Drunk Shakespeare New York Organizes with Actors’ Equity Association

The actors, stage managers, bartenders and servers of Drunk Shakespeare in New York City, the longest-running of the productions nationwide, are now the fourth company of the theatrical franchise to unionize as Drunk Shakespeare United. Alongside their fellow workers in Chicago, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., they have designated Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional performers and stage managers in live theatre, as their bargaining representative.  

“This show has a lot of moving pieces, and we need assurance that we can deal with issues as soon as they come up,” Lawrence Karl, a server with Drunk Shakespeare. “Above all, we want assurance that all of us receive fair and equitable treatment. I am already an Equity member from a union family. Our employer should welcome Equity’s role here, and support the workers who have made it clear this is what we want.” Read more here.