Broadway Actors to Receive 3 Percent Pay Increase With New Contract

Playbill: On October 18, following weeks of tense negotiations that also included the threat of a strike, the actors-stage managers union Actors' Equity Association and the Broadway League came to an agreement on the details of a new Broadway work contract. On October 22, details of the new three-year Production Contract were released to Equity's membership, who have until October 30 to vote on whether or not to adopt the new contract.

Jennifer Lopez dances in heavy 50-pound dress for “Kiss of the Spider Woman”

pagesix.com: Jennifer Lopez appeared on CBS Sunday Morning this past weekend, speaking with Lee Cowan about the impending film adaptation of “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” In the role, Lopez worked with costume designer Colleen Atwood, the genius behind recent productions like “Wednesday,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” and more.

SAG-AFTRA Comes Out Against AI "Actress" Tilly Norwood

No Film School: The union, which represents approximately 160,000 entertainment and media professionals, has voiced its staunch opposition to the use of synthetic performers, viewing them as a direct threat to the livelihoods of human actors. In a powerful statement, SAG-AFTRA declared, "creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics."

Olivia Cooke is right about one "controversial" Hollywood job

The Mary Sue: Sometimes, it feels like we’re stuck in a sea of endless discourse about sex scenes in media. The debate continues to swirl about the frequency of those scenes in movies and television, the reaction to them across different generations, and whether or not they’re “relevant” to the plot.

21 Famous Women Whose TV And Movie Costumes Were Basically Toture

www.yahoo.com/entertainment: In movies and TV, costumes help sell the character. Many of us grew up dreaming of wearing the gorgeous princess gowns, period dresses, or superhero suits we saw onscreen. Sometimes, however, the most beautiful outfit is also the most painful — and occasionally, an actor's costume can cause lasting injuries.

'Teen Titans' Actor Says He Was Fired After Parkinson's Diagnosis

variety.com: In a post to Instagram on Sunday, internet journalist and DC superfan Emmanuel Newsome tagged James Gunn and asked if he could help out Cipes. Newsome claimed the former “Teen Titans Go!” star shared “lots of upsetting details” about how Warner Bros. “discriminated” against him because of his Parkinson’s.

Intimacy and Equity: A Balancing Act

HowlRound Theatre Commons: The intimacy industry is under pressure. While many creatives and artistic leaders see the benefits of intimacy direction and coordination as specific care and technical support for actors, the industry itself has not yet created an equitable and inclusive training process for marginalized people.

Retrofit Update

Actors' Equity Association: On Wednesday, July 28, the Diversity & Inclusion Department of Actors' Equity Association provided members and update on its Diversity & Inclusion Retrofit of the organization.

New Actors' Equity Association policy shows how much society fails Bay Area actors

Datebook: In July, the union Actors’ Equity Association surprised the theater industry, including many of its own members, with a new “Open Access” policy. Effective immediately, it said, any actor or stage manager who has been paid for any gig could join — no matter the theater company, no matter how meager the wage or honorarium.

Actors' Equity Criticizes Mayor Bill de Blasio's Open Culture Plan

www.broadwayworld.com: Actors' Equity Association has sent a statewide member alert to all Equity members regarding the launch of New York City's "Open Culture" program, allowing producers to apply for a permit to close a city street and hold an outdoor performance at a reduced cost.

Theatrical unions unveil diversity, equity and inclusion agenda

Broadway News: Theatrical union leaders put forward a legislative agenda Thursday aimed at increasing diversity, equity and inclusion within the arts industry. In a joint press conference with affiliated members of the Department for Professional Employees, the unions highlighted priorities including strengthening collective bargaining and copyright laws, increasing federal arts funding to help diversify talent pipelines and awarding federal tax incentives to productions or entities that participate in diverse hiring.

PICT Classic Theatre brings The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll to the airwaves

Theater | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Seven months have passed since I’ve last been in a theater, and if missing a good production is painful for your humble reviewer, I cannot imagine the anguish that comes for the actors, technicians, and artists behind the scenes who are waiting for the curtains to open once again.

