APRIL “Our doubts are traitors, 2012 And make us lose the good we oft might win Volume 97 By fearing to attempt.” Number 3 —William Shakespeare Measure for Measure, EQUITYNEWS Act 1 scene 4 A Publication of Actors’ Equity Association • NEWS FOR THE THEATRE PROFESSIONAL • www.actorsequity.org • Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY and Additional Mailing Offices Reminder Get Ready toVote for Annual Membership Meeting is Friday,April 13, 2012 Officers, Councillors EA’s 2012 Election is 11:59 PM Eastern Time on April receive a paper ballot. in All Regions about to get underway. 16, you will receive an email (3) Vote Online:Evenifyou The Eastern, Central and Western Regions will be AOn Monday, April 16, from Election Services Solutions did not pre-register for E- connected by telephonic hook-up for the April 13 Annual 2012, ballots will be distributed with instructions for voting online. Voting, you can still vote online. Meeting so that members in all Regions may be able to hear by Election Services Solutions to Make sure this message doesn’t When you receive your paper statements of candidates running for Office and Council. Hook- all paid-up members. get caught in your spam filter. ballot, go to https://www.esc- ups will begin at 2:30 PM (Eastern Time), 1:30 PM (Central There are three ways to vote: The email will come from vote.com/ae2012 and find the Time), 11:30 AM (Pacific Time). (1) Paper Ballot: Paper actorsequityhelp@election link for online voting. Enter your The Eastern Regional Meeting convenes at 2 PM (Eastern ballots will be mailed out on April servicescorp.com. You will not unique internet log-in number Time) in the Council Room on the 14th Floor of the Equity 16. Fill out your paper ballot and (from your paper ballot) and your Building, 165 West 46th Street, New York, NY. return it per the instructions Statements Member ID# (printed on the front The Central Regional Meeting begins at 1 PM (Central provided. If you vote by mail, you from of your membership card) and Time) in the Member Center on the 1st Floor of the Equity must tear off the top portion of follow online voting instructions. Building, 557 West Randolph, Chicago, IL. the ballot. Candidates NOTE: All ballots must be The Western Regional Meeting starts at 11 AM (Pacific (2) Paperless Balloting: If for Election received by 5 PM (Eastern) Time) in the Bellamy Board Room on the 5th Floor of the Equity you registered for E-voting prior (see page 3) 4 PM (Central) 2 PM (Pacific) Office, 6755 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. to March 22, at approximately on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Your IncomeTax pay a penalty for the incorrect other dependents in your withholding. So, if you’re single household, determine which of and you don’t support anyone you claims them or divide them Go Phish! Dependents Can CostYou! but yourself, put “Single” with up on your respective W-4 zero or one withholding forms. Don’t claim more people Marriage Equality – State Only! allowance. (The lower the than actually exist in your number, the greater the tax household. 1099s andYour Responsibilities, IDTheft withholding.) If you are Equal Under the Law – married, only one of you may The State Law, That is! IRS Emailed you a Warning? Not! put “Married” on the W-4 form While VITA has prepared (don’t ask; it’s an arcane policy returns for same-sex married f you have found yourself a ability – or some similar lan- withheld. What it also may do is determination having to do with little short at tax time, guage, that leads the taxpayer pull them up short when they couples, this year it expects two incomes on one form). The many more whose marriages Iyou’re not alone. Even if to believe s/he owes money to file their returns. What happens other spouse puts “Single” or are recognized by the state in you’re one of those who usually the feds. This can be frighten- if you claim dependents you “Married, but Withhold at the relies on getting a refund, you ing – not only because it’s from don’t really have? You reduce which they live or who have Higher Single Rate.” Then each recently decided to tie the knot. still might be caught in an at- “the IRS,” but because it says your income and your income of you claims only the tempted email scam to capture you owe them some dough! No tax withholding, but you run the Filing returns for these couples exemption that includes is always a challenge because your personal information and one wants to hear from the IRS risk of having to pay the yourself. If there are children or credit card numbers. Many tax- and absolutely no one wants to