Equity, formerly officially titled the British Actors' Equity Association, is the

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

for the performing arts and entertainment industries. 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. Equity requires its members to have unique professional names to avoid confusion with other artists and entertainers.

History

Equity was created in 1930 by a group of West End performers, including Godfrey Tearle, May Whitty and

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

. They were advised by Robert Young, the "Actors' MP". 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 was 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 on completing the requisite number of weeks, subsequently allowing them to work in the West End or on film and television. As a result of reforms of trade unions by

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

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. 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. The

Clarence Derwent Awards The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 A ...

are theatre awards given annually by Equity on Broadway in the U.S. and Equity UK in London's West End.

Presidents

* 1932: Godfrey Seymour Tearle * 1940: Lewis Thomas Casson * 1946: Beatrix Lehmann * 1948: Leslie Banks * 1949: Felix Aylmer * 1969: Ernest Clark * 1973: André Morell * 1975: Hugh Manning * 1978: John Barron * 1982: Hugh Manning * 1984: Derek Bond * 1986: Nigel Davenport * 1992:

Jeffry Wickham Jeffry Wickham (5 August 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He served as President of the actors' trade union Equity from 1992 to 1994 and was the father of the actress Saskia Wickham and Rupert Wickham. ...

* 1994:

Frederick Pyne Frederick Pyne (born 30 December 1936) is an English actor best known for his role as original character Matt Skilbeck on the ITV soap ''Emmerdale Farm'' from 1972 to 1989. Biography Pyne attended Holloway County Grammar School (now Holloway ...

* 2002: Harry Landis * 2008:

Graham Hamilton James Graham Hamilton McOwat (born 27 November 1944) is a British stage and television actor who was the 15th President of Equity, the actors' trade union, between 2008 and 2010. Formerly vice-president for ten years, Hamilton has been invol ...

* 2010: Malcolm Sinclair * 2018: Maureen Beattie * 2022:

Lynda Rooke Lynda is a spelling variation of the feminine given name Linda. Notable people with the name include: People Arts and entertainment * Lynda Adams, later Hunt (1920–1997), Canadian diver * Lynda Baron (1939–2022), British television actress * ...

General Secretaries

*1930:

Alfred M. Wall Alfred Mervyn Wall (1 November 1889 – 2 October 1957) was a British trade unionist and political activist. Born in East Hamlet, Shropshire on 1 November 1889, Wall moved to London to work as a compositor,Arthur Peacock, ''Yours fraternally'' ...

*1935: Geoffrey Robinson *1939: C. B. Purdom *1940: Llewellyn Rees *1946: Gordon Sandison *1958: Gerald Croasdell *1973:

Peter Plouviez Peter William Plouviez FRSA (30 July 1931 – 5 October 2017) was a British trade union leader. Plouviez began working for the British Actors' Equity Association in 1960, and became its general secretary in 1974.Ian McGarry Ian McGarry (born 27 February 1941) is a British former trade union leader. McGarry attended Chichester High School and Lewes County Grammar School. He joined the Labour Party, and from 1964 to 1976 was its full-time constituency agent in Put ...

*2005:

Christine Payne Christine Grace Payne (born 30 December 1956) is a British former trade union leader. Payne graduated from Loughborough University and studied industrial relations at Middlesex Polytechnic. In 1979, she began working for the trade union Equity, be ...

*2020:

Paul W. Fleming Paul William Fleming (born 1988) is a British trade union leader. Born in Birmingham, West Midlands, Fleming was the first member of his family to attend university, studying philosophy, politics and economics at Mansfield College, Oxford. He t ...

References

External links

* {{Media in the United Kingdom, comporg 1929 establishments in the United Kingdom Actors' trade unions Entertainment industry unions Film organisations in the United Kingdom International opposition to apartheid in South Africa Television organisations in the United Kingdom Theatrical organisations in the United Kingdom Trade unions affiliated with the Trades Union Congress Trade unions based in London Trade unions established in 1930 Trade unions in the United Kingdom

History

Presidents

General Secretaries

See also

References

Further reading

External links