AEA: reading grumble

[MatthewShiner]

This week, I had the pleasure of working on a reading a new play - 2 days of sitting in the room, relatively easy.  I have no future plans on moving on with this show.  A very prestigious theater company.  A VERY prestigious director.

My pay for about 10 hours of pre-production, and 16 hours of being in the room comes out to $75.00 - no healthcare weeks, no pension weeks . . .

a little less then $3.00 an hour.

Seriously, can't our union put together some sort of minimum wage rule for work. 

(It's not like this company doesn't have money, 5 people were flown out from the west coast . . . )

I know the premise of the reading contract, especially one with future life attached is to make an impression on the director or the theater - but it sort of devalues my work when the union allows for such gross underpayment.

[loebtmc]

(I had to take a moment when you said folks were flown in from the west coast - how very unusual, and how cool for west coasters at last!)

[Jessie_K]

Adding to the rant:

Yes that pay is terrible.  And about the same as what you'd earn in a month of showcase code.   What's the point in turning down non-union work if the union work doesn't pay a decent wage?  (Even some Off-Broadway contracts pay less than unemployment)

[MatthewShiner]

"On Contract" Work with health care and pension at least there is a reason there to take lower paying gigs . . .

Developing work with a future life where you you know you are going on with it, even then . . . I seem a point.

[VSM]

Was this done under the play reading code and if not, why not?

[MatthewShiner]

yep, under a code - just required a lot more pre-production.

[VSM]

and is there a reason that overtime could not be claimed to justify the extra work required?

[MatthewShiner]

No where in the reading rules is there an overtime stipulation . . . other then bumping up to the $100.00 payment for 29 hours, which I could do, but seems odd to ruffle so many feathers for $25.00.

But even if that was the case - 29 hours work for $100.00 is still only 3.45 an hour. 

I would love to see all SM contracts to reflect minimum wage at every contract level.  It's different for an actor, who may or may not be called for all rehearsal hours, and especially when almost all actors have agents to negotiate a fee, and very few SMs do . . . (For example, the actors ended up only working 12 hours . . . )

[loebtmc]

I am in the same boat as we speak, with producer in a tiff because I haven't dedicated a full 40 hr week to the reading PRIOR to first rehearsal. And altho I have already but in a good 30 hours of work on the phone, in meetings,etc, let alone breaking down the script, picking up and dropping off scripts and scores, and solving all kinds of scheduling issues they forgot to track during auditions and figuring out how to relay some props and furniture the venue doesn't have. Overtime? Don't even think about it. Not included in the rules, so not even under consideration.

We really need to revisit the staged reading guidelines - not even counting that the paperwork still reflects those living in the 5 boroughs rather than being an inclusive national list. Protections aren't a part of the deal.

I do understand we take these as ways to meet/work w folks, to fill in short gigs in the gaps etc, but holy cow.