Robert DuSold

I do a lot of benefits. Relatively speaking. I produce benefits for a few different charities, and perform in mine and others.

Here’s how I produce them, and here’s why I do them.

I love animals. And I want to do everything I can to help the homeless. And give my support to political candidates that I believe in. And arts organizations that I believe in.

My philosophy, and it’s somewhat radical as I’ve learned over the years is: no one gets paid.

Like, seriously no one.

I don’t get paid either.

Everyone volunteers their time and talent and whatever they got.

I’m hyper aware of the gift that each person is giving and try to make them fun and one and done.

The hierarchy is usually this: musicians get paid, music directors get paid, the peeps who put the show together get paid. The tech people get paid.

The actors don’t.

I don’t believe in that. I believe in Equity… and it’s because I believe in unions I suppose that I’ve adopted that ethic when it comes to doing benefits.

Either everybody gets paid, or no one gets paid. All the money goes to charity.

The stuff that I oversee does not involve being paid.

I ask some seriously accomplished muckety mucks in the business to volunteer their time and talent and set up house seats and backstage tours and signed posters and sing and dance and play and accompany and zhuzz and raise money for charity.

They’re delicious friends doing me, and lots of others, a big favor.

I’m profoundly grateful to them.

A woman called me up from another charity a couple of weeks ago …one I researched and thought was pretty cool..and asked if I would consider producing a benefit for her. We chatted for a while, and I said something like “…I think you should charge $75 a ticket”.

She said: “Is that your fee?”

“Um, no, that’s what I think you should charge”

“What’s your fee?”

“I don’t have a fee”

She was shocked.

While I am able and blessed with the good stuff that I got I will give what I can.

She had never heard of anyone producing a benefit that would actually donate their time.

Anywhoo… that brings me back to my last post about Ed Harris making big bucks on Broadway after having sued Actors Equity so he and his friends in the same union as all the rest of us can do months -long runs of shows in LA for love and creativity and meeting his wife. For chump change. Pretty much for free.Free Man on Broadway

The truth about those shows is… people do get paid. Designers and directors and writers and a host of other people have fees that far outweigh what actors get.

It ain’t charity.

They are commercial ventures… they have seats and a stage and lights…just like the Broadway skits. They have runs.

I get paid for those.

Yet, one is evidently for love and no pay and the other is for a lot of money.

Is the Broadway gig for love?

I’m putting my no-money where my mouth is.

Actually here’s where I’m putting it: