Protests or Demonstrations near the venue and/or housing

Protests or Demonstrations may increase security and safety risks for venues and housing. Employers should have written plans in place (documented in the EAP) in case of emergencies and to reduce the risk of harm to Equity members.

If a protest or demonstration is planned to take place near the venue and/or housing, Equity requests the employer’s cooperation in promptly notifying the Equity Business Representative or Equity Field Representative. If the employer is informed of a protest or demonstration outside of Equity’s office hours, call 888-802-5307.

If the protest or demonstration organizers receive a permit, the employer should hold an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) meeting with Equity members to go over the additional safety and security protocols that will be in place. The meeting should include, but need not be limited to, where the protest or demonstration will take place and how it may affect the rehearsal and/or performance schedule, access to housing, traffic patterns, public transportation and parking garages; identify alternative plans and share reminders from the initial Emergency Action Plan (EAP) meeting, such as the locations of the emergency exits, emergency stairwells, first-aid stations and shelter in place.

We recommend reviewing the following resources dedicated to event safety:

• ANSI ES1.6 – 2025 Event Safety – Communications

• ANSI ES1.9 – 2020 Event Safety – Crowd Management

• ANSI ES1.40 – 2023 Event Safety – Event Security

(In the above "resources" link, there is a "live search" box on the webpage. Type in the name of the ANSI standard you would like to review. You can download each standard for free by providing your email address.)