𝗪e 𝗛ave 𝗔wesome 𝗠eetings! 𝗪igs, 𝗛air 𝗔nd 𝗠ake-up! 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗠! Once again our Guest Speaker knocked it out of the park on Tuesday night, Jackie Sweeney was brilliant in her behind-the-scenes look at all things hair and make-up for stage and screen. 📸 @tomsweens.bsky.social

Our 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙚𝙧-𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙬 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝙇𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 is closed! The draw will be made shortly and everyone who has applied will get an email by the end of the day on the 31st to say if your name has been pulled out or not. Good luck! 🍀

Updated list of our 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 - only 2 left! 📆 Don't really know why we're posting this, they're 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 already in your diary... 😉

The Merseyside & Cheshire Branch Committee hosted us for a garden party over the weekend with the aim of us forging closer ties. Ideas were shared, experiences were passed on, & burgers (both vegan & meaty) were devoured. Clearly the @equityuk.bsky.social socks are popular amongst us all, too!

Here's what we've got lined up for you tomorrow night! 📝

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗠 - 𝙒𝙞𝙜𝙨, 𝙃𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚-𝙪𝙥 Ever wondered about the world of WHAM? It's a vital part of any show or production and Jackie Sweeney will tell us all about her career in TV, film and theatre.

Joining us on Tuesday is Casting Director 𝗘𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝗲𝗿-𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘄! She'll be introducing her Audition Day with us and answering your questions!

Last day to complete this survey looking at #mentalhealth in UK #actors. It closes at midnight tonight. If you haven't completed it already I'd be incredibly grateful if did. It helps me, it helps the industry, it helps actors going forward. Full info here: www.playingsanethephd.co.uk/phaseone/

🪩 𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 🪩 Emails have gone out to Branch Members with the link to apply for one of 27 slots to audition for Ellie Collyer-Bristow next month!

Hear our final plans for 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎 including the details of us walking in the 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚎! Still time to get involved if you want to... 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We'll be chatting about our upcoming 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐞𝐫-𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐰! Remember that by coming to any Branch Meeting in 2026 (either in-person or via Zoom) then you'll get a 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 to win a place to meet her!

The dreaded 𝘗𝘌𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘓 🤢 We want to end to this outdated practice. In which sectors have you experienced pencilling (eg: tv, theatre, ads, etc)? How often does a pencil turn into work? How long are you typically kept on pencil? Have you turned down work because of a pencil you were under elsewhere?

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗠 - 𝙒𝙞𝙜𝙨, 𝙃𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚-𝙪𝙥! Jackie Sweeney covers TV, film and theatre. Recent TV credits include 5 series as Hair & Make-up Designer on 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 for Channel 5. In theatre she recently supervised the Wig Department at The Royal Exchange for 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯 and 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘥.

💥 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗛 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 💥 📅 Tuesday 25th August 🕖 7pm (room opens at 6:30pm) 🗣 Jackie Sweeney; Wigs, Hair and Make-up 📍 HOME, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, M15 4FN 🖥 On Zoom (DM for link)

If you don't receive our 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 (firstly, why the heck not?!?) you won't have seen that our next 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙮 is with 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮𝙚𝙧-𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙬! Any GM Branch Member can apply but if you've been to a Branch Meeting in 2026 then your odds are shorter... & our next one is 2wks today!

It's 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 month! We've got a spot in the 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 again and we're looking for members to join us. If you're interested in walking (or rolling!) - whether you're a member of the LGBT+ community or an ally - then DM us and we'll send you the link to get your name on the list!

We announced a new 𝘼𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙮 in our Branch Newsletter this morning - get your eyes on your inbox to find out about it! 📬

Happy 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘆! Your monthly bitesized local @equityuk.bsky.social round-up from our industry! 📬 Stories include; 🔥 New Audition Day announced! 🔥 Manchester Pride Parade 🔥 Preview our next Branch Meeting 🔥 HMRC changes to mileage 🔥 Review of our last Branch Meeting

Coming up in your 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 on 1st of the month... If you don't subscribe to our Branch emails you won't get the opportunity to apply!

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲 to all of our members who are from, live in, or simply just love the place. 🐝

With Andy Burnham creating Number 10 North in Manchester we wondered if we should rebrand our @equityuk.bsky.social Manchester Office, too? Well welcome to 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡. 🫡

It’s not been heavily advertised but since the start of the tax year (April 2026) you can now claim 55p/mile for fuel rather than the old 45p/mile. It’s the first rise in 15 years so make sure you update your accounts accordingly! Motorbikes (24p) & bicycles (20p) remain the same rate as before.

In @equityuk.bsky.social we argue some bookers, funders, & venues are relying on workers' ability to withstand poor conditions (showing 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚) rather than fixing the issues. The 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 approach emphasises tearing down & rebuilding dated systems rather than simply continuing to accept them.

The rhetoric of 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 is toxic & oppressive – because at its heart there is an implication of passivity. In Equity we’re marching with a different mission: to move from 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 to 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. Rather than being docile to the forces of precarious work, we need to 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 & stand against them.

Hang it in the Louvre. ✊ #NoAI #NoToAIArt #AISlop #AntiAI #StopAI @equityuk.bsky.social

Some of our members travelled up to Durham this weekend to take part in the Parade at the 140th Miners' Gala. The motto this year was 'The past we inherit, the future we build'. We were proud to have an @equityuk.bsky.social banner and flags up there showing solidarity. ✊️

Meta are at it again. They have changed their T&Cs allowing AI platforms to steal from you - don't let them do it! Here's how to change your Instagram settings >>>

Updated list of our 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 - only 3 left! 📆 Don't really know why we're posting this, they're 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 already in your diary... 😉

We had fun at our Branch Meeting last night! A big thank you to Guest Speaker, Steph Greer, and to all the members (plus prospective members!) who joined us both in the room and online. #StrongerTogether

This is what we've got lined up for you tomorrow night! 📝 𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.