An Equity Theatre

After 60 years of producing theatre, the 2014-15 Season marked Dobama’s first as a full-time Equity House - the third such theatre in the region. Dobama is designated as a Small Professional Theatre (SPT) level Equity House. This formal commitment to professionalism was another step in creating first-rate productions of important, cutting-edge new plays for Northeast Ohio.

Thank you for making it possible for Dobama Theatre to more fully support local professional theatre artists. To learn more about what this means for Dobama, the region, and you, read on or click the link below to read the Plain Dealer article about this historic move for the Greater Cleveland Theatre community.

Read the Plain Dealer article about this historic move →

WHAT IS THE ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION?

Actors’ Equity Association (“AEA” or “Equity”), founded in 1913, is the labor union that represents more than 49,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans, for its members.

WHAT DOES BEING AN EQUITY THEATRE MEAN?

An Equity Theatre is considered to be a fully professional theatre in the theatre industry. We pay union actors and stage managers a base rate as well as other benefits (health, pension, etc). Equity Theatres can offer union membership, through an AEA contract, to any actor. Equity houses can also offer non-union actors Equity Membership Candidate “points”. After a certain number of weeks working at an Equity Theatre, a non-union actor can then enter the AEA union. It also means that the theatre operates according to the AEA rulebook (which regulates everything from rehearsal lengths and breaks to the washing of costumes).

WHY BECOME AN EQUITY THEATRE?

Dobama Theatre has a long history of producing high-quality productions of important new plays for the Greater Cleveland community. While Dobama used Equity actors and paid all directors, designers, non-union actors, and staff for over two decades, the formal process of becoming an Equity Theatre was an important step. It signaled a commitment to paying theatre professionals a more livable wage, allowed actors and stage managers the opportunity to work in an acceptable standard of professional working conditions, and was a visible and outward sign of the consistent level of theatre that Dobama Theatre produces.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR DOBAMA AUDIENCES?

It means that Dobama continues to produce regional premieres of important new plays of the highest professional quality. As a Dobama audience member, you can be sure that the artists on the stage are some of the best the area has to offer, that those artists are being fairly compensated, and that they are working in an environment that is safe, professional, and most conducive to great art making.

does being an equity theatre INCREASE COSTS?

Equity Theaters incur additional costs including paying for health insurance for actors, paid vacation weeks, hiring additional production staff to adhere to union rules, and the hiring of Equity Stage Managers. These expenses can be substantial. Dobama Theatre relies on you, our donors, to support the high quality professional theatre that Dobama provides.

does DOBAMA STILL HIRE NON-UNION ACTORS?

Absolutely. In addition, we are able to offer non-union actors Equity Membership Candidate enrollment and points, giving those artists an opportunity to eventually join AEA. It is also important to state that the being an Equity Theatre guarantees that all employed at Dobama (union and non-union) are working in conditions in accordance with AEA rules.

*It is also important to state that whether an actor is a member of the union or not is no reflection on the quality of their work. However, this step should help many of the talented non-union actors gain acceptance in AEA through both contracts and the points system.

does DOBAMA OFFER HEALTH INSURANCE FOR AEA ACTORS AND STAGE MANAGERS?

Dobama Theatre offers health insurance weeks to union members. 

does DOBAMA use AEA STAGE MANAGERS?

Dobama exclusively uses AEA Stage Managers for the mainstage season. The theatre has two top-notch resident stage managers on staff.

CLEAN HOUSE

Dobama Theatre is a CLEAN HOUSE THEATRE. This means we are committed to being a space free of harassment based on sex, gender, race, religion, class, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, political belief, or ability. We are committed to being a safe environment that fully allows us to challenge ourselves, our audiences, and our communities; that supports creative risks of mind and body; and that establishes the freedom to create theatre that represents the full range of human experience.

Dobama was a leader in spurring the creation of the CLEAN HOUSE STANDARDS and are grateful that this living document has been adopted by many theatres in the region as a tool to help protect thousands of theatre artists and staff.

DOBAMA THEATRE’S MISSION IS TO
PREMIERE THE BEST CONTEMPORARY PLAYS
BY ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS IN PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTIONS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY.

Through educational and outreach programming, Dobama Theatre nurtures
the development of theatre artists and builds new audiences for the arts while
provoking an examination of our contemporary world.