Actors’ Equity said it plans to producer Garth Drabinsky on the list “Don’t work” na Paradise Square castmembers sent a letter against him.
In a letter sent to Actors’ Equity, and obtained by: The Hollywood Reporterthe show’s actors and stage managers asked to put Drabinsky on the list because of “Ooutstanding payments and benefits, and an ongoing pattern of abuse and neglect that created an unsafe and toxic work environment.” The decision comes after the cast and stage managers in the Broadway show initially reported that they had not received their weekly direct deposit Thursday morning.
“The company of Paradise Square has expressed its commitment to this show and will continue to tell this story through its scheduled closure on July 17. However, Garth Drabinsky has made it clear that he is unable to enforce the terms of a union contract, so Equity plans to add him to our Do Not Work list immediately after,” said an Actors’ Equity spokesperson. THR.
Members of the company were previously told to report to the theater on Thursday evening to receive physical checks in lieu of the direct deposit, sources say. THR, but members were concerned about the checks bouncing. The actors and stage managers met with the union on Thursday afternoon to decide on the next steps ahead of the show’s scheduled closure on July 17.
The money was then transferred to the members of Actors’ Equity on Thursday night and the cast was poised to continue as planned. Other members of the production still planned to receive paper checks.
General manager Jeffrey Chrzczon says: THR that the production thought it could use the Actors’ Equity Bond (money that the union puts aside production in case it defaults on its obligations to Equity members) to pay the weekly salary, but this was not allowed by Equity. Instead, production had to receive funding from one of the co-producers on Thursday, Chrzczon says, which caused the delay in payment.
A production spokesperson declined to comment on the Actors’ Equity letter.
As previously reported, Actors’ Equity takes Paradise Square to court for payment of $189,877 in previously unpaid union dues and contributions and interest to the benefit fund. The union filed a complaint after the production failed to adhere to a payment schedule drawn up as part of a settlement agreement reached in May, according to court records.
As explained in the letter and in the lawsuit, while Drabinsky is the lead producer of the production, he is not the director of the joint stock company that manages the show’s finances. Drabinsky was convicted in Canada in 2009 of fraud for misrepresenting finances as head of a publicly traded theater company. In 2014 he has received full parole in Canada, promising that he will not be responsible for the finances for his projects, according to the Globe and Mail.
However, the members of the company specifically ask for Drabinsky’s inclusion on the list, saying, “There has been one person who made all the executive decisions around the production.
This is the second time in recent history that Equity members have advocated adding a producer to the list. In the summer of 2021, about 300 members of the Broadway community marched in New York City to protest against producer Scott Rudin and call for the union to take further action against him, following the THR exhibitionsIt is detailing allegations of bullying and intimidation by the producer. Shortly after the article was published, Rudin said he was stepping away from Broadway production.
At the time, Equity said it could not add an active member of the Broadway League, which has collective bargaining agreements with the union, to the “Not Working” list. According to the union, the list is mainly used to warn members about non-union productions. Rudin later withdrew from the Broadway League. His name is still not on the list, nor is he currently producing on Broadway.
On the website, Equity describes the “Not working” list as “an additional tool to alert members of Equity or 4A’s sister unions to the non-union status of certain employers.” It continues: “Unfortunately, there are times when good faith negotiations between Actors’ Equity and employers do not result in an agreement acceptable to union members. Other producers may refuse to negotiate at all or default on the terms of their agreement.”
According to the court’s complaint filed by Equity in early July, Paradise Square paid $224,900 of a $412,807 owed and now Equity is seeking payment of the remainder.
This follows an incident on February 21, where the union had told its members not to report to rehearsal Paradise Square due to a contract dispute with the production. The members went back to work the next day.
United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, which represents designers at the show, is suing the production separately to enforce an arbitration agreement for more than $150,000 in unpaid wages and benefits.
In an email regarding the show’s closure, sent Wednesday by Drabinsky to the company and confirmed to: THR by several members who received it, the producer stuck to his actions.
“The art of producing is filled with endless choices, the right decision made for the greater good. Compromise is a tool that often has to be part of the process. Any production decision made on: Paradise Square was to protect the show and get as long a run as possible for all of you to benefit from,” the email read.
Drabinsky’s email adds, “I’ve been fighting all along for the company and production I believed in. I was your champion in the arena, fighting bravely to gain the admiration of everyone who loves musical theater and everyone who for the sacred institution of Broadway.”
The full letter to Actors’ Equity from the Paradise Square company is below:
Members of the National Actors’ Equity Council,
Since work began on Chicago’s “Paradise Square” in the fall of 2021, one person has made all the executive decisions surrounding the production. This person is not the producer of the record but it is common knowledge that they are in full control and therefore no action can be taken against them. They have withheld benefits and payments from many company members and created an unsafe, toxic and often hostile work environment. When confronted with these concerns from the company, this individual was constantly dismissive, defensive and often abusive.
As it has been said about this person, “every day there is a new way of disrespecting someone”, and today is no different. We have not received our final payment in direct deposit form, and given this producer’s history of late payment, this is a huge concern.
Therefore, due to outstanding payments and benefits, and a continuing pattern of abuse and neglect that has created an unsafe and toxic work environment, the company of “Paradise Square” is calling for Garth H. Drabinsky to be placed on the Actors’ Equity Do Not Work list. , effective July 18, 2022.
We really loved taking this show to New York City audiences, but we never had to go through the circumstances we did to do this, and no one ever should.
-Corporate members of “Paradise Square”