Four Honored for Promoting Diversity in Entertainment Industry
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Committees of Actors’ Equity, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and Screen Actors (SAG) will honor four performing artists who have made important contributions to increasing diversity in their professions. The 2009 Ivy Bethune Tri-Union Diversity Awards will be presented in Los Angeles on June 29.
The awards celebrate individuals and organizations that take an active stand for diversity within the industry. This year’s theme, “Storytellers,” commends individuals who, by sharing their own stories, have encouraged cross-cultural understanding and enabled others to express their dreams and creativity.
The 2009 honorees are:
- Actor George Takei for his long-standing history of activism for artists of every race and creed, including his work with the Arts in Transit program that creates opportunity for artists within the public sector;
- Victoria Ann Lewis, writer, actor and teacher who established the Other Voices Project, which cultivates and produces writers and performers with disabilities;
- Cheryl Burke, a dancer who encourages children of all ethnicities to express themselves through movement;
- Charlie Hill, a Native American stand-up comedian and storyteller who uses humor to share elements unique to Native American culture and those we all share.
Actors’ Equity Launches Bid for Commemorative Stamp
Actors’ Equity has launched a nationwide campaign to become the first union honored with a U.S. postal stamp. The union is petitioning the U.S. Postal Service to issue a stamp commemorating the union’s 100th birthday on May 26, 2013.
Equity is applying for the stamp to spotlight a century of professional theater in America and Equity’s unique contribution to our nation’s art and culture. The process is highly competitive and must begin years in advance.
The postmaster general of the United States, who makes the final decision on which stamps are issued, requires applicants to start the petitioning process at least three years in advance of the proposed issue date.
Check out Equity for Latest Union Musical Tours
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If you’re looking to check out a play or musical during the holidays, the Actors’ Equity website lists Broadway touring shows nationwide that employ union actors and those that do not.
The website lists both current and upcoming tours. Equity Organizing Director Flora Stamatiades says the list is designed so patrons can find out if a show is union before they purchase tickets. She says the site was created because people buy tickets to touring musicals so far in advance that it is impossible to know if a show is union or not without help.
Two of the most recent shows to join the union list are Big League’s productions of the 30th anniversary tour of ”Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” both produced by Dan Sher. The two shows began touring in November. Stamatiades says Equity tried unsuccessfully last year to sign a union contract with Big League, and union members protested at some of their shows.
But Sher recently called her, she said, and suggested they negotiate. The result is a new union deal for his shows.
