Safety Spotlight

Keep theater workers and audiences safe.

Actors’ Equity Association ensures that theaters have workplace safety rules and terms and conditions that allow actors and stage managers to give their all for the audience night after night. That means fair compensation and safer theaters for everyone.

Shamefully, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some theaters have decided to abandon their commitment to the members of Actors' Equity. Despite Equity's willingness to collaborate, these producers insisted on moving forward on timelines that make collaborating to ensure a safe workplace impossible. These producers have decided to water down their health and safety standards by no longer using Actors’ Equity agreements.

In April 2020, Actors’ Equity retained Dr. David Michaels, former head of OSHA under President Obama, to create new health and safety protocols for the industry. In May, Dr. Michaels released his first four principles for safe and healthy theater productions. Unfortunately, these theaters are moving forward without a commitment that they will follow these health and safety recommendations to protect the audience and the workers:

 
  1. The epidemic must be under control with contract tracing and testing.
  2. Individuals who may be infectious must be readily identified and isolated.
  3. Venues and productions may need to be modified to minimize exposure.
  4. Efforts to control COVID-19 exposure must be collaborative.
 

Some producers have put everyone's safety first.
These producers have met or exceeded the safe and sanitary conditions necessary for presenting live theatre during the COVID-19 pandemic:

 
 
 

We thank these conscientious artists for their attention to the health and safety of theatre workers and audiences. Click on their names to visit their websites learn more about their productions.

Producers may click here to learn more about the safety protocols Equity has approved.

 

These producers are no longer Equity producers.
They have abandoned their commitment to Actors’ Equity workplace safety rules that protect the audience and actors and stage managers:

Tell these theaters that your safety is more important than their sales.

Click the links above to share a message on social media or send an email to the theater.