7 Professional Associations
Professional Associations – Alphabet Soup
Professional associations refer to a body or organization that supports a specific profession. They will advocate, provide resources, negotiate and manage standardization of practices. Some provide training and professional development opportunities, most also serve as a valuable network of colleagues. You’ll find similar associations outside of theatre for everything from engineers to dentists. In our sector, many of these groups are also referred to as National Arts Service Organizations (ASOs). This is a CRA designation for ASOs that want to issue tax receipts for donations and they also have a special category to receive funding from arts councils to support their work.
Each association has their own focus, membership requirements, and benefits. These are truly wonderful organizations! They offer an array of resources and are a great way to network, become more involved, and receive information. Like the theatre model we have already covered in earlier chapters, they are non-profits with a Board of Directors serving as a governance body. The one main difference is they are member-driven, which means members form the Board and vote on the larger decisions from budget to by-laws.
Now, I want to acknowledge how many acronyms there are in theatre! Thus, the subtitle alphabet soup. I’m sure this is likely true in other industries as well. Anyway, this is most apparent when talking about professional associations. For those new to this world, it can be hard to know what is being referred to when it is just a bunch of letters.
Activity: Here are just a few associations to form a visual soup. How many are you able to decipher and which are you familiar with?
- UDA – Union Des Artistes
- CAEA – Canadian Actors Equity Association
- ACTRA – The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
- PGC – Playwrights Guild of Canada
- ADC – Associated Designers of Canada
- IATSE – The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (full name: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada)
- LMDA – Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas
- PACT – Professional Association of Canadian Theatres
- MAP – Manitoba Association of Playwrights
- MPM – Music Professionals of Manitoba
- ISPA – International Society for the Performing Arts
- CAPACOA – Canadian Association for the Performing Arts/l’Association canadienne des organismes artistiques (formerly Canadian Arts Presenting Association Canadienne des Organismes Artistiques)
- PWM – Playwrights Workshop Montreal
- PARC – Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre
- APN – Alberta Playwrights Network
In addition to what is listed here there are national associations connected to theatre, such as:
As well there are regionally focused resource organizations:
- Creative Manitoba
- And here’s a list of Ontario organizations – https://www.artsunite.ca/services/
Within this wide array of associations, there are a few national entities that function as negotiating bodies (some see them as unions, but they don’t quite have that legal standing). One of the big questions from recent graduates is around when and if to join these particular associations. Membership may eventually be required as you begin working professionally. However, joining too soon can be expensive and prohibitive in terms of limiting the non-professional work you might choose to do. On the plus side, they are there to protect you and advocate for fair pay, treatment, and opportunities. Make sure to be fully informed. You won’t qualify for most until you’ve got some work under your belt so take your time to get to know them. Even before joining you can utilize the many resources most have on their websites.
Canadian Actors Equity Association (CAEA)
My advice is don’t join until you have to, because otherwise you’re just paying fees for really no reason. I didn’t become Equity until I started at Stratford. I didn’t do it until my contract required me to because I didn’t know when my next gig was going to be. It’s good to have when you’re in a show, because it protects you while you’re in that show. – Yolanda Bonnell, Actor/Director/Playwright, Toronto, ON
Although Actor is in their title, CAEA also represents directors, stage managers, choreographers, fight directors, and intimacy directors. They negotiate the main theatre agreements with the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT). If you are hired by a PACT theatre you will be working under a CAEA agreement even if you are not a CAEA member. Check out their website for full details on membership as well as lots of great resources. More details specific to each role and CAEA criteria is included under the various career tracks.
I would say, joining sooner than later is probably a good rule to go by. When you come out of school, you have a cushion of about two years where your schooling matters, and then after that, nobody cares where you went to school. It doesn’t matter. It’s all about your work experience. So, if you can jump on those apprenticeships as soon as you get out of school or even in the summers when you’re taking breaks from classes, that is really going to boost you. A lot of apprenticeships say we need somebody who has like four credits already. But where are all of those one credit apprenticeships going? They’re going to university students. That’s usually what’s happening. So, I would say jump on the Equity bandwagon sooner than later. You get a lot of benefits working with Equity. You can be asked a lot if you are working non-union and it takes a toll on you, on your body and on your mental capacity. And having simple rules in place, like knowing if you operate a show, you’re going to get paid a little more. Or, if you have to do laundry, you’re going to get paid a little more. It makes you feel better about all of the extra things you’re doing because you’re being compensated for all of that extra work. You’re not just being told you have to do this and that’s it. You get paid $700 a week and whatever. – Nikki Vigneault, Former Production Manager at Theatre New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB
In Quebec, the equivalent is UDA (Union des Artistes). For film it is ACTRA (The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists).
