What Is an Equity Deputy? How They Are Elected and What They Do

First rehearsal, mid-morning. The read-through is done, the director and designers step out, and the stage manager says it’s time for Equity business. The first item is electing a deputy. Someone asks for a volunteer, and the room goes quiet in that particular way where everyone becomes very interested in their script.

Most actors have sat through this moment without knowing what the job is. Some assume the deputy is a kind of cast boss. Others think it means fighting with the producer. Neither is right, and the answer also depends on which union you mean, because “Equity” is the name of two different unions on either side of the Atlantic.

The short version: the Equity deputy is a company member elected by the other union members to be the link between the company and the union. In a US Actors’ Equity company, the deputy hears concerns, reports possible contract breaches to the union quickly, and leaves the rulings and the negotiating to union staff. In a UK Equity company, the deputy is the union’s workplace representative and often raises issues with management directly, with an Equity Official behind them. Either way, the rest of the cast makes the job work by bringing problems early, with facts.

Start by knowing which Equity you mean

Actors’ Equity Association is the American union for stage actors and stage managers. Equity in the UK is a separate union that represents performers, stage managers, and creative teams. Both use the word “deputy” (UK members often shorten it to “Dep”), and both elect one from inside the company. The jobs overlap, but the rules about what a deputy may do are different, so advice from one country can mislead you in the other.

If you’re on a US contract, read everything below about Actors’ Equity. If you’re working in the UK, read the UK sections. If you’re not sure which kind of show you’re on, our guide to Equity vs non-Equity theater explains what makes a production “Equity” in the first place.

How the deputy gets chosen

In the US, Actors’ Equity’s National Deputy Committee guidelines say the deputy is selected by most of the Equity members working on Equity contracts in the company, even when there is only one of them. You can read the guidelines in a copy posted on one Equity company’s callboard.

There are a few eligibility rules. Equity’s Constitution and By-Laws say only a member in good standing who is at least 18 can serve as a deputy. A member with a conflict of interest can’t serve either. The by-laws define that as an “employer-member,” such as someone who hires actors, is billed as a producer or artistic director, signs contracts for an employer, or owns the theater.

Timing is built into some contracts. Equity’s summary of the 2023 LORT agreement for LORT (League of Resident Theatres) regional theaters says deputies are permitted in each company, and that time is set aside at the start of the rehearsal period for Equity business. That time doesn’t count as part of the day’s rehearsal. That time is a natural moment for the company to elect its deputy, and our guide to the first rehearsal of a play covers what else happens then.

In the UK, Equity’s page on how to be an Equity Deputy says the Dep is elected by the other Equity members in the workplace, ideally as early as possible. It often happens during a visit from Equity staff, but members don’t have to wait. They can elect a Dep any time and let the union know by email.

One deputy or a team

A company can have more than one. Equity UK’s guide to being an Equity Deputy says a workplace may have one Deputy or a small team, drawn from the cast and the stage management team. In the US, the guidelines note that if you are the principal or only deputy, you represent the stage managers too.

What a US deputy actually does

The core of the job is reporting. Under the National Deputy Committee guidelines, the deputy reports any possible contract breach that comes to their attention to Actors’ Equity at the earliest opportunity, making a best effort to do it within 24 hours. The report goes to the union, usually through the company’s Equity Business Representative.

That’s the part actors miss. A deputy is not required to raise the breach with the employer at all. If they choose to, they do it as any member could, without any special authority from being deputy. And talking to management never replaces the report to Equity.

The guidelines also give a new deputy a first-day checklist. It reads like a good stage manager’s prep list:

• Register on the Equity member portal if you haven’t already.
• Save the union’s after-hours Emergency Hotline, and know the Harassment and Discrimination Hotline so you can give it to anyone who needs it.
• Read your contract’s rulebook, especially the rehearsal and performance rules.
• Get to know the Deputy Resource Center in the member portal.
• Email your Business Representative before the end of the next rehearsal day, with the subject line “NEW EQUITY DEPUTY,” and ask about any extra contract terms.
• Follow up if you haven’t heard back by the end of the third rehearsal day.

Once the rep activates the “My Show” tab in the Deputy Resource Center, the deputy can submit issues there or email the rep directly. Equity revamped that Resource Center after a member working group found the role needed clearer definition. It’s meant for every member who wants to know what to expect from a deputy, not just deputies.

Disciplinary meetings

One more situation comes up. A member facing progressive discipline can ask to have another person in the meeting with them, under what are known as Weingarten rights. The guidelines say the deputy doesn’t have to attend. They can pass the request to Equity instead, and if they go anyway, they go as a colleague, not with deputy authority.

