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Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

The Playgoer on the Showcase Code

Great write up here (The Playgoer: Showcase Footnotes) about the Showcase Code from a variety of perspectives, including Equity. It's a great read, in conjunction with the article in the Village Voice.

This topic will keep coming up, I hope, until there is some movement. I especially appreciate, in this post, the discussion about insurance, and the exploration of the the Equity position that actor's "subsidize" Off-Off Broadway by working without a salary within the Code.

Great stuff. Do read it. And comment.

Here's something I'm curious about...

If you do support a revision of the Showcase Code in NYC, I'm curious what actions you've taken. Did you sign the petition? Have you attended a meeting? If not, why not? And would you be willing?

If you're an AEA actor, do you feel as if the Code protects you? Do you accept the idea that you are subsidizing Off-Off Broadway by working within the Code?

3 comments:

parabasis said...

Hey Matt,

Great questions. Lemme answer them for myself:

I did sign the petition. I have not been to any meetings, because they're always on night when I'm not available for one reason or another. Before leaving for Richmond, Anne and I both had a lot of shows we needed to see for work, and I was directing a play, so that took me out of the running. So yes, if it was at a time I could make it, I would.

I think that actors do subsidize OOB by working within the code, but they are one of many who do so. Everyone who works at the OOB level is essentially volunteering their time and talent or taking some massive pay cut to be there. I made $6.25/hr on In Public, and that's not counting any time spent out of rehearsals working on the show.

Scott Walters said...

This is a side question that may not be particular interesting, but if the artists subsidize OOB, I wonder if there would be a way to set it up as a charitable contribution for tax purposes. Take the AEA minimum as the multiplier.

Tony Adams said...

My understanding is (at least what CPA's have told me) The IRS currently doesn't allow a volunteer's time (or an hourly wage equivalent of their time) to be deducted, so it can't count as a charitable contribution, without changing the tax code.