Actors' Equity Association
Encyclopedia
The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union
representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or through-storyline (vaudeville
, cabaret
s, circus
es) may be represented by AGVA
. As of 2010, Equity represented over 49,000 theatre
artists and stage managers
.
in New York City
, on May 26, 1913, Actors' Equity was founded by 112 professional theater actors, who established the association's constitution and elected Francis Wilson
as president.
Leading up to the establishment of the association, a handful of influential actors—known as The Players
—held secret organizational meetings at Edwin Booth
's old mansion on Gramercy Square
. The Players included Frank Gillmore
, who from 1918 to 1929 was the Executive Secretary of Actors' Equity and its eventual President, a position he held from 1929 to 1937.
Actors' Equity joined the American Federation of Labor
in 1919, and called a strike
seeking recognition of the association as a labor union. The strike ended the dominance of the Theatrical Syndicate
, including theater owners and producers like Abe Erlanger and his partner, Mark Klaw. The strike increased membership from under 3,000 to approximately 14,000. The Chorus Equity Association
, which merged with Actors' Equity in 1955, was founded during the strike.
Equity represented directors and choreographers until 1959, when they broke away and formed their own union.
.
When actors were losing jobs due to 1950s McCarthyism
and the Hollywood blacklist
, Actors' Equity Association refused to participate. Although its constitution guaranteed its members the right to refuse to work alongside Communists
, or a member of a Communist front organization, Actors' Equity never banned any members. At a 1997 ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the blacklist
, Richard Masur
, then President of the Screen Actors Guild
, apologized for the union's participation in the ban, noting: "Only our sister union, Actors' Equity Association, had the courage to stand behind its members and help them continue their creative lives in the theater. For that, we honor Actors' Equity tonight."
In the 1960s, Actors' Equity played a role in gaining public funding for the arts, including the founding of the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA).
Actors' Equity fought the destruction of historic Broadway theaters. It played a major role in the recognition of the impact the AIDS
epidemic was having on the stage. Actors' Equity is the only union in the United States that boasts an unemployment rate of 90% at any given time.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or through-storyline (vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
s, circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
es) may be represented by AGVA
American Guild of Variety Artists
American Guild of Variety Artists is an American entertainment union representing performers in variety entertainment, including circuses, Las Vegas showrooms and cabarets, comedy showcases, dance revues, magic shows, theme park shows, and arena and auditorium extravaganzas. It awards the "Georgie...
. As of 2010, Equity represented over 49,000 theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
artists and stage managers
Stage management
Stage management is the practice of organizing and coordinating a theatrical production. It encompasses a variety of activities, including organizing the production and coordinating communications between various personnel...
.
History
At a meeting held at the Pabst Grand Circle Hotel2 Columbus Circle
2 Columbus Circle is a small, trapezoidal lot on the south side of Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City, USA.The seven-story Pabst Grand Circle Hotel, designed by William H. Cauvet, stood at this address from 1874 until it was demolished in 1960...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on May 26, 1913, Actors' Equity was founded by 112 professional theater actors, who established the association's constitution and elected Francis Wilson
Francis Wilson
Francis Wilson may refer to:*Francis H. Wilson , U.S. Representative from New York*Francis Wilson , American actor*Francis Wilson , Australian lichenologist...
as president.
Leading up to the establishment of the association, a handful of influential actors—known as The Players
The Players (club)
The Players, frequently referred to as the Players Club, is a social club founded in New York City by the noted 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth, who purchased an 1847 mansion located at 16 Gramercy Park. During his lifetime, he reserved an upper floor for his home, turning the rest of...
—held secret organizational meetings at Edwin Booth
Edwin Booth
Edwin Thomas Booth was a famous 19th century American actor who toured throughout America and the major capitals of Europe, performing Shakespearean plays. In 1869 he founded Booth's Theatre in New York, a spectacular theatre that was quite modern for its time...
's old mansion on Gramercy Square
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
. The Players included Frank Gillmore
Frank Gillmore
Frank Gillmore was an English American playwright and a stage and early film actor...
, who from 1918 to 1929 was the Executive Secretary of Actors' Equity and its eventual President, a position he held from 1929 to 1937.
