Negotiating the creative sector: Understanding the role and impact of an artistic union in a cultural industry: A study of Actors' Equity Association and the theatrical industry.

摘要

Stage actors have long been an integral element of the cultural community in the United States. From vaudeville to the Broadway stage, actors have carved a niche for themselves in the theatrical landscape of the United States. Yet, little has specifically been written on the functionality of the primary theatrical actors' association and union, Actors' Equity Association. This dissertation examines the formation of the theatrical industry and the simultaneous development of Actors' Equity Association as an institution within that industry. In doing so, the work makes connections between development of the industry and the role of Actors' Equity Association on the field's development. This interpretive historical inquiry sets the stage for the contemporary understanding of theatrical actors. The research is focused on unionism, the evolution of labor in the United States, the development of the theatrical industry, and the reactive and proactive behavior of Actors' Equity Association.; This case study investigates the development of a creative sector union and its role within an industry through three lenses: resource dependence, institutional isomorphism, and collective action. Each of the theories offers a different perspective for understanding Actors' Equity Association and the theatrical industry in which it operates. It is argued the development of the theatrical industry is significantly linked to the collective action behavior of Actors' Equity Association. Concurrently, resource dependence has helped shape Actors' Equity as well as the larger theatrical field. Additionally, resource dependence and collective action have caused isomorphic change within the theatrical industry.