Exploring Theatre Hot Takes: If You Audition Non-Union, You’re the Villain
by Chris Peterson
Theatre people always have opinions and sometimes those opinions come in hot. Recently, I put out a call on social media asking for your boldest, spiciest theatre takes, and the responses did not disappoint. From thought-provoking critiques to eyebrow-raising declarations, you gave me plenty to chew on.
So here’s what we’re going to do: I’ll be exploring as many of these submissions as I can in this column series. Some I may agree with, others I may not, but that’s the fun of it. Theatre thrives on conversation, and even the most out-there hot take can lead to surprising insights and fascinating discussions.
Think of this as an open forum, where no opinion is too bold to examine. Ready to dive in? Click on the “Exploring Theatre Hot Takes” tag at the bottom to keep up with every installment.
Broadway performer, Ashley Wool (How to Dance in Ohio), made the following comment which I found really interesting.
“Nobody should be auditioning for non-Equity national tours of currently or recently-running Broadway shows in the year 2025 when it has NEVER been easier to join Equity.
If you can do Broadway-caliber work and they’re charging Broadway-adjacent ticket prices, and you’re CHOOSING not to be compensated appropriately, you are the villain. Not the producers, not the venues—you.
If you don’t need the money, and/or just want to build experience and don’t want to join Equity yet for any reason, invest your time and energy in regional and community theatre. They need you.
If you DO need the money, most entry-level retail and food service jobs still pay better than these tours.
Take it from someone who did the non-Equity slog for over a decade before Open Access was implemented and built my entire resume in community and regional theatre and STILL made it to Broadway: you have choices that many of us never had, choices that many people fought to give you so that you wouldn’t have to struggle like we did.
Don’t spit in our faces for a $500/week gig with no days off and minimum-essential-coverage health benefits.”
Honestly, I get it. Ashley’s point is valid. Artists deserve to be paid fairly, treated with respect, and protected by the union that has worked for generations to secure those rights.
The Equity Open Access policy really did change the game. It opened doors that were shut for decades, and for the first time, joining the union feels like a real possibility for so many performers.
There’s also another side to that conversation. While we can all agree that fair pay and protections are non-negotiable, the reality is that most of the available theatre work in this country still isn’t union. From national tours to cruise ships to theme parks to regional contracts that just fall outside the jurisdiction, non-union opportunities are everywhere.
For many performers just starting out, those jobs are not about rejecting Equity. They’re about staying active, performing regularly, and getting the experience that builds a career.
While I won’t romanticize a non-union tour, it might be the first time a young actor gets to perform that much. It might be their first professional paycheck. It might be what helps them learn what it really takes to sustain this kind of work. That doesn’t mean the pay or conditions are acceptable(because more often than not, they’re not), but it does explain why people still show up to those auditions.
Not everyone has the luxury of waiting for a union contract. Rent doesn’t stop while you build your Equity points. Student loans don’t disappear because you want to make the “right” choice. For some, a $500 weekly paycheck still means the difference between staying in the industry or walking away. It’s not always a choice between principle and greed. Sometimes it’s about survival.
I understand what Ashley is saying and where the frustration comes from. The people saying “don’t take the job” want better for everyone. They’ve lived through the worst of it and fought for the improvements we have now. They’re angry that producers still exploit artists while selling Broadway-level tickets. And that anger is justified.
But systemic change doesn’t happen through individual sacrifice alone. Telling a performer not to take a job might sound empowering, but in practice, it often just pushes the burden onto the people who can least afford it. The real problem lies with the producers and presenters who continue to profit without investing back into fair pay or benefits.
If the market can sustain national tours of Broadway shows, then those tours should be Equity. Period.
Until that becomes the norm, I think we have to stop framing non-union performers as villains. Most of them are doing their best in a complicated system. They are gaining credits, building connections, and learning through experience. For many, those early jobs become the stepping stones that eventually lead to their first union contract.
We should be focusing our collective energy on changing the system itself. We should be demanding that producers do better, that venues and audiences understand the difference, and that artists never have to compromise their worth to keep working.