She specifically states this: "I worked with the playwright, brought in a director and played the lead in every backer's reading. Both the director and the writer assured me that I was ''attached'' to any full production." She was not given any part at all and wonders whether she was due their promise.
Cohen's reply seems to rest on the fact that he doesn't believe this is the full story. He protects his actual answer by stating that "Like many collaborators, those working on a play often exaggerate their own contributions and minimize that of their colleagues"
This, I've learned the difficult way, is the norm in the theater world. People want a bigger role than they actually have which often makes them exaggerate their contribution. Aside from my ego, this is the reason I won't write collaboratively when I'm writing plays. The last time I did the guy ended up taking all of the credit for the play, and I foolishly didn't have enough documentation to really prove my involvement.
Ultimately Cohen gives his utopian answer, "Your having contributed ideas does not in itself entitle you to a role in the play. That's what actors routinely do; that's what the development process is meant to encourage." Cohen falters with his belief that Equity is going to be of any protection to the majority of actors:
Still, all who contribute to a venture should share in its success. The actress Alison Fraser, who starred on Broadway in ''The Secret Garden,'' told me one way this happens: ''This is what Equity workshop contracts are all about. You work for a basic, low rate, but if the show goes into production, you have a guarantee of either the role or three weeks' salary. Plus a tiny percentage of subsequent productions.''
Nice in theory but this doesn't work out in most situations. With the play that is going up in the Fall the theater company has only one member who is Equity. The show is a non-Equity show. Most actors are not in Equity, less than 25% of the actors in America are Equity actors. At one point I had the opportunity to work towards some Equity credit, but I declined as I have no intention of acting or stage managing. I am protected by the Dramatist's Guild where I'm an active member. Most of the actors who I work with, however, are without a union.
The reason is that Equity is extremely difficult to get into. Many auditions are Equity only auditions. This leads to situations amazingly similar to this actress who wrote The Ethicist. If she is exaggerating than the writer and director have no obligation to allow her in the show. However, I've seen situations just like what she says where an actor or actress helps a lot with the development only to be cast away. Of course, since she is not Equity (more than likely) she won't have anyone out there to protect her interests.
