EMC NO MORE
Little Alyssa with her new EMC card - Circa 2014
As of February 8, 2023, the Actor’s Equity Association has announced that their Open Access enrollment will become permanent, and the EMC program will completely be gone by May of 2026.
In a direct quote on the AEA website it states:
“Open Access is about providing a pathway to Equity membership that doesn’t depend on our employers, or on our industry’s hiring practices.”
Let’s break it down shall we:
The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance.
Once you decide to start performing professionally, becoming “Equity” is generally the end game, and up until now, it has a been quite a feat to obtain Equity status. There used to only be 3 options of how to become Equity:
1.) Work for a sister union like SAG (Screen Actors Guild)
2.) Become EMC and earn 50 points
3.) Work at a theatre that offers you an Equity contract.
That is now no longer the case, and according to the rules of Open Access, if you have worked for any professional company with the jurisdiction of Equity, you can now join the union.
The details of this new plan:
There will be a 3 Year Phase Out of the EMC program.
AEA will admit no new EMC’s after May 8, 2023.
Current EMCs will maintain audition access and priority in auditions for three more years.
Any fees paid to becoming EMC can be transferred to becoming an Equity member.
As of May 8, 2026, all EMCs will be seen as non-union. From that time on, there will only be Equity, or Non-Union.
To read the full article, visit the official AEA website:
https://www.actorsequity.org/news/PR/OpenAccessPermanently/
If you have any specific questions about your own career path, considering joining the union, or anything else performing related, feel free to reach out to me and we can chat about it!
Catch me on my website: nosweatrep.com, or shoot me an e-mail: alyssaflowers.nosweatrep@gmail.com
XOXO,
Alyssa
No Sweat Rep Founder