Kathryn V. Lamkey Award

The National Council of Actors’ Equity Association, the union representing more than 51,000 professional performers and stage managers working in live theatre across the country, has voted unanimously to authorize a strike for the workers of The Second City in Chicago at the discretion of their lead negotiator.

Performers and stage managers reached a five-year deal with New York-based private equity owners ZMC.

An Actors' Equity Association spokesperson said new contract negotiations have been cordial, but the two sides are still “far apart” on wages.

The Trump Administration has started canceling National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants.

16 performers were honored with the iconic Legacy Robe this season.

When an actor or stage manager is hired for a show and receives an Equity contract, the rulebook for that contract becomes their bible for the length of the job.

The bargaining cycle is an evolutionary one, with each collective bargaining agreement ideally being an improvement on the last. But how does Equity start from zero, when there is no previous agreement upon which to build?

Union rules and practices come with a lot of terminology. Here is a rundown of some words and phrases that come up a lot when Equity is negotiating for a new agreement.

At this time in the United States, telling human stories onstage may feel extra important, or fraught, or polarizing or heightened in any other number of ways. We spoke to members working on productions around the country about the importance of telling stories, what their show's themes brought up for them and making art in a time of political upheaval.

Equity member Fady Demian recently concluded a run as Omid, a student in an English class in Iran in "English" at Cincinnati Playhouse.

Holt spoke about the ways that d/Deaf performers might navigate their art differently. For example, as a dancer, she found that it took her longer to pick up on the steps because she was not hearing the choreographer explain them concurrently with the demonstration. She emphasized the importance of using different learning styles as an instructor to make sure that everyone in the room can be included.