Actors’ Equity Association Kicks Off 'A Chorus Year' With 10th Annual Swing Day

Actors’ Equity Association is dedicating 2025 to celebrating the hard work and accomplishments of chorus performers in what it is calling A Chorus Year, beginning today with its tenth annual Swing Day.
 
“It’s always a great time to celebrate the chorus, but there are so many milestones to mark this year in particular,” said Brooke Shields, president of Actors’ Equity Association. “These brilliant workers are masters of their craft, and they make the American theatre what it is today.”
 
A Chorus Year marks three historic milestones for the chorus: First is the 10th annual Swing Day on January 15, which recognizes the contributions and highlights the challenges of the performers who fill in when their colleagues in the chorus are absent – sometimes taking on multiple roles in the same performance. Then, August 12 marks the 70th anniversary of the merger of Chorus Equity into Actors’ Equity Association. Finally, November marks the 75th anniversary of the Legacy Robe, Broadway’s most treasured ritual that celebrates an accomplished member of the chorus on new productions’ opening night on Broadway.
 
Between these milestones, the union will spend the year sharing stories of chorus members past and present.
 
“There’s no better anchor for A Chorus Year than swings!” said Al Bundonis, Actors' Equity Association's second vice president (representing the chorus) and chair of the Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs (ACCA). “We are excited to spend the day uplifting the incredible, and often demanding, work they do. We also want to raise awareness of what these high pressure jobs entail and the often unreasonable expectations employers may have for members performing these functions. It is Equity’s goal to ensure the safest possible working conditions for our swings.”
 
A swing is a member of the ensemble who learns multiple parts, or tracks, and is on standby to cover for multiple members of the chorus. Depending on the needs of a production, a swing could go on for any number of tracks, including those written for other genders, ages or even more than one track at once. A swing may only learn they are going on moments before a performance begins, or even in the middle of a show. 
 
Today, Equity is amplifying the voices of swings across the country. Equity also invites anyone who has worked as a swing to chime in on social media about their experiences using the hashtags #EquityTeamSwing or #SwingDay2025.
 

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