Cabaret Rulebook 07-11 - Actors

66. UNDERSTUDIES
(A) Understudies shall be required In venues with more than 300 seats and a schedule of five or
more performances per week. Understudies shall be contracted no later than two weeks after the
first public performance. Understudy roles assigned to Principal or Chorus Actors must be so
assigned on the original contract or with new contracts or riders with appropriate salary
adjustments.
(B) An Understudy may understudy no more than five Principal roles and receive not less than the
Actor minimum salary (See Rule 55, SALARIES).
(C) If any member of the cast who regularly appears on stage understudies a Principal part or a
role, said Understudy shall receive no less than $20.00 per week in addition to Actor's contractual
salary for each part or role understudied. In addition, not less than one-eighth (or the appropriate
pro-rata for the number of performances scheduled per week) of the Actor's own contractual
salary shall be made to the Understudy for any performance in which the Actor appears in the
capacity of an Understudy to a Principal. In no event shall an Actor or Assistant Stage
Manager/Understudy in the production understudy more than three Principal roles.
The reassignment of understudy parts shall not be applicable to a case in which the Actor and
Producer have agreed to a specific understudy part(s) in the original contract of employment. In
no event shall the Actor be required to understudy unless the Actor's contract specifically so
provides. All understudies are required to attend a four-hour understudy rehearsal every four
weeks, as called by the Stage Manager and in accordance with Rule 49(H)(2).
(D) Understudy of Chorus Playing a Part. If a Chorus Actor understudies a Chorus part or
specialty, said Actor shall be paid no less than $15.00 per week in addition to Actor's contractual
salary for each part or specialty so understudied.
(E) Understudies shall be present at each performance unless the Producer otherwise consents.
When an Assistant Stage Manager/Understudy is required, said ASM/U/S shall be required to be
at each performance. Understudies not required to be present at the theatre at the time of
performance shall be permitted to rehearse not more than 15 hours in a week for the purpose of
rehearsing an Actor who is going into the show as a replacement. In the event the Understudy is
called upon to perform, the Producer may not require the aforesaid 15 hours rehearsal.
(F) No Understudy shall be required to perform until one week after the Actor is engaged as
Understudy or assigned as Understudy, has the Actor's script and/or music for one week and has
at least one rehearsal. The Understudy shall read the part or may perform if able and willing. The
Producer shall use the Producer's best efforts to provide Understudies with script and/or sides
and music as soon as possible.
(G) All Understudies to Principal Actors shall be listed in the program by name and role
understudied. The listing shall be automatic unless the Understudy requests in writing, on a form
supplied by Equity for that purpose, that it not be. Copies of such requests shall be sent to the
Producer and Equity.
(H) Understudies shall be in only one company at a time.
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