Friday, January 29, 2016

UNION DUES AND DON'TS








As strongly as I support the 99 seat plan and those bravely fighting to defend it, I've been contemplating making a donation myself out of solidarity, but I just cannot do it. I think our LA peers are getting a raw deal all around, and for them to have to raise $75k to have discussions with their union, which they keep afloat through dues - it just seems so terribly wrong - especially when the union already held a vote on the matter and then threw out the decision of their members. Equity should be covering the cost of these discussions, especially when they can pay their Exec Director a quarter of a million dollars a year. They seem to have more money than they let on.  (Though, ironically, the President is a voluntary position – yet… actors can’t volunteer for shows?)
Last summer, when people were at their justified angriest, they filed a suit against the appointed Exec Director, only to drop it in hopes of non-hostile discussion.  (As you may or may not know, NY has been fighting against the 34 year old Showcase code for ages now. Every one, including generations before me, went in like choir boys asking for a holy favor, using the utmost respect, and we got years of “sure, we’ll look into it.” (A movie ticket costs more now than the set Showcase ticket!) Change never happened, and only when we/I were at the end of our rope and fed up with the hypocrisy, and were to fight back with facts, a social media backing and without the constraint of pleasantries, did we make any progress.  Hopefully, the progress ReGroup has made in this year will be the start of major change on this coast.

While it’s clearly smart not to operate solely out of anger, those feelings were repeatedly provoked by Ms. McColl's refusal to listen, and as far as I’ve seen, nothing has changed. You too have tried the high road so many times, maybe it’s time to tell your union what YOU need. I’m not advocating disrespectful conduct, but for us, it came to the point Equity would lose a lot of members, and we’d do it in a high profile matter.  EVERY single member needs to write their own personal letter to the powers that currently be.

The money (and stress!) to fight for the LA 99 Seat should not be coming off the artists' back. AS MUCH AS I SUPPORT THE CAUSE, AND AS MUCH RESPECT FOR MANY OF THE PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR IT, AS THE OUTSIDER, I THINK THE CURRENT PLAN IS A BUM DEAL FOR THE TALENT.  At the least, there needs to be a 501(c)(4) advocacy group formed so that artists donations can be tax deductible.

Surely, we all want to believe Equity will play fair, but especially in the 99 Seat fiasco, they’ve proven repeatedly that they cannot be trusted.  After 5 years of persistently ignoring our requests, they finally listened to ReGroup and gave us what little we needed. I was one of those proud Equity members when I got the email, but I don’t believe it ever would have happened if we hired lawyers and sat with our hands in our laps. Rally the numbers you have. Without your dues, they can’t afford to pay Ms McColl her yearly ¼ million dollars. Then, maybe she will listen.

I’m 110% certain to get more hate mail for this, but I don't have time to read it, so save your time.  Thoughtful comments will be read when I get time.  Whatever you, as the 99 seat community decide, we will have your back. Please take an outsider’s POV for what it is worth and consider saving your money for your art.

#1Theatre

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Keeping the Theatre in the Past


Below is my current letter to the Powers that Be at Actors Equity asking them to let artists be artists. We should not have to beg and grovel for basic rights, but we have...  Several other groups have worked on this same project longer than we have, and though they've gotten no progress, they hold out on the hopes that it's still "Under review." The union that was to protects us now represses its poorest and largest number of people.

NO Public Theatre, NO Manhattan Theatre Club, NO Roundabout, NO Playwrights Horizon, etc, etc, etc, can ever grow in this current environment- and I'm scared that may be intentional.  This isn't about ReGroup, we'll go on somehow. It's about the theatre as a whole - the organism that supports us all. Who is tending IT? If we don't keep it as strong as can be, everyone will be jobless. 
This ALL is much larger than ALL of us.

THE SHOWCASE CODE IS 34 YEARS OUT OF DATE!!
(It's older than most of our members!)


To The Equity Powers That Be:

The Showcase price, set in 1982, if ONLY adjusted for typical inflation (not even 'crazy, overpriced NY/ loss of tons of theatres' inflation) should now be $37. Fact.  

