Pretty much everyone connected with Seattle theatre knows something about its dirty little secret: the stage actors union, Actors Equity of America (or just “Equity”) refuses to grant Seattle the same kind of showcase contracts, readily available in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, that allow union actors to work for free in very small theatres (99-seats or less). But there is another theatrical union that, like Equity, is run from big market cities thousands of miles way, with, like Equity, near zero regard for the particular needs and aspirations of local theatre artists. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (known to show folks as “Eye Yatzee”) represents the stagehands who run the shows at the big houses in Seattle. Because of IATSE, my favorite venue in this town has been relegated to a pitiful existence as a glorified rehearsal hall.
Before Dan Sullivan had built, at his personal behest and to his narrowly focused Broadway launching pad specifications, the crappy toy proscenium known a The Leo K Theater, the Seattle Rep had a different second space where you could see glorious world premiere productions like The Cider House Rules – Part I. I speak with awe and ardor of a warm, open, bare bones black box called the PONCHO Forum.
With the magic number of 99 seats, the PONCHO is the perfect space for developing locally grown new plays. But IATSE requires that two members get full scale wages whenever it is used for performance. So the labor costs of merely turning the lights on effectively obliterate any potential revenue. Thus, by demanding two union jobs, IATSE gets zero. And Seattle gets zero production use out of the perfectly useful PONCHO.
There is no reason to believe IATSE members actually give a damn about developing new work in Seattle, or that they ever will. Actually, they get fatter from the big Broadway touring shows offered at the Paramount, Fifth Avenue, and increasingly–and to their increasing shame– big houses like Intiman, which last year imported an Othello whole cloth from New York instead of hiring the actors locally.
After 25 years as a theatre professional, I understand that stage hands cannot be begged, cajoled or threatened. They can, however, be bribed. So, if you are an IATSE member and you come to this discussion of Outrageous Fortune, simply show me your current union card and after the discussion I will personally walk you to the Lower Queen Anne bar of your choosing where the first round will be on me. Maybe over that drink you can explain to me how keeping the PONCHO dark makes anything better.
Theatre Puget Sound hosts
Outrageous Fortune
March 1, 2010
9AM – 1PM
Detail: 9am – 10:30 Presentation by author Todd London
Break – snacks
10:40 – 12:00pm Q & A in large group
Break – lunch type snacks
12:10 – 1pm small group breakouts and report back
Center House Theatre
rsvp: TDFRSVP@tpsonline.org
Theatre Development Fund, the national service organization, is convening a meeting of playwrights, artistic directors, funders, theatre managers and others in conjunction with Theatre Puget Sound at the Center House Theater in Seattle on March 1, 2010 from 9:00am-1:00pm to stimulate conversation and action to support new American play production. Tory Bailey, executive director of Theatre Development Fund, Todd London, artistic director of New Dramatists, and co-author Ben Pesner will lead the gathering, which will begin with a presentation of the results of an intensive study of new play production in America and then open out to an inclusive conversation.
TDF has just released the book OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE NEW AMERICAN PLAY written by Todd London and Ben Pesner, with research consultant Zannie Giraud Voss. The book, drawing on six years of research, examines the lives and livelihoods of American playwrights today and the realities of new play production from the perspective of both playwrights and not-for-profit theatres. The study represents the most comprehensive field study in the history of the not-for-profit theatre to analyze new play production practices and the economics and culture of playwriting in America. Set against a backdrop of dwindling audiences for dramatic work, OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE NEW AMERICAN PLAY makes clear the urgent need for new conversations and practices if the American play is to flourish.
The March 1 meeting will share the study findings and facilitate the beginning of a conversation in which participants can identify possible ways to improve conditions for the production of new American plays, community by community. We hope that a wide group of individuals from the theatre community in the Seattle area will join this conversation.