betweenplayers and audience. I don’tyet know how we willbalance these competinginterests. But in addition tobringing theatre to widerdemographics, andengaging the nextgeneration of audiencemembers, this kind of big-picture thinking also has thepotential to open up newrevenue streams andopportunities for theemployers who hire us —especially in our small citiesand towns across the

country, where it can oftenseem like a daily strugglejust to keep the lights on.

One of my favorite partsof this job is the opportunityto sit down and collaboratewith big thinkers. In abusiness where we cansometimes feel like the sunrises and sets on theoutcome of our audition for ayogurt commercial, it’sfantastic to be able to havelarge-scale conversationsabout the future of ourindustry and possiblepathways to achievingcollective success (not fornothing, it also appeals tothe part of my brain thatinsists that there’s more tolife than yogurt commercials.No offense, yogurt.) And I’vebeen talking to some of mylongtime favorite people —and also to some new facesI’ve only recently learned toappreciate — about theatrein the digital era. Andexpanding the models weuse to do what we do. Anddiversity. And gender parity.And the ways in which weparticipate in thedevelopment of new shows.

The last of those seemsto be pretty radioactive thisyear. Like many of us, I’vedone dozens upon dozens ofreadings, workshops,concerts of new work,presentations and worksessions. Never, though,have I seen our membersreach what feels like atipping point in thisconversation. We arehearing significant calls toeliminate the Lab Contract,which allows producers todevelop new shows withoutmounting full productions,but does not includeparticipation in future rights.In fact, plenty of members

have suggested to me thatall developmental contractsand codes without rightsparticipation be eliminated(although I would cautionagainst rushing into thatstrategy, for a number ofreasons). Part of this, ofcourse, has to do with what’sbeen going on here in NewYork (or here on Broadway)and our members’ feelingthat when they help to makea show wildly successful,they should be able tonegotiate a portion of thefuture revenue. By nature,this is an overscalenegotiation, and thus notwithin Equity’s purview. But itis becoming increasinglydifficult to ignore thosevoices — coming from someof our most active andprolific members — insistingthat change be considered.

One of the hallmarks of asuccessful developmentperiod is that a “project”becomes a “job.” That iswhat most of us are workingtoward when we sign ontothese nascent shows, inwhatever preliminary formthey may take. What ourmembers seem to be askingright now is how to balancethe happiness (some wouldeven call it gratitude) thatresults when a contractactually comes to fruition.Because what many of thesame members are asking iswhether our colleagues areequally grateful to have us inthe room with them,exploring their creations andworking to make them better.There is no simple answer.But I have a feeling it’s aconversation that willcontinue for a while.

That’s all for now. Have ahappy, safe and creativeholiday season!

From thePRESIDENT

On Gratitude

4 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

I am celebrating my 53rdyear as an Equity member.

At 22, auditioning for thesummer season of ‘63, I hadbeen offered the role of EmileDe Becque in South Pacific at anon-Equity house. Soon after, afriend who was going to be thechoreographer at the then-Ephrata Legion Star Playhouse,a small Equity theater in PA, gotme an audition at the old LambsClub. The company had a bigseason of mostly musicals, butwas opening with Come BlowYour Horn – and I wanted the

part of the younger brother,Buddy.

A girl came out of theaudition room saying that shegot the job.

“What did you sing?”“Oh, I didn’t sing,” she said.

“He said anyone who went toJuilliard doesn’t have to sing forme. I didn’t have the nerve to tellhim I was in the dancedepartment.”

My turn. I entered a small,bare room with an elderly mansitting at a table and an oldupright piano against the wall. I

introduced myself, handing himmy résumé and making sure tomention the choreographer andhow right he thought I was forthe role. “That’s our openingshow,” he said. “It says here thatyou’ve done – [pause] – onlychildren’s theater. Why should Ihire you?”

“Because I’m right for thepart.”

“Sing something for me.”“Where’s the accompanist?”“I don’t have one – a waste of

money,” he said. “You can singor you can’t, you don’t need apiano. You may accompanyyourself if you need to.”

I turned and hit a startingnote on the old upright. When Ifinished he said:

“Not bad. I’ll be in touch withyou.”

“Don’t you want me to read?”“Well, you must be pretty

good if you want to read. Goahead.”

I had gone to French’s and

purchased the script. Theopening line was: “Hello Alan,are you busy?”

“Not bad,” he said, “but I’mlooking for a youthful quality.”

I was 22, and believe me,very youthful. I read a bit more,and he said he’d be in touch. Ileft in a daze. It certainly didn’tgo the way I had envisioned it.

My dog and I sat around ourapartment wondering how wewere going to spend thesummer – and if we would evereat again. The dog more than I,as I knew I would be takingsome meals at my mother’s.

The phone rang: A gruff voiceon the other end said, “Are youready to go? I’m driving uptomorrow. Meet me at 10 a.m. atthe Lambs and don’t be late.”

“Who is this? What are youtalking about?”

“It’s John Cameron, theproducer of the Ephrata LegionStar Playhouse. We’re startingour season; you’re my juvenile

for the whole season startingwith Come Blow Your Horn.You’ll be there all summer. I’llhave the Equity contracts withme. You didn’t take anything elsedid you?”

“No, but I’m not prepared. Ihave a dog,” I said.

“No animals; they’re notallowed in the hotel.”

“I’ll have to find someone totake him. What’s the salary?

“We’re a ‘z’ house; $70 aweek, but I take some out forthe hotel room. I guess I forgotto call you sooner. Are youcoming with me tomorrow ornot?”

“Yes, I’ll be there. I have tomake some arrangements formy dog and I’ll have to give upmy apartment, but I’ll be there.Thank you.”

It was an incredible summerand an invaluable experience:playing great roles andbecoming a professional Equityactor.

Partnering Professionals with Kids St. Louis’ Variety Children’s Theatre puts on a musicalwith union members and kids with disabilities

“Anything can happenif you let it.” Thismantra is the

driving force behind the musicalMary Poppins — and thosewords were perhaps nevermore à propos than they werewhen Broadway’s ElizabethDeRosa sang them onstage atthe Touhill Performing ArtsCenter in St. Louis, Missouri,surrounded by children of allages, many of them withdisabilities.

This particular productionwas staged by VarietyChildren’s Theatre as part ofVariety the Children’s Charity ofSt. Louis, an organizationdevoted to enriching the lives ofchildren with disabilities. Variety

began working with Equityactors in 2009, allowing its“Variety Kids” the opportunity towork onstage with unionprofessionals.

Central Regional DirectorSean F. Taylor and BusinessRepresentative David Kolentravelled to St. Louis to see thisyear’s performance and meetthe members who worked onthe show. Both noted theextraordinary work the Varietystaff has done, and continuesto do, in undertaking thismassive and important work.

“Over my 25 years as anEquity member,” said memberJohn Flack, who has performedin the last five Variety shows, “Ihave had so many wonderful

theatrical experiences that itwould be impossible for me torecount all of them. But I cantell you that, hands down, themost rewarding of all havebeen the Variety Children’sTheatre productions. Workingwith the Variety kids and theirfamilies brings in to sharp focusthe power and beauty thatmusic, dance, comedy anddrama can have in all of ourlives.”

Allison Newman, whoreturned to her hometown towork on this show, said “to seethe joy on those kid’s facesthroughout this whole process,is something I will take with mefor the rest of my life. The teamat Variety is such a special

Remembering Two Former Councillors

Evan ThompsonEvan Thompson, who

passed away at the age of 83this past February after battlinga respiratory illness, joinedEquity in 1956. He would go onto serve as Principal Councillorfrom 1968 until 1973. Havingworked across the country inregional theaters, summerstock houses, theater for youngaudiences, cabarets andBroadway, Thompson was aproud actor and member ofEquity.

In 2014, battling lungcancer, Thompson kept acting;he took part in the Off-Broadway play A Beautiful Dayin November on the Banks ofthe Greatest of the GreatLakes. Of course, he and hiswife, Joan Shepard, continuedto perform for children with theFanfare Theatre Ensemble, atroupe that the couple foundedin 1971. The duo would write,perform, design and directadaptations of fairy tales foryoung audiences.

“My father had the purestspirit and the truest heart ofanyone I have ever known,”said Owen Thompson, Evan’sson, in a statement. “It is utterlyappropriate that his finalperformance was given to atheater full of adoring children.He never lost contact with thechild in the deepest place ofhis soul.”

Zale Kessler Having served on over 15

committees, former CouncillorZale Kessler was a dedicatedEquity member. Kessler joinedEquity in 1959 and remained amember until his death on Sept.28, 2015. He served asPrincipal Councillor three times,his last term in 2004 and servedon the Western Regional Boardtwice throughout his uniontenure.

Known as a colorfulcharacter, Kessler worked oncommittees and negotiatingteams such as Entry to Equity,WCLO Negotiating Team,Developing Theatre, LORT andHollywood Area TheatresContract, among others.

