Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 17, 1986, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
\ Performers s By JOHN HINTON Chronlclt Staff Wtlfr Several performers of a black opera, presented in WinstonSalem last month say they were paid with worthless checks and haven't received their full salaries. i ? ml t .? ? -1 nis was ine iirst time that I was promised pay and did not receive it," said William S. Adams, a member of the chorus in the production of 44T^eemonisha,,, which was presented June 13 to 15 at the. Stevens Center. The opera, written by Scott Joplin in 1907, is a folksy tale of a community of former slaves who learn that education is the key to progress. More than 50 performers participated in the opera. DefeyGlenn, executive and artistic director of the opera and co-founder of GM Productions, allegedly wrote worthless checks up to $100 each tp several members of the chorus and orfhfStra fit/# 1 'I V pviiwilll^O IU1U Utc Chronicle in interviews this week. The checks were written on a GM Productions' checking account at the North Carolina National Bank and signed by Glenn, the performers said. Some cast members were able to cash the checks, while others were told by bank officials that there were insufficient funds in Glenn's account to cover the checks, Adams said. Glenn said that every perv former would be compensated by July 19. "GM will honor every commitment that it has made," he said in a telephone interview Monday from his Charlotte ofc: I ICC. Glenn sent a letter dated June 26 to every chorus member explaining that he wrote the checks expecting the opera to receive the box office receipts, outstanding ticket reports and promised contributions. Forsyth 1 Coll Applications are r For a future IN AUTOMOTIVI Automotive Diesel \/ehir ?' 1 WW ? V vt 11% Automotive Fall Quarter Beg Admisak Forsyth Tech 2100 Silas Craak Parkway, Phona: (91 .1 An Equal Oppor HIGH! L<JW P/ NEW 1986 J SPECTRUM 48-month closed end lease wit plus $175.00 refundable securfi at delivery. Total of payments i With AC, sun roof, rack and pli strut suspension, 5-spd., cloth 7M"You cant Beat a jay they receiv "After all funds were totaled, there were insufficient monies," Glenn said. "Additionally, there were unexpected charges associated with overtime at the theater. We had no recourse but to pay the Stevens center immediately." GM Productions used the Stevens Center longer than it expected, said Mary Kay Bell, an administrative assistant at the center. Theatrical companies that use the center are charged a fee of $125 per hour, she said. Glenn declined to say how much money GM Productions owes to the performers, nor would he discuss the financial troubles of GM. 4There were problems that are being resolved," he said. Adams, who was able to cash his check for $100, said the chorus members signed contracts to receive $200 each for their work in the production. The performers were not given a copy of the contract, Adams said. "A lot of people expected their money, and they were hurt by this," he said. Glenn reportedly told mertibers of the orchestra and chorus on June 15.. that the opera was experiencing financial trouble and asked them to accept a pay cut, two other performers said. utir- - we were noi given mucn choice,*' said Katherine C. Clark, a violinist in the orchestra. Miss Clark, who signed a contract to receive $100 for her work, was paid $85 with a GM check signed by Glenn. "I took the check to the bank, and it bounced,'' Miss . Clark said. "I am very disturbed about all of this." The majority of the 25-member chorus agreed to take a wage, reduction of $100 after Glenn told them of the opera's financial troubles on June IS, said Serenus T. Churn Jr., a member of the chorus. They were not able to cash IB 3 . . i > I ? d" * ' I-*'* ft technical lege iow being accepted 1 that works ! TECHNOLOGIES Body Repair :ie Maintenance Mechanics * * Day and Evening lint September 3 his Office inical College Winston-Salem, NC 27103 9) 723*0371 tunlty Institution STYLE ^ s^ymenT J15985 per month h /%nf!/sn f/* Ki ivy 1 e* r\?*imA??? i W|^viwi i wvy v/u j. i }Vi J111^.1 ik ty deposit and license fee due >7,672.80. 