What is a non-equity?

What is a non-equity touring theatre cast?

• I saw RENT the other day in Chicago - and I heard someone say it was a non-equity cast. What does this mean? How is it different from touring casts of other productions?

• Answer:

  It means that the producer has hired non-union actors. Actors' Equity is the union of professional actors, and provides guarantees of salary and working conditions to performers. Non-Equity casts are usually sent out once a producing organization feels that a production had pretty much reached the end of its touring life. By using non-union performers, they save money. Actors are still paid, but not as much as Equity actors would get. While non-Equity productions usually aren't as polished as Equity productions, there are no guarantees that union productions will all be wonderful and non-union ones will be sloppy.