He was born in St. Louis butmoved to New York City in thelate ‘50s to appear in theBroadway musical The NervousSet. His Off-Broadway debutcame shortly after in a showcalled O, Oysters!!!. OtherBroadway appearancesincluded roles in Gantry andDarling of the Day. He replacedMilo O’Shea as the leading manin Jerry Herman’s Dear World,opposite Angela Lansbury. Andwhen the first theatricalproduction at the Lincoln CenterTheater (a play by Peter Ustinovtitled The Unknown Soldier andHis Wife) moved to Broadway,Zale joined the cast as areplacement.

Richard Balin

How I Got My

Equity Card

group of people and they arechanging kids’ lives every day. Ithas filled the passion tankinside me to the brim, and Ionly hope I can go back and bea part of future productions.”

As the theater continues tomount such magical andsuccessful productions, thestaff in the Central Region is

thrilled to watch them grow.Kolen noted, “It is an honor tohave crafted an agreement thatallows Equity members to workwith such an incredibleorganization. I can’t wait formore of our members to havethe experience of working insuch a unique and challengingenvironment.”

DECEMBER 2015 EQUITY news / 5

Centered On and Growing With Actors

We asked the staff at theHippodrome Theatre to tell usabout the company; this is whatthey had to say:

The Hippodrome’s historyand vitality are built onits artistic achievement.

The Florida-based company hasproduced more than 100 world,American and Southeasternpremieres in its 43-year history.Acclaimed playwrights, includingTennessee Williams, EricBentley, Paula Vogel and LeeBreuer, among several others,have developed new works onthe Hippodrome stage.

For over four decades, thetheater has been the epicenterof Gainesville’s arts and culturaldistrict. Known as “The Hipp,” itis a landmark attraction servingover 80,000 patrons annually,producing eight mainstage playseach season. Through everyproduction, the Hippodromestrives to provide anenvironment that helps itspatrons understand the past,accept the present and worktoward positive change for thefuture.

The Hippodrome is centeredon its Acting Company. ArtisticDirector Lauren Caldwell

assembled this company in2014, focusing on the mission tocreate an artistic home for acore group of professionals,the majority of which aremembers of Actors’ Equity.

Caldwell elaborated, “Weall know that fundingsources are dwindling at arapid pace for the arts. TheHipp’s Acting Companycreates a shortcut in therehearsal process. Theactors know each other sowell, believe in the missionand fully support eachother. We welcome newartists with open arms; theHippodrome takes greatpride in the assurance thatthere is a group of actors towhom we can be dedicatedto artistically andfinancially.”

Acting Company andEquity member TimAltmeyer says, “Home is animportant thing for me — as Ithink it is for so many actors,roving gypsies that we often are.Many of those with whom I’vecollaborated with at the Hipp arelike family to me.”

As a director, Caldwell’sprocess is organic, allowing fordirector, designers and actors toshare equal investment in theproduction.

The theater is located in the

heart of downtown Gainesville,Florida, occupying a classicalrevival style historical building.

Hippodrome actors, artists andadministrators are dedicated topreparing a new season ofstorytelling to awaken ideas,stimulate change andencourage dreams.

“The Hippodrome occupiesthe most beautiful building indowntown Gainesville and haslong been used as a culturalfocus point for the region,” saidActing Company Equity memberSara L. Morsey.

In addition to its theatricalproductions, the company alsoserves as Gainesville’s only art-

house cinema,providesaward-winningeducationalprogramming,hosts anannualplaywritingcompetitionand reachesout tocommunitypartners foreventcollaborations.As a result, theHipp has built astrongreputation asproviding theGainesvillecommunity withan artistichome to

nurture collaboration andindividual creativity.

“To call the Hipp a ‘theater’only tells part of the story. Inmy 20-year relationship withthe Hippodrome, it hasalways felt like an epicenterof artistic thinking inGainesville, with a visual artgallery, independent cinema,eclectic seasons and deeproots in the Florida art

scene,” said AltmeyerFor the 2015-2016 season,

the Hippodrome will intersectcreation and convention withretellings of classics tales aswell as presenting twosoutheastern premieres (AllGirl Frankenstein and Womenin Jeopardy) and a worldpremiere (The Snow Queenwritten by company memberCharlie Mitchell). With everyperformance, the artisticmission is to enrich thecommunity and world throughthe art of theater.

At the core, theHippodrome’s growth andsuccess has been madepossible through their keypartnership with Equity.Through this collaboration,the Hippodrome has beenable to provide high-quality,professional theater toaudiences across NorthCentral Florida and beyond.

Morsey said, “I joined AEAthe first chance I got. Once Idecided I was going to be aprofessional actor, it becamemy goal to be a member of‘the union of professionalactors and stage managers inthe United States.’ That prettymuch says it all, doesn’t it? Iknow I can hold my own withany fellow actor anywhere,and that’s a great feeling.”

75 Years AgoDecember 1940

• Equity issues apreliminary report on newSunday performances. Afterthe Council decides to allowmembers to work Sundayperformances, it appears thatshows that were on the vergeof closing begin to extend theirruns — noting that the

additional day is extendingperformance weeks —benefiting union members.

50 Years AgoDecember 1965

• Late this month, Equitymoves into its new home in theEastern Region. Moving to 165West 46th Street, the unionmakes its location change, citing

more reasonable economicpurposes. At this point, theunion will have the entire 13thand a small portion of the 14thfloors. It’s noted that the newspace has six modern, highspeed elevators that can climb600 feet per minute.

• The National Council on theArts announces the firstgovernment grants to sevenprojects in the arts. The sum of$500,000 has been designatedto help found three theatercompanies “of the highestprofessional quality” wheretheater is not readily accessible.

25 Years AgoDecember 1990

• Equity News prints, in itsentirety, “A Statement ofMutual Understanding,” a letterby Council laying out thespecific terms and conditionsto which Miss Saigon producerCameron Mackintosh agreed.The letter speaks to race,diverse casting efforts,specifically the role of Kim,and the meetings the unionand Mackintosh hadthroughout the previous fewmonths.

10 Years AgoDecember 2005

• The Resident MusicalTheatre Association Contract,or RMTA, is extended to 2009with a significant increase inhealth rates, plus increases inminimum salaries. Additionally,the Musical Stock UnitAttraction Agreement, orMSUA, is approved for fiveyears. The major goal was tomaintain the Actuarial HealthRate, which was accomplished— as well as increases inminimum salaries.

A Look Back

The boards of The ActorsFund and CareerTransition for Dancers

(CTFD) announced a mergerrecently of the two nonprofithuman services organizations.CTFD’s operations will be fullyintegrated into The Fund’sfacilities in Chicago, New Yorkand Los Angeles at the end ofthe year.

“The Actors Fund also helpsdancers and we pride ourselveson responding to their uniqueneeds,” said Equity memberand Actors Fund Trustee BebeNeuwirth. “In working together,

both organizations will be betterpositioned to help moredancers across the country tothrive during all phases of theircareers.”

The Fund, which shares amission of providing programsand services to dancers andthe dance community, willintegrate the services of CTFDinto the ongoing programs ofThe Actors Fund, such as theDancers’ Resource and TheCareer Center at The ActorsFund.

Additionally, The ActorsFund Work Program has a new

name. Now known as TheCareer Center at The ActorsFund, the new name isintended to reflect the fullscope of activities, programsand services available to Equitymembers.

The Center is meant toassist those in the industry inidentifying and findingmeaningful sidelineemployment or a new careerthrough one-on-one counseling,seminars, workshops and paneldiscussions.

For more information, visit actorsfund.org.

The Actors Fund and Career Transition for Dancers Merge Services

Arthur French Awarded 2015 Paul Robeson Citation

Actors’ Equity memberArthur French wasawarded the 2015 Paul

Robeson Citation, presented bythe Equity Foundation onOctober 16, 2015, in New YorkCity.

“I remember how I got myEquity card,” French said. “Duringmy first show, Raisin’ Hell to theSon, the director said to me, ‘Youhave to join Equity.’ I walkeddown every block and looked atthe marquees. I didn’t know whatI wanted to do with my life. Butwhen he said that, ‘you have tosign a contract,’ it was clear for

me. I knew then, that this iswhere I wanted to be. Equity’sbeen good to me. I’m so happyto be here among so manymembers.”

Created in 1971, the awardhonors individuals ororganizations that best exemplifyand practice the principles towhich Robeson devoted his life:dedication to the universalbrotherhood of all humankind,commitment to the freedom ofconscience and of expression,belief in the artist’s responsibilityto society, respect for the dignity

(continued on page 6)

6 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

Broadway fans celebratedthe 29th Annual BroadwayFlea Market & Grand Auctionby bidding onand buyingeverything fromtickets to a bevyof opening nightperformancesto custom-mademusic mixes,fromautographedmusicalphrases toonce-in-a-lifetimetheatricalexperiences.The result: a record $756,655was raised for Broadway

Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.The biggest day of the year

for Broadway fans brought

hundreds of Equity membersand thousands of other theaterlovers into Times Square,Shubert Alley and onto West44th Street this fall. They weregreeted by a record 74 tablesfull of Broadway treasures and68 of Broadway’s brighteststars at the “autograph table”and photo booth. In addition,more than 200 auction lotswere offered in live and silentauctions throughout the day.