60,000 free miles. lion steerins^MacPherson bucket seats, more! 1 Chevrolet I iti I Downtown Deal" I 0 at fourth and Broad. MC746 M 4 ed worthless ( their $100 paychecks because of insufficient funds, Churn said. *4After weeks of rehearsal and practice, 1 was very upset about this/' he said. Many performers thought some of the $25,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation would be used to pay their salaries, Adams said. The money was intended for pre-production activities such as developing the set, according to Valeria L. Lee, program officer for the foundation. "It was not intended for salaries," she said. The production did not have enough money to meet its expenses, Ms. Lee said. "It was obviously an expensive show." Many actors have called the foundation to complain that they had not been paid, said Martha H. Pridgen, an administrative assistant at the foundation. "That is not our problem," she said. *That is between them and GM Productions." Glenn said that there is a financial risk involved in any theatrical production. "1 chose to undertake this monumental production with the belief that 1 would meet all financial obligations," Glenn said in his letter. "You simply cannot know how devastating this has been to me after so many years in theatrical production," Glenn wrote. "I have agonized and wrestled with it in hopes of finding an im mediate solution." :"< ar- .? -i* r o'^'^ii I 8 8 i -j ac I v t> : ' .vs .*>v. '* j^j^k I SURGEON GENER H Causes Lung Ci WM Emphysema, And K J I f. checks The opera failed to raise enough money to pay its performers because the ticket sales were low, said a member of the orchestra who asked not to be named. "It (the opera) didn't receive adequate publicity/' she said. There were 527 tickets sold for the three performances of the AMra a ' " vpvta m pnvvs 1 OJlglllg irum J1U to $25, Ms. Bell said. Adams said that he and two other performers are considering legal action against Glenn. 44We want to make sure that this does not happen again," Adams said. Despite its financial problems, the opera gave blacks in WinstonSalem an opportunity to perform in a black production, Glenn said in the interview. "It was an historic occasion.'* "I am going to chalk this all up to experience," the unnamed orchestra member said. "I enjoyed doing Treemonisha.' Money is not everything for me." Triaminic* Syrup Triaminicin? Tablets or v Triaminic-12? Tablets For Allergy Relief that's nothing to sneeze at. C19t5 Dorsey Laboratories, Division of Sandos. Inc., Lincoln, Nebraska 66901. Ybu've go Vii' ? II I J * ,.?? ?> .? f ^^!?;>Xx ; :^H| ...fl aBEtfraHHrcp:;:;SH He?^^<^I^S^ >:'^-<:- :'?S^:^'^:-:?5* vx1''>"'-::::x5B^M llll^^ HHI^MH^^HHII^Hr?4| f' .9 : AL'S WARNING: Smoking incer, Heart Disease, flay Complicate Pregnancy. The Chronicle, Thursday, July 17, 1986-Page A3 H By Joe Black Sometimes the criticism that I receive because of my "By The Way" commentaries makes me Feel Like A Motherless Child, alone and misunderstood. And there have been moments when those feelings make me pause and wonder why should I continue to put myself in the position of being castigated. Thatfe when I remind myself that I was not seeking popularity; no, it was my intent to encourage people to strive for successby utilizing the minds ana bodies given to us by God. So here I Co again with another commentary. Black athletes are now challenged to be achieving students as well as performers In the sports arena. The NCAA has ruled that starting with September 1986, all incoming freshmen must have a 2.0 scholastic average or score a minimum some of 700 on the S.A.T. exams. This is not a racist move; it is an attempt to remind the athletes that they are students, not balls. Excelling in the classroom will not diminish the athleteb ability to perform on the athletic field. The athletes who are successful as students are a definite asset to Black America. You see. Black people don't need more athletic heroes, but we do need more doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers. _rr^_ Vice President The Greyhound Corporation f what ft takes. " . ' ' ~;yj i; {1 .i;"v flo {.' >?: 911! 36? IT. 1;V||||^ ?V^n Mfr fli ryr\ f h^T< Share the spirit ^ Share the refreshment W JBl i&' ^-.5^r-.: ^ ";..J^H % V | & jkjajp^^*.. v 'H
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 17, 1986, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75