An interview with two of the union organizers who helped Drunk Shakespeare join the Actor’s Equity Association. Ella Fent from the Chicago production and Clara Kundin from the Phoenix company talk about the long day's journey into unionizing.

Topics:

⭐️ Reasons for unionizing

⭐️ Navigating the process of joining AEA

⭐️ The benefits gained through union membership

⭐️ Advice for other theatre workers considering unionizing

Video Version

https://youtu.be/G5i2aXVQNPI

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

Drunk Shakespeare

https://www.drunkshakespeare.com/welcome

Drunk Shakespeare United

https://www.instagram.com/drunkshakesunited/

https://linktr.ee/drunkshakesunited

Clara Kundin

https://clarakundin.com/

https://www.instagram.com/clarakallday/?hl=en

Ella Fent

https://www.instagram.com/bi.banshee/?hl=en

LDI

https://www.ldishow.com/

Free pass with promo code ARTISTICFINANCE

Clara Kundin (she/her) is a theater-maker and educator. She holds an MFA in Theatre for Youth & Community with an emphasis in Directing from Arizona State University, a certificate in physical theater from the École Jacques Lecoq, and a BA in Theatre from St. Olaf College. She has performed nationally and internationally including Off-Broadway and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Most recently, she performed in the original cast of the Phoenix branch of the Off-Broadway hit Drunk Shakespeare. She is now an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Eastern New Mexico University.

Ella Fent (she/her) is a union organizer and theater professional in Chicago. She is a volunteer organizer with the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC), and currently serves on Actors’ Equity Committee to Prevent Harassment and Hostile Work Environments. She has a special place in her heart for organizing workplaces around environmental issues, and recently spoke at the 2024 Labor Notes Conference on a panel called “Fight the Boss, Fix the Climate”. She has been a bartender at Drunk Shakespeare for 3 years, and has been part of Drunk Shakespeare United since day 1.

Instagram Handles

@drunkshakesunited

@clarakallday

@bi.banshee

@actorsequity

@nicolevsteimel

@ethansteimel

Interview by Ethan Steimel