Actors’ Equity expands eligibility for union membership
Any experienced actor or Stage Manager may now join
Actors’ Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has announced a new “Open Access” membership policy, allowing any theatre worker who can demonstrate they have worked professionally as an actor or stage manager within Equity’s geographical jurisdiction to join the union.
Previously, eligibility for union membership had been limited to those working for an Equity employer – whether by direct contract offer or through the Equity Membership Candidate program – or to members of a sibling union. Now, Equity is broadening access to union jobs that offer living wages, benefits and important workplace safety provisions.
“The old system had a significant flaw: It made employers the gatekeepers of Equity membership, with almost no other pathways to joining,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association. “The entertainment industry is disproportionately white, including and especially theatrical leadership. The union has inadvertently contributed to the systemic exclusion of BIPOC artists and others with marginalized identities by maintaining a system in which being hired to work those contracts was a prerequisite of membership. We hope that artists from all backgrounds will join us in building a union that uplifts the entire theatre community, especially those who have not felt included or welcome in the past.”
Additionally, the Open Access policy invites former members of Equity to rejoin the union without having to secure a new Equity contract, as required under previous policy. Former members and former applicants for membership who choose to join Equity under this policy may also apply previously paid initiation fees toward their current application.
Open Access is effective immediately for actors and stage managers who wish to join or rejoin Equity, regardless of country of origin or residence. Eligibility will extend for two years, with application and down payment of applicable fees required by May 1, 2023. Further details about the policy are available on Equity’s website.
Denver Gazette Senior Arts Journalist John Moore is one of Denver’s most respected and honored arts journalists. In 2011, he was named one of America’s 12 most influential theatre critics by American Theatre magazine. He co-founded both The Underground Music Showcase (The UMS) and The Denver Actors Fund, which in its first eight years has made more than $1,300,000 available to help Colorado theatre artists pay their medical bills.
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