Patti LuPone Resigns From Actors' Equity Association
(© Tricia Baron)
Actors' Equity Association is the labor union representing actors and stage managers. All performers appearing on Broadway must be members of AEA, or they must appear with special permission from the union (as is the case when the cast of a London production transfers to New York).
"Quite a week on Broadway," she tweeted, "seeing my name being bandied about. Gave up my Equity card; no longer part of that circus. Figure it out."
Quite a week on Broadway, seeing my name being bandied about. Gave up my Equity card; no longer part of that circus. Figure it out.
— Patti LuPone (@PattiLuPone) October 17, 2022
LuPone appears to be alluding to a recent controversy in which the actor Lillias White (who is currently appearing in Hadestown) scolded an audience member from the stage for recording the performance. That viewer later revealed on social media that she suffers from hearing loss and was using a captioning device. Commenters were quick to draw parallels to LuPone, who has famously confiscated a mobile phone out of the hands of texting audience member and once stopped a performance of Gypsy to call-out someone taking photos from the house.
When reached for comment, LuPone further elaborated with this statement released through a spokesperson: "When the run of Company ended this past July, I knew I wouldn't be on stage for a very long time. And at that point I made the decision to resign from Equity."
Click here to read TheaterMania's review of Company, which describes LuPone as "giving one of her best overall performances in many years."
