Equity and the Off-Broadway League reach a new deal

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The Public Theater

Unions

Striking a New Deal

From increased weekly rates to diversity and streaming stipulations, Equity and the Off-Broadway League find common ground

By Diep Tran

STAGE ACTORS WILL BE GET-

ting raises and producers will be allowed to make their shows available for online streaming, according to a new performance agreement approved by Actors’ Equity Association and the Off-Broadway League. The new three-year contract will apply to Off-Broadway productions and will cover Aug. 1, 2021, through July 28, 2024.

“This agreement builds on the success of our last negotiation with the Off-Broadway League,” said Equity executive director Mary McColl in a statement. “The Off-Broadway League agreed that simply returning to work is not enough; the work needs to be safe and sustainable. Together, we have made important inroads on wages as well as worker safety—both on COVID-19 and as it pertains to bullying, harassment, and discrimination.” Off-Broadway productions are categorized as any production in a theater that has 100–499 seats.

Pay Increases

The contracts include pay raises for actors and stage managers. Actors working a nonprofit contract for a theater with an annual budget below $4.25 million will be paid $662–$861/ week (depending on the size of the house) for the 2021–22 season. The pay rate will increase annually to $729–$949/week in 2023–24.

Actors working a nonprofit contract for a theater with an annual budget of over $4.25 million will be paid $689–$1,526/week in 2021–22. The rate will increase to $760–$1,682/ week in 2023–24.

Actors working a commercial contract will be paid $685–$1,217/week in 2021–22. The rate will increase to $772–$1,330 in 2023–24.

Online Streaming

A notable change to the agreement is that Equity is finally allowing Off-Broadway producers to make their productions available for online streaming. Equity says that actors need to consent to being filmed and will need to be paid based on “the terms of the appropriate SAG-AFTRA contract,” including residual payments.

Rehearsals + Performances

Technical rehearsals have also been shortened by two hours daily. Actors can work six days a week during tech week, eight hours a day, with an hour and a half for breaks. (Previously during tech weeks, actors would work 10 hours with two hours of breaks.) Producers will have to pay actors more if they require longer tech hours.

During the first year of the agreement, if producers offer less than seven or eight performances a week, they can pay actors a prorated salary.

Diversity + Inclusion

The agreement also contains a commitment from the OffBroadway League to ensure that productions are cast with diversity in mind. Equity and the League will co-sponsor an annual networking event for actors of color and actors with disabilities specifically for the Off-Broadway arena, where actors can meet with representatives from Off-Broadway theaters.

The new agreement also contains language saying that actors are not obligated to work in an environment where bullying and harassment occur. Additionally, producers must have a designated person to handle harassment and discrimination complaints. Per the new agreement: “There shall be no retaliation against an employee for the good-faith reporting of alleged prohibited conduct.”