Theater artists in Los Angeles call for major changes

A group of theater artists in Los Angeles is calling for major changes in the city’s stage industry, saying that companies are relying on outdated modes of doing business and that union rules over artist compensation, especially at small venues, need revision.

The coalition, which is calling itself “Re-Imagine LA Theatre,” has launched an online petition asking people to “stand up for a bold discussion of the future of Los Angeles theatre.” Diana Wyenn, a spokeswoman for the group, said in an e-mail that its first hope is to build a critical mass of public support and to engender conversation through the petition.

It would then like to see “a financial gift that could pay for an outside consultant to come in and look at what currently exists, what the market really looks like, and propose solutions to some of our major issues, as well as minor ones.”

Many of the coalition’s issues focus on matters of compensation, particularly the restrictions outlined by the 99-seat plan from Actors’ Equity Assn., the union that represents stage actors. Under the plan, actors are required to receive a minimum of a stipend that can be as low as $7 per week for certain theaters.

The group said on its website that the rules of the 99-seat plan “can make it very challenging for theatres to grow... [and] paying artists real wages or having the resources to build the presence of L.A. theatre in a broader way is beyond reach.”

In addition, the group said that compensation has become a serious issue for the local theater community as complaints lodged against a handful of companies have arisen, alleging that workers are being underpaid.

The group also said that a prominent L.A. theater was recently audited by the IRS and penalized for misclassifying artists as “independent contractors” who are actually employees by law.

The name of the theater was not disclosed. “These questions of legality and financial operations need to be addressed and clarified so that all of our theatres can operate in a way that protects them from liability concerns,” the group said on its website.

Re-Imagine said that there is no core group of people leading the initiative and that the group consists of a wide base of supporters. Its website lists the names of nearly 50 theater leaders.

The website said that the group has other supporters who “are concerned about consequences from speaking up from their unions or their current/prospective employers.”

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT