Ask Playbill.com: Strike Miscellanea

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This question comes from the Playbill.com staff.

Question: Now that the strike is over, when are the new opening nights for shows that were affected by the strike that hadn't yet opened when the labor dispute began?

Answer: Here's a list of the new opening nights:

The Farnsworth Invention: Dec. 3
August: Osage County: Dec. 4
The Seafarer: Dec. 6
Is He Dead?: Dec. 9
The Homecoming: Dec. 16 (previews will begin Dec. 4)
The Little Mermaid: Jan. 10

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This question comes from an anonymous reader.

Question: Unfortunately we were unable to see A Bronx Tale because of the cancellation of our show due to the strike. This is a limited run. Are there any plans to extend the run so those who wanted to see it have an opportunity?

Answer: A Bronx Tale is still set to close Feb. 10, 2008, but beginning Dec. 9, the show will play an additional performance every week on Sundays at 7 PM, for December only (that's Dec. 9, 16, 23 and 30). During the strike, August: Osage County announced that because of the missed performances, the play will extend three weeks to March 9. Rock 'n' Roll will still play a limited engagement through March 2, its original end date.

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This question comes from Lizzy DeClement.

Question: Are the actors paid during the strike?

Answer: Actors' Equity Association paid each actor $405 a week, which is equivalent to what they would have gotten through unemployment. The salaries come out of a $2.3 million strike fund earmarked for this situation. Equity also paid the actors during the musicians strike in 2003. A spokesperson for the musicians union says that the musicians were also being paid during the strike, but the spokesperson could not reveal how much.

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This question comes from Playbill.com staff.

Question: How does the end of the strike affect Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS appeals that occur this time of year?

Answer: The annual holiday season curtain call appeals to contribute to the famed Broadway charity began on Oct. 19 but were derailed because of the strike. The Gypsy of the Year competition, which marks the end of the appeals period, has been moved from Dec. 3-4 to Monday, Dec. 17 at 4:30 PM and Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 2 PM at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Tom Viola, the executive director of BC/EFA, says that each show decides for itself when to start up the appeals again. "We would hope that they would pick up where they left off with the appeals once they are comfortable with being back at work," he says.

Comments

[Daeesha]

Taking care of some charitable duteis, Shakira was spotted attending a press conference for Pies Descalzos in Coral Gables, Florida yesterday (August 1).Joined by her handsome soccer-playing beau Gerard Pique, the “Hips Don’t Lie” songstress and FC Barcelona team announced a grant to YMCA of Greater Miami.Addressing the press, Shakira announced, “Hispanics in the United States have everything to gain.”"We have the talent, we have the will. I truly think that with more education and more sports, we can achieve the unthinkable. We can have the ball on our side of the court and play the best of moves.”