Press Releases Funding

Actors’ Equity Association – the national union for professional stage actors and stage managers working in live theater – released the following statement in reaction to media reports that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced he would be retracting grants awarded to arts institutions statewide. Following that, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney proposed the elimination of the city’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

Bill Boosts Weekly Unemployment Benefit by $600 and Includes New Triggers to File for Unemployment for Those Who Accepted Offers for Productions Postponed by COVID-19 Before Work Started

Senate Bill Boosts Weekly Unemployment Benefit by $600 and Includes New Triggers to File for Unemployment for Those Who Accepted Offers But Productions Were Postponed by COVID-19 Before They Started Work

In response to the public health crisis brought on by COVID-19 (coronavirus), members of the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG) issued the following statement.

Gov. Cuomo has taken an important step; now New York and Congress must focus on protecting thousands of arts workers who will be displaced.

Kate Shindle, President of Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, released the following statement in reaction to the District of Columbia, the Bay Area and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee limiting public gatherings:

Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 actors and stage managers, has released the following statement in reaction to reports that Rep. Lorena Gonzalez and Rep. Christy Smith will seek $20 million in additional public arts funding for small nonprofits in the next budget.

More than 80 percent of nonunion actors and stage managers in California have been misclassified as independent contractors and asked to work for less than minimum wage

California Should be a Leader in Arts Funding

Kate Shindle, President of Actors' Equity Association, the national labor union representing professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, released the following statement in response to reports that the new spending deal approved by the House and Senate this week raises funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to $162.5 million in the new government funding bill.