Everyone remotely connected to the theatre world has heard of Actors’ Equity, the major union for theatrical performers. But unlike many other industries, theatres generally have a choice regarding how many union actors they hire, and whether they want to have the union in house at all. Furthermore, actors have to think long and hard about whether it’s even worth it for them to join Equity: the cost is prohibitive, and if they live in a town without many Equity houses, they’re unlikely to benefit much from membership.