Red Bull Theater Forced to Cancel Livestream of 'TIS A PITY SHE'S A WHORE Due to Equity Dispute

Just last week, Red Bull Theatre announced that it would present a free, livestreamed reading of John Ford's classic play 'TIS PITY SHE'S A WHORE, featuring the complete cast of Red Bull's acclaimed 2015 Off-Broadway production. Plans for yesterday's stream however, changed, following a dispute with Actors Equity Association in following newly created streaming rules.

Red Bull's Founder and Artistic Director Jesse Berger and Managing Director Jim Bredeson wrote yesterday:

Finding a way to connect with each other during these uncertain days is important for all of us. We had hoped to take advantage of live-streamed teleconference technology to connect our audiences and artists during the social isolation brought on by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Seeking to provide a way to serve our mission and our community, we moved swiftly to plan this event, striving to create a unique moment for theater-lovers and some of the finest actors working in the classical theater to share an experience of a timeless classic.

We are deeply saddened by the assertion by Actors' Equity that cyberspace is within their jurisdiction and subject to the Off-Broadway agreement. In crafting this free online-only experience, in which actors participate from the safety and comfort of their own home on teleconference, without rehearsal or admission price, Red Bull Theater did not actively consult the Actors' Equity Association (AEA). As the project did not involve any theatrical production or venue known to be covered by their jurisdiction, we did not think that AEA's involvement was warranted. We were unable to agree to the extraordinary terms proposed by AEA late this afternoon in order to proceed as planned.a?? a??

We are saddened by the fact that this unique on-line experience could not be realized. It's a whole new world. We look forward to clear guidance that will allow our community of artists and theater lovers to gather in the virtual space during this time of COVID-19. That just won't be tonight.

Today, they continued the explanation:

Actors' Equity Association (AEA) has been our valued partner in providing employment to hundreds of actors over the last 17 years in both full productions and live in-person readings. We value our relationship with the union and all its members. We are saddened by the fact that this unique on-line experience could not be realized, but we have not at all given up on doing so in the future.

We understand the Union's position regarding the Off-Broadway Agreement, however we respectfully disagree that that agreement is applicable. Despite this disagreement, we will continue working to make this and other community enriching events possible during this moment of national crisis. a??

We hope to engage in active dialogue with AEA and peer organizations across the theatrical community to find a way to make that happen as quickly as possible with reasonable terms for all concerned. We are confident that a solution will be found, because it must. We look forward to working with all of our colleagues to create clear guidance that will allow our community of artists and theater lovers to gather in the virtual space during this unprecedented time of COVID-19.

Tis Pity She's a Whore is a heart-pounding tale of love, lust and hypocrisy. In this deliciously perverse romantic tragedy, siblings Annabella and Giovanni fall into an incestuous affair with a brutal velocity that sets Renaissance Parma aflame with its passionate force. Defiant in their desires to the bloody end, these lovers take "star-crossed" into a whole new galaxy. Writing in his New York Times Critic's Pick review, Charles Isherwood said "Let's give a lusty cheer to the red-blooded Red Bull Theater Company for staging this rarely seen play from the English Renaissance, generally dated from the first years of the 1630s. Much of the play's pleasure is in the merry outrages of its dramatic developments, which are navigated here by the cast with delightful, dark conviction under Mr. Berger's canny direction."