The Vision of City Equity Theatre
The board of CITY EQUITY envisions CET as a professional company where members of EQUITY (living in, moving to OR from Birmingham) can work and where non-equity actors can eventually gain membership thru a candidacy program or thru professional contract employment.
With the success of season 3 providing membership opportunity to local actors Jonathan Goldstein and Jean-Marie Collins, the 4th season will make it the longest running professional equity theatre in Birmingham history.
The goal for this year is to look at the viability of producing 4 shows in 4 seasons.
Also with 2009 comes a new board with the following individuals serving in different positions and having increased responsibilities:
Jonathan Fuller - President (union liason)
Alan Gardner - Vice President (president and union liason in waiting)
Mae Robertson - Treasurer
Mel Christian - Secretary
Bert Brosowsky - Voting member
Quinton Cockrell - Voting member
Alan Litsey - Voting member
Actors Equity (Equity) is the union for professional stage actors and stage-managers.
Visit http://www.actorsequity.org/home.html for more information about the union.
Actors become members of Equity for many reasons but ultimately it comes down to being able to compete in large metropolitan areas for professional employment as an actor; with predetermined rules, regulations, work hours, and benefits such as health insurance and a pension.
In cities like Los Angeles and New York, Equity members are allowed to perform at theatres which sign on to either the 99 seat Waiver plan (LA )or the Showcase Code (in New York) these allow actors to work in spaces under 99 seats, in order to be able to continue to "work on their craft," and showcase their work. But in smaller metropolitan areas like Birmingham members are extended this opportunity by using the Member’s Project Code.
AMERICAN BUFFALO, SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME, THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAN and FAITH HEALER were produced under this kind of project aggreement.
For its population and growth, Birmingham (the "magic" city) is one of the few cities left in the South without an equity company. Memphis has 2 equity theatres which occasionally use the Special Appearance Agreement, and 2 which use the Guest Artist agreements. Atlanta has many: 9 operating under union contracts and 9 using the occasional Guest Artist of Special Appearance agreement. Nashville has 4 equity theatre and Montgomery has 1 (very big) one! Maybe you've heard of it?
Equity members living in Birmingham however have very few options for continuing to professionally "work on their craft."
What CAN they do?
(1) Produce their own shows and hire themselves to perform OR
(2) Get someone to offer them "guest artist" or "special appearance" contract OR
(3) Resign their membership, offering them the option of working (with or without pay) whereever they want to, but also offers no guarantee of later membership reactivation.
(4) Go "inactive" from Equity. This is done through the form of a temporary withdrawal and does not grant them the right to perform in non-union houses.
In local theatre communities (Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile) there is just a great deal of misunderstanding about what "equity" means at all. And that's what City Equity founders hope to change.
That and (as founding member McLernon says) "just get the chance to DO THE ART!"
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| Alan Gardner - Co-Artisitc Director |
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| Jonathan Fuller - Co-Artistic Director |
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