7
« on: Apr 15, 2015, 02:53 pm »
Fellow AEA Members,
Please turn out to vote in the current AEA Council Election! The paper ballots should drop today or tomorrow, and online voting is already available. If you did not pre-register to vote online, you can still do so by using the "Internet Number" on your paper ballot.
If you've never voted before, or you think you don't know enough about the issues, read the candidates' statements on AEA's website, in the current issue of Equity News, or in the mailing with the paper ballot, and find a voice or voices that may echo your own ideas. I encourage you to vote for the maximum number of candidates possible in each category, or for as many candidates whose ideas and statements speak to you. It takes all kinds of experience and many different opinions to populate a successful legislative body!
If I'm preaching to the choir, and you are a regular voter, then please, encourage all your AEA friends and colleagues to vote, actors and stage managers alike. Only about 7000 of us, out of about 50,000 members in good standing voted in the last election. We can do better this year!
And yes, I am on the ballot this year, running for an Eastern Region Stage Manager seat, and I am asking for your support!
You can read my statement on the ballot or in Equity News, but here is a copy of my speech, presented at the April 10th Membership Meeting, which is similar, but a touch longer:
"Good afternoon, and thank you, fellow members, for attending today, and listening so carefully to the statements of the candidates.
Our Eastern Stage Manager Councillors are a team of experts, all specialists, with a vast, current working knowledge of Production, Touring, Off-Broadway, and Business Theatre Contracts.
But I am also a specialist. My 32-year work history is primarily in all levels of LORT, Stock, URTA, TYA, and developing theatre contracts. I live in New York City, but most of my jobs take me out of town, where I interact with a diverse group of regional actors. I Chair the National Stock Committee, and both lead and serve on negotiating teams. My forté lies in being a voice for Actors and Stage Managers who have not worked in Production or Off-Broadway, either by circumstance, geography, or choice, members who struggle to retain their creativity, and make a living solely on medium and smaller sized contracts.
The challenges facing us today are common to all regions. We must expand the scope of Equity’s live theatre jurisdiction, capture and improve touring contracts, as well as increase our use of technology, not only to nationalize electronic audition sign up, but also to reach out to members who may feel disenfranchised, encouraging all to speak to Equity in their own voices. We must think creatively and optimistically at the negotiating table, crafting solutions that keep our contracts strong and our workplaces safe, not compromising our resolve at the table, but keeping theatres open!
Representing you on Council is a privilege not to be taken lightly. I ask for your vote, so that I may contrast with, yet complete, the Eastern SM Councillor contingent, and advocate on the behalf of all my colleagues, in your Council Room, just as I do in your Rehearsal Hall."
Please PM or email me with any questions you might have. Thanks so much!
Ruth E. Kramer
Show Posts