Local 802 negotiated an agreement for a choreographic session production of BRIGADOON covering four musicians. The session took place at the 37 Arts Studio space on West 37th Street. The musicians earned $600 per week for five days over two weeks from Jan. 14 through Jan. 25. An invited audience was in attendance for two rehearsals. The music director earned a premium of 50 percent. Doubling and synthesizer premiums were paid the same as Broadway percentages and terms. Pension paid 8 percent and health paid $33.50 per day with a cap of $167.91 per week. Music preparation paid 100 percent of general price list.

Local 802 also reached an agreement for AN EVENING WITH PATTI LUPONE AND MANDY PATINKIN, covering the music director/pianist and bass player, for productions at various theatres nationally and internationally. The side musician wages are $900 for the first performance, $350 for each of the second and third performances, and $250 for each of the fourth, fifth and sixth performances. The music director earns $2,000 for the first performance, $500 for the second and third, and $400 for the fourth, fifth and sixth performances in a week. Pension pays 8 percent and health benefits are capped at $60 per week per musician.

XANADU, which has been running for a year at the 597-seat Helen Hayes Theatre, was renegotiated for the four musicians in the production. An increase of 3.5 percent became effective March 3. This reflects the intent of the one-year agreement, which is that the production pays 85 percent of the Broadway contract. As of July 16, 2008 the production will bump up to full Broadway scale. Terms and conditions will be effective through the end of the Broadway agreement, which is March 7, 2010.

A collective bargaining agreement was negotiated with Lincoln Center for SOUTH PACIFIC covering 30 musicians, including the conductor. The production will pay musicians the full Broadway scale, which pays a minimum of $1,500.75 for an eight-performance week. In addition, all other wage rates, terms and conditions will be according to the Broadway contract. The employer also agreed to full Broadway rehearsal scale retroactive to Feb. 8, 2007 when auditions and rehearsals began for the production. SOUTH PACIFIC opens April 3 at the Vivian Beaumont. 

SNEAK PREVIEW 

In 2007, Local 802 began negotiating with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for dramatic productions of HAMLET and THE TEMPEST, with live musical accompaniment. These productions were to be under the auspices of BAM’s “Bridge Project,” which hoped to open a show at BAM and then move — or “bridge” — it with the same cast to other cities, like Milan. Unfortunately, the project was cancelled at the time. Now the project has come back to Local 802 in 2008 and we are working on negotiating another Bridge Project with BAM for productions of CHERRY ORCHARD and THE WINTER’S TALE.