A director is the creative leader who interprets and shapes the overall vision of a production, ensuring all of the artistic elements — performers, designers, and technical teams — work together to bring the story to life.
Joining as a Director
Pathways to Membership
Joining under a contract
As a director, you are eligible to join the Association after signing your first Equity contract under a negotiated scale agreement (i.e., Canadian Theatre Agreement, Independent Theatre Agreement, Stratford Festival Addendum, Equity Second City Agreement or any of our negotiated ballet or opera agreements).
A contract under an Equity engagement policy, such as the DOT Policy, Indie, or Festival Policy does not make you eligible to join.
Professional experience
Artists working as directors can also apply to join Equity based on their professional experience or body of work outside the Association’s jurisdiction.
The experience should be:
- At least 3 years
- In live performance or recorded media
- Professional work you were paid for, at a rate commensurate with prevailing professional fees
Work done as part of an educational program, or for a community or amateur company will not be considered as contributing towards professional experience.
To apply for membership under Professional Experience, submit a cover letter and C.V. meeting the requirements above to membership@caea.com.
Application Process
Once you have signed an eligible contract as a Director or met the requirements for another joining pathway, Equity’s Membership team will contact you to invite you to apply for membership. You’ll also find the following forms available in your myEquity account:
- Member Application Form
- Member RRSP form
At the same time, we’ll let you know the remaining balance of your initiation fee.
Some artists choose to wait before joining. If you don’t join immediately, the Membership team will contact you again when any filing fees you’ve accumulated are enough to cover your initiation fee. Once you’re eligible, you can complete the forms in your myEquity account and begin the application process at any time.
Initiation Fee
The cost of joining Equity is a one-time initiation fee of $1,200, plus payment of $100 (a half-year of basic dues), for a total payable of $1,300.
A portion of the filing fees you have paid will be applied towards your initiation fee, reducing the amount of the one-time payment. Any remaining portion of the initiation fee owing, plus current basic dues, must be paid when you apply to join the Association, or you may provide the theatre with written authorization to deduct the balance of your initiation fee and remit it directly to Equity.