[e-drive][EQUIFLASH - NEW MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED]

[Darlene Bullard]

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New Membership Categories Announced
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Council has approved changes to some of our membership categories in
response to the needs of people entering the world of professional live
performance.

1. Effective immediately Probationary Membership will be available to
all young performers who would otherwise be required to join Equity to
meet the quota requirements of either the Canadian Theatre Agreement
(CTA) or the Independent Theatre Agreement (ITA).  Probationary
Membership is at the option of the performer and was previously only
offered to those joining on a Theatre for Young Audience production.

2. Effective immediately, children (defined as age 15 and under) will
now be required to join Equity under a new classification called
"Probationary Child Members" that will allow them to work on an
unlimited number of contracts without joining the Association as a full
member.

3. Council has introduced the "Provisional Membership for Stage
Managers" category for Stage Managers with few or no apprentice credits.
This category has been developed specifically for those situations when
a Theatre cannot find an existing Equity Stage Manager compatible with
its needs, and is permitted to hire a Stage Manager who is not a member
of Equity. 

Please see below for details of each of these new categories. At the
bottom of each category is a link to our web site where you can find
further information.

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Probationary Membership
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The Probationary Membership Pilot Project was launched three years ago
to alleviate the need for young performers who are not members of ACTRA,
UDA or any other professional performers association, to join Equity as
full members in order for a Theatre to meet the quota requirements of
the agreements. Since this often happened in TYA productions, the
project was initiated only for those artists joining on TYA engagements.

Due to its success and popularity, the Probationary Membership Program
has now been expanded so that it is no longer limited to those artists
joining on TYA productions but is available for all artists otherwise
required to join Equity due to the quota requirements of either the CTA
or the ITA. Equity will continue to consider Probationary Membership for
performers joining in dance and opera on a case by case basis.

A Probationary member, while engaged under an Equity contract, is
treated as a full member for the purposes of that engagement.  However,
at the conclusion of that engagement, the Probationary Member may accept
work without reference to an Equity contract.  A probationary member may
work a maximum of six times under an Equity contract before being
required to join Equity as a full member.  

http://www.caea.com/publications/ under the heading "Equity
Publications".

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Child Probationary Membership
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Council has now adopted special provisions for children (defined as age
15 or younger), and who are not members of ACTRA, UdA, AEA, or any other
professional performers association.

A child who is required to join Equity because of the quota requirements
of the applicable collective agreement shall join as a Child
Probationary Member. However, the child may be engaged as a Child
Probationary Member an unlimited number of times without being required
to join CAEA as a full member.  After three engagements, the Child
Probationary Member (or the child's guardian) will be advised of the
potential adverse effects of the child joining Equity prematurely,
although having paid the equivalent of the full joining fee, the
opportunity to join as a full member is open to the child.
 
http://www.caea.com/publications/ under the heading "Equity
Publications".

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Provisional Membership (for Stage Management)
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Council has adopted Provisional Membership for inexperienced stage
managers who are engaged in professional productions because the Engager
was unable to find an existing Equity Stage Manager compatible with its
needs.

Almost all of our collective agreements require that the engager give
first consideration to existing Equity Stage Managers before the engager
can hire a non-member.  Historically, when a non-member was engaged,
he/she was required to join CAEA as a full member.  Effective
immediately, Provisional Membership will apply instead.  Please note
that this is absolutely mandatory.  Aspiring stage managers do NOT have
the option to join as a full member by virtue of being signed to a
contract anymore.

A Provisional Stage Manager shall be signed to the applicable Equity
contract for the duration of the engagement, subject to the full terms
and conditions of the Agreement as those he/she were a full member of
Equity.  Upon completion of the engagement the Provisional Member may
not accept another Equity Stage Management contract until such time as
he/she has completed the Apprentice Stage Management Program, or another
situation arises where the Engager has satisfied the requirements of the
applicable collective agreement to give first consideration to existing
Equity Stage Managers.

http://www.caea.com/publications/ under the heading "Stage Management
Information".

If you have any questions about any of these membership categories
please contact the Equity office.

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Canadian Actors' Equity Association
44 Victoria Street, 12th Floor
Toronto, ON M5C 3C4
Tel: 416-867-9165
Fax: 416-867-9246
e-mail: communications at caea.com