[NEohioPAL] Calling all AEA Members! Richard Shavzin to attend Annual AEA Membership Meeting Nov. 10th!

Mon Oct 27 12:05:44 PDT 2008

The Cleveland Actors' Equity Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Monday, November 10th in the Brooks Theatre of the Cleveland Play House. This year's guest speakers include Richard Shavzin, who will share about his founding work with Chicago's Strawdog Theatre, an Equity theatre created by and committed to providing work for Chicago actors; Mark Zimmerman, President of the Actors Equity Association; and John P. Connolly, Executive Director of Actors' Equity Association. 

Registration begins at 6:30pm; please remember to bring your current AEA membership card.  
Equity Membership Candidates may also attend the open portion of the meeting.  The business portion, which will follow the speakers' presentations and Q&A, is not open to EMC's or to ineligible AEA members.

Richard Shavzin is a veteran director, actor and casting director who has worked in Chicago since 1981. He was the Artistic Director of Strawdog Theatre Company from 1993-1998, and has received two Jeffs – in 1996 for Direction of Strawdog's production of Burn This, and a special Jeff in 1999. Also at Strawdog, Shavzin directed the world premiere production of Race, and the Jeff-nominated productions of Criminal Hearts, Cat's Paw, The Big Funk, A Mother, A Daughter and A Gun, Skeletons, and Hurlyburly, which won Jeffs for Ensemble, Best Actor, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. Recent credits include the world premiere musical Any Someone at All at The Second City Skybox, Vick's Boy at the American Theater Company, and Todd Logan's Tops or Bottoms and Persistence of Vision at Chicago Dramatists. Acting credits include the Royal Alexandra (Toronto), Northlight, National Jewish Theater, Victory Gardens, Organic, Madison Rep, Lifeline, Pegasus and
 Annoyance.

Mark Zimmerman is the President of the Actors Equity Association.  A member of Equity since 1976, Zimmerman joined the Equity Council in 1989, serving until his election to the First Vice President position in 2000. During his term of office, he was the Chair of two Production Contract negotiations, achieving the creation of the 401(k) Plan, improved safety requirements and the Experimental Touring Program. Zimmerman served on several additional negotiating teams, including Off Broadway, as well as numerous committees. He is a member of the Actors' Equity Foundation, chair of the President's Planning Committee and a Vice President of the Equity Holding Corporation. As a Trustee, he serves on the Equity-League Pension, Health Trust Funds and the Equity Staff Pension Plan and is the Chair of the Equity 401(k) Fund.

Mr. Zimmerman has appeared in numerous Broadway and National Touring Productions, including MAMMA MIA, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, THE RAINMAKER, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, FACE VALUE and BRIGADOON. His most recent stage appearances were in the Cape Playhouse productions of MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS and GUYS AND DOLLS. He has appeared on stages across the country and Off Broadway. His film and television credits include THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES, FOR LOVE OR MONEY and BONFIRES OF THE VANITIES as well as "Murphy Brown," "Dash and Lilly," "30 Rock", "Damages", and in a recurring role as a judge on "Law and Order." 

John P. Connolly has served as Executive Director of Actors' Equity since 2007. Mr.. Connolly joined Equity directly from his position as National President of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Connolly directs the collective bargaining process for more than 30 national and regional contracts, oversees the Union's finances and supervises Equity's large professional staff. He works closely with the Equity Council, the Union's governing body, to implement national policies and build consensus and entertainment industry support on key issues. In addition, Mr. Connolly serves as spokesperson for Equity with media, labor, employers and government officials.

John Connolly, who joined Equity in 1973, has appeared in numerous stage, film and television productions during his 35 year career as an actor. Among his nearly 200 stage credits are the Broadway production of BIG RIVER, New York Shakespeare production of THE GOLEM, THE ICEMAN COMETH with Al Pacino, and A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. Off Broadway, he played all 23 men in the life of THE ONLY WOMAN GENERAL starring Colleen Dewurst and played all the men and women in Shirley Knight's life as COLLETTE IN LOVE. He has guest starred in THE WEST WING, WITHOUT A TRACE, CROSSING JORDON and STAR TREK:TNG, among others. Connolly's film work includes leading roles in WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, INNOCENT VICTIMS and THE PLAGUE.

As a Union leader and activist, Mr. Connolly served as AFTRA President for six years before accepting the position at Equity. Among the many initiatives he launched during his terms are the creation the President' Strategy Cabinet to guide AFTRA's long -range planning and response to fundamental changes the industry and the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee, which focuses on public policy. Connolly has been a key negotiator in practically every film and television contract for actors in the entertainment industry over the last ten years. Prior to his presidency, he served as National First Vice-President and Vice President of AFTRA's New York local, among other positions and is a Trustee of the Union's Health and Retirement Funds. Connolly also served for five years on the National Board of the Screen Actors Guild and Equity's national negotiating committees.

He worked closely with US Senators Grassley and Kennedy and then- House Majority Leader Boehner, and their staffs, in the development of the 2006 pension reform and protection bills. Currently, Mr. Connolly serves on the General Board of the AFL-CIO; the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco: Council of Economic Advisors; the US Department of Labor's Advisory Committee on International Trade; and is Vice-Chair of the American Workers' Defense Committee, a non-partisan 501©4 fund to support pro-union legislation and referenda nationwide. He is also a frequent guest lecturer and has received several honors from the labor and entertainment communities.

If you are an Equity Member in Northeast Ohio who did not recieve this message directly and would like to be placed on the direct emailing list, send a message to aea.cleveland at yahoo.com.  

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