Virtual Quarantunes Concert Raises Over $1.2 Million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

Playbill: Quarantunes, the innovative series of fundraising Zoom concerts created and hosted by WME Partner Richard Weitz and his daughter Demi Weitz, broke its own record October 18 when an evening featuring over two dozen Broadway artists raised $1,238,273 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This is the first time the invitation-only stream passed the $1 million fundraising mark in one night.

Actors' Equity Comments On SAG-AFTRA Members Condemning the Union's Raiding of Equity Employers

www.broadwayworld.com: SAG-AFTRA members have begun revolting against the union after SAG-AFTRA escalated its raiding of Equity employers over the weekend on social media. SAG-AFTRA has refused to stop interfering with Equity bargaining partners, often leading our members to receiving deferred compensation and lower pay, denying them health insurance and excluding stage managers completely.

SAG-AFTRA Taking Jurisdictional Dispute With Actors' Equity to AFL-CIO

Variety: Leaders of SAG-AFTRA have escalated the union’s bitter jurisdictional battle with Actors’ Equity Association, asking that the Associated Actors and Artistes of America name a mediator. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White also requested AFL-CIO intervention in a letter to Richard Trumka, president of the national labor federation.

Actors’ Equity President Kate Shindle Blasts SAG-AFTRA For Launching “Sham Investigation” Into Equity’s Internal Affairs

Deadline: SAG-AFTRA’s national board unanimously approved a resolution Thursday night reaffirming its longstanding jurisdiction over the taping of live shows, and accused Equity of taking part in a “surreptitious campaign to encroach upon SAG-AFTRA jurisdiction.” The board’s resolution, announced on Friday, also directed SAG-AFTRA counsel “to conduct an investigation of Equity’s activities seeking to poach SAG-AFTRA’s jurisdiction, with a particular emphasis on its ‘Media Committee’ and the many agreements it has made for so-called ‘remote’ work that falls squarely within SAG-AFTRA’s jurisdiction, taking thousands of days of work from performers who should have been working under SAG-AFTRA contracts.”

SAG-AFTRA Board Reaffirms Jurisdiction Over Taping Of Live Theater For TV, Film

Deadline: The usually fractious SAG-AFTRA national board of directors unanimously has approved a resolution reaffirming the union’s jurisdiction over the taping of live theater productions, accusing Actors’ Equity Association of taking part in a “surreptitious campaign to encroach upon SAG-AFTRA jurisdiction.” The board, meeting Thursday night in special session, also directed SAG-AFTRA counsel to conduct an investigation into Equity’s “activities seeking to poach SAG-AFTRA’s jurisdiction.”

Actors' Equity Releases a Statement On the Extended Broadway Shutdown

www.broadwayworld.com: "My heart breaks for everyone who works on Broadway or depends on it to make their living. Today the Broadway League made the difficult but responsible decision to put the safety and health of their workers and audience first. This is a deeply painful time for everyone who depends on the arts for their livelihood. We are at this moment because, seven months into the pandemic, our nation still lacks a coherent national strategy for masks and testing which could help bring the virus under control,"

SAG-AFTRA Locked In Dispute With Actors’ Equity Over Taping Of Live Theater

Deadline: SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association are locked in a jurisdictional dispute over the taping of live theatrical presentations. SAG-AFTRA has long held that jurisdiction, but says that it’s offered AEA a waiver to help out their fellow actors during the coronavirus shutdown of live theaters across the country. According to SAG-AFTRA, Actors’ Equity has rejected the terms of the waiver.

Equity-League Health Fund Addresses Issues Raised by Actors' Equity Over the Impact of Recently Announced Changes

www.broadwayworld.com: Equity-League Benefit Funds has released the following message, addressing issues raised by Actors' Equity over the impact of the Health Fund changes, which will require members to work more weeks per year to qualify for coverage.

"We want to address the three specific issues raised by Actors' Equity in the email they sent to members and in their statements to the press.