Among the show tablesoffering one-of-a-kindmemorabilia, including

costume pieces, vintagePlaybills and show posters,

CDs and specialty items madeby the cast membersthemselves were the

companies of An American inParis (1), Beautiful - TheCarole King Musical (2), TheBook of Mormon (3), as wellas long-running tables fromActors’ Equity (4) and theStage Managers Association,both now part of the FleaMarket for more than 25 years.In all, 74 tables representingBroadway and Off-Broadwayshows, as well as theaterowners, management offices,

Equity Members Help Set New Fundraising Record at Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction

of the individual and concern forand service to all humans of anyrace or nationality.

French has been a workingactor for more than 50 years,from his early work with theNegro Ensemble Company to hismost recent appearance onBroadway in The Trip to Bountiful(2013). For his extensive body ofwork Off-Broadway, he receivedan Obie Award for “SustainedExcellence” in 1997. In 2006, hereceived the Lucille Lortel Awardfor Outstanding Featured Actorin August Wilson’s Two TrainsRunning. He’s also appeared inproductions of Dividing theEstate, Ma Rainey’s BlackBottom, You Can’t Take It WithYou, Death of a Salesman, TheRiver Niger, The IcemanCometh and Ain’t Supposed toDie a Natural Death, amongothers.

In addition, he has worked onthe road, been on the faculty ofHB Studios and has volunteeredat senior centers.

Previous recipients of thePaul Robeson Citation include:Paul Robeson; Maya Angelou;

Harry Belafonte; Ossie Davisand Ruby Dee; James EarlJones; Athol Fugard; LenaHorne; Joseph Papp; SidneyPoitier; Pete Seeger; and, in2014, Baayork Lee.

The Actors EquityFoundation, a philanthropic andhumanitarian nonprofit

organization, was created in1962 to aid and assist themembers of the actingprofession and to promote thetheatre arts. It is separate fromActors’ Equity Association andreceives its funding from estatebequests and individualdonations.

Paul Robeson Citation winner Arthur French along withCouncillor Julia Breanetta Simpson.

Arthur French(continued from page 5)

unions and guilds and manyother organizations within theBroadway community raised$385,915. The top five tablesraising the most money wereHamilton with $22,624 (5),Wicked with $21,916, TDF’sannual “Pik-a-Tik” with$15,212, Creative GoodsMerchandise with $13,745and Finding Neverland with$13,434.

Bryan Batt and BroadwayCares’ esteemed auctioneerLorna Kelly againentertainingly handledhosting duties for the live

auction, whichraised a record$295,500. Thetop-selling lot ofthe day left itswinning biddersaying “yeah” to anappearanceonstage in KinkyBoots, whichraised $13,000.

VIP tickets andan exclusive meet-and-greet at Handto God wasauctioned off by

the show’s Tony Award-nominated star Steven Boyerand his ever-present, foul-mouthed sidekick Tyrone, aswell as backstage experiencesat 18 other shows, includingthree opportunities at thisseason’s smash hit, Hamilton.

Earlier in the day, Equity

members Stephen Wallem andKirsten Wyatt co-hosted thesilent auction, which raised$75,240.

The Broadway Flea Market& Grand Auction was born in

1986 when the company of AChorus Line sold items on twotables outside their stage doorin Shubert Alley. In 1987 anumber of other shows joinedthem and raised $12,000 tobenefit Equity Fights AIDS.

The 29 editions of theBroadway Flea Market &Grand Auction have raised agrand total of $11.8 million forBroadway Cares/Equity FightsAIDS and has become a

cherished tradition of theBroadway theater communityeach fall.

For a full story, photos and video, visitbroadwaycares.org/fleamarket2015.

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Actors’ Equity wants to better understand its membership so that broad services can be created that benefit all members. To do that, we’d like your help. Take a moment to log on to the Member Portal (members.actorsequity.org) and visit your profile, where you can provide information about yourself, including your cultural background/ethnicity and/or any disability. Please note: This is strictly for internal use and will not be shared with employers.

DECEMBER 2015 EQUITY news / 7

The 2014–2015 Theatrical Season ReportAn Analysis of Employment, Earnings, Membership and Finance

By Steven DiPaolaAssistant Executive Director for Finance and Administration

In 1995, Guy Pace, theexecutive at Actors’ EquityAssociation then responsible forcreating this report, proudlystated that earnings by themembers working on Equitycontracts had set a new high —$188 million. Now, we canproudly observe that memberearnings have once againestablished a new high – thistime of more than $367 million –almost twice as much as thatmilestone achieved 20 yearsago. In the recently concluded2014-2015 season, earningsunder the Production contractalone exceeded the totalmember earnings under allcontracts in that 1994-1995season. So, after severalseasons following the globaleconomic crisis that began in2008, when member earningshovered around the $330 millionmark, this season they cameroaring back providing a verybright spot of good news in thisyear’s summary of employmentand earnings.

Certainly, the lingeringimpact of the economic calamityof seven years ago still remainsin certain areas. Work weeksclimbed again this year, butcontinue to do so at a slowpace and have yet to recover allthe losses suffered in theimmediate aftermath of 2008.Some contracts and geographicareas are still especiallynegatively affected. Other areashave seen a much more robustrecovery and are furtherremoved from the difficulties ofthe recent past. What is clear isthat there is no single storylineof continued difficulty orsuccess coupled with optimism.There are instead many smallerstorylines occupying the spacebetween those two oppositepoints.

Employment:This season’s work week

total of 294,367 (a work week isdefined as one week of work byone member) represents thehighest level of employmentsince the fall-off that occurredfollowing the so-called GreatRecession that began in 2008.It represents a small and yethopeful step back to the level of300,000 work weeks that hadbeen attained prior to therecession. As work weeks haveremained stable over the pastfour seasons, so too have thenumber of individual memberswho found work in ourjurisdiction and the averagenumber of weeks worked permember. An additional 190members worked on an Equitycontract this season, and since

the work week numberincreased only modestly, thenumber of average weeksworked by each memberdecreased fractionally.

While the number of workweeks over the past fourseasons has traveled within anarrow range of only about13,000 work weeks, as themiddle part of Table 1illustrates, there has been morenotable movement within workweeks, regionally. Eastern workweeks have increased over thepast four seasons by 4.9%, arate a bit higher than the overalltotal. Central work weeks havegrown at a rate of 11.4% overthe past four seasons, morethan twice the overall rate.Western work weeks haveshrunk a bit over the same fourseasons by a rate of about2.6%, so that now Central andWestern work weeks comeclose to evenly sharing the workweeks not occurring in theEastern region, where morethan 2/3 of the employmentoccurs.

Further on down the table,we can see that Principal workweeks shrunk a bit from lastseason, as did Stage Managerwork weeks, while Chorus work

weeks grew a bit. However, overthe four-season range, thesedistributions have remainedfairly consistent and they arelargely a function of the materialthat is being produced.

The lower third of Table 1displays some average weeklytotals. This season, about 245more members were employedin an average week than fourseasons ago, a number thatclosely tracks the growth in thenumber of members workingthroughout the season over thatsame time period. Since theoverall number of members hasgrown over four years, despitethe growth in the weeklyaverage, working memberscontinue to represent just a littlemore than 13% of the entiremembership. However,reflective of the regional workweek distributions discussedabove, we can see that over thefour seasons there are almost200 more members working inthe East during an averageweek, and nearly 100 moreemployed members in theCentral region each week. Inthe Western region, the numberof members working each weekdeclined slightly over the fourseasons.

Finally, there are morepeople employed in all threework categories each weekthan four seasons ago.

As noted above, while workweeks overall have increasedmodestly over the past fourseasons, there have been moresignificant movements withinthe individual regions. Charts2A, B and C give a closer viewof those movements over abroader period of time.

It’s clear that all threeregions saw peak employmentright around the 2007-2008season, when overall workweeks hit their highest level inthe history of the union:314,681. The recession beganduring the 2008-2009 season

and all three regionsexperienced a drop inemployment, but from there theemployment stories of eachregion diverge. In the first fullseason after the downturn, theEastern region suffered an evenmore precipitous fall-off inemployment, experiencing a 5%decline in work weeks over thetwo seasons. But employmentbottomed out in that secondseason, and from that period,there has been a consistentincrease in employment,modest and tentative at first, butvery strong over the past threeseasons, so that this seasonEastern work weeks exceededthe 2007-2008 level and haveset a new high.

180,000182,000184,000186,000188,000190,000192,000194,000196,000198,000

Chart 2A, Eastern Region Work Weeks

8 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

In the first season of thedecline, the Central region hada small drop-off in work weeks,but suffered a far steeper fall inthe second season, losing 15%of its work weeks. Employmentin that region hadn’t yet hitbottom, though. After a modestrecovery in the next season,work weeks fell substantiallyagain and established a newbottom. The region’semployment was 19% off itshigh at that time. Since that2011-2012 season, there hasbeen a steady rate of growth,though, and while Central workweeks are still off their high,about half of the lostemployment has beenrecovered and a consistentupward trajectory seems tohave been established.

