New York – Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, is celebrating Swing Day today, Wednesday, January 21, 2026, honoring the hard-working performers who go on stage, sometimes at a moment's notice, to cover multiple chorus roles.

"We are excited to spend the day uplifting swings by acknowledging all the incredible, and always demanding, work they do," said Al Bundonis, Actors' Equity Association's second vice president (representing the chorus) and chair of the Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA). "We also use this day to raise awareness of the often-unreasonable expectations put on swings. By educating our audiences about the work swings do, Equity has been able to prioritize their needs at the negotiating table for contracts across the country."

A swing is a member of the ensemble who learns multiple parts, or tracks, and is on standby to cover for multiple members of the chorus. Depending on the needs of a production, a swing could go on for any number of tracks, including those written for other genders, ages or even more than one track at once. A swing may only learn they are going on moments before a performance begins, or even in the middle of a show.

To celebrate, Equity will be posting thoughts and stories from swings around the country on the union's social media channels, with the hashtag #EquityTeamSwing. Equity began Swing Day in 2016, making this year the first of Swing Day's second decade.

ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org  #EquityWorks 

January 21, 2026

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