Hackney first joined Equity in 2008 as a business representative. She also has a theatre background as an actor and director.
The Open Access membership policy will also make it easier for former members of Equity to rejoin the union.
Theater actors will now have an easier time becoming a member of Actors’ Equity Association: The union has announced that it will now open membership to any actor or stage manager who has worked professionally in the United States.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and fellow Democrats responded to strong lobbying from small nonprofit theaters to support their reopening.
“We commend the leadership of Asm. Lorena Gonzalez in fighting for $50 million in additional funding for small live arts employers to be able to reopen safely."
Actors’ Equity has partnered with the National Energy Management Institute to set ventilation guidelines for performance spaces.
“This new protocol is based on the science and lessons from the field from professional union HVAC technicians during the pandemic,” said NEMI's David Bernett.
Actors’ Equity says that fully vaccinated theater companies now can dispense with masking and Covid-19 testing mandates. The live-theater union’s newly updated protocols will remain in effect through the end of September.
Kate Shindle, Actors' Equity Association President, joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss Broadway set to sully resume September 14 and the theater industry impacts from the pandemic.
“We are so grateful that the House appropriations committee recognizes President Biden’s vision for a robust return to the arts industry,” said Kate Shindle.