The Actors’ Equity Association
is an actors union that represents
actors who perform in theatre or
theatrical productions. The
Actors’ Equity Association, or
Equity for short, was formed in
1913 and is the oldest of all the
major actor unions, such as Screen
Actors’ Guild and AFTRA.
Equity was formed to ensure that actors were treated
fairly by producers. Equity ensures that actors are paid
fairly and in a timely fashion. It ensures that actors are
able to perform their crafts in reasonable working
conditions. It also handles benefits, salaries and other
aspects of the actors’ career.
How Does Actors’
Equity Association Help Actors?
The Actors’ Equity
Association helps actors in a number
of ways. In particular, Equity
provides benefits and contractual
representation, as well as other
services that help actors further
their careers.
Benefits Include:
Equity
negotiates the minimum rates at
which their members must be paid for
Equity-recognized projects.
Health
benefits for members
Retirement
benefits, such as 401k and pension
Alerting
actors to auditions for productions
that are recognized by Equity
News bulletins
Seminars on
acting and other topics
How
Can I Join Actors’ Equity Association?
Actors can join the Actors’
Equity Association in a number of
different ways. The most common ways
of joining Equity are as follows:
Actors can
join Equity by simply working in or
on an Equity-recognized production
for a number of weeks. You can find
out whether or not a production is
Equity by asking the producer or by
contacting
Equity.
Actors can
join Equity if they have been a
member of another major actors
union, such as the Screen Actors’
Guild (SAG) or the American
Federation of Television & Radio
Artists (AFTRA), and have performed
as the principal performer while
being a member of that union.
Actors can
also join Equity by contacting
Equity and proving to the union that
they are going to be performing in
an upcoming production that is
affiliated with Equity.
