In short, in a professional Equity theatre like the Depot, everyone associated with a production (directors, technicians, designers, AND actors) is being paid for their time, talent, and expertise.
WHAT IS “EQUITY?”
Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers nationwide. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions, and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Similarly, the Depot is affiliated with Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).
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DOES IT COST MORE TO BE AN EQUITY THEATRE? Yes.
ROYALTIES:
Professional theatres often pay larger royalty fees than community or school theatres to license the shows they produce.
EQUITY BENEFITS:
An Equity theatre is considered to be a fully professional theatre in the theatre industry. We pay union actors and stage managers a base rate as well as other benefits (health, pension, etc).
Equity theatres operate according to the AEA rulebook, which regulates everything from rehearsal length to the washing of costumes. Equity Theatres offer AEA contracts to Equity actors.
HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION:
As part of the Depot’s Equity union agreement, housing is provided for out of town performers and crew in a large, 9-bedroom farmhouse located on Main Street in Westport, which the Depot owns and maintains. The Depot also provides transportation to and from Westport at the beginning and end of the artist’s contract, plus access to shared vehicles during their rehearsal/performance schedule.
Becoming an Equity theatre was an important step for the Depot Theatre: it signaled our commitment to pay theatre professionals a livable wage, and it tells actors that we are committed to a high standard of professional working conditions. Rising to Equity theatre status was a public recognition of the consistent quality of the Depot’s productions.
