The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity, is an American labor union. As of 2007, the association represents over 45,000 theater artists and stage managers.Actor's Equity was founded by 112 professional theater actors, who adopted the association's constitution and elected the group's first president, Francis Wilson, on May 26, 1913, at a meeting held at the Pabst Grand Circle Hotel in New York City. [1] A handful of influential actors -- known as The Players -- held secret organizational meetings at Edwin Booth's old mansion on Gramercy Square leading up to the establishment of the association.
See more at Wikipedia.org...