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
in 1919, and called a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
seeking recognition of the association as a labor union. The strike ended the dominance of the Theatrical Syndicate
Theatrical Syndicate
-Beginnings:One day, early in the year 1896, six men gathered for lunch at the Holland House in New York City. These men were Charles Frohman, Al Hayman, A.L. Erlanger, Marc Klaw, Samuel F. Nirdlinger, and Frederick Zimmerman...
, including theater owners and producers like Abe Erlanger and his partner, Mark Klaw. The strike increased membership from under 3,000 to approximately 14,000. The Chorus Equity Association
Chorus Equity Association
The Chorus Equity Association was created on August 12, 1919 in New York City, New York during the strike by the Actors' Equity Association. After Florenz Ziegfeld revealed that he was joining the Producing Managers' Association, with the help of a substantial donation from superstar actress and...
, which merged with Actors' Equity in 1955, was founded during the strike.
Equity represented directors and choreographers until 1959, when they broke away and formed their own union.
Causes
In the 1940s, Actors' Equity stood against segregationRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
.
When actors were losing jobs due to 1950s McCarthyism
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
and the Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
, Actors' Equity Association refused to participate. Although its constitution guaranteed its members the right to refuse to work alongside Communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, or a member of a Communist front organization, Actors' Equity never banned any members. At a 1997 ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
, Richard Masur
Richard Masur
Richard Masur is an American actor who has appeared in more than 80 movies during his career. From 1995-1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild . Masur sits on the Corporate Board of the Motion Picture & Television Fund.-Biography:Masur was born in New York City to a...
, then President of the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
, apologized for the union's participation in the ban, noting: "Only our sister union, Actors' Equity Association, had the courage to stand behind its members and help them continue their creative lives in the theater. For that, we honor Actors' Equity tonight."
In the 1960s, Actors' Equity played a role in gaining public funding for the arts, including the founding of the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
(NEA).
Actors' Equity fought the destruction of historic Broadway theaters. It played a major role in the recognition of the impact the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
epidemic was having on the stage. Actors' Equity is the only union in the United States that boasts an unemployment rate of 90% at any given time.
Exchange of actors between U.S. and U.K.
Under current rules, a producer who wants to bring a British actor to the United States must seek the approval of Actors' Equity, just as the British Equity's approval is needed to bring an American actor to the United Kingdom. In theory the two unions try to balance the exchange, but over the years it has been charged the exchange provisions have been unevenly applied. Many feel the restrictions should be loosened or ended, while others claim the flow of talent across the Atlantic is mostly one way, from the UK to the United States. While established stars are normally admitted automatically under common visa exceptions, the problem arises with non-star talent.See also
- American Federation of Television and Radio ArtistsAmerican Federation of Television and Radio ArtistsThe American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...
- Stage Managers' AssociationStage Managers' AssociationThe Stage Managers' Association, or SMA, is a professional organization in the United States for those in the business of putting on stage shows. It was founded in 1982 and is based in New York City....
- Clarence Derwent AwardsClarence Derwent AwardsThe Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers union, in the West End in the United Kingdom....
- Philip Loeb Humanitarian AwardPhilip Loeb Humanitarian AwardThis award was named in memory of the blacklisted prominent actor and Actors' Equity Association worker Philip Loeb, who committed suicide in 1955 after losing his craft to McCarthyism. The award was bestowed only twice....
- Paul Robeson AwardPaul Robeson AwardAn award bestowed by the Paul Robeson Citation Award Committee of the Actors' Equity Association.- Recipients :1974 Paul Robeson1975 Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee1976 Lillian Hellman1977 Pete Seeger1978 Sam Jaffe1979 Harry Belafonte1980 Alice Childress...
- St. Clair Bayfield AwardSt. Clair Bayfield AwardThe St. Clair Bayfield Award was established in 1973 by the Actors' Equity Association in honor of St. Clair Bayfield to recognize Shakespearean actors and actresses.-External links:*...
- Canadian Actors' Equity AssociationCanadian Actors' Equity AssociationCanadian Actors' Equity Association is an association of performers in English Canada who are engaged in live performances before paying audiences in theatre, opera and dance...