Like the other two regions,the Western region experiencedtwo seasons of decliningemployment with the downturn,and like the Central region,experienced a small recovery inthe third season, only to befollowed by another steep drop-off in the fourth season. By that2011-2012 season, the Westernregion had experienced a 22%drop in work weeks. However,that still wasn’t the bottom andafter a nice increase in the2012-2013 season, work weeksdropped again in thesubsequent two seasons. Atthis point, the region has had a24% drop-off in employmentsince its high prior to thedownturn. Clearly, there aretheatre centers around theregion that are still trying tomake the necessaryadjustments to the neweconomic realities broughtabout by the deep recession,and the stories of these cities’struggles have beendocumented in the news overthat time. All business, theatreincluded, has struggled.

Table 3 breaks down thisseason’s 294,367 work weeksby contract type in each region.For comparison purposes, italso displays the same totals forthe previous four seasons.

As is always the case, theProduction contract is thelargest source of employment,accounting for nearly 1/4 of allthe work in Equity’s jurisdictionthis season. Likewise, becauseof its use on Broadway in NewYork, the Production contract isthe largest employer in the

40,000

42,000

44,000

46,000

48,000

50,000

52,000

54,000

Chart 2B, Central Region Work Weeks

45,000

50,000

55,000

60,000

65,000

70,000

Chart 2C, Western Region Work Weeks

East, accounting for 35% of theregion’s work weeks. Thesecond largest source ofemployment in the Easternregion is the LORT contract,where 15% of the work weeksoccurred this season. So,combined, 50% of the work inthe Eastern region came fromthe Production and LORTcontracts.

The LORT contract is thelargest source of employment inboth the Central and Westernregions, where it made up 20%and 36% of the work weeks,respectively. With its 19.5%share of all work in Equity’s

jurisdiction, the LORT contract,when combined with theProduction contract, providedmore than 44% of all the workin Equity’s jurisdiction thisseason.

The Production and LORTcontracts will be examined moreclosely later, but it’s valuable toidentify the other significantemployment drivers in eachregion. After the Production andLORT contracts, the nextlargest sources of Easternemployment in order are theDisney World, SmallProfessional Theatre and Off-Broadway contracts. These

three contracts provided morethan 43,000 work weeks in theEastern region this season. AsTable 3 clearly illustrates, theDisney World contract hasprovided a stable source ofemployment for Equitymembers over the past fiveseasons. Off-Broadway, whilefalling off a bit this season fromlast season, remained strongand seems to have recoveredfrom the huge employmentlosses that occurred in that areadue to real estate and economicissues in New York City in theearly 2000s.

In the Central region, the

importance of the Chicago AreaTheatre (CAT) contract cannotbe overestimated. With 8,070work weeks this season, it isnot far behind LORT,accounting for 17% of theemployment in that region andhas been a large and consistentsource of employment for thepast five seasons. Finally, theSmall Professional Theatrecontract is also important to theCentral region with its 7,280work weeks. So, the LORT, CATand the Small ProfessionalTheatre contracts were thesource of more than 50% of theemployment in the Central

DECEMBER 2015 EQUITY news / 9

region.The Small Professional

Theatre contract is once againimportant in the Western region.With its 8,101 work weeks thisseason, it was the secondlargest source of employment,and rose by almost 8% over theprevious season. Though farbehind LORT, it still accounted

for 16% of the work weeks inthe West.

As noted earlier, theProduction contract was — andhas continued to be — thelargest source of employment inEquity’s jurisdiction. Chart 4illustrates employment levels onthat contract over the past tenseasons.

Production work weeks hadtheir own falling off after thedownturn, but as the chartshows, it occurred about twoyears after the recessionbegan, likely caused by thetimetable for bringing aProduction contract show tofruition. After establishing levelsof around 80,000 work weeksfor three seasons, there was asteep decline over the nextthree seasons when workweeks fell by about 27%.However, there has been a nicerecovery over the past twoseasons, and this season’swork week total is the highestsince the 2010-2011 seasonand represents an increase ofmore than 11% over lastseason.

Production work weeks aremade up of two components:point of organization workweeks, or those for productionsthat “sit” in New York (onBroadway), Chicago or LosAngeles; and touring work

weeks, for shows that normallyare first produced on Broadwayand then create separatecompanies to travel to variouscities around the country.

Chart 5 breaks down thework weeks displayed in Chart4 into their point of organizingand touring components. Thischart shows that while bothcomponents fell after thedownturn, the fall in the touringcomponent was far more

significant, likely because of twofactors: the expense of touring,and the more profound impactof the downturn on the cities towhich tours commonly travel.However, it’s interesting to notethat the touring componentbegan to recover lost workweeks one season prior to thepoint of organizationcomponent, and over lastseason production touring workweeks were up a very strong

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

Chart 4, Total Production Work Weeks

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

Chart 5, Production Work WeeksPoint of Organization vs. Production Touring

P of O Touring

48,000

50,000

52,000

54,000

56,000

58,000

60,000

62,000

Chart 6, Resident Theatre (LORT) Work Weeks

$250,000

$270,000

$290,000

$310,000

$330,000

$350,000

$370,000

Chart 9, Total Seasonal Earnings(in Thousands of $)

20,000

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28,000

30,000

32,000

Chart 7A, Eastern Region LORT Work Weeks

5,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,5008,0008,5009,0009,500

10,000

Chart 7B, Central Region LORT Work Weeks

16,000

17,000

18,000

19,000

20,000

21,000

22,000

Chart 7C, Western Region LORT Work Weeks

Produc�on24%

LORT19%

SPT10%

LOA7%

Disney World6%

SETA2%

TYA3%

Stock 2%

Casino1%

All Other26%

Chart 8, Annual Work Weeks by selected Contract Types

10 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

19%.Looking now to LORT work

weeks, they have remained atlevels within a fairly narrowrange over the past 10 seasons,and were virtually identical thisseason compared to lastseason.

As Chart 6 illustrates, withthe exception of one outlierseason (2009-2010, followingthe beginning of the recession),work weeks under LORT havebeen between about 57,000and 62,000, but they have beenconsistently below their earlierhighs for the past severalseasons.

Looking at LORT regionallyin Charts 7A, B and C, all threeregions saw a big decline afterthe 2008-2009 season, but itwas far less significant in theEastern region than in the othertwo regions. There have beensmall declines in LORT workweeks in the Eastern regionover the past three seasons, butonly a cumulative decline ofabout 4%. In the Central region,after a decline last season,LORT work weeks returned to anearly identical level as in the2012-2013 season — whichwas its second highest total inthe decade. In the Western

region, LORT work weeks havebeen more inconsistent, andhave fallen about 9% over thepast two seasons to their lowestlevel in the 10-season period.These declines in WesternLORT work weeks have been asignificant contributor to thedecline in Western employmentoverall.

As seen earlier in Table 3,there are dozens of Equitycontracts under which the17,712 members foundemployment this season. Asalso noted earlier, there areseveral contracts — such as

Off-Broadway and CAT — thatare especially importantsources of work in individualregions/cities. As Chart 8illustrates, however, about 75%of all Equity employment isconcentrated in just ninecontracts.

Earnings:Like work weeks, member

earnings fell following therecession, but not assignificantly. Then for fourseasons, earnings remainedvirtually stagnant. However, lastseason, they saw a nice

rebound and returned to a leveljust about equivalent to wherethey were in the 2007-2008season. This season, they hadan even bigger bounce,increasing by 8.4% to just over$367 million — the highest levelever and surpassing theprevious all-time high(established in the 2008-2009season) by more than $25million. So, while employment isrecovering slowly, memberearnings seem to have comeback more strongly.

Table 10 shows someearnings facts over the mostrecent four seasons. As you cansee, median earnings for amember employed in Equity’sjurisdiction this season stood at$7,548. The median is thoughtto be more statistically relevantthan the average, which wouldbe skewed higher by salaries atthe upper levels. Thepreponderance of memberearnings — like work weeks —occurs in the Eastern region,largely driven by the Productioncontract on Broadway; as thetable shows the concentrationof earnings in the Easternregion has increased over thefour years. The concentration ofearnings in the Central regionhas likewise grown, while it hasdecreased in the Westernregion.

Charts 11A, B and C delvedeeper into regional earningsover the past ten seasons.While the Eastern region had aslight drop-off of less than 1%after the recession began,those lost earnings wererecovered and built upon in theensuing years, establishing newall-time highs in each seasonfrom 2010-2011 on. Thisseason’s increase of 8.8% isespecially large and mirrors theincrease in overall earnings.Over the 10-season period,Eastern earnings haveincreased by about $70 million,or 32%.