It’s $18.  - Less even than a NYC movie ticket. Fact.


Of the 1,049 NY producing companies listed on AEA’s site, the Showcase is the most listed code. Fact.

So why doesn’t it receive any attention? If it is to be of real purpose, it must keep up with the times. I’ve said this for too many years, and I’ve offered so many olive branches to help – it’s time to demand change. You're likely sick of hearing from me, so if no one is willing to make a change, I need to know to turn in my Equity card now and only cast non-union. (A dozen eggs cost 87 cents in 1982.) I DO NOT WANT TO DO THAT!

(Now instead of doing a Showcase, you pay $40 for a 2 minute 'audition' with a casting director at an acting 'school.' While all AEA and SAG-AFTRA bemoan this change and say they wish they could change it, the neutering of the Showcase has surely lead to this type of 'legal' pay to audition situation.

Our company (The ReGroup) members, the ½ whom are AEA, WILLINGLY volunteer their time to our cause as they gain a lot of benefits from it and we believe we are doing something priceless. History, in such a short time, has been on our side. Our artists may not get paid much, but our members get written about in numerous books, and with our March show, they have the chance to be listed as the first NY Cast of a lost Inge play – a truly PRICELESS accolade - but unless Equity can make some concessions to bring the code from the 1980’s, there’s no way we can work with these dedicated, volunteer company members. We will be forced to go non-union.


I met with former President Wyman who was shocked by the above statement about the code frozen in 1982 (postage stamps were 20 cents)  – and said he’d look into changing it. During the election cycle last summer, I was fortunate enough to interview all 3 great Presidential candidates and speak to them extensively about the matter. They all showed concern for such a neglected code (one that doesn't even take in the invention of the internet - because it wasn't invented in 1982!) President Shindle was very receptive to my pleas to at least make it current, if not reinventing entirely.

ReGroup has had a traumatically, successful 5 years. With the current limitations, there’s no way a company can rise up as the Public Theatre, MTC, Roundabout, or Playwrights when we  are forced to start at a budget of zero or less every time.  Just because we are a non-profit – like a school, nursing home, or library, we can’t keep asking to burn people’s money. We are here to serve our community, and the current code does not allow us to do that.  (Bread was 60 cents a loaf when the code was set.) As a non-profit, we deserve the right to grow stronger and better – and Equity is preventing us from this.  No one is ever going to get rich by producing a Showcase- I’d doubt anyone has ever broken even. As AEA has these financial details, if I am incorrect, please share the statistics that prove me wrong.


I am proud to be a member of Equity – and if I didn’t care so damned much – we would have just gone non-union from the start. Our mentors, the Group Theatre, had a similarly contentious relationship with Equity, but were always able to work out agreements to keep the work at the forefront.  The plays we do are so pro-union, it would be embarrassing for everyone if we had to do them non-union – but right now, we have no choice.  The code is just slightly younger than me, and we can’t wait any longer for it to change to the times. We can't stick 75 cents in the turnstile and expect to ride the subway - as actors did in 1982.


ALL WE WANT IS A BETTER THEATRE. WE TAKE GOLDEN CARE OF OUR MEMBERS AND WE ARE ALL COMMITTED TO THE ART OF CARRYING THEATRE HISTORY FORWARD – NOT AS A DUSTY RELIC BUT AS A PULSING PIECE OF LIFE.


WE ARE WILLING TO BE GUINEA PIGS, OR WHATEVER IT TAKES.  NO ONE IS LOOKING TO MAKE MONEY HERE, WE JUST WANT TO MAKE GROUNDBREAKING THEATRE AND HAVE THE CHANCE TO CONTINUE.

Allie Mulholland
Accidental Rebel With A Cause
Founder: TheReGroup

Actors are too scared to petition fearing union retribution. (Some trust in their supporters!) What can you do? Email as a patron demanding this 1/3 of a century code be updated!
President Kate Shindle - president@actorsequity.org
Head of Showcase Dept, Toni Stanton - tstanton@actorsequity.org

Councilman, Larry Cahn -larrycahn@gmail.com