Several actors said that by refusing to approve theatrical productions with detailed safety protocols, the union is forcing them to accept even more dangerous jobs. Boehm is working as a salesman at a Williams-Sonoma store; Kristine Reese, an actress who moved from New York to Atlanta during the pandemic, is teaching.
“They say they don’t want anyone to be sick doing a musical, but since I can’t do a high-protocol musical, I have to do another job, and those jobs are much more risky than it would be a show,” Reese said.
The union agreed to schedule a national city hall in response to the recent turnaround; the petition signatories, led by Timothy Hughes from “Hadestown,” are asking for permission to moderate the virtual conversation.
In a joint interview, Shindle, the union president, and Mary McColl, the executive director, said they would endeavor to make it clearer what the union is doing. But they also said that until actors and stage managers are vaccinated, surveillance is guaranteed.
“The vaccine is what will get us back on our feet,” said McColl, “and back on stage.”
At the Dallas Theater Center, where “Tiny Beautiful Things” fell apart, the two sides don’t even agree on what went wrong; the actors claim that the union has refused to approve the show, while the union claims that the theater has withdrawn the approval request. (Kevin Moriarty, the theater’s artistic director, declined to comment.)
Unlike most stage performers, Dallas actors still receive a salary as members of a company. But the cancellation still hurts.