Kate Shindle News

Actors' Equity Association, the national union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers working in live theatre, and The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry, officially have a new contract governing touring productions, following ratification by vote of Equity membership.

Lecturers who narrate the planetarium shows at Griffith Observatory and who took steps late last year to form a union, this week have been granted union recognition by the City of Los Angeles’ City Employee Relations Board.

Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, has filed an amicus brief in the Western District of Tennessee opposing the state’s first-in-the-nation law intended to limit drag shows. 

The National Council of Actors’ Equity Association, the governing body for the union representing 51,000 actors and stage managers working in live entertainment, has authorized Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr., the union’s lead negotiator, to call a strike on all Broadway League tours at a time he deems appropriate. We have all the details!

Actors’ Equity Association has approved the launch of a political action committee, an independent organization dedicated to advancing the political interests of Equity’s members. 

President Kate Shindle and Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr. of Actors' Equity Association -- the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre -- have issued a joint statement regarding Tennessee's new legislation restricting drag performance. Read it in full here.

Actors’ Equity Association has issued a statement following reports that the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, has once again been re-introduced in Congress.  

Actors’ Equity Association has published Progress During an Atypical Year: Hiring Bias and Wage Gaps in Theatre in 2021.This document examines employment opportunity and average salaries for members of the union in 2021.

Actors’ Equity Association is making its Open Access membership policy permanent. With a pathway to membership now available to all stage managers and actors with professional experience, the union will begin a three-year phase out of its Equity Membership Candidate Program.

An unusual coalition of management and labor launched a kick-off event on Friday, January 27 to secure budgeting for SB 1116, the groundbreaking arts funding bill that passed the state legislature and was signed into law last year, but remains unfunded in the most recent budget. See photos from the event.

Read the statement Actors' Equity Association released after Congress passed an FY23 budget that funded the National Endowment for the Arts at $207 million – an increase of $27 million over FY22.

According to various reports, members of Actors' Equity have voted to approve the 3-year collective bargaining agreement for Broadway shows and sit-down productions.

This year, the Northwestern Dolphin Show will be presenting Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, a musical about a young child gifted with telekinesis, a love of reading, and the strength to overcome obstacles thrown at her and her peers. Produced by Arella Flur, Daniel Maton, and Rachel Schmaier, directed by Lucy Harrington, choreographed by Kristen Waagner, and music directed by Kevin Park.

Dancers employed at the Star Garden Topless Dive Bar in North Hollywood, who filed a petition in for a union recognition election with the National Labor Relations Board, will learn the results of the historic union vote this Monday, November 7, at 2 p.m. PT.

AEA featured prominently in industry news last week - voicing support for a casino project in Times Square, as the subject of a defamation suit from producer Garth Drabinsky, and their efforts to organize the dancers at Star Garden. All as the industry continues to work towards a new normal, while facing tremendous challenges on all fronts.

In August, when Actors’ Equity first announced it was seeking to represent adult dancers (aka strippers) at a California night club, many members expressed displeasure on social media.

Last week Actors’ Equity announced that it was one step closer to unionizing the dancers at Star Garden Topless Dive Bar—the National Labor Relations Board approved a petition for a union recognition election. In other words, if the dancers (and DJs) want a union, they can join one by voting.

Questions of access continue to be discussed after an incident at Hadestown last week, ultimately highlighting that there is a deep need for more education around the topic for everyone involved. In the UK, educational access for school children is becoming more challenging than ever before with cuts to funding for those trips.

ACTORS' EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. www.actorsequity.org #EquityWorks

Senate Bill 1116, a measure introduced by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) which seeks to create a payroll fund to support small nonprofit performing arts venues (SNPAOs), was signed into law September 29, 2022 by Governor Newsom.