Dramatists Guild Releases Statement on HAMILTON Producers' Profit-Sharing Deal with Cast

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the producers of Hamilton recently struck a profit-sharing deal with members of the original cast, ensuring that those who've been with the production since its initial labs will receive a portion of upcoming royalties. Today, the Dramatists Guild of America has released a statement on the matter.

It reads:

"Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the role of actors in the development process. It became national news when members of the original cast of Hamilton who had participated in earlier labs of the show requested additional compensation. Those of us at the Dramatists Guild were gratified when the producers and the actors found an amicable solution which did not involve the show's author. We stand with our colleagues at Actors' Equity in the firm conviction that actors should always receive fair compensation from their employers. So it is our contention that development costs are the responsibility of the producer, not the writer.

If you have questions about lab or workshop contracts, please let us know. The Guild is ready to offer counsel."

HAMILTON actors are set to receive a segment of "the profit stream from the play," labor lawyer Ronald H. Schechtman, who represented the performers in the deal, said when the initial agreement was announced.

The new musical Hamilton has book, music and lyrics by Tony and Grammy Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also plays the title role. The musical is directed by Thomas Kail, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehlerand music direction and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire. Hamilton is inspired by Ron Chernow's biography "Alexander Hamilton."

The cast of Hamilton is comprised of Lin-Manuel Miranda(AlexanderHamilton),Daveed Diggs (Marquis De Lafayette, Thomas Jefferson), Renée Elise Goldsberry(Angelica Schuyler), Christopher Jackson (George Washington), Jonathan Groff(King George), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Peggy Schuyler, Maria Reynolds), Javier Muñoz (Hamilton alternate), Okieriete Onaodowan (Hercules Mulligan, James Madison), Leslie Odom, Jr. (Aaron Burr), Anthony Ramos (John Laurens, PhilipHamilton) and Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton).

HAMILTON is the acclaimed new musical about the scrappy young immigrant Alexander Hamilton, the $10 Founding Father who forever changed America with his revolutionary ideas and actions. During his life cut too short, he served as George Washington's chief aide, was the first Treasury Secretary, a loving husband and father, despised by his fellow Founding Fathers and shot to death by Aaron Burr in their legendary duel.

Photo by Joan Marcus