Please consult Articles 34:00 and 35:00 for complete details on engagement contracts under the CTA.
Additional information and resources for creating contracts are available from PACT.
Contracts and Riders
Issuing Contracts
After filing a Company Category Calculation and Production Registration Form, and posting appropriate Security, you will need to issue your contracts. It’s the Engager’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of the contract and any rider, and send them to the Artist.
- After concluding negotiations, the Engager has 10 business days to issue a contract to an Artist
- After receiving their contract from the Engager, an Artist has 10 business days to return a signed copy of the contract
- Once the Engager has received the signed contract, they have 5 business days to file the contract with Equity
Contracts must be filed with Equity by the first day of the engagement. No Artist may begin an engagement unless an engagement contract has been completed and a copy filed with Equity.
Confirming Equity membership status
It’s the Engager’s responsibility to confirm that an Equity member on their production will be in Good Standing for the duration of their engagement. You can do this through the following steps:
- Log in to the Member Lookup portal
To request access to the portal, please reach out to Shawn McCarthy, Assistant Business Representative (shawn@caea.com) - Search by member number or by first and/or last name
- Once the Artist is found, make a record of the page (e.g. screenshot or PDF) to include the date and time stamp, membership status, and Artist name
- Input the date of verification in the appropriate field on the Production or Workshop Registration Form
- Save the record page on file for future reference
Making changes to a signed contract
If there are changes to the contract after it’s been executed and filed with Equity, do not issue a new contract. Instead you must issue a rider to the existing contract. Having only one version of a contract (with subsequent riders) ensures that everyone is using a single version and has agreed to the same terms.
Additionally, please don’t make changes to an executed contract or rider without ensuring that both parties agree to the change.
Riders
A rider is an attachment to a contract that adds extra details, terms, or conditions. It becomes a legally binding part of the contract once both parties agree to it.
In some instances, a rider may be required under the CTA.
Rider templates are available to download from PACT.
Examples
Include details related to additional duties, such as:
- Serving as a Dance/Fight/Intimacy Captain
- Added understudy assignment
- Light, Sound, or Video cue operation, including in rehearsal
- Laundry
- Wig/prop maintenance, repair, purchasing
- Admin tasks that are commonly considered Company Management duties
Consult Article 28:00 if your production requires any of the following:
- Working at heights
- Stage fighting/leaps/knee drops/slides
- Pyrotechnics/firearms
- Work on a steep rake
- Activities that seem riskier than usual
Every Artist involved in the Extraordinary Risk must have a rider and every Extraordinary Risk must be stipulated in the rider.
Use definitive language, such as “the Artist will/is required to/agrees to,” rather than “the Artist may”.
Include what steps are being taken to mitigate the risks (e.g. glowtape/LEDs, treated surfaces, shoe soles, extra time working with the risk, padded costumes, etc.).
Any changes that the Artist agrees to during the course of rehearsal should be added to the rider.
Consult Article Articles 31:00 (Nudity and Acts of Intimacy in Production) and 64:00 (Intimacy Directors).
Every Artist involved in scenes that require nudity or intimacy must have a rider. The nature of the intimacy or nudity and all detailed requirements and must be stipulated. Any changes that the Artist agrees to during the course of rehearsal should be added to the rider.
Consult Article 50:00 for details.
The terms of an overseas rider are negotiated by Equity and the Theatre. The rider should include specific details, such as travel schedules and overtime, accommodations, per diems (rates established by the Treasury Board of Canada), extended health insurance, cultural considerations, etc.
You will also need to complete the Route Sheet.
Click here for more information about overseas touring requirements.
Some instances not referenced in the CTA that sometimes appear in riders are:
- Billing
- Complimentary tickets
- Schedule
- Social Media policy