In the long ago, when I was a performer first and a writer second, I came very close to joining the Actors’ Equity Association. This is a union specifically for stage actors and stage managers in the United States. For most of its existence, it has had extremely rigid requirements to join. You had to book either a very specific kind of contract for instant access to union membership or build up points in smaller contracts to earn that same opportunity. I was building up points until I wasn’t, and by the time I stopped building up points I was no longer safely able to function in traditional theatre structures based in the greater NYC area.

As of yesterday, 21 July, these rules have changed. The new requirement to join AEA is being paid to act or stage manage. If you can prove you are a paid theatre professional, you are able to join the union.

The new program is called Open Access and it runs through 1 May 2023. Anyone with a paid professional credit is eligible to join. This includes former members who either left the union or allowed their membership to lapse, a new clause. It used to be if you left or missed the dues, you were out for good.

Why now? There are a few reasons.

The official release claims it is about allowing greater access to the union for workplace protection. That’s a noble goal if it’s true. Increasing membership will allow for greater negotiating powers with theatres to protect actors and stage managers in the long run.

The skeptic in me says it’s all for money. Because of COVID-19, professional Equity theatre basically did not run for an entire year. Members were expected to turn in their dues for a union that could not get them jobs. Working Equity jobs is one of the requirements to get specific health insurance coverage through AEA, so not being able to work during a global pandemic put a lot of people in a risky situation. There were a large number of actors who found other work just to survive.

Other people left the union because it seemed powerless to meet the demands of the people. In addition to ensuring safe working conditions while COVID-19 and its variants are running rampant, the members have started demanding actual work be done on several fronts. The two big areas are deplatforming abusive theatre producers/directors/creatives and working on greater issues of representation in the industry. Broadway and other major markets are opening up with some COVID-19 protocols, but this is putting more money into the pockets of known abusers in the industry. Meanwhile, the people behind the scenes with the resources to produce shows with new safety protocols are overwhelming white, cisgender, and able bodied. COVID testing, contract tracing, and vaccine passports only go so far to make theatre artists feel safe when so much else is still hurting the professional industry.

Believe me when I say I’m happy that Equity is allowing new members in. The cost of entry is still incredibly high ($600 to apply when your application is processed in about five days, and a total of $1700 ($1800 starting in 2022) due within three years, plus $176 annual dues and 2.5% of your gross earnings taken from your paycheck) for new actors, but joining the union gives you access to better paying jobs and significantly more auditions. I’ve done the run around of waiting for hours outside the Equity building for the off-chance I might be seen for an open call audition and it’s not fun.

Being an Equity member literally gets you in the door for roles you could be perfect for but otherwise couldn’t be seen for. There are enough paying non-union jobs that having a paid gig as a stage manager or actor becomes an easy requirement to meet for membership. Since theatre has started to open up again after the quarantine shutdown, I’ve already met that requirement as a stage manager and an actor. If they need a paystub or contract, I can provide it.

What I can’t just cough up out of nowhere is $600. I’m also not in the position to never work a non-union job again. Performing is a side hustle for me on top of teaching music and theatre. It would negatively impact my actual career to have to turn down extra hours stage managing a show or picking up a part here and there for some pocket money. My current resume is, frankly, not strong enough to actually get cast in an Equity production worth stepping away from my career for, so I’d have to put a lot of work in over the next year to rebuild that if AEA membership were to make sense for me.

For other people actively pursuing stage acting or stage managing as a career in the US, this makes sense. It all comes down to what works for you. Do your research. If you’re not willing to travel for all your jobs, see how many Equity houses actually exist in your area. I could survive off of Equity work in the greater NYC area, but someone who lives near only one or two Equity houses might not be able to.

Joining Equity has never been easier, but the decision to join still has all the same challenges and questions. Are you at a place in your career where you feel you can consistently book Equity work? Are the benefits worth the risk of not working any non-union jobs? Are you ready to make a major part of your life auditioning and applying for jobs to get the most out of the union? Take your time and make the right choice for your life and career.