Since 1950, on the night of a Broadway opening, before a bustling crowd even enters the house, a tradition takes place among the show’s cast. The chorus member with the most experience puts on the patchworked “Gypsy Robe,” circles the stage three times, and allows fellow chorus members to touch the robe for good luck (or “broken legs.”) For decades, the ritual has become an anticipated—and even sacred—tradition of romantic lore for those who make it to the Broadway stage.
Last week, Actors’ Equity, the nation’s union for stage actors and stage managers, announced that the union-overseen tradition is changing—in name only.
In a statement released to union membership, Kim Jordan, chair of Equity's Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs wrote, “the word ‘Gypsy’ originates as a slur employed against the Romani people...Historically, they traveled because no one, no country, no sovereign state, accepted them. Still today they suffer persecution and are treated as second-class citizens. They obviously didn’t have a union behind them negotiating their time or travel conditions or overtime rates.”
So, beginning in the next Broadway season, the union announced, the name will change.
“If you had asked me when I first joined Equity's Council, I never thought I would sit down to write this message,” wrote Jordan to the union in a statement. “But here is the reality: this name is no longer appropriate, particularly as we engage in our work to reduce hiring bias in the theatre industry.”
Equity will hold an online election for membership to determine the new name of the robe. According to a press release by the union, the following options are in the running for the renaming: the Baum Bradley Robe, the Legacy Robe, the Chorus Robe, the Robe, and the Rose Robe.
The change is the latest development sparked by two movements taking place within the union. The first is a focus on chorus and ensemble members. A few weeks ago, Equity announced an online campaign to petition for a best ensemble and chorus category in the annual Tony Awards. The second is part of Equity’s 2020 initiative which, as Equity President Kate Shindle has stated, aims to make the union more activistic.
In a 2017 message to the union’s base outlining the initiative, Shindle wrote, “our vision, based on your feedback, is called Equity 2020—a three-year timeline to create a more aggressive, inclusive, and responsive union.”
In a statement to Backstage, Jordan said, “Equity would like to be at the front of a movement that is inclusive. The time has arrived to be sensitive to the words we use. We are a union that historically spoke against segregation and separate entrances for ‘some’ people. And that no longer exists. There is no wrong time to be on the right side of right.”
Seemingly anticipating blowback, Jordan concluded his correspondence to members with, “this change may not easy for everyone. But it is right.”
Union members can cast a ballot for what they think the robe’s new name should be via the Equity’s online membership portal.
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