Author Topic: "Equity Business"  (Read 4040 times)

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JDL

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"Equity Business"
« on: Jan 15, 2011, 04:45 pm »
What is the "Equity Business" that happens in the 30 minutes prior to the first rehearsal?
What does, if anything, the SM provide Equity with weekly.
What does, if anything, the Deputy provide Equity with weekly.
What other "Equity Business" does stage management take care of during the pre-production/rehearsal/tech/performance stage.

Primarily I'm asking what the differences are (other than governing regulations/rules) between the production process for an Equity production vs. non-Equity/education production.

Prior to the first production, the Equity SM...
At the first rehearsal, the Equity SM...
Following the rehearsal week, the Equity SM...
If fog/haze is used in the productions, the Equity SM...

I've looked at tons of forms on the Equity site, but how/when are they submitted, etc.

If I were handed an Equity contract tomorrow, I would need to work on...

I hope some of this makes sense! I look forward to discussing!
AlL tHe WoRlD's A sTaGe... AnD i'M oFf BoOk!

Maribeth

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Re: "Equity Business"
« Reply #1 on: Jan 15, 2011, 09:08 pm »
A lot of this info is available on the AEA site- http://www.actorsequity.org/library/library.asp?cat=34

The SM packet and Deputy packet that you receive when starting a show are available on the website- a lot of the info you're asking for is in the packet.

lsears

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Re: "Equity Business"
« Reply #2 on: Jan 15, 2011, 11:09 pm »
To reply to the easiest part of this post-

In the Equity business section of the day you elect a deputy, and vote things that will effect your rehearsals.  The things you vote on vary by contract (both what you vote on and the ratio needed to pass things).  Some of the votes include shortening the meal break, working 6 hour days instead of 8 hour days, rehearsing for up to 2 hours on a 2 performance day, reducing the break between a rehearsal and the half hour call of a performance.

Hope this answers a small part of your question - you would still need to dig through your contract to see what applied and how many yes/nos were needed to pass each rule.

babens

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Re: "Equity Business"
« Reply #3 on: Jan 16, 2011, 09:09 am »
If you are rehearsing in NYC and under a full contract (i.e. not a showcase or staged reading) also plan on either your business and/or outside business rep coming in to go over health, pension, and all that other fun stuff.  They will also usually run your deputy election and voting on the meal breaks, archival videos, adjustment to span of day (if allowed in the contract, not all contracts allow the straight six anymore) etc.

Rebbe

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Re: "Equity Business"
« Reply #4 on: Jan 16, 2011, 05:07 pm »
If you were handed an Equity contract tomorrow, you would need to read the associated rule book cover-to-cover.  You don’t need to memorize it, but you need to have a sense of what it contains so you can references it later. Then if you have questions about a particular rule, you can post them here on SMNetwork!

The specific rules for each contract dictate the ways in which the production process for an  Equity show will be different from a non-eq.  The rules about safety and scheduling are among the most impactful to SMs in terms of the daily flow of rehearsals & show calls.  I don’t think anyone can give you a comprehensive list of other differences because things vary so much between theater companies.  A lot of the differences I’ve encountered stem from budgets, space, and staffing.  While Equity houses tend to have greater resources, it isn’t always the case, especially when comparing a low-paying contract, an SPT-1, for example, with an established non-equity company.   

Weekly submissions may vary by contract also.  In SPT for example, the SM does not provide anything to Equity on a weekly basis.  The SM packet provides a number of documents that you use only if a specific situation occurs, and they are submitted as needed.    I’ve never looked that closely at what the deputy submits, because one of the great things in my mind about having a deputy is the fact that I don’t need to cover their responsibilities.
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