Local News in Brief : Troupe Gets Props Back
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A federal judge ordered the Pantages Theatre to release 9,000 pounds of stage props, belonging to a Chinese acrobatic troupe, that were seized after the theater became embroiled in a financial dispute with a promoter.
U.S. District Court Judge William Rea said the Hollywood theater was wrong to hold props belonging to the Tianjin Art Troupe in its dispute with the promoter who booked the troupe’s show.
Zu Wei, spokesperson for the China Performing Arts Agency, said the prop seizure embarrassed the Chinese government because the group of acrobats has been a state-sponsored troupe for more than 2,000 years.
Pantages representatives said a Hong Kong promoter wrote bad checks for advertising and other expenses that totaled about $120,000.
Judge Rea required the China Performing Arts Society to post a $50,000 bond, representing the nominal value of the props, before they are released to them. The bond is designed to protect the Pantages from liability in the event that a third party claims ownership of the props.
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