The Playgoer: An Actor Prepares (to Strike!)

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Friday, January 04, 2008

An Actor Prepares (to Strike!)

Riedel today offers some interesting informed predictions on this year's B'way labor negotiations--this time with Actors Equity.

As if emboldened by Iowa populism, AEA head John Connelly has a radical new idea whose time, I say, has come: profit sharing.

They also may try for a share of the profits of hit shows, arguing that their contribution to the original production is crucial to its success.

Says an Actors Equity source: "A show gets branded in New York with the help of the original cast. It then spawns productions around the world. Why shouldn't the actor community share in that?"

Pie in the sky? Sure. But about time someone said it. It's the talent of the NYC acting pool that ultimately keeps people coming back to Broadway. (Now if they only realized much of the same talent is appearing beyond Broadway, at even lower prices....)

Of course, profit sharing is doomed in the commercial arena. But how about as a model for an upstart non-nonprofit theatre company/collective...?

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