The Central region saw amuch larger drop in earningsthan the East, equivalent toabout 13% in the first fullseason after the recessionbegan, but unlike the Easternregion, earnings continued todecline for another threeseasons before beginning torise again last season. Theyrose once again this season byabout 13.4% so that over the

$150,000,000

$170,000,000

$190,000,000

$210,000,000

$230,000,000

$250,000,000

$270,000,000

$290,000,000

Chart 11A, Eastern Region Earnings

$0$5,000,000

$10,000,000$15,000,000$20,000,000$25,000,000$30,000,000$35,000,000$40,000,000$45,000,000$50,000,000

Chart 11B, Central Region Earnings

$0

$10,000,000

$20,000,000

$30,000,000

$40,000,000

$50,000,000

$60,000,000

Chart 11C, Western Region Earnings

$0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000

$100,000$120,000$140,000$160,000$180,000$200,000

Chart 12, Total Production Earnings(in thousands of $)

$0

$10,000,000

$20,000,000

$30,000,000

$40,000,000

$50,000,000

$60,000,000

Chart 13, Touring EarningsFull Tour vs. Teired Touring

Na�onal Tour Tiered Tour

$35,000,000

$40,000,000

$45,000,000

$50,000,000

$55,000,000

$60,000,000

Chart 14, LORT Earnings

DECEMBER 2015 EQUITY news / 11

past two seasons, Centralregional earnings haverecovered about half the lossessuffered after the 2008-2009season.

Unlike the Eastern andCentral regions, earnings in theWestern region did notimmediately drop in the first full

season after the recessionbegan because the region hadan unusually high amount ofProduction contract earningsthat season. However, earningsthen did drop for the next fourseasons. Earnings in the Westincreased by a small amountthis season — despite the drop

in Western work weeks — andhopefully it will mark thebeginning of a sustainedupward movement for thatregion since its earnings aredown about 30% sinceestablishing an all-time high inthe 2007-2008 season.

As noted earlier, the

$1 - $5,00038%

$5,000 -$15,000

31%$15,000 -$25,000

11%

$25,000 -$50,000

10%$50,000 -75,000

3%$75,000-$100,000

2%

$100,000 -$125,000

3%

$125,000 -$200,000

2%

$200,000+1%

Chart 16, Members with Earningsby Selected Dollar Ranges

12 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

Production contract is thelargest source of Equityemployment. Not surprising,then, is that it is also the largestsource of earnings. Thisseason’s nearly $197 million inearnings on the Productioncontract account for more thanhalf of all member earnings.Chart 12 shows Productioncontract earnings over the pastten seasons. In the first sixseasons of the decade, thechart shows sustained growth.In that seventh season twoyears after the beginning of therecession, the downward effectsbegin to show. (You willprobably recall that Productionwork weeks also respondedmore slowly to the recessionthan other contract types.)During three years, beginningwith the 2010-2011 season,Production earnings fell by20%. Fortunately, afterincreases last season andparticularly this season — whenthey increased by 17.5% —earnings on this contract havenow set an all-time high.

Just as Production workweeks are made up of the pointof organization and touringelements, so are productionearnings.

More than 70% of Productionearnings this year derived frompoint of organization shows thatremained in one city — thisseason, all were on Broadwayin New York City. However,nearly $55 million in Productionearnings this season derivedfrom its two touring elements:full tours, and tiered tours,which are more economicallyviable and available for certainproductions. Chart 13 showsearnings for the two Production

touring components for thisseason and the nine priorseasons. As we have seen somany times, the downwardimpact of the recession beganin the 2010-2011 season, whenfull tour earnings fell by 37%and tiered tour earnings by28%. The next several yearswere difficult ones for thissegment of the Productioncontract, but full tour earningshave rebounded a good deal(earnings are up 44% over thepast two seasons), and thisseason’s combined earnings onthe two Production touringelements were the highestsince the 2009-2010 season.

Earnings under the LORTcontract are the second highestsource of income under Equitycontracts and this season’s totalof more than $57 millionaccount for more than 15% ofoverall member earnings. (TheProduction and LORT contractscombined for just under 70% ofall the earnings in Equity’sjurisdiction.)

As Chart 14 shows, LORTearnings have been erratic overthe past ten seasons, and whilethe familiar drop occurred afterthe recession, there have beenseveral other peaks and valleys.The good news is that thisseason’s tally is the secondhighest in the ten-year period inthis very important employment

segment for Equity’s membersaround the country.

Broadening the earningsview, Table 15 shows earningson each contract type in eachregion. Not surprisingly, theProduction contract is thelargest center of earnings in theEast with 65% of total regionalearnings, followed by LORT at10.6%. The $14.1 million inearnings on the Disney Worldcontract in Orlando is the thirdlargest source of income in theEast at just under 5%. The Off-Broadway contract hadearnings of $8.2 million and thatwas just under 3% of totalearnings in the region.

In the Central region, theProduction contract was thelargest source of earnings thisseason at 24%, but this isanomalous as there was anunusual amount of activity onthe Production contract inChicago with the tours of Bookof Mormon and Motown, TheMusical. Generally, the largestearnings driver in the Centralregion is the LORT contract, butthis season it was just behindProduction at 22.5%. The CATcontract is a perennial earningsleader in the Central region,and its $4.8 million in memberearnings this season accountedfor 12.5% of the regional total.

In the Western region, theLORT contract was far and

away the earnings leader,accounting for almost 45% ofthe regional total. Earnings of$4.3 million under the Casinocontract followed LORT at10.7%, and the SmallProfessional Theatre contractand Letters of Agreement werejust behind Casino, accountingfor 9.4% and 9.3% of regionalearnings, respectively.

As we’ve seen, there is oftena link between work weeks andmember earnings, butsometimes the way thoseoverall earnings on a contractimpact the individual membersworking on the contract canvary greatly. For example, asnoted the Production and LORTcontracts lead all othercontracts in work weeks andearnings. The average earningsper work week for a memberworking on these contracts thisseason were $2,697 and$1,001, respectively. On theother hand, the SmallProfessional Theatre contractand the Letters of Agreement,which combined for about49,000 work weeks and almost17% of employment, haveaverage earnings per workweek of $493 and $593,respectively. Nevertheless,these contracts offer importantopportunities for work to a greatmany Equity members, not tomention an opportunity forhealth care eligibility andpension credits.

Further reflecting on howoverall earnings impact theindividual members working inEquity’s jurisdiction, Chart 16shows what percentage of the17,712 members who workedthis season fell into nineearnings ranges. As you cansee, 69% — or more than12,000 of them – earned lessthan $15,000 with 11% (1,832members) earning greater than$50,000.

Membership:Table 17 provides a snapshot

of members in good standing(those current in their basicdues) for the most recentseason and the seasons fiveand ten years ago. Over thedecade, paid membership hasincreased by almost 8%, aremarkable achievement giventhe challenges of the decadeand to unions in general. Alsonotable is that in all threeseasons more than 2,000 newmembers joined the union andchose to assert theirprofessionalism by equating itwith membership in a laborunion. Looking at thesenumbers from a regionalperspective, the table showsthat the number of paid upmembers in the Eastern grewby about 9% and the number ofpaid up members in the Centralregion grew by 23%.Membership in the Westernregion remained relatively evenover the ten-year period. As forregional distribution, thepercentage of total paidmembers living in the Easternregion remained virtually

identical over the ten years, buta greater percentage ofmembers now live in the Centralregion with a smallerpercentage in the West.

Several demographic factsare shown in Table 18. Thedistribution of male and femalemembers is statistically identicalpercentage-wise, and slightlymore than 50% of females havevoluntarily submittedrace/ethnicity data vs. justunder 50% of males. A bit morethan 83% of members identifythemselves as Caucasian, withthose identifying as AfricanAmerican making up the nextlargest group at slightly lessthan 8%. By way of comparison,ten years ago the same twogroups made up the largestsegments, but those self-identifying as Caucasianaccounted for almost 87% withAfrican Americans at just over6%.

The ten cities with the largestnumbers of Equity members aredepicted in Table 19. This listcomprised the same ten citiesten years ago, but WashingtonDC/Baltimore and Philadelphiahave exchanged positions overthe decade. All ten cities haveseen their populations of Equitymembers increase except forLos Angeles, but the city withthe largest growth by far hasbeen Washington DC/Baltimorewhere the member populationhas more than doubled.

Finance:The next few tables and

charts provide a brief summaryof the union’s finances duringthe 2014-2015 fiscal year thatbegan in April and concluded inMarch.

Chart 20 illustrates abreakdown of Equity’s incomewith the largest segment by farcoming from working dues – the2.25% that Equity members payon their first $300,000 of grossearnings when working on anEquity contract. The secondlargest source of income isbasic dues; all active membersin good standing pay $118 peryear, accounting for this income.The third largest source ofincome is initiation fee; newmembers have a maximum oftwo years to pay this one-timefee of $1,100 when joining theunion. Working dues, basicdues and initiation fees havebeen charged at the same ratessince 2002, which marked thelast time that Equity asked itsmembers to increase themdespite having markedlyincreased services to themembers over that time andbattling inflationary costincreases.

