The non-Equity Hairspray tour uses Jack O'Brien's original direction and Jerry Mitchell's choreography.

Did Jack and Jerry both have to sign off on this?

Not only did they sign off, they were actively involved in rehearsals when the tour kicked off two years ago. Most Non-Equity tours use the original direction and choreography from their Broadway counterparts, unless it’s a brand new staging like PETER PAN will be.

This has been going on for years. Equity just doesn't have much of a leg to stand on because all the associates directing this are Equity actors / directors, but still do this because a job is a job. It's all kind of an eye roll. Because as actors we can't work on Non-Equity productions, but they can direct them, produce them, etc.

Most Tours do, equity and non-equity tours alike, lift wholesale from original (or revival) staging. Most people when it comes to touring aren't looking to see a new staging, they're looking for what they saw on the Tonys or from clips on line. It's far more financially beneficial to use it, than to pay people to create a production from scratch. IE, the sad tour of Legally Blonde that was recently going around.

RippedMan said: "This has been going on for years. Equity just doesn't have much of a leg to stand on because all the associates directing this are Equity actors / directors, but still do this because a job is a job. It's all kind of an eye roll. Because as actors we can't work on Non-Equity productions, but they can direct them, produce them, etc."

Equity doesn’t include directors and choreographers, regardless, nor does it have any sort of reciprocal relationship with SDC, the director and choreographer union, and therefore can’t regulate what work its members do in a different union jurisdiction.

Kad said: "RippedMan said: "This has been going on for years. Equity just doesn't have much of a leg to stand on because all the associates directing this are Equity actors / directors, but still do this because a job is a job. It's all kind of an eye roll. Because as actors we can't work on Non-Equity productions, but they can direct them, produce them, etc."

Equity doesn’t include directors and choreographers, regardless, nor does it have any sort of reciprocal relationship with SDC, the director and choreographer union, and therefore can’t regulate what work its members do in a different union jurisdiction."

Which is why I’m saying it’s side eyed but nothing you can do.