Equity in the News

When Disney World reopened last month, it wasn’t entirely clear how a theme park could operate safely during a global pandemic, or if anything resembling a normal crowd would even be willing to take the risk. Earlier this week, the park announced plans to reduce its hours starting in September, after the company reported reduced turnout and “adversely impacted” earnings. Now, Disney has announced plans to open a coronavirus testing center on Walt Disney World property.

Walt Disney World in Orlando announced Aug. 12 that it will be providing an on-site COVID testing center for employees and their families. This announcement came after more than a month of back-and-forth between the mouse and Actors’ Equity Association, which had called for Disney to provide its employees with COVID testing, in order to ensure the safety of Equity members who work in the park. Disney World initially reacted to that request by not re-hiring the 750 union members it normally employs.

Walt Disney World and the union for its actors and singers reached an agreement on Wednesday that will allow them to return to work, more than a month after they said they were locked out of the reopening of the theme park resort for publicly demanding coronavirus tests.

Walt Disney World actors, who argued that the Florida theme park’s proposed coronavirus safeguards were inadequate to protect them, have resolved a dispute over COVID-19 testing, a union statement said on Wednesday.

Florida will begin providing coronavirus testing for Disney World cast members this week, ending a nearly two-month dispute with a union that represents stage actors at the park.

Walt Disney World and Actors’ Equity Association have reached an agreement over COVID-19 testing that will allow actors to return to work at the resort following a two-month stand-off.

On-site public COVID-19 testing will be available on Disney-owned property this week, possibly clearing the way for many actors, dancers and stunt people to return to work — and thereby restoring some of Disney’s most popular shows to its theme parks.

AEA President Kate Shindle shared, 'Equity’s executive committee has signed a memorandum of understanding with Disney'.

The Broadway musical “Diana” isn’t waiting for theaters to reopen in New York to offer its show to a live audience — it’s going to Netflix.

Following the success of Hamilton on Disney+, the new Broadway musical Diana will now premiere on Netflix next year before opening on Broadway, as the theater industry contends with how to adapt live productions to a pandemic that’s kept theaters shuttered since March.