Joining Equity comes with responsibilities established in Equity’s Bylaws, including the requirement to accept work only on Equity contracts. If you are a new artist, just starting out, that may not necessarily be the best decision for you.
Please note that once you become an Equity member, you will be required to have an Equity contract when working in our jurisdiction and you will not be able to work on non-union productions. There are, however, a number of Equity engagement policies that allow members to work on collaborative and other small-scale projects, even with non-members.
Joining Equity also comes with a $1,200 initiation fee*, which can seem daunting for many artists. In continuing to work as a permittee, a portion of the permittee filing fees you pay will be applied towards your initiation fee**, allowing you to pay it off gradually as you work.
If you are an ACTRA Full member in good standing, you are eligible to receive a $475 discount to the initiation fee. If you are an AEA member, please let us know when you apply to join Equity.
Before making your decision, we encourage you to learn more about Canadian Actors’ Equity Association – who we are and what we do. Remember, Equity will always be there. If you don’t join today, we’ll be happy to have you as a member tomorrow.
If I’m eligible to join, is there a time limit to do so?
No. Your eligibility to join Equity never expires. However, permit filing fees applied towards the initiation fee expire after three years.
