US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

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porschesrule
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by porschesrule »

I think that's a very good summary of the situation, Ellen.

Rob, you say you can't see where this show is more expensive than say Phantom or Wicked...

The difference from those shows is the size of the cast, almost half of which are children. The support costs associated with having that many children in a cast (tutoring, guardians, trainers, chaperones to travel with them, the need for almost constant rehearsal --- makes this a very different show from most others and one that requires more revenue to sustain than many other touring shows. This show travels with a contingent of 100 people! Few touring shows match that number.

In any business, personnel costs are the greatest single expense -- salary and benefits. Obviously the standard equity touring contract made the show too expensive to exist -- so they went to the SETA contract, as Ellen pointed out, to reduce that single biggest cost. The SETA contract was agreed to by Actors Equity as a way of keeping more of its members working and to give smaller theaters/markets the opportunity to host a Broadway caliber show. There have been many shows, for one reason or another, that couldn't make a go of it under the standard contract. But the union didn't want to give producers the option of using SETA just to make greater profits at the expense of paying actors less for shows that were doing well at the box office -- i.e. those that could sustain long stays in a location because it was attracting enough audience to do so.

None of us are privy to all of the circumstances for certain, but it would seem that unless BETMUS went with the SETA contract, the alternative would have been no show at all. And SETA still gives the show the option to occasionally do longer stays in bigger markets.
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dongringo
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by dongringo »

I know nothing, but I would imagine the show is making some profit, emphasis on some, or it would be shut down by now.
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porschesrule
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

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The other consideration of course is after the currently announced tour stops end -- where would the show go from there -- literally. The tour was initially planned to have a three year run (it's now in it's third year). During that time, it has played in all the major theater markets in this country and will have done the same in Canada by the end of its current itinerary.

So if it were to continue, it would either mean re-visiting some places where it's already played (and the question there is would there be enough interest to adequately fill theaters in those markets?) OR play at even smaller markets, but maybe for less than a week in some cases (i.e. Clearwater, Richmond, Peoria, Sioux Falls, etc). In either case, you are probably talking smaller profit margins -- thus the discussion about even further reducing personnel costs by going the non union route.

Food for thought...
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by kport »

porschesrule wrote:The other consideration of course is after the currently announced tour stops end -- where would the show go from there -- literally. The tour was initially planned to have a three year run (it's now in it's third year). During that time, it has played in all the major theater markets in this country and will have done the same in Canada by the end of its current itinerary.

So if it were to continue, it would either mean re-visiting some places where it's already played (and the question there is would there be enough interest to adequately fill theaters in those markets?) OR play at even smaller markets, but maybe for less than a week in some cases (i.e. Clearwater, Richmond, Peoria, Sioux Falls, etc). In either case, you are probably talking smaller profit margins -- thus the discussion about even further reducing personnel costs by going the non union route.

Food for thought...
All this is quite possible. The Tour (moving and housing a troupe of 100) must have very high costs, and tickets prices have been considerably less than they were at the previous Tour, so margins must be tighter. The Tour's choice of venues in which to perform across North America must be close to the point where it will have to revisit previous venues (not an entirely wild idea after three years). If it transpires that no new Billys are in training beyond the two joining the Tour at the moment, then that would be another possible indication that the Tour has six months left. I would not like to see BETM leave the North American continent entirely, and would prefer to see it return as it was to Broadway (possible having to be under different management, and full AE contracts) or another major city, perhaps in the autumn.

Some of the cast will have been on the road for nearly three years - Rich Hebert springs first to mind - that is a long time to be living out of a suitcase. I think we have been amazingly fortunate that Networks Presentations has run this tour so well, and had made it possible for hundreds of thousands around North America to have the chance to see it. It would be wonderful to have it continue as long as possible but, like all good things, it may have to come to an end.
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by rob_hanson1979 »

ok I've been away for a couple weeks, and now that I look, it seems that a stop in Sao Paulo has been added??? Anyone care to fill me in on this news???
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by porschesrule »

rob_hanson1979 wrote:ok I've been away for a couple weeks, and now that I look, it seems that a stop in Sao Paulo has been added??? Anyone care to fill me in on this news???
See the Forum threads on two new stops on the tour: Sao Paulo and Schenectady, NY
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by rob_hanson1979 »

I am absolutely positively sure I did not see th........ FOUND THEM!!!
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

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rob_hanson1979 wrote:I am absolutely positively sure I did not see th........ FOUND THEM!!!
:D :D :D :D
.
Billy Whiz is the Gallery Admin. Please send your photos, articles etc to forum.gallery[at]billyelliottheforum.me.uk Please replace [at] with @

In the email can you also please let me know the date where and when the photo(s) was taken, who is in the photo(s) as well as your forum name.

When you send photos to the gallery can you also please PM me to let me know that you have sent them. If I don't receive them after a couple of days I can then chase them up.
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by rob_hanson1979 »

I love you guys. When I make Billy references in my day to day life, all I hear is the sound of crickets!
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Re: US/CA TOUR SCHEDULE

Post by atreyu »

rob_hanson1979 wrote:I love you guys. When I make Billy references in my day to day life, all I hear is the sound of crickets!
Wow, crickets love Billy too! That's so cool! 8-)
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