Equity card
{{Short description|Membership card of Actors Equity}}
{{For|the credit card secured by home equity|HELOC}}
An Equity card is proof of membership in the Actors' Equity Association of the United States or Equity in the United Kingdom.
United States
=History=
Edwin Booth founded the "Players" in 1888 which held meetings at the "Players." The "Players" was an actors' club in Gramercy Park in Manhattan in New York City. The second organisation, Actors' Society of America, was formed in 1895 and was led by Louis Aldrich.{{cite book|last=Bordman|first=Gerald|title=The Oxford Companion to American Theatre|date=6 May 2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0195169867|pages=6|edition=Third|author2=Gerald Bordman |author3=Thomas S. Hischak}} Actors' Society of America was dissolved by vote of members in 1912.
The Actors' Equity Association was founded in New York City on May 26, 1913.{{cite web|title=THE SECRET HISTORY: Actors' Equity Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary in the Place where (shhhhhh!) it all began. |url=http://www.actorsequity.org/TheatreNews/04_4_1_SecretHistory.html |accessdate=16 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421180309/http://www.actorsequity.org///TheatreNews/04_4_1_SecretHistory.html |archivedate=21 April 2012 }}
=Joining Equity=
One method for an actor to become eligible to join the union is being under an Equity contract.{{cite web|title=AEA Membership Information and Procedures|url=http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/membership/membership_procedures.pdf|accessdate=16 March 2012|archive-date=22 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522041545/http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/membership/membership_procedures.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=ASK PLAYBILL.COM: Equity Cards|url=http://www.playbill.com/features/article/120826-ASK-PLAYBILLCOM-Equity-Cards|accessdate=16 March 2012}}
An actor may also apply for membership if they are a member of any of the sister unions in the performing arts. These unions are the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), and Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
The third way one gets an equity card is through the "Equity Membership Candidate Program" (EMC). In this program, actors are allowed to work in Equity productions as credit towards eventual membership. An actor is eligible for membership once he completes fifty weeks of work at theatres that are a part of the EMC program.
Once a member, the actor is required to pay "yearly dues" of $118 plus "working dues" which are 2.25% of the gross earnings through an equity contract.
=Member benefits and privileges=
The first major benefit to having an Equity card, as an actor, is that many professional auditions are Equity-only calls. Non-members are allowed to attend, but with no guarantee of being seen. Equity members are allowed to attend these Equity-only calls without these restrictions.{{cite web |title=Benefits Overview |url=http://www.actorsequity.org/Benefits/benefitshome.asp |accessdate=16 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331085939/http://www.actorsequity.org/benefits/benefitshome.asp |archivedate=31 March 2012 }}{{cite web|title=Equity Principal Audition Procedures New York |url=http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/auditions/Principal_Auditions_NY.pdf |accessdate=16 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421063341/http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/auditions/Principal_Auditions_NY.pdf |archivedate=21 April 2012 }}{{cite web|title=Equity Chorus Call Audition Procedures New York and Los Angeles |url=http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/auditions/Chorus_Auditions_NY-LA.pdf |accessdate=16 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522212854/http://www.actorsequity.org/docs/auditions/Chorus_Auditions_NY-LA.pdf |archivedate=22 May 2012 }}
Contract benefits for members include minimum wages, work rules such as length of work day, health insurance, pension, and workers' compensation insurance.
Once an individual is a member of Actor's Equity, they may not rehearse or perform in a non-Equity production without written permission from Equity.{{cite web|title=If I'm a member, may I work on a non-union contract? |url=http://www.actorsequity.org/faq/QADetails.asp?cat=7&locator=73 |accessdate=17 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421065624/http://www.actorsequity.org/faq/QADetails.asp?cat=7&locator=73 |archivedate=21 April 2012 }} The rule does not apply to children under the age of 14, who may temporarily withdraw membership in order to perform in a non-equity production such as a school play.{{cite web|title=May a juvenile member be in a school play? |url=http://www.actorsequity.org/faq/QADetails.asp?cat=7&locator=77?cat=7&locator=77 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130719015428/http://www.actorsequity.org/faq/QADetails.asp?cat=7&locator=77%3Fcat=7&locator=77 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 July 2013 |accessdate=17 March 2012 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.actorsequity.org Actor's Equity Website]