Charts 21, 22 and 23 showhow income from basic dues,working dues and initiation feehas changed over the past tenyears. Looking first to basicdues, we see that there havebeen several periods of growthand overall, basic dues incomehas increased by 9% over theperiod despite the rate of $118remaining the same, which is

Table 19, Membership 2014-15 by Major Cities

New York 15,935Los Angeles 7,013

Chicago 1,589San Francisco 968

Washington D.C./Baltimore 854Philadelphia 852

Boston 845Orlando 591

Minneapolis/St. Paul 437Seattle 397

Basic Dues: $5,57228.7%

Working Dues: $8,51643.8%

Initiation Fees: $2,70013.9% All Others:

$2221.1%

Inv estment Income:

$4782.5%

Land & Building Rent: $1,94110.0%

Chart 20,Total Income: $19,429

FY 2014-15(in thousands of $)

DECEMBER 2015 EQUITY news / 13

reflection of having moremembers now than at any othertime.

Working dues income hasincreased by 44% over tenyears, once again even thoughthe rate of 2.25% has remainedthe same. This increase wascaused by a growth in memberearnings over the period drivenprimarily by successful contractnegotiations by Equity. It shouldbe noted that these earningshave increased despite the factthat work weeks this seasonwere virtually identical to whatthey were ten years ago.

Finally, initiation fee income

has increased by 10% over thepast decade and once againthis has occurred despite thefee remaining the same. Thisincrease can be the result ofseveral different factors, not theleast of which is the nearly 8%growth in Equity’s membershipover the period noted in theprevious section.

The fourth largest segmentof income derives from thevaluable land on which Equity’sNew York building stands andfrom the two buildings it owns inChicago and Los Angeles.These three sources of revenuenow account for 10% of overall

income. If one were to lookback ten years, these foursegments would have still beenthe top income generators, butLand and Building Rent onlyaccounted for a little more than4% of the total at that time. Thissegment of income has tripledover the ten years and hasprovided an important source ofincome from a source otherthan the dues and fees paid bymembers. Further, it has helpedto keep operating costs in theform of rent in those threeoffices down.

Chart 24 provides abreakdown of expenses bycategory. As is typical forunions, the cost of employingthe staff that provides varioustypes of member servicesmakes up the largest segmentat about 64%. Interestingly, thisportion of the budget is about1% smaller now than it was tenyears ago despite salary andbenefit cost increases over theyears. This has been achievedthrough various efficienciesrecognized over the decade.The growth of all expenseshave been tightly managed, buteven with that, total expenseshave increased by 40% overthe past ten years while incomehas increased by only 29%,accounting for the very narrowmargin between total incomeand total expenses in the pastfiscal year.

Finally, Chart 25 shows thevalue of the union’s investmentportfolio over the past tenyears. A union builds a portfolioso that it can negotiate from asecure position and to protect itfrom unforeseen circumstances.Consistent with other trendsobserved throughout this report,the value of the investments fellwith the recession that began in2008, but those losses wererecovered. The value of theportfolio stands at about 4.5%less than it did ten years ago,but during the decade Equitymade major infrastructureupgrades in technology thathave reduced operating costswhile increasing our ability toanalyze data. In addition, there

have been communicationsadvances. Finally, funds werealso used to buy the buildings inChicago and Los Angeles,which decreased costs whileenabling Equity to increase itsmember programs in thosecities. The value of these twobuildings and the land Equityowns in New York is notreflected in this portfolio.

In this aftermath of the 2014-2015 season, there is a greatdeal about which to beoptimistic. Most notable is thesurge in member earnings, butthere is also the continuedgrowth in Equity’s membershipat a time when other unions arestruggling to maintainmembership numbers, and therecently concluded negotiationsfor a new Production contractthat saw important gains for the

members who will work underthis contract over the next fouryears. As noted in this report,there are also challenges, butActors’ Equity Association looksupon those as opportunities tomake further gains for themembership as it continues itswork.

Special thanks are due toJoey Stamp, the Associate forFinance and Administration whocompiles the enormous amountof data provided by IT DirectorDoug Beebe, Comptroller JoeDeMichele and Director ofMembership John Fasulo intothe tables and charts that makeup the foundation of thisanalysis. Without these fourindividuals and the many otherswho support them, this reportwould not be possible.

4

$0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

$30,000

Chart 25, Portfolio Market Value(in thousands of $)

Pay roll & Fringes: $12,49664.4%

Of f ice Expenses:

$3,17916.4%

Member Serv ices:

$7473.9%

All Others: $2,30511.9%

Chart 24,Total Expenses: $19,397

FY 2014-15(in thousands of $)

Inf ormationTechnology :

$6703.5%

Inf ormationTechnology :

$6703.5%

$4,800$4,900$5,000$5,100$5,200$5,300$5,400$5,500$5,600

Chart 21, Basic Dues Income(in thousands of $)

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

$3,000

Chart 23, Initiation Fee Income(in thousands of $)

$4,000

$5,000

$6,000

$7,000

$8,000

$9,000

Chart 22, Working Dues Income(in thousands of $)

14 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

By Donna Maria Sorbello,Equity and New EnglandLiaison Committee member

The annual New EnglandEquity meeting was heldOctober 26, 2015, at CentralSquare Theater in Cambridge,MA. At the helm was LiaisonCommittee Chair MichaelDell’Orto.

The well-attended meetingwelcomed Tom Carpenter,Eastern Regional Director,Assistant Executive Director,General Counsel; and MelissaRobinette, Eastern RegionalVice President, who spoke aboutboth local and national issues,such as her participation in therecent FIA (InternationalFederation of Actors)conference. Hope Bowman,Business Representative forNEAT and SPT contracts in theNortheast, joined her colleaguesto address questions regardinglocal contracts. With severalstage managers present, aconsensus by the group

indicated that the compensationoffered in the “extra duties” ridersin NEAT was now fairlyconsistent across theaters.Bowman congratulated stagemanagers for standing togetherto insure that parity and urgedthem to keep her office informedof any further issues.

The highlight of the meetingproved to be the presence of twoguest speakers: the new ArtisticDirector of Merrimack RepertoryTheatre (MRT), Sean Daniels,and Gloucester StageCompany’s AD, Robert Walsh.Walsh is well-known in theBoston theater scene as anactor and director, as ArtisticDirector of the Actors’Shakespeare Project, ProducingArtistic Director of AmericanStage Festival and as a memberof the faculty of the BrandeisTheater Department. Walsh islooking forward to continuing thetradition of GSC’s originalmission: being “a safe harbor forplaywrights and new plays.”Walsh stated that he intends tocontinue this season’s practice

of engaging new artists at GSCand bringing back alumni.

Daniels hails from GevaTheatre in Rochester, New York;California ShakespeareCompany; Dad’s GarageTheatre in Atlanta of which hewas co-founder; and mostrecently from Actors Theatre ofLouisville, where he was anassociate artistic director.Daniels became particularlyinterested in MRT when heattended a performance andsaw the investment of theaudience. In his, thus far, shorttenure at MRT, he hasdeveloped the “Cohorts Club” —an idea he originated at Geva —which is meant to engagemembers of the audience in thetheater process. He’s introducedfree babysitting duringperformances and hasestablished the “PatriotsProgram,” an association of 60theater artists from NewEngland and beyond, whom hehopes to bring to the theater forvarious projects. He has alreadybrought artists together forreadings of new works, with aneye for development.

Equity attendees wereespecially eager to hear thatboth artistic directors intend toseek out talented New Englandarea members. This waswelcome news to an audience oflocal actors who, though thelandscape has changed in theirfavor in the past several years,find that there are still mid andlarge-size New England theatersthat opt to audition and cast out-of-state actors in many roles.New England members left themeeting feeling encouraged bynew possibilities in the localtheater scene.

New England

Welcoming Two Artistic Directors to the Northeast

New York City

Pass It On — Actors Reflect on a Life in the Theater

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(From L to R): Councillor Kristine Nevins with panelists JeffWilliams, Dana Ivey, Victoria Clark and Mercedes Ellington alongwith moderator and 3rd Vice President Ira Mont.

After auditioning for the filmversion of West Side Story,Mercedes Ellington got a callasking whether she’d want toperform in the show DownUnder. “So I went down toAustralia. That’s how I got myAmerican Equity card, and it’sbeen fun ever since!”

With almost 60 Broadwaycredits among them, adistinguished panel of longtimeEquity members gathered for thesecond annual Pass It On:Thriving Artists Reflect on a Lifein the Theatre in the New YorkEquity office. Joining Ellington onthe panel were Dana Ivey, JeffWilliams and Victoria Clark.Moderated by Ira Mont andsponsored by the National EEOCommittee, the discussioncovered the many aspects of along theatrical career — fromgetting a start and managing therough times to developing as aperformer as one ages.

“Between contracts I teach,”said Clark. “It’s my passion toshare with younger people andmy peers. I’m several colleagues’secret voice teacher.”

Williams, on the other hand,has a more traditional fallback.“I’ve had the same restaurant jobsince the ’80s,” he said. “They letme come and go as I work. I sayI take a pay cut when I work onBroadway.”

One of the hardest times inClark’s career was during SisterAct. “No one prepared me forwhat menopause does to yourvoice. It was like going a hundredmiles an hour and hitting a brickwall. People don’t talk about it.Sometimes I would open mymouth and James Earl Jones’voice would come out.”

