Actors' Equity Association Responds to Calls to Put Scott Rudin on 'Do Not Work' List

As outrage over the accusations surrounding Broadway producer Scott Rudin continues, Actors' Equity is speaking out about how it will handle Rudin-produced projects moving forward. Many have called upon Equity to place Rudin on its 'Do Not Work' list, essentially barring the union's members from employment in his productions.

The full statement, as sent to Equity members earlier today, is as follows:

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Perhaps you saw over the weekend the announcement that Scott Rudin is stepping back from his Broadway productions - his response to an article in The Hollywood Reporter that detailed shocking and inexcusable allegations about how he treated his assistants.

We believe that everyone deserves a safe workplace, whether they are union members or not. That is why when the article first ran, we immediately reached out to our sibling unions about making a joint statement, and to the Broadway League itself, to ask whether the Broadway League planned to take action.

We also reviewed the article and our own records and wanted you to know that none of the people referenced in the piece were Equity members on Equity contracts. That doesn't make it right. Far from it. Everyone deserves a safe workplace.

If you or any member you know has witnessed or experienced bullying, harassment or intimidation in a Scott Rudin production - or any production - you can use our anonymous hotline. Whether you call your business representative or use our anonymous hotline, if you contact us, we will investigate and take appropriate action.

Some of you have asked whether Scott Rudin can be put on the DO NOT WORK list. The short answer is no. He is a producing member of the Broadway League, and as such, he has agreed to abide by Equity's collective bargaining agreements. Equity generally utilizes the DO NOT WORK list as a tool to alert members like you about the status of non-union productions.

Unless or until his status as a Broadway League producer changes, we will focus on making sure that his productions follow the language in our collective bargaining agreements - which includes maintaining a safe workplace. We can and will take action if you call and report bullying, discrimination or safety issues with any workplace. You can use our anonymous hotline.

Many of you have reached out during the pandemic with concerns about what happened in your workplace prior to the pandemic. And we have taken action. We have filed more grievances over the last year than at any point in recent memory.

With that in mind, after the news broke this weekend, on Saturday we publicly called on Scott Rudin to release his employees from any nondisclosure agreements they may have signed. You can view that statement here. Our call to action was reported 600 times nationwide, including the Associated Press, the LA Times and the New York Times. And we were proud to see that call to action joined by TIME'S UP on Sunday.

You should know that we have new tools to hold Broadway producers accountable if they engage in bullying. In our most recent bargaining with the Broadway League, we negotiated additional language into the production contract on bullying and discrimination. If you haven't yet looked at the summary of the provisions of the new production contract, click here to download the PDF.

Part of our work moving forward is broadening our view of safety and to add similarly strong bullying and anti-discrimination language to the rest of our contracts. We hope you will join us in that fight.

For Equity,

Kate Shindle
President, Actors' Equity Association

Mary McColl
Executive Director, Actors' Equity Association

P.S. - Remember, the union is here to protect you, and can help you understand the contractual obligations in any NDA or rider. Call your business rep if you have any questions about these documents. We never want you to feel forced to sign away your rights.