Hamilton Cast Reaches Profit Sharing Agreement

The New York Times reports:

The producers of “Hamilton,” a show that could well make hundreds of millions of dollars, on Friday bowed to pressure and said they would share some of the musical’s profits with original cast members.

The deal, which was announced by a lawyer representing more than two dozen actors and dancers who were part of the show’s development and first productions, is a major victory for the cast and could have ripple effects in the theater industry, where the huge success of “Hamilton,” and the lack of profit-sharing, catalyzed a growing debate about actor compensation.

The agreement means that actors will have a piece of “the profit stream from the play,” Ronald H. Shechtman, a leading labor lawyer in the theater industry who represented the “Hamilton” performers, said in a statement.

Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of “Hamilton,” a megahit now generating upward of $500,000 in profit every week on Broadway, confirmed the agreement. Neither Mr. Seller nor Mr. Shechtman would discuss details, some of which remain to be hammered out, and Mr. Shechtman said that the performers were not ready to comment on the deal.

Kate Shindle, the president of Actors’ Equity, the labor union representing theater performers, said that while the broader discussion about how actors are compensated for contributions to developing shows will continue, the “Hamilton” agreement was significant.

“This should be a real moment of celebration for any actor who feels powerless,” she said.

RELATED: JMG reader Randy points us to the below clip from MCC Theater’s annual Miscast show at which (much like at Broadway Backwards) performers take on roles for which they’d never be cast. Watch as three young boys take on the Schuyler Sisters from Hamilton.