Actors' Equity held a hearing today February 26th regarding the grievance filed against the actor Jeremy Piven by the producers of the Broadway play "Speed-the-Plow".
BroadwayWorld brings you Mr. Piven's official statement regarding today's hearing as follows:
Jeremy Piven and the Producers of SPEED THE PLOW participated today in a Grievance proceeding initiated by the Producers after Mr. Piven's serious medical condition forced him to withdraw from the production on the advice of his doctors, who warned that enforced rest was necessary to avoid more severe medical problems, including a heart attack. Mr. Piven had been diagnosed with a potentially toxic Mercury level (57mcg/L, while a normal reference range is less than 10).
The Producers, who initiated the proceeding, did not prevail in their attempt to convince the Grievance Committee that Mr. Piven should not have dropped out of the play on the instruction of his doctors. Although the Producers might have expected to receive the support of Actor's Equity, they did not; the union sided with Mr. Piven.
Despite his worsening illness, Mr. Piven appeared in SPEED THE PLOW without missing a single performance during the show's Previews and run for ten weeks, with glowing reviews. To do so, he underwent nearly daily care and treatment by multiple health care professionals at his own expense in order to combat his ongoing symptoms, which included extreme fatigue, spatial and balance problems, advancing neuroskeletal weakness, memory problems, difficulty breathing, and an alarmingly low resting heart rate. His treating physician repeatedly advised him to pull out of the show so that he could obtain the rest required to overcome his illness. Instead, Mr. Piven continued doing eight shows per week so that he would not let down his castmates, the audience, or the production.
By mid-December his symptoms had progressed to the point that he required hospitalization. He was forced to withdraw from the show on the instruction of his doctors, including a Harvard-educated cardiologist affiliated with Yale, who warned that Mr. Piven could suffer dire consequences, including a heart attack, if he continued with the show.
The Producers never had their own physician examine Mr. Piven, which would have confirmed the medical necessity of his departure from the show. The Producers announced at the end of January that they had recouped their investment, and the show=s run ended profitably. Mr. Piven is hopeful that the Producers will ultimately recognize that he did the right thing by listening to the instructions from his doctors during his hospitalization, who told him to stop the play immediately and undergo enforced rest, rather than continuing to perform and risk dire health consequences.
Although Mr. Piven's forced withdrawal from the show was an enormous personal disappointment since it was his life-long dream to perform on Broadway, he is glad that his illness has helped raise public awareness of the serious health risks caused by Mercury exposure. He is also pleased that the Obama administration is seeking an international treaty to reduce Mercury pollution, which it has recognized as the world=s gravest chemical problem.
