Stage wages: actors against regulation.

Author:Brown, Elizabeth Nolan
Position:Citings - Brief article

Los ANGELES stage actors are fighting a minimum wage battle. But these thespians are opposing the $9 hourly minimum instituted in April by the Actors' Equity Association (AEA), the national stage actors' labor union.

Under old rules, only theaters with 100 or more seats had to pay equity actors a minimum wage, while smaller venues could get away with a token stipend per performance. Under the new rules, however, small Los Angeles County theaters must pay actors $9 per hour for all performances and rehearsal time. Shows with fewer than 50 seats may be exempted from the wage requirement, but they're then limited to a 16-performance run and three shows per season.

In explaining the union's move, Mary McColl, executive director of the AEA, told American Theatre: "Minimum wage is kind of the...

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