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Equity (British trade union)

Equity, formerly officially titled the British Actors' Equity Association, is the trade union for the performing arts and entertainment industries in the United Kingdom.

This article is about the British trade union. For the American equivalent, see Actors' Equity Association.

Founded

1930 (1930)

Guild House, Upper St Martin's Lane, London, England, WC2H 9EG

Increase 46,683 (2021)[1]

Lynda Rooke

Formed by a group of West End performers in 1930, the union grew to include performers and stage management nationwide, as well as gaining recognition in audio, film, and television. Equity incorporated the Variety Artistes' Federation in 1967, and now represents most professionals whose work is presented on stage or screen.


As of 2021, it had just over 46,000 members, including actors, singers, dancers, variety artistes and other performers, models, theatre directors, choreographers, designers, and stage management.[2]


Equity requires its members to have unique professional names to avoid confusion with other artists and entertainers.[3]

History[edit]

Equity was created in 1930 by a group of West End performers, including Godfrey Tearle, May Whitty and Ben Webster. They were advised by Robert Young, the "Actors' MP".[4] Like many other British trade unions, Equity operated a closed shop policy, so it was not possible for someone to join unless they had a record of sufficient paid work and most jobs were reserved for Equity card holders. To allow new members to join, there were a limited number of non-card-holding jobs on regional productions. While working on these productions, actors held a provisional membership card, and could apply for full membership upon completing the requisite number of weeks, subsequently allowing them to work in the West End or on film and television.[5]


As a result of reforms of trade unions by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government and the introduction of European legislation, closed-shop unions became illegal in the UK and Equity discontinued their closed-shop policy in the 1980s. However, to join Equity in the present day, evidence of sufficient paid professional work must still be provided.[6] In 1976, Equity introduced a policy of refusing to sell programmes to the SABC, an action that led to a virtual ban of British television in apartheid-era South Africa, which was not lifted until 1993.[7]


The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by Equity on Broadway in the US and Equity UK in London's West End.


In regard to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Equity released a statement: 'Equity stands full square behind our sister union..'[8]

1932: [9]

Godfrey Seymour Tearle

1940: [9]

Lewis Thomas Casson

1946: [9]

Beatrix Lehmann

1948: [9]

Leslie Banks

1949: [9]

Felix Aylmer

1969: [9]

Ernest Clark

1973: [9]

André Morell

1975: [9]

Hugh Manning

1978: [9]

John Barron

1982: [9]

Hugh Manning

1984: [9]

Derek Bond

1986: [9]

Nigel Davenport

1992: [9]

Jeffry Wickham

1994: [9]

Frederick Pyne

2002: [9][10]

Harry Landis

2008: [10]

Graham Hamilton

2010: [11][12][13]

Malcolm Sinclair

2018: [14][15]

Maureen Beattie

2022: [16]

Lynda Rooke

1930: [17]

Alfred M. Wall

1939: [9]

C. B. Purdom

1940: [9]

Llewellyn Rees

1946: [9]

Gordon Sandison

1958: [9]

Gerald Croasdell

1973: [9]

Peter Plouviez

1991: [9]

Ian McGarry

2005: [9][18]

Christine Payne

2020: [19]

Paul W. Fleming

Actors' Equity Association

Federation of Entertainment Unions

International Federation of Actors

Irish Congress of Trade Unions

SAG-AFTRA

Scottish Trades Union Congress

Trades Union Congress

Lee, Felicity R. (3 February 1999). The New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2013.

"British Group Urges Freer Exchange of Actors With U.S."

Official website