A Battle for Control of Equity Waiver Is Shaping Up; Activist Proposes Monday Benefit for Peace Marchers

Equity Waiver as we know it in Los Angeles may be in for a change. There are growing indications that Actors’ Equity, the actors union that fathered the Waiver in the early ‘70s--”waiving” its rules in theaters of 99 seats or less--may be ready to reclaim some control.

The most concrete sign of probable change is the recent consolidation of Equity’s 99-Seat Waiver Committee (in charge of anything to do with Waiver) and Equity’s Developing Theaters Committee (concerned with small theater contracts). The new entity is now more known as the Joint Committee.

Last Friday, this new committee called an open meeting of the roughly 165 Waiver operators citywide at the Las Palmas Theatre in Hollywood, to “(receive) suggestions regarding the future of Waiver theaters before making recommendations to (Equity’s) Western Advisory Board.”

It was responding in part to calls from the Waiver Theater Owners and Operators Committee, an organization of about 65 owners/operators that had been badgering Equity for the chance to discuss mutual concerns. But there was no discussion Friday. Equity’s representatives made it clear that they were there only to listen.

Apparently, they got an earful.

“They were really assaulted,” said Joe Stern of the Matrix Theatre, who, with Ron Sossi of the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Gretchen Weber of Room for Theater, voiced some of the concerns.

Among them: the fear that Waiver changes might be imposed without adequate dialogue on the subject; that Equity Council in New York would decide the fate of the Waiver; that Waiver owners/operators would not get a hearing.

“A major concern,” said Michael Van Duzer, Equity’s Waiver representative, “seemed to be that we would change the system without consulting them. But we promised we would not change the Waiver without a referendum that would go to the whole membership.”

However, not all Waiver owners and operators are Equity members.

“We want to be recognized as a negotiating committee,” Stern said.

Will Equity honor this request?

Replied Van Duzer: “The committee has promised to meet again with them in a month.”

“One way that Equity can work with us,” said Weber, touching on another concern, “is to help us develop more mid-size houses with equitable contracts to match.” She suggested that some Waiver operators want to move up to larger houses, but need contracts that will make it economically feasible. Here the needs of this group and those of the union may dovetail.

Rod Loomis, chairman of Equity’s Joint Committee, who was unable to attend Friday’s meeting, said his committee had been instructed to examine various developing theater contracts, here and in other cities, and come up with recommendations to present to the Western Advisory Board and possibly to council in New York.

Concerning Waiver changes?

“Well, a change, yes,” Loomis said. “We’re looking at a possible restitution of some control,” adding, “we don’t want to destroy the 99-seat theaters; we want to help. But there has to be something more for actors than what Schmitt (Ted Schmitt of the Cast Theatre) calls ‘psychic income.’

“We want to work this out to the betterment of all theater in Los Angeles. Ours is a cooperative position. It seems to me we have producers who don’t want to change the Waiver. I don’t think many of these have approached the union. We want the input.”

Equity’s position may have been summed up best by Edward Weston, its Western regional director.

“We’re making a very careful investigation,” he said, “not only of what has happened in Los Angeles, but all around the country. We’re listening to everybody, looking at everything, particularly Chicago, which is in a growth pattern and where small theater contracts have worked very successfully. Then there will be a lot of evaluation and putting of pieces together.”

Said Weber, echoing others: “We need to be involved in the future of Waiver planning. We want to preserve it. We’ve cleaned up our act. We want to cooperate. No longer can Equity just deal with actors and not deal with the rest of us.”

Scott Kelman (of Pipeline Inc.) was also at that meeting and came away, he said, saddened by the sight of “poverty stricken theaters arguing with unions.”

Monday, Kelman, a veteran activist and deeply political person, called to say the meeting had made him think about what he termed “the lack of political viewpoint among artists out here.”

In reaction, he put in motion the start of what he hopes will become a citywide benefit for the remaining peace marchers determined to stick it out to the end.

“I want to take our traditional dark night--Monday--and get as many theaters as possible to do their regular shows,” Kelman said, “and donate the proceeds to the march. We have a meeting Easter Sunday, which seems like a good day for a resurrection.”

Is Kelman confident it’ll happen?

“It’ll happen,” he said. “Sure. It’s already happened. Hopefully, it’ll be a great party afterwards.”

COMING ATTRACTIONS: The Grove Shakespeare Festival is concentrating its efforts on its outdoor amphitheater this summer. A double bill will offer “Henry IV, Part I,” to be directed by Richard E.T. White. It opens July 12. “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” staged by festival artistic director Thomas F. Bradac will open Aug. 16.

--”Forbidden Dreams,” Jennifer Smith-Ashley’s two-person drama about bi-racial twins sounds exotic enough. But these two are not only trying to come to terms--understandably--with the family’s past. They’re also “caught in their own suppressed incestuous passion.” How suppressed? Find out April 14 at the Cast-at-the-Circle.

GRABBAG: It’s not enough that Richard Thomas (Bluntschli) and John Rubinstein (Sergius--or is it the other way around?) are going to spar with Shaw’s words when “Arms and the Man” launches the renovated Pasadena Playhouse April 19. There’s a chance they may alternate roles once the production gets under way.

--The “Hats Off!” gang at Variety Arts is welcoming kids under 12 to any performance for just $5 until April 20. One snag: They’ll need to bring along an adult.

FINAL CURTAIN: A memorial service will be held Monday, 9:30 p.m., at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in Hollywood for one of its founders and prime movers, actress Sarah Cunningham, 68. Cunningham collapsed Monday at the Academy Awards and was rushed to Queen of Angels Hospital where she died an hour later.

“Sarah was a friend to a lot of struggling young artists and all struggling people, really,” Ensemble artistic director Linda Callahan said Tuesday. In that spirit, remaining performances of the Steelworkers’ “Lady Beth,” now at the Ensemble, will be dedicated to the late actress. “She was a very strong supporter of any cause in which she felt people were oppressed and was very close to that production.”