When asked how to handlethe very different lifestyle actingrequires compared to the lives offriends and family, Ivey

acknowledged how difficult, yetrewarding an actor’s life can be.“You have to have a real fire inyour belly,” she said. “It can bevery lonely to choose this, but thework is the glory when I get to dothe thing I love so much.”

“One of the most importantthings about longevity isversatility,” Clark said. “If onething isn’t working, it’s imperativeto adapt and grow.”

Ellington agreed. “If nobody’scalling you, make it yourself.Somebody somewhere is goingto buy.”

New York City

Changing the Stats: Asian Americans on Broadway

In a rendition of “We Can DoIt,” a hilarious number from TheProducers, Max Bialystock(played by Herman Sebek)encourages Leo Bloom(Raymond J. Lee) to join him inhis rather groundbreakingproducing scheme.

Picture it: “A hit show withAsians in it. Something new andinnovative — hardly ever seen.

On Broadway! Asians playinganybody.”

During Changing the Stats:Asian Americans on Broadway,presented by the National EqualEmployment OpportunityCommittee of Actors’ Equity andReImagined WorldEntertainment, on Nov. 2, 2015,fourteen Asian American actorsperformed a few of their musical

theater dream roles. “As national chair of the Equal

Employment OpportunityCommittee,” said EquityCouncillor Christine Toy Johnson,“I’m so proudof the manyways thatActors’EquityAssociationstands up forthe inclusionof all ourmembers inthe Americanlandscape ofstorytelling— andtonight’sconcert ofdream rolesnottraditionallycast withAsianAmericanactors was atrue celebrationand extensionof our tenacity in achieving moreand more.”

Iconic characters such as theexuberant Rose from Gypsy (AnnHarada), brooding Bobby from

Company (Jose Llana), elegantMargaret from The Light in thePiazza (Johnson) and thetantalizing Ulla from TheProducers (Emily Hsu) were

showcased infront of a sold-out house atthe LeonardNimoy Thalia atPeter NortonSymphonySpace in NewYork City.

The actors,accompaniedby MingAldrich-Gan onpiano andJoshuaSamuels onpercussion anddirected andchoreographedby RommySandhu andMarc Oka aswell asJohnson, setout to prove

that inclusion on stage is vital —and with the wealth of talentfeatured at the performance,there’s no shortage of AsianAmerican actors.

The ensemble of Changing the Stats: Asian Americans onBroadway.

Albert Guerzon as Tulsa singing“All I Need is the Girl” fromGypsy.

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DECEMBER 2015 EQUITY news / 15

New York City

Enjoy the “Yes” New Members in NYC were

greeted by Broadway’s Max VonEssen during the fall NewMember Reception

At Equity’s NYC New MemberReception on Oct. 26, 2015, MaxVon Essen, Tony Award nomineefor An American in Paris, told theunion’s newest members toenjoy every moment of theircareers.

“In a business full of ‘no,’” hesaid, “you have to revel in the‘yes.’ Give yourselves time tocelebrate achievements in yourcareer, no matter how big or howsmall — even paying your renton time deservesacknowledgement. This is achallenging business. Celebrateyourself.”

As an economics major at theUniversity of North Carolina atChapel Hill, Von Essen quicklyrealized that his passion wasn’tan eight-hour a day office jobcrunching numbers, so hefollowed his instincts to pursuehis artistic dream.

Members from across thecountry, with hometowns rootedin Kentucky, New York, London

and Australia, among others,learned about Von Essen’sjourney and the road leading upto An American in Paris and hisrecent Tony nomination. Whilehe has faced his share of “no’s,”Von Essen is aware that he hashad a fortunate number of “yes”momentsto rejoice inlately. Forthe actor,successhas been,and still is,surreal. Hiscareer hastaken himacross thecountry inseveralregionaltours and to regional theatersas well as to Broadwayproductions such as Evita, LesMisérables and Jesus ChristSuperstar. Throughout the manyincarnations of An American inParis leading up to the PalaceTheatre, he was fearful ofacknowledging his good luck.During the show’s workshop VonEssen told himself that he couldaccept his good fortune once theworkshop was completed. Thenhe postponed that acceptance to

once the production completedits run in Paris, and then once thecompany moved into the Palaceand then after the opening —and then after the reviews. To behonest, he joked, the surrealfeeling never quite goes away. Infact, he still laughs in disbelief

that he’s come thisfar. There are evenmoments while onstage at the Palacethat he can’t quitegrasp that he is onBroadway with aTony Awardnomination to hiscredit.

His advice: Goto as manyauditions aspossible. Get

noticed. Meet people.Sometimes a “no” eventuallyleads to a “yes.”

The event agenda includedinformation regarding the role ofEquity, the role of theprofessional actor, discountsavailable to members, Equityauditions and an overview ofEquity health insurance andretirement benefits.

Visit Facebook to see photosof Equity’s New Members inNYC.

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Equity member andMilwaukee/Madison LiaisonCommittee Chair Kathi KarolKoenig presented C. Michael

Wright, the producing artisticdirector of the MilwaukeeChamber Theatre, with a40th Anniversaryproclamation from Actors’Equity on Oct. 17.

After 40 years “themission of MilwaukeeChamber Theatre is toproduce intimate, high-quality, professionaltheatrical works of literary

merit that engage and challengethe audience, while employingand nurturing principally localtheater artists.”

“Our Milwaukee/Madisonunion actors and stage managersare lucky to have MilwaukeeChamber Theatre as one of ourproducers,” said Koenig. “Theyprovided me one of my firstcontracts when I moved to thearea. They continually push theenvelope with exciting projectsand a commitment to hiring localtalent. Their partnership withForward Theater in Madison hasbeen a wonderful collaboration forthe region and we look forward toworking with Chamber for the next40 years.”

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In early November, thePhiladelphia theater communitygathered to celebrate theexcellent 2014-2015 season atthe Merriam Theater for theannual Barrymore Awards — aprogram of Theatre

Philadelphia — including anaward for the PhiladelphiaArtists’ Collective.

This season, many mid-sizedand smaller Equity companieswere recognized with awards,including Theatre Exile, Theatre

Equity member Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. receiving the BarrymoreLifetime Achievement Award.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Barrymore Awards Celebrate Equity Members

San Francisco, California

Welcoming New Members to the Bay Area

(From L to R) Members Michael Shipley, Kelly Ground, SusanMonson and Alex Shafer.

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On October 26, 2015, the SanFrancisco Bay Area LiaisonCommittee hosted its secondannual Equity East Bay Mixer atthe Albatross Pub in Berkeley,CA. Organized by SafiyaFredericks, the meeting hosted50 members, where committeemembers greeted new membersand were on hand to answerquestions and address concernsabout the San Francisco BayArea Equity scene.

The Bay Area mixers werecreated to replace the previoussecond general membership

meeting and give members a lessformal environment to expresstheir thoughts and feelings aboutthe theater scene to theirrepresentatives — a South Baymixer is set tentatively for January25, 2016. A similar mixer forSacramento members is also inthe works. Liaison Chair AaronWilton touted the benefits ofthese mixers to the WesternRegional Board during itsOctober meeting, suggesting itwas a fun, easy and free way toencourage community within aregion.

A team of Equityperformers, staff andtheater fans joinedforces on Sunday,October 25, for theinaugural BroadwayRun to benefitBroadwayCares/Equity FightsAIDS.

They tackled thefive-mile PolandSpring MarathonKickoff in Central Park. The 14-person team included Equitymembers Tarantino Smith, Brian Walters and Stefanie Frey,who is also a businessrepresentative for the Off-Broadway department of Equity.The team raised $9,110 forBroadway Cares/Equity FightsAIDS, supporting the socialservice programs of The ActorsFund and more than 450 AIDSservice organizations in all 50states.

Inspiration for the run camefrom Broadway Cares volunteerand actor Susan Slotoroff. Shewanted to bring together friendsand colleagues in the theatercommunity to combine herpassions for running andhelping others. Slotoroff turned

to BC/EFA staffer Sarah Cardillofor assistance in making thedream a reality.

“Participating gave me achance to actively send supportand care to those who have toendure far worse than running inthe rain,” Walters said. “I’m proudto have made a difference,surrounded by loving and caringmembers of our community.”

This was Smith’s firstexperience in a run like this: “Iam not certain if I finished last inour group but I am certain thatour cause didn’t.”

Next year, the Broadway Run will be part of the Dash to the Finish Line 5K on November 5. To get involved, contact broadwayrun@ broadwaycares.org.

New York City

InauguralBroadwayRun Raises$9,110

Runners Brian Walters, Sarah Cardillo,Stefanie Frey and Susan Slotoroffparticipate in the Broadway Run to benefitBroadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Horizon, Passage Theatre andInterAct Theatre Company.Individual honors in the actingcategories were presented tomembers Catharine K. Slusar,Scott Greer, Ben Dibble, LizFilios, Leah Walton, Dan Hodge,Michael Philip O’Brien and EMCcandidate Campbell M. O’Hare.

Member and formerPhiladelphia Liaison Committeemember Johnnie Hobbs, Jr. wasrecognized for his distinguishedcareer as an actor, associateprofessor of theater at theUniversity of the Arts and hiscontributions to arts and culturewith a Barrymore LifetimeAchievement Award.

