Union of Theater Actors and Designers Collect Broadway Musical Separately paradise square near the courthouse $350,000 in total in delays in the payment of benefits, salaries and other charges.
United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, which is part of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, is taking legal action against the production company after earning more than $150,000 in unpaid wages and benefits in arbitration, but has yet to receive any awards. . for affected designers, according to court documents from early July. Separately, Actors’ Equity is seeking $189,877 in unpaid union dues and profit and interest fund contributions after the production missed a payment schedule set in May as part of a settlement, according to court documents.
Making money can be difficult. paradise square announced on monday which will close on July 17, after several weeks of low box office sales. In its most recent earnings week, which ended July 10, the production was up 48% and grossed just $266,926, a pittance for a musical of its size.
These legal actions detail many debt settlement claims Paradise Square. And there are opportunities for more results in the future. An informed source says about it THR that other contractors are still negotiating payments but have not yet taken legal action.
Prodius declined to comment through a spokeswoman on the legal case or other pending matters.
“Since opening day, producers paradise square The incredible work of designers, artists and professionals, on and off the Barrymore stage, has been publicized,” wrote Carl Mulert, national business agent for Local USA 829. THR. “However, before announcing the end of production, the producers had known for months that they owed the designers and design assistants who created the world. paradise square Thousands upon thousands of unpaid wages and benefits. Now that production is winding down, who’s on the hook? our members.”
The new musical, which features elaborate sets and a 40-person cast, opens on Broadway April 3, following previous performances in Chicago and Berkeley Repertory Theater in california. In a rare move being reported for the first time. ForbesProduction Its capitalization has increased to $15 million in May from $13.5 million.
Although the production received 10 Tony Award nominations and Joaquina Calukango won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, the show was surrounded by controversy from its inception. It was the first major show for theater producer Garth Drabinsky, who has served 17 months in prison since 2011 after being convicted of fraud in Canada for misrepresenting finances while working as an executive at a publicly traded theater production company.
Although Drabinski is an executive producer on the series, The designers’ union has filed a lawsuit against the Paradise Square Broadway Limited Partnership, the production company created to handle the show’s finances and the limited partnership’s chairman, Bernard Abrams.
Actors’ Equity has filed a lawsuit against Paradise Square Production Services Inc., which also appoints Abrams as director.
On February 21, Actors’ Equity told its members not to attend rehearsals. paradise square due to a contractual dispute with the production. The members returned to work the following day, however, as evidenced by the pending court case, the issues are still being worked on.
In a complaint filed in early July in the New York State Supreme Court, an Actors’ Equity attorney said the union settled with Paradise Square on May 24, 2022. Abrams later made a confession. In the decision, to give the union additional security, it was agreed to pay $412,807 in deductions for unpaid dues and benefit contributions, as well as interest on that amount. The production paid $224,900, but the lawsuit says it missed the payment schedule.
“Equity pursues all possible avenues to ensure that stage actors and directors paradise square They will have everything their contract guarantees,” said an Equity representative. THR.
Although the Designers Guild received $156,986 in arbitration on June 1, the union says the production has yet to pay that amount. The union filed a request to enforce the arbitration award in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The initial award includes $38,703 in salary payments, $60,500 in weekly guarantees, $22,724 in pensions and social contributions, $7,067 in annuity payments, $11,192 in out-of-pocket expenses and $3,028.62 in union contributions. Due to the accrued unpaid weekly royalties, the total debt rose to $190,000, according to the union.
In addition to the down payment, the designers union says interest is also owed on social security and social security contributions not paid since April 3, in addition to legal fees.
If full payment is not made by December 1, depending on the designers’ arbitration award, the manufacturer’s manufacturing rights will transfer to the four designers at the heart of the action: Set designer Allen Moyer, costume designer Tony-Leslie James, lighting designer Donald Holder and sound designer John Weston.
“Manufacturers paradise square They have a responsibility to prioritize and ensure the well-being of their employees, which includes the basic expectation that they are paid for their work and receive all contractually required benefits, especially as we continue to navigate the global pandemic. Our members have fulfilled their responsibilities and duties. Now it’s the manufacturers’ turn. paradise square do the same,” Müllert said in a statement.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
