Equity and SAG-AFTRA Reach Agreement On Live Theatre Streams and Recordings

SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity Association today announced an agreement addressing the coverage of live theatre that is recorded or streamed for exhibition to a remote audience.

Both unions praised the collaborative process that allowed the parties to come to the table and reach a solution that serves the best interests of both of their memberships. The agreement reaffirms the historic solidarity and deep bonds between Equity and SAG-AFTRA and their members.

The parties reached a tentative agreement on November 14 that was approved unanimously by the SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors and Actors' Equity Association National Council today.

Conflict arose between the unions representing stage and screen actors in October when Equity accused SAG-AFTRA of encroaching on its territory by negotiating lower-paying deals with Equity venues for streaming productions.

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David White said of the deal, "Recognizing the challenges for theater during the pandemic and that the only way for live theater companies to reach audiences is by recording and/or streaming productions to a remote audience, SAG-AFTRA has agreed that AEA will cover this work during the pandemic period with a term concluding Dec. 31, 2021, subject to certain limitations including distribution on platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc."

Read the full agreement here.