Philadelphia Artists’Collective (PAC) was foundedby AEA members Dan Hodgeand Krista Apple-Hodge,Charlotte Northeast and DamonBonetti. They currently workunder the Special Appearanceagreement. PAC was awardedthe June and Steve WolfsonAward for an Evolving TheatreCompany.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

16 / EQUITY news DECEMBER 2015

Letters received from paid-up members on subjects of concern to Equity members will be consideredfor publication in Equity News, provided that they are no greater than 175 words in length. Lettersselected for publication may be edited for space requirements. Actors’ Equity Association reserves theright to decline to publish letters at its sole discretion. When multiple letters on the same topic aresubmitted, the Editor may decide to select a smaller number of representative letters for publication.Letters must be signed and must provide preferred contact information for verification purposes, butnames may be withheld from publication in certain limited circumstances, at a member’s request.Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of Actors’ Equity Association.

U.S.Postaage

49Letters to The Editor

In Memoriam My great friend Alan Weeks

suddenly passed away on Oct.10, 2015. Alan had adistinguished Broadway résuméthat went on even longer thanthe first act of Les Miz.

Up in that heavenly sing-a-long, my faith tells me that CabCalloway, obviously one ofAlan’s major influences if youever saw him perform, so dugAlan’s way with “There’s A BoatDat’s Leavin’ Soon for New York”that he took Alan to a Chinesebanquet on him. Alan had afollow-spot sized weakness forChinese food.

Alan Weeks, I will always loveme some you.

— Paul Villani

Stage Manager Leslie Loeb(8/10/58-9/26/2015) receivedher Equity card from CircleRepertory Company.

Broadway: Chronicle of aDeath Foretold, Once on ThisIsland (both directed by GracielaDaniele), Anything Goes (withPatti LuPone), House of BlueLeaves, Musical ComedyMurders of 1940. Off-Broadway:Hello Again, Square One andBaby Makes Seven. FordTheater D.C.: CaptainsCourageous.

In Seattle, Leslie managedproductions at the IntimanTheatre and Seattle RepertoryCompany while striking out onher own “Go Productions” to callindustrial events for Microsoft,

Toyota, Boeing, Nike andHewlett-Packard.

Leslie met her (future)spouse and life partner, VickiPardee, during the Broadwayrun of Redwood Curtain byLanford Wilson. This playpremiered in Seattle, wherePardee introduced D’art(a shepherd mix dog) to acting.D’art was instrumental in thetwo meeting in NYC.

Leslie was diagnosed withovarian cancer and foughtbravely for three years. She diedat home — surrounded by familyand friends thanks to Death withDignity in Washington State. Alunar eclipse immediatelyfollowed her departure.

— William Joseph Barnes

Harold G. Baldridge, agraduate of the NeighborhoodPlayhouse School of the Theatre,was executive director of thePlayhouse 1980–2012 and thenExecutive Director Emeritus. Hewas a Meisner and Shakespeareacting teacher, set and lightingdesigner, theater director.Graduates under his tutelageinclude Ashlie Atkinson, BrianGeraghty, Allison Janney, DylanMcDermott and Sherie ReneScott. Prior to the NP, Mr. B wasAD of Theatre Calgary for sixyears, where he directed 30productions, including Walsh,Equus, Hamlet & Rosencrantz &Guildenstern Are Dead (playedin repertory), Threepenny Operaand Jacques Brel.

From 1965-72, he was AD ofthe Woodstock Playhouse in NY,where he directed nearly 60productions, including West SideStory, …Marat/Sade, Cabaret,Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,Six Characters… and TheImportance of Being Earnest,featuring Diane Keaton in her

first professional role. His creditsas director and designerincluded seminal productions ofThe Blood Knot and The Toiletand the Slave. Recently hetaught Shakespeare anddirected at the Acting Studio.

— Ashlie Atkinson

Office ClosingAll Equity offices will close

early on Thursday, December24, 2015, and remain closedon Friday, December 25 inobservance of Christmas. TheChicago, Los Angeles andOrlando offices will close earlyon Thursday, December 31and will be closed all day onFriday, January 1, 2016, inobservance of New Year’s.The New York office will beclosed all day on December31, 2015, and January 1,2016. All offices will be closedon Monday, January 18, 2016,for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

“Were I to die and go to heaven and find itpopulated by actors, I would not be unhappy.”

—-Playwright Ben Hecht

Reported between 07-20-2015 and 11-17-2015

Tyrone Aiken Michael Ansara Harold Baldridge Lani Ball Theodore Bikel H. Edgar Bodiford Bill Capizzi Judy Carne Eddie Carroll Lilyan Chauvin Al Checco Sterling Clark Ralph M Clift George Coe John Connell Catherine E. Coulson Yvonne Craig Paddy Croft A. Donald Cross Ron Curameng Diana Douglas Susan Duffy Chris Eann Vivien Eng Terrence Evans John Flynn Fred C. Forsman Andrew Gerado Jay Gerber Herb Goldstein Sondra Gorney Malcolm B. Grant Rosemary Hartup Dennis Hearn Ann HegiraVictor R. Helou Edena Hines Brenda C. Huggins Bruce Hyde

Marty Ingels Kyle Jean-Baptiste Peggy Johnson Ron Johnston Dean Jones Charles F. Kartali Zale Kessler Carole Ann Lewis Leslie Loeb David London Denise Lor Joan Mankin Bob McAndrew Danny McNie Barbara Meek Aurelia Mills Martin Milner Dick Moore Dale Muchmore Maureen O’Hara Joshua Park Natasha Parry Donald Perkins Frances Peter Gary Plantiff Anthony Ridley Alex Rocco Jack W. Schmidt Victoria Stern Leon B. Stevens Wesley Stevens Jeremiah K. Tatum Tom Toner Honey Waldman Frederick Walters Alan Weeks Alan Willig Michael F. Wolf Wallace W. Wood

In Memoriam Actors’ Equity isaccepting nominationsfor the 2016 Rosetta

LeNoire Award. The award,named after the noted actorand producer Rosetta LeNoire,is given in recognition of herbody of work in the theater,her outstanding work withEquity’s Equal EmploymentOpportunity Committee andalso for founding the AMASRepertory Theatre Company,an organization dedicated tomaintaining an “interracialcompany” of actors.

Inherent in the award isacknowledgement that therecipient has an exemplaryrecord in both the hiring ofethnic minorities (includingfemale actors, actors withdisabilities and senior actors);and should have a workingrelationship (and a history)with Actors’ EquityAssociation.

The deadline fornominations is Friday,February 12, 2016.

Nomination Procedures and Guidelines

• There are two ways tonominate an individual, atheater company and/or anorganization for the award.Nominations can be eitherelectronic or hard copy/paper.

• A 2016 Rosetta LeNoireAward Submission Form mustbe completed for each nominee.The submission form must bereturned with all nomineesupporting documentation andpertinent information no laterthan Friday, February 12, 2016.

• To obtain an electronicsubmission form, go to actorsequity.org and click on the “Rosetta LeNoire Award” link.

• To obtain a hard copysubmission form, contact Luther Goins at 312-641-0393, ext. 237, orlgoins@actorsequity.org.

• All nominee supportingdocumentation, including thesubmission form, is limited toten pages. (Any nominationover ten pages will be edited

down to ten pages by Actors’Equity.)

• All electronic nominations(including the submission form) should be submitted via email to RosettaLeNoire@ actorsequity.org.

• All hard copy nominations(including the submission form)should be mailed directly toLuther Goins at:

Rosetta LeNoire AwardNominationsc/o Luther GoinsActors’ Equity Association557 West Randolph StreetChicago, IL 60661Remember, the deadline for

receipt for all 2016 RosettaLeNoire Award Nominations(including the submission formsand all nomination materials) isFriday, February 12, 2016. Theaward will be presented atEquity’s Annual MembershipMeeting on Friday, April 8, 2016.

For more information, contact Luther Goins at 312- 641-0393, Ext. 237, or by email at lgoins@actorsequity.org.

The Roger SturtevantMusical Theatre Award,given under the

auspices of Actors EquityFoundation, is available tocurrent Equity MembershipCandidates (EMCs) who havedemonstrated outstandingabilities in the musical theaterfield.

The $1,000 award ispresented to one male and onefemale EMC and is based on a

taped audition, writtenrecommendations and acompleted application. A panelof judges, includingactors/members of the ActorsEquity Foundation andmembers of the Casting Societyof America, select the recipients.The panel strictly adheres to theprinciples of non-traditionalcasting and actively encouragesactors of all culturalbackgrounds to apply.

Applications are available at actorsequity.org. Submissions are accepted from Jan. 1 through March 15, 2016. The award was established in 2005 and is supported by donations from friends and family of noted casting director Roger Sturtevant.

For more information, contact Joan Glazer at 212-869-1242 or email jglazer@ actorsequityfoundation.org.

Nominations Due for the2016 Rosetta LeNoire Award

Applications Being Accepted for RogerSturtevant Musical Theatre Award