Equity Waiver Vote Doesn’t Affect County

Monday’s vote by members of Actors Equity to revise provisions that allow some Los Angeles theaters to waive or reduce payments to stage actors will have no direct impact in Orange County theaters.

In Southern California, the equity waiver provisions are exclusive to Los Angeles County, while similar, more restrictive provisions are in effect in New York.

Why hasn’t the waiver been extended to Orange County?

When the waiver rule was enacted in 1972, “the board felt that it should exist only in an environment that could possibly be considered a showcase,” said Michael Van Duzer, the Actors Equity staffer who oversees waiver matters.

Although several acting companies now operate in Orange County, including South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, the Grove Theatre Company in Garden Grove and the Alternate Repertory Theatre in Santa Ana, Van Duzer said, “the thinking (at that time) was that Orange County was not a place where actors would be seen.

“The idea behind the waiver was that actors would be taking jobs where they wouldn’t be paid with the hope of maybe getting jobs where they might be paid.”