What is the Future of Live Performance?
One of the challenges that all those who depend on live performances, especially theaters, face in the age of social distancing is how to get the work out there.
The plan people seem to have come up with, for now at least, is a conferencing platform like Zoom. If you are one of these people and plan on using a conferencing platform for a live performance, there is one important issue that you need to think about.
East Coast vs. West Coast
The clash this time is not about hip hop. It is about who is in charge when what is being done is brand new.
If you are an actor there are two unions you can belong to. You can be a member of one or both. Based on the West Coast is SAG/AFTRA.
On the East Coast is Equity. SAG/AFTRA has jurisdiction over filmed performances. The other has jurisdiction over live performances .
Who has jurisdiction over live filmed performances that cannot be watched in person?
The “Rules” are Changing
If you google the question – who has jurisdiction over live filmed performances – there is no clear answer. If you film a live performance and then distribute that film, there are rules. There don’t seem to be ones if the performances and the filming happens together once and only once.
Things are further complicated if your actors participate by Zoom in different states, or even different countries.
So what to do?
It is important to operate under a union contract. Until the unions decide who has jurisdiction, which they will eventually do, you should pick the contract that allows you to do what you want and follow that.
Stay safe.