Actors Drop Out for Upstage Moves

Actors who work in L.A.'s pervasive Equity 99-Seat Plan -- more commonly known as "Equity Waiver," since it essentially waives most union protections and mandates a mere $7-15 per performance -- often leave shows, either temporarily or for good, to take well-paying work in film and TV. There's no shame in it. It's really the only way many of these thesps can make ends meet -- but it does mean that from week to week even the best 99-seat show can vary widely in quality. Some theatres have to cancel or postpone performances; some hold the curtain for as much as a half hour while an actor races into town from a shoot in the desert.

In what may be an encouraging sign, some local actors have had to dump their 99-seat shows for better-paying work ... in local theatre. Chet Grissom opened as Grumio in Zoo District's recent staging of "Taming of the Shrew" at Downtown's Orpheum Theatre, but had to drop out for a part in "Terra Nova" at South Coast Rep. Kamal Marayati (sometimes credited as Kamal Maray) was slated to appear in Cornerstone's current "You Can't Take It With You: An American Muslim Remix" (scroll down) at LATC, but landed an understudy/ensemble part in "Homebody/Kabul" at the Taper.

And last year director Jessica Kubzansky lost three leads -- Mark Bramhall, Robertson Dean, and Jenna Cole -- from her production of "Measure for Measure" at A Noise Within when they were cast in the Pasadena Playhouse's Noel Coward confection, "Star Quality". Mixed blessings all, but at least these actors are staying on the boards.