STAGE TUBE: The Tradition Lives On! Actors' Equity Association Celebrates 65 Years of the Gypsy Robe

Actors' Equity Association today marks 65 years of its famed Gypsy Robe® ceremony, an honor bestowed to a member of a Broadway chorus with the most Broadway musical chorus or ensemble show credits. The Gypsy Robe ceremony takes place onstage just before the audience enters the theater on opening night.

The tradition began in 1950 when actor Bill Bradley borrowed a dressing gown from Florence Baum, a chorus girl in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and sent it to his pal Arthur Partington in Call Me Madam saying it would "bless" his show. Arthur sent it to another show and the tradition was born.

When Gypsy Robes are completely embellished with artifacts, souvenirs and sketches, they are retired and a new robe is started. Three retired robes are in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; two are in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History; three are in the Museum of the City of New York; all others remain with Actors' Equity.

The supervision and guardianship of the Gypsy Robe is maintained by the Actors' Equity Association Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA), under the guidance of David Westphal, AEA's National Chorus Business Representative.

Actors' Equity Association, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 50,000 Actors and Stage Managers. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. To learn more, visitwww.actorsequity.org. #EquityWorks.

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