ATLAS Adopts Own 99-Seat Theater Plan

At a meeting of 31 of its members Monday, ATLAS (Associated Theatres of Los Angeles, a group of about 60 operators of theaters of 99 seats or fewer) unanimously adopted a new ATLAS Theatre Plan designed as a response to the Actors’ 99-seat Theatre Plan by Actors’ Equity that goes into effect Oct. 3.

Maria Gobetti, a member of the ATLAS board of directors, said the group (formerly known as the Equity Waiver Theater Operators Committee) anticipates that about 30 more theaters will sign the ATLAS plan within the week. It becomes effective Sept. 12.

The operators allege Equity’s plan is unworkable and could force many small theaters out of business. The operators’ plan, they say, will enable them to continue to function more or less as usual.

There was no immediate reaction from Equity. Equity’s Western regional director, Edward Weston, said Tuesday: “I have lots of questions that are not answered and need to be. I really don’t know what (the plan) means.”

Pivotal differences between Equity’s plan and the ATLAS plan, both of which are intended to replace the outgoing Equity Waiver Plan (whereby Equity, the union of stage actors and stage managers, “waives” certain rules in theaters with fewer than 100 seats), focus on the method of actor reimbursement, length of rehearsal and performance, and on the longevity of the plan..

Equity’s plan requires a scale of set fees (or “reimbursements”) per performance for actors, ranging from $5-$14 and determined by seating capacity alone (0-99 seats); the operators’ plan proposes a sliding scale of payments based on percentages of box-office grosses.

Equity’s plan limits rehearsals to eight (unreimbursed) weeks and performances to 12 weeks, after which a show is automatically expected to close or move to a contract situation. The operators’ plan provides for unlimited rehearsal weeks with a lump-sum honorarium ($25-$50) predicated on cast size; shows may play indefinitely, with actors entitled to growing percentages of the gross as the run continues.

Finally, while Equity’s plan gives Equity the right to modify the rules at any time, the ATLAS plan allows for revisions after a six-month trial period, followed by a firm three-year enforcement.

In all other respects, the plans are similar.

This development is the latest wrinkle in a long and bitter stand-off between Equity and the Waiver producers and actor-producers. The friction started with Equity’s decision to modify its 16-year-old Equity Waiver Plan. It was fueled by what Waiver operators saw as the union’s unwillingness to adequately consult with them to develop a new plan.

In March, Equity sent out a referendum to its local membership outlining its Actors’ 99-Seat Plan and recommending its approval, informing the operators of this action only after the fact.

This angered the operators, who accused Equity of not co-operating and of deliberately ignoring resolutions by Equity’s own membership. The ATLAS plan ratified Monday is the operators’ effort to come up with a livable compromise and, in Gobetti’s words, “show our good faith.”

Meanwhile, in a separate action, 11 dissident actors have unsuccessfully sought to have Equity rescind its referendum. The actors are expected to file a suit against the union in the near future.