Press Releases

President Kate Shindle and Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr. of Actors' Equity Association -- the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre -- have issued the following joint statement regarding Tennessee's new legislation restricting drag performance.

Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has issued a statement following reports that the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, has once again been re-introduced in Congress.

The Coalition of Broadway Unions & Guilds, representing workers both on and off stage in New York State and beyond, today condemned the self-described neo-Nazis who harassed theatergoers prior to Tuesday’s preview performance of Parade outside the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

An Atypical Year Sees Some Progress

“Parade tells an important story of what happens when antisemitism and other kinds of hatred are allowed to grow unchecked. We are proud of our members and their colleagues who are bringing this tragedy to life on stage, and the presence of antisemitic protestors at their place of work only underlines how important that work is."

The goal of a name change is to create an identity for the union inclusive of all its members, which includes not only actors but also stage managers as well as other kinds of performers.

This year’s Stage Manager Day will fall on the 103rd anniversary of Equity first recognizing a stage manager as a distinct category of worker within the union.

Equity is making its Open Access membership policy permanent. With a pathway to membership now available to all stage managers and actors with professional experience, the union will begin a three-year phase out of its Equity Membership Candidate Program.

A coalition including Actors’ Equity Association and the Theatre Producers of Southern California (TPSCA) kicked off a campaign to fund SB 1116, the groundbreaking arts bill that passed the legislature and was signed into law last year.

We are witnessing not just attacks on expression but attacks on existence. The recent rise in legislation limiting gender-affirming health care, as well as the increase in both physical and legal threats to drag performances, must be named for what they are: a coordinated attack that seeks to eradicate transgender people.