TTC Newsletter #5 - July 2025
Check out our July 2025 edition for the message from our TTC Chairperson, Bill Leary (Back to the Future). Read on to see what TTC officers have to say about contract issues and enjoy commentary about life on the road from other stewards and travelers, including the latest updates.
MESSAGE FROM TTC CHAIRPERSON
Well, we’ve made it out of the wild weather that spring can bring and finally get to enjoy some great summertime sun!! In the last quarter, our committee had some really great discussions on our bi-weekly zoom meetings. Our LM Discussion Forum was one of the most productive conversations about electronic musician replacement and triggering technology we’ve had so far. Several current and former KeyComp players were present as well as three of our appointed AFM Electronic Music Labor Management “LM” Panelists. Panelists in attendance included Mike Epperhart (AFM Theatrical Trade Negotiator), Heather Boehm (TMA President), and Tim Morey (Wicked Tour and former Pamphlet B Player Rep). It was a very encouraging and insightful meeting. There were great discussions and thoughtful recommendations brought to the table that further proved how our touring theatre committee serves as a great platform to bring us all together. We have common goals and we are all in this fight together – the fight to protect the integrity and longevity of theatre musician work, both local and touring. I look forward to having more discussions about our concerns and thoughts regarding the theater music scene. This July we are taking time off from our zoom meetings for a well-deserved month-long hiatus, but will come back on August 1st refreshed and ready to continue the momentum from recent meetings. We also look forward to welcoming our new Fall 2025 tours to join us at our bi-weekly meetings once they hit the road in September/October including: The Notebook, The Sound of Music, SUFFS, Hell’s Kitchen, The Outsiders, The Phantom of the Opera, and Spamalot. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast also hit the road on June 25 and we should have a fun update on their tour from Julie Ferrara soon, who went there in person to their tech period in Sche-TECH-tady…I mean Schenectady. Remember it’s not just touring shop stewards who are welcome to attend TTC meetings, but everyone who works under the Pamphlet B/SET Agreement. We also welcome travelers that are off the road too. Hey you never know when you will get that call to go back on tour, even as a sub. It’s great to keep up on what is happening. With our upcoming contract negotiations still looming in Feb of 2027, we encourage everyone’s input. We all bring a unique set of skills and ideas to the table. Someone new to the touring life may have an idea that will help us in our negotiations, as well as a seasoned touring vet who is off the road but who might be able to recall an instance in the past that will help us achieve our goals too. We want to hear from everyone! Hope everyone is having a great summer and see you in August. Thank you, Bill Leary, Steward/Reed 1, Back to the Future National Tour.
Are touring productions allowed to rehearse with recordings?
Surprisingly, there are certain situations in which productions are allowed to use recordings for rehearsal purposes. If there is an AMD present, then recordings are sometimes used to rehearse the cast, especially when rehearsals take place during performances. However, if an Assistant Conductor or AMD is not present to run the rehearsal, recordings may not be used. Take note: if your production has been using recordings without your AMD, fees could potentially be owed. This potentially could apply to the musicians who should have been paid to play those rehearsals (depending on your company this might possibly include an AMD, assistant conductor, keyboards, bass, or drums). Stewards are encouraged to document and save copies of your tour’s monthly internal calendars which list rehearsal schedules and musician calls. Documentation may be submitted to George Fiddler for assessment of the situation. It is also important to note that if a side musician keyboard player runs a rehearsal, they should receive Assistant Conductor pay for this service. Please contact George Fiddler for more information: gfiddler@afm.org.
Pamphlet B/SET “LM” Discussion Forum - May 16th RECAP
On Friday, Feb.7, 2025, the AFM LM Panel met with Broadway League representatives for the first time. The LM or “Electronic Music Labor Management Committee” AFM panel members appointed by Federation President Tino Gagliardi currently include: Mike Epperhart (AFM Theatrical Trade negotiator), Heather Boehm (TMA President), Isaac Hayward (Local 802), Christian Regul (Funny Girl Tour), and Tim Morey (Wicked Tour). According to the AFM panelists, the first joint meeting was a productive session. Panelists reported that the League opened the meeting with their statement: “It’s the producer’s job to uphold integrity while balancing the business and artistic needs of the tour” and added that it’s their position that the composers/orchestrators are responsible for requesting touring band reductions, not the producers. One key takeaway is that the most substantial problem currently faced by Pamphlet B is the lack of minimums, which makes the tours very vulnerable to reduction and replacement. Following the Feb.7th joint LM meeting, the Touring Theatre Committee reached out to all AFM Panelists to organize a Pamphlet B/SET Discussion Forum. The forum created space for Pamphlet B musicians to contribute their thoughts, experiences, and expertise to the conversation. The first Discussion Forum was held on May 16, 2025. Mike Epperhart, Heather Boehm and Tim Morey attended the forum along with 14 touring musicians including MDs, KeyComp players, and side musicians familiar with triggering and other replacement technologies. Top takeaways include the need for 1) research into our past tour budgets using old overage reports, 2) an audit all of the tech that is currently used on AFM tours, and 3) rebranding our fight to keep musical theatre a living art form. One rebranding suggestion included reframing tours that use small bands supplemented with programmed tracks as “Junior” tours. Moving forward, it is likely that the League may not meet with the AFM Panel again until the 2027 negotiations. Meanwhile, it is up to all members of the Pamphlet B/SET bargaining unit to continue to push forward with conversations about electronic musician replacement, triggering tech, and orchestra reductions. Future discussion forums will be scheduled once per quarter.
