I will give this proposal one thing: it offers an enormous misunderstanding of Los Angeles, as well as its theatre community. How about this: eliminate the meagre stipends altogether, pay the union a registration fee per show to use their union actors, continue to allow the actors to leave for 4A auditions & work, and find a way to HELP the theatres in Los Angeles grow into producing entities that can afford to pay their actors something. The current proposal is a “wither and die” plan, and I refuse to let that happen to the community that I’ve worked so hard to nurture in the last 18 years.
B
Brian Cole
11 years ago
I oppose to this move. Putting risk of 99 Seat theatres out of business. And where do you suppose actors, writers, Stage managers, Directors, etc. show their work or talent if not at 99 seat theatre? I'm sure there is another alternative way to make this work, just have to find it while this move will be a bad one if going forward with it.
G
Ginna Carter
11 years ago
I am proud to be an Equity member. I'm afraid Equity has misunderstood what will benefit its members. Changing, curtailing the 99 seat plan will not. I want the freedom to perform in the membership companies I am already in, and I want to know that in the future I may join other organizations and companies as I see fit. Thank you very much. Ginna Carter
J
Jonathon Lamer
11 years ago
I am a member of Equity in good standing and a proud member of the Los Angeles theatre community. Please, don't make it virtually impossible to work as I choose in my own city.
D
Debbie McMahon
11 years ago
Featured
I am an Equity member and oppose the proposal. It reflects a troubling misunderstanding of the concerns of members on all sides of the issue and seems to ignore the comments and suggestions proposed at the open house.
J
Jay McAdams
11 years ago
I run a reputable non-profit theatre and this petition would increase our production costs dramatically while letting other theatres forcing us to cast non-union actors and no longer work with AEA member actors we've worked with for years. It's wrongheaded and misguided. It would hurt the best theatres in town and AEA actors.
S
Stephanie Michels
11 years ago
I have been an Equity member for 25 years. I have had the opportunity to work in both New York and Los Angeles. Please do not take away my ability, choice and right to work in 99 seat theatre in LA.
R
Robert Lesko
11 years ago
I am a long-time member of Actors' Equity.
S
Sam Anderson
11 years ago
I am completely against this move. A proud Equity member for 35 years who also served on the Western Council, now wondering when the union is going to realize Los Angeles is a unique market that is NOT New York with working actors making livings in film and TV with a very limited arena of paying Equity jobs to begin with. Many of us do small theatre because the challenging roles are there and there's a tradeoff of an early out if we receive more lucrative and time-sensitive roles in television and film, and then returning to the small theatre stage and finishing the run. The leadership is certainly not going to create more jobs with better pay with this action. More likely throngs of people already dissatisfied with these misguided attempts will just leave the union.
M
Meagan Daine
11 years ago
I am not an Equity member -- just a theatre lover who can see that eliminating the 99-seat plan would devastate the LA theatre community. NO!
J
Julia Prud'homme
11 years ago
If these measures pass, our ability to work will become extremely limited. Those jobs that we do because they help us grow and evolve as actors, they connect us to each other, creating a supportive community, they feed our souls and help to give some balance and richness to our lives, will become extremely limited to us. And you will go far in bankrupting small theatre companies as well. DO NOT PASS THESE MEASURES. PLEASE.
D
Dylan M
11 years ago
I am Equity eligible and cannot imagine joining the union so long as I cannot choose to perform (practice, gain experience, work with other actors in a professional setting) in Equity waiver houses. Please reevaluate any change to the Equity waiver plan as it stands. There already aren't enough parts to go around and this move only exacerbates that situation, but only for your membership. How can union leadership possibly allow/desire fallout like that?
T
Todd Curran
11 years ago
EQUITY MEMBER
J
jonathan roumie
11 years ago
Getting rid of the 99-seat plan is artistically ludicrous and detrimental to the artistic life in los angeles. Equity should STRONGLY reconsider the impact this move would have on actors and the theater community.
A
Amanda Weier
11 years ago
This proposal will only limit union members' opportunities to perform in Los Angeles. Please reevaluate. Its effect on several quality theatre companies with whom I've worked over the years will be truly devastating.
