Equity in the News

Actors’ Equity Association has called for a strike against developmental presentations as part of its appeal for profit sharing–based compensation for their members. Projects from members of the Broadway League under Lab, Workshop, and Staged Reading contracts will be placed on Equity's “Do Not Work” list following Equity and the League’s failed ongoing negotiations.

Actors' Equity, a national labor union, and the Broadway League, a trade association representing producers, are at odds over the issue two years after public pressure from the original cast of “Hamilton” prompted that blockbuster show’s producers to agree to a new formula for distributing its proceeds. 

Actors’ Equity has declared a strike on all new Broadway show development with members of the Broadway League, a potentially costly move after two years of what the union is calling unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a Lab Agreement.

After nearly two years of attempts to negotiate a new contract to replace its Lab Agreement with the Broadway League, members of Actors’ Equity Association today declared a strike calling for a halt to all new show development work with signatory members of the league.

Actors’ Equity has barred its members from participating in any developmental work on new shows with the Broadway League.

Actors' Equity, SAG-AFTRA, the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America East, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have jointly joined a pledge to combat workplace harassment.

Actors' Equity took to Twitter to praise Mean Girls for doing just that. The production has offered profit sharing to the Equity members who offered creative contributions during show development.

Kudos to Actors’ Equity and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for hearing the voices of those who found the phrase “gypsy”—once used to denote ensemblists who moved from show to show—no longer culturally sensitive.

Over a decade ago, an agreement was made between the Broadway League and Actors' Equity Association, which cemented a weekly minimum wage for actors participating in developmental labs. Negotiations began yesterday between the two organizations for an update to those policies, and Actors' Equity is trying to get the word out.

Actors' Equity has launched a social media campaign and petition calling for changes to the developmental lab agreement as the union begins negotiations with The Broadway League.