VIDEO: Kate Shindle Discusses the Importance of Arts Funding

Actors' Equity President Kate Shindle joined on MSNBC's Morning Joe today to discuss the importance of arts funding, and more.

Watch a clip below:

Key points from Kate Shindle:

"The American Rescue Plan Act was definitely beneficial for our members. If it had only been the vaccination piece, or if it had only been the enhanced unemployment or the 100% COBRA subsidies, that still would have been a good piece of legislation. The fact that it bundled all those things together was really overwhelming in a positive way.

"Theatres need funding it they're going to bring back all the middle class jobs that they usually support. So we're asking that the NEA be funded at a dollar per capita permanently, which right now would be about $330 million per year. Which is not a huge lift in the context of a federal budget, but it would mean the world to these theatres that are trying to support these middle class jobs."

Work on Equity contracts is down more than 90 percent in the year since the pandemic hit. Prior to the pandemic, work was at record highs in the theatre industry, with Equity members earning the highest amount of money on Equity contracts ever ($479 million).