B
Blaire Wilcox
11 years ago
My name is Blaire Chandler and I have been a proud member of Actors’ Equity since the early 1990s. Earning my Equity card remains one of my proudest professional achievements. I have always been proud of my association with this Union. I urge the Council to reconsider its plan to decimate the LA 99 Seat Theatre plan. I am an award winning stage actress. I am one of the rare and lucky ones who have managed to have some very good years financially doing nothing but stage work. You know what kind of work? Safe, commercially viable theatre in huge houses with huge budgets. That is awesome. That is super fun. You know how I managed to be seen and therefore considered for those well paying roles? By doing edgy, original, creatively daring work in tiny theatres with little budget. By being seen doing my art. Every performance is ultimately an audition for another job. Work leads to work. In the 99 seat theatres here in LA, sometimes there is pay. Sometimes there is not. There are times that a show is so beautiful, or so relevant, or so political that money is the least of my concerns. Believe me, if I have the chance to play a rich, interesting character in a daring, thought provoking play in a tiny little house, I am not being victimized; I am honored. If actors choose not to work for free, then good for them. They should stop. However, no one, especially not my Union, should be fighting for me to to work less. And I am disturbed and concerned that any professional organization that purports to represent my best interest would attempt to curtail my right as an artist to volunteer my talents as I see fit. By decimating the 99 seat theatre plan, the only victims I see are your own Members. Respectfully, Blaire Chandler
B
Blaire Wilcox
11 years ago
My name is Blaire Chandler and I have been a proud member of Actors’ Equity since the early 1990s. Earning my Equity card remains one of my proudest professional achievements. I have always been proud of my association with this Union. I urge the Council to reconsider its plan to decimate the LA 99 Seat Theatre plan. I am an award winning stage actress. I am one of the rare and lucky ones who have managed to have some very good years financially doing nothing but stage work. You know what kind of work? Safe, commercially viable theatre in huge houses with huge budgets. That is awesome. That is super fun. You know how I managed to be seen and therefore considered for those well paying roles? By doing edgy, original, creatively daring work in tiny theatres with little budget. By being seen doing my art. Every performance is ultimately an audition for another job. Work leads to work. In the 99 seat theatres here in LA, sometimes there is pay. Sometimes there is not. There are times that a show is so beautiful, or so relevant, or so political that money is the least of my concerns. Believe me, if I have the chance to play a rich, interesting character in a daring, thought provoking play in a tiny little house, I am not being victimized; I am honored. If actors choose not to work for free, then good for them. They should stop. However, no one, especially not my Union, should be fighting for me to to work less. And I am disturbed and concerned that any professional organization that purports to represent my best interest would attempt to curtail my right as an artist to volunteer my talents as I see fit. By decimating the 99 seat theatre plan, the only victims I see are your own Members. Respectfully, Blaire Chandler
C
coronado romero
11 years ago
Theatre in Los Angeles should never be stifled.
L
Lorianne Hill
· petition starter
11 years ago
Your actions speak loudly. I will never join Equity. I will make sure other non-members commit to the same.
I will give this proposal one thing: it offers an enormous misunderstanding of Los Angeles, as well as its theatre community. How about this: eliminate the meagre stipends altogether, pay the union a registration fee per show to use their union actors, continue to allow the actors to leave for 4A auditions & work, and find a way to HELP the theatres in Los Angeles grow into producing entities that can afford to pay their actors something. The current proposal is a “wither and die” plan, and I refuse to let that happen to the community that I’ve worked so hard to nurture in the last 18 years.
I oppose to this move. Putting risk of 99 Seat theatres out of business. And where do you suppose actors, writers, Stage managers, Directors, etc. show their work or talent if not at 99 seat theatre? I'm sure there is another alternative way to make this work, just have to find it while this move will be a bad one if going forward with it.
I am proud to be an Equity member. I'm afraid Equity has misunderstood what will benefit its members. Changing, curtailing the 99 seat plan will not. I want the freedom to perform in the membership companies I am already in, and I want to know that in the future I may join other organizations and companies as I see fit. Thank you very much. Ginna Carter
I am a member of Equity in good standing and a proud member of the Los Angeles theatre community. Please, don't make it virtually impossible to work as I choose in my own city.
I am an Equity member and oppose the proposal. It reflects a troubling misunderstanding of the concerns of members on all sides of the issue and seems to ignore the comments and suggestions proposed at the open house.
I run a reputable non-profit theatre and this petition would increase our production costs dramatically while letting other theatres forcing us to cast non-union actors and no longer work with AEA member actors we've worked with for years. It's wrongheaded and misguided. It would hurt the best theatres in town and AEA actors.
I have been an Equity member for 25 years. I have had the opportunity to work in both New York and Los Angeles. Please do not take away my ability, choice and right to work in 99 seat theatre in LA.
I am a long-time member of Actors' Equity.