I wouldn’t rush into either, unless you’re just lining up work. If you’re lining up work, then yes, you might as well join. Do I think both of them are great? No, I think ACTRA is definitely better than Equity. If I’m going be honest, I think the CTA (Canadian Theatre Agreement) protects theatre companies more than they protect the actors. Be prepared to do a lot of free work is another thing. And if you do that, because unfortunately that is the case with the CTA, things like overtime and especially now where we have a lot of understudy rehearsals, there’s actually time that actors won’t get paid for. You bet crews getting paid for it, you know, they’re getting paid for showing up. Why actors don’t get paid I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to me. So, anyways, be prepared for that. But, it’s like, if you’re doing a lot of indie work and you want to do your own work… it depends also what kind of artist you want to be. If you want to be self-producing a lot of stuff that you know, a lot of theatre companies won’t touch, won’t want to do because either it’s not in their mandates, not in their scope, it’s just not them. It’s not because it’s bad or they’re bad, it just doesn’t match up, then you might want to hold off on joining Equity because it really handcuffs you financially when you want to produce. Because, once your Equity, your fees go up. Actually, this is great when you’re doing it a lot, but when you’re self-producing, it can really take your show or take your creativity or handcuff you artistically. So, I wouldn’t rush into it. But again, if the work is coming in, you can see it coming, you feel that you’re being successful, your booking… then, you pretty much have to. – Ray Strachan, Actor, Winnipeg, MB
Lots of changes have come in the last decade due to a need to make sure CAEA isn’t creating barriers for equity deserving groups who may not have had the access in the past to become professionals. Historically this has led to some, particularly culturally diverse artists, desiring to work outside of CAEA and PACT agreements.
I am an Equity artist, because it gives me more stability around, you know, the types of work. When I’m hired as a director, there’s a certain level. And then I know how, I know that I am, I have an organization behind me that will ensure that I’m being treated well, etc… So, I am glad that I’m an Equity artist. I became an Equity artist, I guess, in my twenties. It was pretty early on in my career as a stage manager, because at that time it was necessary, and they were making concessions as well for artists of colour. – Diane Roberts, Director/Dramaturge/Cultural Animator, Montreal, QC
CAEA has also initiated important responses to issues, such as Not in Our Space, which came after stories of abuse and harassment surfaced in the #metoo movement. It is now used regularly on the first day of rehearsal to make sure everyone is aware of acceptable practice or who to contact if support is needed.
I believe the apprenticeship program is important so that a theatre can put their trust in a Stage Manager to lead the room. That being said, there are a lot of emerging stage managers with all kinds of experience outside of equity rooms that should better be taken into account when granting access to membership. I do see those changes taking place, and I’m hopeful that will only continue to be explored. . – Ricardo Alvarado, Stage Manager, Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon, SK
Associate Designers of Canada – ADC
Every focus area will have its own association and for designers it is the Associated Designers of Canada. The main difference though is that other than CAEA and ACTRA, no other association will require you to be a member to work at a PACT theatre. Although if that PACT theatre is working in a venue that is under IATSE designation, they must work with IATSE members/protocols. I hate to say it but designers and playwrights simply don’t have the same “you must be a member in order to work professionally” status. They also do not as a result have the same bargaining power. That being said if you become a member of ADC then when hired the contracts and rates must be used by PACT member theatres.
I don’t think you should join right away. I think you should do it. I’ve lost track of whether they have still have the apprenticeship program. I think they still do. That’s an important thing to do because in a way, it keeps the strength, I think, of the association as needed, so that it’s not just anybody can join, but that there is – and it’s not about seeding people out. It’s not about that at all, but it’s about understanding the worth of commitment to the craft. And so if you really committed to it, then apprenticing in that role actually is part of again, we come back to paid internships. Right? It’s part of continuing to grow towards a career in that again, it’s just not to imagine that I graduate. I join ADC. I work as a designer. It’s never that simple and it shouldn’t actually be that simple. There should be continuing education and I think apprenticeships are part of that. – Andrea Lundy, Program Director – Production Design and Technical Arts Program – National Theatre School of Canada, Montreal, QC
Many ASOs offer this type of apprenticeship support as well as other professional development, mentorship, and resources.
Something that I did was taking ADCs new contract and making my own contract. And you really get to know what’s expected of you, what you can expect from the theatre, the standards of working, what you need to do to do the job. So that was really eye opening for me. And that also teaches you a little bit about how you can negotiate your contract because you’re like, I’m not ADC yet, but they have this in their contract and why can’t I ask for it here? – Judith Schulz, Theatre Designer, Saskatoon, SK
Acting as a collective of voices also results in a greater ability to advocate for better fees, protection, and other conditions.
PGC and LMDA are arts service associations for playwrights and dramaturgs. PGC specifically has contracts in place that outline the minimum pay and things like the rights of the playwrights in casting decisions, rehearsals, and what is permissible when it comes to script changes. The unfortunate thing for a playwright is that their payment is a percentage of ticket sales, so can often be very low if it is a small theatre. They are the only ones who only earn income if a show sells well. See more in the Playwriting track.
There are also regional playwright or play development centres that will provide actual development support for playwrights and hire artists for readings and workshops.
I won’t go into the details on all the associations here, but again encourage you to check out the ones that apply to your career area and get involved.