Golden theater joins only nine others in Colorado with Equity status

Miners Alley Playhouse announced Tuesday its status as Colorado’s newest Actors Equity Union Theatre.

Actors’ Equity Association, founded in 1913, represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers nationwide. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions.

Miners Alley Playhouse has been designated as a Small Professional Theatre Level One under the guidelines of Actors Equity Association. Out of Colorado’s over 100 live theatres listed with the Colorado Theatre Guild, only nine currently hold status as Actors Equity Association Union Theatres. Miners Alley Playhouse joins the ranks as the tenth active Actors Equity Association Union Theatre in Colorado, joining The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, The Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities, Curious Theatre, Creede Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks (Colorado Springs), Theatre Aspen, Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Boulder), Aurora Fox, and Lake Dillon Theatre Company.

“Part of our mission at Miners Alley Playhouse has been to be a place where theatre artists could make a living wage, and our joining the Actors Equity Union of Theaters is a major step in fulfilling that mission,” said Len Matheo, Miners Alley Playhouse Executive Director. “It’s also important to note that Miners Alley will still continue to offer a professional theatre experience for its patrons and its performers while still maintaining the connected community feeling that we are known for.”

Since the beginning, Miners Alley Playhouse has employed union actors under “special appearance contracts,” offering union performers rated salaries and other associated union benefits outlined by the Actors Equity Union. Through these special appearance’s, audiences have continuously enjoyed entertaining and enriching cultural experiences through the presentation of professional theatre. By joining Actors Equity, Miners Alley Playhouse will now be able to offer health and pension benefits. This is all a part of its commitment to bring quality theatre to our patrons while still fostering the warm feeling of community of which we have always been proud.

Lisa DeCaro, President of the Board of Directors of Miners Alley Playhouse said, “Miners Alley has been doing truly remarkable work, and has been recognized by the critics, the audience, and the theatre community as a great place to work – and to see – great theatre. We are so proud that we can extend that success to the artists who make that success possible.”