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managements were smart. They would say, “No.” NYU, Methodist, and --

Methodist?

Yes. And at the beginning the Catholics -- later okay. And the big one, Brookdale -- also because we were organizing nurses. Now that's where some of them saw it. Brookdale saw it right away, because we were the first organizing a campaign of nurses. The others didn't realize it, and the nurses were very very strong supporters of Bread and Roses, because it's great stuff! Particularly when we got to “Take Care”. So, what happens is that the rank and file people are valuable in the sense of getting the word out to the members.

The other thing we did organizationally was that every show that goes in to the hospitals must first be performed -- the schedule has to be worked out -- has to first be performed for the delegate assembly. It has to be performed for the hospital delegate assembly, guild delegate assembly. Sometimes a joint delegate assembly is called. So that the delegates, having seen the show, become the big supporters. “I've seen this. You've got to come to this thing -- it's wonderful,” see. You've got arms and legs. Also creates a problem. “Why can't this come to my hospital?” You get a lot of that kind of thing. Organizers begin to fight with us. We go over the question of planning where it's going to perform. So the organizer has to contact the hospital and get the place. We give them a date, “You've got to get a date, place, and you've got to tell us the size of the hall, the size of the stage, is there a piano, is there not a piano? If there's not a piano we have to bring in a piano.” That kind of thing. So each division, and each area, make a decision as to which hospitals in their area are to get it, and you get a lot of flack that way. “Why can't I have it there?” So “Next time he won't get it -- you'll get it,” see. That, in a sense, is good for us. You know, nothing succeeds like success.

So then we say to Newark, “We've got a grant. Come to Newark. Go to a couple of hospitals, go to Newark.” I had worked with Debbie Levy in Connecticut. Got a grant from the Connecticut Arts Council. Got a grant? Ship them up to Connecticut, inside the hospitals. Or better still they say, “We'll have a big Friday night affair. We'll invite our members, other unions -- big deal.” Maryland, Philadelphia, same kind of thing. So it's beginning to spread out that way. That goes past the six weeks. I have a very close feeling on the budget -- I know the cost. We go to [Actors] Equity, and we work out a contract with Equity for the performance, so that we're paying fairly good salaries for a show. I know I'm putting in at NEA for a show that's going to go for six