Sentence:  We are often told that the Comedie has , unfortunately , life-contracts with old actors who <WSD>are</WSD> both mediocre and lazy , drawing their pay without much acting but probably doing real service to the Comedie by staying off the stage . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)