Patti LuPone, a triple Tony winner, and Broadway star announced her departure from the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) on October 17. The seasoned actress made the following declaration about her departure from AEA:
“It’s been a busy week on Broadway, watching my name being mentioned. I handed up my Equity card and left the circus. “Work it out.”
According to LuPone, the AEA accepted her resignation, informing her that if she ever wanted to return, she would be authorized. She continued,
“And it’s the exact reason I left Equity.” This year marks the 50th anniversary of… I’ve been a member of Equity for a long time, and they have no idea who I am. They just said, ‘Fine, but if you want to rejoin, we’ll have to authorize you.'”
Patti LuPone allegedly left the AEA after a quarrel erupted last week when Hadestown singer Lillias White yelled at a deaf audience member from the stage. White mistook the audience member for someone who was filming the program. The lady did, however, indicate that she was utilizing a closed captioning device. The Lillias White scandal reminded LuPone of when she chastised a theatergoer for using flash photography during a Gypsy performance in 2009.
Following the Hadestown incident, LuPone chastised theatergoers for disregarding the regulations. Patti LuPone went on to say that the AEA had never backed an actor and that she did not want to pay them any more money. She also intimated that she may not return to the stage. Meanwhile, the veteran actor will be unable to play in non-Equity regional and touring shows, as well as concert performances and cabarets.
More information about the Equity card
The Equity card verifies a person’s membership in the Actors’ Equity Association in the United States or Equity in the United Kingdom. Because the actor is on an Equity contract, he is entitled to join the union. If an actor is a member of one of the sister unions in the performing arts, such as the American Guild of Musical Artists, the American Guild of Variety Artists, or the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, they may apply for membership.
The Equity Card is also available via the Equity Membership Candidate Program (EMC). The program permits performers to participate in Equity shows and makes them eligible for membership after 50 weeks of working in theaters. An actor must pay $118 in annual dues as well as working dues after becoming a member. Benefits of membership include the minimum wage, health insurance, a pension, and workers’ compensation insurance. Members are not permitted to participate in a non-Equity show unless authorized by Equity.
Patti LuPone’s future projects
Patti LuPone is presently working on film and television projects, and she has said that she “won’t be performing eight gigs a week ever again” since it is now difficult for her.
The actress most recently performed on Broadway in last season’s Company, for which she received her third Tony Award (she previously won for Gypsy and 1980’s Evita). The 73-year-old actor will next be seen in Netflix’s fantasy picture The School for Good and Evil, which is set to air on October 19. This will be followed by the premiere of FX’s forthcoming series American Horror Story: NYC on the same day.
