I'm not going to mince words. We are in crisis mode. As you know, the entire American theatre industry has essentially closed for business. We continue to work aggressively to secure payment and health care for those who were working - or about to start work - when the shutdown occurred.
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Reading this article made me remember in class when we had a conversation about unions and their early intended use. Actors Equity was there to help performers so that a tour could not disband and then leave them stranded in a random part of the U.S. I can’t help but feel that this has a similar feeling situation. This climate makes us all feel like we are stranded to some extent, so it’s encouraging to see that Actor’s Equity has stepped up to help accommodate those that it works to protect in the workplace. They have ended due dates for fees and are giving more cushion for their members to be able to pay when they can. My only question is how will Actors Equity deal with this monetary situation if this pandemic and closing situation were to go on for much longer than anticipated - while I recognize that they are trying to help their members this route will only work if our climate clears up in the coming months.
I’m glad that the equity is able to make this concession through these difficult times. This downsizing of many industries is an interesting phenomenon. COVID-19 has not caused there to be less money in the United States (or the world for that matter), but it has caused the movement of money to slow down and that there is the problem. The whole system is circular and reliant on each other, even if it’s indirectly. Everywhere there is hurt, especially non-essential industries. People aren’t spending their money on anything that isn’t absolutely necessary right now, so any business (and by extension it’s employees) are being shortchanged. This whole process applies to these actors. The money they would have been paid would have been paid by consumers, to their theaters, to them, but the process of money movement has altogether stopped for actors. Other industries have been hit too, but the entertainment industry is one that can not be argued as being essential.
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