Equity in the News

Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, has released the following statement in reaction to reports that Rep. Lorena Gonzalez and Rep. Christy Smith will seek $20 million in additional public arts funding for small nonprofits in the next budget.

California Law Needed, Actors Union Says:

A newly effective California law that makes it harder for employers to classify people who work for them as independent contractors is badly needed, according to a just-released survey from the Actors’ Equity Association.

It's time to celebrate the people who keep so many shows afloat with their work ethic, adaptability and brains full of choreography: swings! As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Actors' Equity is celebrating its fifth annual Swing Day today, January 15, honoring the hard-working performers who stay ready to go on at a moment's notice, for multiple roles. We're getting in on the celebration by highlighting some of the swings that are lighting up the stage both on Broadway and on national tours. Take a look below to see these hardworking cast members from Moulin Rouge, Hamilton, Mean Girls, and more!

Actors’ Equity, the national union for stage actors and stage managers, has announced a new central regional director who will also serve as one of four assistant executive directors. Andrea Hoeschen will be taking charge of the Chicago-based office, which covers a jurisdiction of 16 states from North to South in the middle of the country.

“Many of them can’t afford the tax hike,” said Sandra Karas, secretary/treasurer on the national council of Actors’ Equity Association, a labor union that represents 51,000 American theater actors and stage managers. “They don’t know what to do with these expenses that they have, that they must spend, to continue their careers.”

The Broadway League and Actors’ Equity Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, the two groups announced Monday. 

Actors’ Equity Association has reached a tentative agreement with the Broadway League for a new contract, both sides say.

Christine Toy Johnson, chair of Equity’s National EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) Committee, recognizes the phenomenon of some producers and directors treating diversity as a box-ticking exercise, although she likes to think it may lead to more diverse casting. “If we get into the room both physically and philosophically, the teams of writers and directors and everyone else have to be open to seeing us and giving fair consideration to us.”

According to the Actors’ Equity 2018 Regional Theatre Report, which measured work weeks in cities other than the entertainment meccas of NYC, Chicago, and L.A., there’s work to be had outside of the major markets. Below we profile half a dozen AEA members who are making a living, and a life, in their resident metropolises.

There’s no question that the entertainment industry is one of our most vital economic engines, creating and retaining jobs, not just in Los Angeles and New York, but also in small- and medium-sized cities across the country such as Sarasota and Pasadena who treasure their theaters and art scenes. Protecting performing artists and their families from undue financial burden is a bipartisan cause.