I am completely against this move. A proud Equity member for 35 years who also served on the Western Council, now wondering when the union is going to realize Los Angeles is a unique market that is NOT New York with working actors making livings in film and TV with a very limited arena of paying Equity jobs to begin with. Many of us do small theatre because the challenging roles are there and there's a tradeoff of an early out if we receive more lucrative and time-sensitive roles in television and film, and then returning to the small theatre stage and finishing the run. The leadership is certainly not going to create more jobs with better pay with this action. More likely throngs of people already dissatisfied with these misguided attempts will just leave the union.
I am not an Equity member -- just a theatre lover who can see that eliminating the 99-seat plan would devastate the LA theatre community. NO!
If these measures pass, our ability to work will become extremely limited. Those jobs that we do because they help us grow and evolve as actors, they connect us to each other, creating a supportive community, they feed our souls and help to give some balance and richness to our lives, will become extremely limited to us. And you will go far in bankrupting small theatre companies as well. DO NOT PASS THESE MEASURES. PLEASE.
I am Equity eligible and cannot imagine joining the union so long as I cannot choose to perform (practice, gain experience, work with other actors in a professional setting) in Equity waiver houses. Please reevaluate any change to the Equity waiver plan as it stands. There already aren't enough parts to go around and this move only exacerbates that situation, but only for your membership. How can union leadership possibly allow/desire fallout like that?
EQUITY MEMBER
Getting rid of the 99-seat plan is artistically ludicrous and detrimental to the artistic life in los angeles. Equity should STRONGLY reconsider the impact this move would have on actors and the theater community.
This proposal will only limit union members' opportunities to perform in Los Angeles. Please reevaluate. Its effect on several quality theatre companies with whom I've worked over the years will be truly devastating.
My name is Blaire Chandler and I have been a proud member of Actors’ Equity since the early 1990s. Earning my Equity card remains one of my proudest professional achievements. I have always been proud of my association with this Union. I urge the Council to reconsider its plan to decimate the LA 99 Seat Theatre plan. I am an award winning stage actress. I am one of the rare and lucky ones who have managed to have some very good years financially doing nothing but stage work. You know what kind of work? Safe, commercially viable theatre in huge houses with huge budgets. That is awesome. That is super fun. You know how I managed to be seen and therefore considered for those well paying roles? By doing edgy, original, creatively daring work in tiny theatres with little budget. By being seen doing my art. Every performance is ultimately an audition for another job. Work leads to work. In the 99 seat theatres here in LA, sometimes there is pay. Sometimes there is not. There are times that a show is so beautiful, or so relevant, or so political that money is the least of my concerns. Believe me, if I have the chance to play a rich, interesting character in a daring, thought provoking play in a tiny little house, I am not being victimized; I am honored. If actors choose not to work for free, then good for them. They should stop. However, no one, especially not my Union, should be fighting for me to to work less. And I am disturbed and concerned that any professional organization that purports to represent my best interest would attempt to curtail my right as an artist to volunteer my talents as I see fit. By decimating the 99 seat theatre plan, the only victims I see are your own Members. Respectfully, Blaire Chandler
My name is Blaire Chandler and I have been a proud member of Actors’ Equity since the early 1990s. Earning my Equity card remains one of my proudest professional achievements. I have always been proud of my association with this Union. I urge the Council to reconsider its plan to decimate the LA 99 Seat Theatre plan. I am an award winning stage actress. I am one of the rare and lucky ones who have managed to have some very good years financially doing nothing but stage work. You know what kind of work? Safe, commercially viable theatre in huge houses with huge budgets. That is awesome. That is super fun. You know how I managed to be seen and therefore considered for those well paying roles? By doing edgy, original, creatively daring work in tiny theatres with little budget. By being seen doing my art. Every performance is ultimately an audition for another job. Work leads to work. In the 99 seat theatres here in LA, sometimes there is pay. Sometimes there is not. There are times that a show is so beautiful, or so relevant, or so political that money is the least of my concerns. Believe me, if I have the chance to play a rich, interesting character in a daring, thought provoking play in a tiny little house, I am not being victimized; I am honored. If actors choose not to work for free, then good for them. They should stop. However, no one, especially not my Union, should be fighting for me to to work less. And I am disturbed and concerned that any professional organization that purports to represent my best interest would attempt to curtail my right as an artist to volunteer my talents as I see fit. By decimating the 99 seat theatre plan, the only victims I see are your own Members. Respectfully, Blaire Chandler
Theatre in Los Angeles should never be stifled.
Your actions speak loudly. I will never join Equity. I will make sure other non-members commit to the same.
A member since 1966