difference back in April – and their unions are regarded payers have been the victims hear that they owe back taxes. differently by the federal of Phishing expeditions, receiv- Delete the email and do not government and the state in ing emails, purportedly from open the attachment, if there is which they are married. The the IRS, stating that there was one! Here is the real deal on Defense of Marriage Act a shortfall in their withholding, this. The IRS does not email (DOMA), signed into law in a mistake in their computa- taxpayers to collect taxes or to 1996, defines marriage as a tions, a recalculation in their li- inform them about their returns. “legal union between one man Period. If your instincts told you and one woman as husband it was a scam, you were right. and wife” and further says that Stay tuned, however, for the no state “shallberequiredto state procedures on this as give effect to any public act, they do not always conform to record, or judicial proceeding the federal. Outreach to Senior Members of any persons of the same sex that is treated as marriage W-4 Form – Withholding underthelawsofsuchother Allowances Mines Centennial Gold State…” What this means is s the Centennial year http://aea100.org,andthe If you are an employee that a couple can be legally celebration Centennial Facebook page, receiving one or more W-2 married in one or more states, approaches, https://www.facebook.com/AEA Forms, you might find yourself A but not married under federal excitement at Equity is growing 100, Equity staff wanted to with a tax bill at the end of the law. And that same couple’s at a rapid pace. With all of the make sure that all members year, even though you had status may vary from state to activities to be unveiled in the without computer access had some tax withheld. It is state – unlike those of coming months, one of the an opportunity to take part in importanttofilloutyourW-4 opposite-sex couples. This Form accurately, so that the tax most exciting is The Narrative this once-in-a-century (continued on page 2) withheld will be sufficient or Project. This dynamic salute to endeavor. come close to what it should the first 100 years of Actors’ From a memory of working be. The best rule to follow is to Equity creates a multimedia under the cold gaze of Index use your actual number of history of the Union through McCarthyism where Equity dependents. We hear that the eyes and experiences of its refused to name names during Your income tax .....................1 membership. the Blacklist, to a rank-and-file members claim several Theatre spotlight ....................2 NEWS children, helping them take Last November, more than member in Pennsylvania home more pay because the 3,500 letters were sent to watching her granddaughter Candidates’ statements ............3 withholding is lower – and senior Equity members get her own Equity card, the that’s certainly true, but it often throughout the country. stories have been truly National news ......................10 UITY Because much of the inspirational. costs them later when they find A look back @ Equity Q outtheyhadtoolittletax Centennial’s work has been via If you have not yet 165 West 46th Street New York, NY 10036 Address Service Requested Second Class Postage Paid in New York, NY E milestones ..........................12 the Centennial website, (continued on page 2) 2 / EQUITY news APRIL 2012 Outreach to Seniors Area Liaison THEATRE Western Region Hotline system continued from page 1 participated in The Narrative Curious Theatre Housed Call 877-AEA-1913 Project, there is still time! If you SPOTLIGHT don’t have access to a in Denver Equity has a National toll-free computer, mail your stories to hotline system for members who Actors’ Equity Narrative “When I decided to settle in (produced by Hunger Artists) in professionally run and I always live in Area Liaison and office Project, VP+C, 13 Crosby Denver after moving from NYC, the 19th century church located enjoy working for them. Their cities. The number is 877-AEA- Street, Loft 502, New York, NY, I was committed to supporting just a few blocks south of the support of Equity Actors and 1913 (honoring the year of Eq- 10013. Please send copies or Denver as a city where Denver Art Museum and State Stage Managers is deep and I uity’s founding). Each Area scans of any photos or other professional Actors could both Capitol that the theatre still am grateful that they have Liaison city has its own exten- memorabilia, as we will not be live and work,” says Chip calls home. The company used given us the opportunity for sion, where members can ac- able to return any originals.