Activist musicians' union fights "Virtual Pit Orchestra"

by Sarah Luthens, WFP contributor

Musicians marched against civic Light Opera in 1999. A strike there has continued for two years.

Remember the Beauty & the Beast musicians' strike at the 5th Avenue Theatre in 1997? That action marked the revitalization of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 76-493 in Seattle, and it heralded a new era of multi-union solidarity here.

The musicians' union continues to engage in this activist spirit, although not always with the same success as the 5th Avenue strike.

Recently the union has undertaken two high-profile struggles- fighting use of the "Virtual Pit Orchestra" software at the Paramount Theatre and the two-year ongoing strike at the Civic Light Opera for the right to engage in collective bargaining.

Dehumanizing musical theatre

Last December dozens of AFM members and labor/ community allies leafleted the entire run of Annie at the Paramount Theatre. The union alerted the patrons, who typically paid $38- $48 per ticket, that a new software/ elaborate CD-like player had replaced 12 local musicians in the Annie orchestra pit.

"Theatre-goers spend a good amount of money to see the shows, because they enjoy the synergy between themselves, the actors on the stage, and the musicians in the orchestra pit," says Faith Seetoo, a professional musician/ AFM 76-493 member who has toured with Broadway shows including Phantom of the Opera. "(This) production of Annie deprives theater-goers of the full musical experience that they deserve and are paying top dollar for."

New York calls the shots

The Paramount Theatre, under pressure from the huge entertainment conglomerate SFX, contracted for the first time with a production company new to Seattle called NETworks Presentations, LLC to bring Annie to town with non-Equity actors, a handful of touring musicians not under a union contract, and the nefarious "Virtual Pit Orchestra (VPO)."

This was VPO's first appearance in Seattle. Where it has appeared in other parts of the country, like Phoenix and the Los Angeles-area, the musicians' union raised a ruckus, as it did here. In L.A, the protests led to a new contract which includes a commitment to hire a number of local musicians for each show and a VPO moratorium.

In Seattle the union proposed amending the current contract with the Paramount to include VPO moratorium for future shows other than Annie. In return, the union would have been willing to look the other way for Annie. But the New York SFX corporate offices said no, which the Paramount Theatre echoed.

Issue unresolved

The 5th Avenue Theatre strike was won after only two weeks on strike and over 1,000 people in the streets on three nights. Most labor victories, however, come as the result of many years' laying the groundwork with incremental escalating action.

Leafleting at the Paramount mobilized the union and allies, and it attracted the attention of mainstream local media- three television stations, KIRO radio, KPLU radio, and the Seattle Union Record.

Nevertheless, SFX is not ruling out future use of VPO.

As the union gears up and puts labor/ community allies on alert for future action, success is not guaranteed. If management does not come to its senses, however, you can bet on another lively labor battle in Seattle.