Latest in Actors Equity

Actors' Equity and the Off-Broadway League have reached an agreement for a new three-year contract that includes significant pay raises; Covid protocols; new provisions that strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and additional protections that address issues of harassment, bullying and…

Actors' Equity says that fully vaccinated theater companies now can dispense with masking and Covid-19 testing mandates. The live-theater union's newly updated protocols will remain in effect through the end of September. "The health and safety of our members comes first," said Equity president Kate Shindle. "We are…

Mary McColl, the current executive director of Actors’ Equity Association, has announced that she will not seek a new contract when her current agreement expires in January 2022. McColl made the announcement to staff and officers of the union today. "When I took this job in 2011, I was the first woman to be hired as…

Leaders of SAG-AFTRA, Actors' Equity Association and American Federation of Musicians Local 802 are condemning harassment, bullying and toxic environments and pledging “to hold accountable those who violate human and legal norms of fair, respectful and dignified conduct in the workplace.” Though the joint statement…

In the hardest year, Hollywood's unions had their finest hour. Together and separately, they navigated those first uncertain days of the entertainment industry shutdown a year ago this week and came together with the major companies to develop protocols to get their members back to work as safely as possible. Their…

Leaders of the Hollywood's unions today outlined their legislative agenda to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts, entertainment and media industries, including a call on Congress to pass a flurry of legislation to increase federal arts funding; establish diversity objectives for grant recipients; to…

Actors' Equity has condemned President Donald Trump's "outrageous" proposal to freeze $110 million in the 2021 budget for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The proposed freeze is part of the $27.4 billion in government programs Trump is trying to stall in his last days…

UPDATED with more statements: A growing chorus of entertainment industry union leaders is condemning Wednesday's attack on the Capitol building by supporters of President Donald Trump – and the politicians who incited the violence. "It took three years, 50 weeks and four dead at the Capitol for far too few Republicans…

SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity Association have reached an agreement to end their bitter jurisdictional feud over the taping of live stage presentations. "We are happy to report that SAG-AFTRA and AEA have reached a unanimous agreement with respect to the broadcast and streaming of live performances during the pandemic…

Updated with response from Actors’ Equity. SAG-AFTRA has filed a jurisdictional complaint against Actors’ Equity in their ongoing dispute over the taping of live theatrical presentations. The union filed the complaint and a request for mediation with the Associated Actors and Artistes of America – commonly known as…

The usually fractious SAG-AFTRA national board of directors unanimously has approved a resolution reaffirming the union's jurisdiction over the taping of live theater productions, accusing Actors' Equity Association of taking part in a "surreptitious campaign to encroach upon SAG-AFTRA jurisdiction." The board…

As the long-simmering jurisdictional dispute between Actors' Equity and SAG-AFTRA continues to unfold in public, Equity executive director Mary McColl today disputed SAG-AFTRA's claim that Equity had asked for a "waiver" to represent actors who perform in taped stage presentations during the pandemic – a jurisdiction…