Payment in advance?

[Bendiebec]

I am going to be stage managing a show in a few weeks for a small community theatre (that will be using a Special Appearance AEA contract).
I will not have my contract until a week before rehearsals.
However, I have heard from people who have worked with this director before that he is unreliable and I probably will not get paid the stipend that will be in my contract. (Just a note, since this theatre group is so small, the "director" actually has many other hats.)
Is it a viable option to ask for my stipend in advance?

[planetmike]

Who is the contract with, the theater group or the director personally? Maybe ask for half up front, half at opening night? Although most community theater groups don't have money until opening night, so that may not be an option. Is the stipend a make or break deal? If you don't get paid, will that cause a hardship in your life? Will working the show bring you other, less tangible, benefits? Good luck!

[missliz]

Half at opening, half at closing.

However, since you're under an AEA contract, you should have union backing you up if it seems you might not get paid. There's also small claims court (which I did have to mention once when my fee was past due).

[MatthewShiner]

If it's a union contract, you could use the union to go after you money.

[Bendiebec]

The show is a union Special Appearance contract, but I am not an AEA member, so I'm not backed up by that. Asking for half in advance and half upon closing sounds fair.

[G.Miciak]

Half in advance and half at opening or closing sounds fine to me. Another way is, you could also ask for a weekly cheque on the Thursday of the previous week (for example). Then, if you haven't been paid for that week, you don't come into work until you are. That way, they don't have to cough up a whole lot of money at once, but you are still protected. It  is a bit more of a "playing hardball" solution, but it is another option.