I'm working on a LORT D Contract currently and I was told that dinner on a 10 out of 12 can be 1.5 hours as long as we end the day 30 mins earlier, making the day a 10 out of 11.5. I have NEVER heard of this. Every other theatre that I have worked at (different contracts) have operated on the idea that a 10 out of 12 means a 2 hour dinner break. Then if you want people in costume you call them to get dressed (or for half hour) after the 2 hour meal break. Have I just been working at places that misinterpreted the rule and never looked into it?
Yes, I've been part of techs where this has happened, but the director, stage management, designers, and crew heads were all part of the discussion before a decision was made. If the crew needed the full two hours, we would never agree to it. It's usually happened when I've worked on a very small show with 4 actors or less and a single set.
So, I'm working SPT 9 right now and we're allowed two 10 out of 12s. Got the one figured out, but don't actually have enough hours in the week to add a true 2nd 10 out of 12 in the same week. Would I be able to do an 8 out of 10 at all instead of the 7 out of 8 1/2, and somehow count in being "okay" for the 2nd 10 out of 12?
I've worked in SPTs where we did one day with a 10 out of 12 and one with an 8 out of 10 without any issue. Because the rule allows for SPT 5 through 10 to have up to 2 10 out of 12s, the 8 out of 10 fits into this (without going over the weekly allowance of total hours or span of day). You can do 2 10 out of 12s, but the producer must be willing to pay overtime for the 2 additional hours for each Equity actor and stage manager.