Equity in the News July 2020

Walt Disney World and the Actors’ Equity Association have been butting heads about the reopening of the theme parks. Disney previously said that they would love to reopen stage shows, but the Actors’ Equity Association has been pushing back.

Actors’ Equity Association is calling the pending expiration of federal pandemic unemployment benefits “inexcusable” and says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “dithers” as theater workers “stare down an uncertain future.”

Actors' Equity Asks 'How Much Longer Will Senator McConnell Wait to Bring up the HEROES Act for a Vote?'

Up characters Russell and Dug the dog are out — and so are the Actors’ Equity members who played them — in a revamped version of a bird-show attraction at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.

Dr. David Michaels, former head of OSHA during the Obama Administration, is working with Equity to establish safe and sanitary procedures for theatrical work during COVID-19. These guidelines are all built on four core principals required to ensure the health of our members as well as everyone else who works at or attends theatre during this time. In this video from Actors’ Equity, Dr. Michaels explains what each of these principals mean.

As Broadway artists buckle down for an extended period of unemployment, many arts workers around the country prepare for the same bumpy road. Just last month, the Broadway League announced that Broadway will remain closed through at least the rest of the year, meaning that performers, musicians, craftsmen, designers and more will remain out of work. That trend doesn't end in New York City.

As Walt Disney World and Actors’ Equity Association members prepare to discuss a grievance filed by the union, Disney is finding ways to work around the absent performers.

Actors Equity Association has released a video in a new series, featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Allyson Tucker discussing their experiences with COVID-19.

The Broadway industry is relying on the passage of additional federal relief packages to sustain its workforce.

Actors' Equity Association released the following statement in response to media reports that Oregon legislators voted to distribute $50 million in federal relief funds to arts and cultural organizations in crisis during the coronavirus pandemic.