The Actors’ Equity Association has reached a new five-year Development Agreement with The Broadway League, concluding an eight-month strike. This agreement is effective immediately and will last until February 11, 2029. It provides a cumulative pay increase of over 8% for Equity members, which was the union’s primary goal in this negotiation. Additional benefits include more pre-production time for stage managers and the creation of a joint working group to develop a new audition access program.
Stephen Bogardus, Chair of the Equity Negotiating Team, expressed satisfaction with the outcome: “Today is a day to celebrate the hard work of Equity’s team in getting us back into the rehearsal halls and making some magic.” He emphasized the importance of development work sessions in bringing scripts to life on stage.
The Development Agreement is crucial for many Broadway shows at their early stages, including current productions like Boop, Death Becomes Her, The Last Five Years, Left On Tenth, Maybe Happy Ending, Real Women Have Curves, Smash, and A Wonderful World. The previous agreement expired last February, leading to a halt in issuing new Development contracts since June.
Equity acknowledged the role of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in facilitating this agreement. The Development Agreement originated in 2019 as an update to previous Lab, Workshop, and Stage Reading Agreements. This summer will see further negotiations between Equity and The Broadway League for a new Production Contract governing Broadway shows.
Actors’ Equity Association represents over 51,000 professional actors and stage managers across live theatre in the U.S., aiming to improve wages and working conditions while offering various benefits.
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