Don’t ask a US deputy to negotiate

This is the line that surprises people. The guidelines say plainly that the deputy is “not to interpret a rule or to negotiate with or confront management.” The deputy’s identity doesn’t have to be kept confidential. They just aren’t the person who decides what the rulebook means or argues it out with the producer.

That’s protection, not weakness. Union staff work with the agreement every day, and a dispute handled by the Business Representative doesn’t leave a castmate arguing alone with the people who may hire them again. If you want a quick ruling on whether a break was short, the honest answer from your deputy is “I’ll report it,” and that’s the right answer.

Company votes are a different thing from negotiating. Some rules let the Equity members choose to change a working condition. Under the 2023 LORT changes, for example, the 1.5-hour meal break can drop to one hour only if the theater has no objection and the company votes for it by a two-thirds secret ballot of its Equity members. The same summary removes references to the deputy from most LORT rules, and its wording for this vote leaves the choice with the company.

Know that a UK Dep plays a different role

In the UK, the job is broader and more active. Equity UK describes Deputies as the union’s workplace representatives, the first point of contact for Equity staff, and a representative for the members in their workplace. They’re expected to know the agreement, and to sign up colleagues who aren’t members yet.

Deps do talk to management. The union’s top tips for new Deputies, written by Deps on a West End show, advise an open channel with company management and line producers. Their tip on timing is worth stealing: “If you suspect that something may come up as an issue, take it to management before it does.” Another: “Be polite, but firm and persistent.”

A UK Dep isn’t on their own. The guide says your Equity Official is there for anything you aren’t sure how to handle, or couldn’t resolve with the company manager. Equity UK also says you can be a Dep on a non-Equity contract, and that the role is not established in film and TV.

Work with your deputy, even if you never volunteer

Most of the deputy system depends on the people who aren’t the deputy. A deputy can only report what they hear about, and reports with facts get handled faster than vague complaints. Here’s how to help, whichever country you’re in:

1. Tell them early. A US deputy is trying to report within 24 hours, so a problem from Tuesday’s rehearsal is far more useful on Tuesday night than at the end of the week.
2. Bring facts, not a mood. Say what happened, the date, the time, and who was there, such as “We went 90 minutes without a break on Thursday, from 2:00 to 3:30.”
3. Don’t ask a US deputy for a ruling. Ask them to pass it on, and let the Business Representative say what the contract means.
4. Take it to them, not the group chat. The UK tips suggest restricting posts on the company group chat to the Deps.
5. Treat company information with care. In the UK, the guide reminds Deps that union membership counts as sensitive data under GDPR, so don’t pass around who is or isn’t a member.
6. Remember the stage manager is on your side too. The US guidelines call stage managers the deputy’s allies, and our guide to working with your stage manager covers that relationship.
7. Say thank you. It’s a volunteer job on top of a full rehearsal schedule.

Decide honestly whether to volunteer

The deputy job costs time and attention. There are messages to answer, a rulebook to learn, and conversations you would rather not have. In the US, the rewards are quieter: you learn your contract better than almost anyone in the room, you get to know the union staff, and castmates trust you.

In the UK, the payoff can be very concrete. One West End Deputy quoted in Equity’s guide talks about challenging managers, and says the most exciting part has been “seeing mine and the Deps’ actions creating real life improvements.” You don’t need training first, the guide says.

A fair test before you raise your hand: can you take on a few messages a week without your own work slipping? If you’re carrying a big part, being solid on your lines early helps. Offbook lets you run your scenes at home, with realistic voices reading every other character and waiting for your line, so rehearsal time can go to the scene and breaks can go to whatever comes up. If the timing is wrong for you, it’s fine to let someone else take this one.

Questions actors ask

What does an Equity deputy do?

The deputy is the link between the company and the union. In the US, they hear concerns from Equity members and report possible contract breaches to Actors’ Equity, aiming to do it within 24 hours. In the UK, the Dep is the union’s workplace representative: the first point of contact for Equity staff in that workplace.

How is the Equity deputy chosen?

By election inside the company. In the US, the deputy is selected by most of the Equity members on Equity contracts, often during the Equity business time at the start of rehearsals, and must be a member in good standing who is at least 18. In the UK, the Equity members in the workplace elect a Dep, often during a visit from union staff, and can do it at any time.

Can a deputy negotiate with management?

Not in the US. Actors’ Equity’s deputy guidelines say the deputy should not interpret rules, negotiate with management, or confront management. Possible breaches go to the union’s Business Representative. In the UK, Equity encourages Deps to keep an open channel with management and raise issues directly, with an Equity Official to back them up.

Can a stage manager be the deputy?

In the UK, yes. Equity UK says Deputies can come from the cast or stage management, and its tips recommend having a stage management Dep. In the US, the deputy guidelines don’t address this directly; they say the principal or only deputy also represents the stage managers.