Equity’s Mary McColl on Why L.A.’s 99-Seat Plan Had to Go

AMERICAN THEATRE: Last week, Actors’ Equity Association made history in Los Angeles, effectively eliminating a longtime agreement, the 99-Seat Plan, that allowed union actors in that film/TV industry town to volunteer their talents in small theatres for small stipends, and with limited union protections.

Indeed, the last few months have been tumultuous ones for L.A. theatres, ever since Equity introduced proposals on Feb. 6 to require 99-seat plan theatres to pay minimum wage to all union actors for all rehearsals and performances, with two corollary proposals that would exempt rosters of “membership companies” and allow a limited self-producing option for union members.