Contract Protections
Textured hair is already in the agreements.
Here's what productions need to know. Plain-language summaries of the hair provisions in the current AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and AGMA agreements, with rule numbers and effective dates, so you can check every line against the source.
Last reviewed: August 2026 · Updated as agreements change · Educational, not legal advice
How to read this page
Every summary below is plain language, not contract text. Requirements differ by agreement and by contract cycle, which is exactly why this page exists: there is no one universal rule, there are specific lines in the specific agreements you work under. Each section tells you three things: what the agreement says, what that means operationally, and what the agreement does not build for you.
This page covers performer-side agreements: the contracts between performers and the organizations that employ them. Crew-side agreements, which govern who performs the work in the hair and makeup department, are a different instrument and out of scope here.
Read the agreements you work under. Every section links to the union's official source. If you find a provision we should add or a line that has changed, tell us.
Actors' Equity Association
AEA: the obligations are specific,
and they differ by agreement.
The two agreements below cover most professional regional theater in the country and in New England. They carry parallel hair provisions with one meaningful difference in how the qualified technician is chosen.
AEA · LORT
2023-27 LORT Agreement
Effective through 2027 · League of Resident Theatres
What the agreement says
- If a hair style requires services that may alter or harm the actor's hair or skin (the rule names chemical permanents, relaxers, weaves, braids, and bleaching), the theatre identifies a licensed and qualified technician and gives the actor the technician's name and qualifications at least 48 hours before any services. Rule 12(G)(3)
- Upkeep, maintenance, and protection of the hair or skin are determined by the theatre and actor in consultation with the technician. Rule 12(G)(3)
- Hair color changes require the actor's written agreement, with the theatre paying for the change, its upkeep during the run, and restoration to the original color at close. Rule 12(G)(1)
- No required cut, style change, or head shave without written agreement. Rule 12(G)(2)
- Wigs and hairpieces are delivered freshly cleaned and properly fitted, recleaned at least every 24 performances, lace cleaned daily. Rule 12(H)
- Race discrimination explicitly includes treating someone unfavorably because of characteristics associated with race, naming hair texture. Rule 24(F)
What that means operationally
The theatre, not the performer, owns finding and vetting the technician, on a 48-hour clock that only works if someone is watching for it before the design is locked. Restoration is a real budget line most seasons never carry. And the wig cleaning cadence is a schedule item, not a courtesy.
What it does not build
The rule doesn't say who verifies "qualified," where the technician comes from, what the consultation covers, or what happens when the plan fails mid-run. That is production infrastructure, and it is yours to build.
Source: 2023-27 LORT/AEA Collective Bargaining Agreement, Rules 12(G), 12(H), 24(F). Read the rulebook at actorsequity.org.
AEA · NEAT
NEAT Rulebook 2023-26
New England Area Theatres
What the agreement says
- The producer is responsible for all hair worn during performances. Rule 13(I)(2)
- For services that may alter or risk harm (chemical permanents, relaxers, weaves, braids), the producer engages with the actor to identify a licensed technician they mutually agree on, and best practices for upkeep are mutually determined. Rule 13(I)(3)
- Color changes require written agreement, paid professionally by the producer, including upkeep and professional restoration at the end of the engagement. Rule 13(J)
- No required cuts, style changes, or shaves; hair changes cannot be a condition of employment without written agreement. Rules 13(I)(4), 13(K)
- Makeup, hair coloring, and wigs provided by the producer must be free of hazardous chemicals. Rule 55(F)
- Race discrimination explicitly names hair texture. Rule 24
What that means operationally
NEAT goes further than LORT in one direction: the technician is mutually agreed, not just noticed, which means the performer has a contractual voice in who touches their hair. "Responsible for all hair worn" is broad on purpose. If it's on stage, it's the production's job.
What it does not build
Mutual agreement assumes the production has qualified options to propose. A producer with no vendor pathway meets this rule by asking the performer to supply the name, which is the labor the rule exists to move off the performer.
Source: New England Area Theatres Rulebook 2023-26, Rules 13(I) through 13(K), 24, 55(F). Read the rulebook at actorsequity.org.
SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA: two contracts,
moving in two directions.
SAG-AFTRA · Film, TV & Streaming
2026 TV/Theatrical Agreement
Ratified June 2026 · Effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030
What the agreement says
- The hair and makeup equity provisions added in 2023 carry forward: productions reimburse performers who source their own hair and makeup services from a qualified professional, pay a minimum of 2 hours for that time, and offer a consultation.
- The word the provision uses: "qualified." The definition it gives: none. The fully executed 2026 Memorandum of Agreement modifies the 2023 agreement and leaves these provisions unmodified.
- New in 2026, for background actors: a $35 adjustment when directed to report in a style requiring extensive self-styling, and the hair goods adjustment rises to $21.50.
What that means operationally
The reimbursement path is a fallback that presumes the production didn't staff the work. A production that plans hair as a department rarely touches it. The new background adjustment prices self-styling. It compensates the gap; it does not close it.
What it does not build
Nothing defines who counts as qualified, and the next contractual chance to define it is 2030. Until then, the definition has to come from the production. That is the entire gap this standard exists to close.
Source: 2026 SAG-AFTRA Memorandum of Agreement, fully executed May 27, 2026, ratified June 5, 2026, modifying the 2023 Codified Basic Agreement; hair and makeup equity provisions carried forward unmodified; Schedule X, Section 9 background actor provisions as amended. Read at sagaftra.org.
SAG-AFTRA · Commercials
2025 Commercials Contracts
Effective 2025
What the agreement says
- Producers make commercially reasonable efforts to give the performer contact information for the qualified hair stylist or makeup artist engaged for the shoot, for consultation, at the fitting or 24 hours before the first work day, whichever comes first.
What that means operationally
This is the process-forward contract. It assumes the stylist is booked early enough to consult before the day, which means hair planning has to happen in pre-production, not at the call. On a commercial timeline, that is a bid-stage decision.
What it does not build
The consultation is only as good as the stylist's fit for the hair in the chair. "Qualified" still isn't defined, and the bid still has to price the right expertise before talent is cast.
Source: SAG-AFTRA 2025 Commercials Contracts, makeup, hairdress, and wardrobe provisions. Read at sagaftra.org.
AGMA · Opera & Dance
AGMA: set company by company,
and increasingly specific.
AGMA agreements are negotiated per employer, so there is no single national rule. The direction of travel is consistent, and recent agreements are among the most explicit anywhere on hair texture. One current example:
AGMA · Example Employer Agreement
AGMA and Seattle Opera, 2023-26
September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2026
What the agreement says
- Management provides all costumes, wigs, hair coloring, and makeup with awareness and sensitivity regarding skin and hair color and type. Article 42.1.12
- Oversight is provided by a staff member experienced in working with artists of various skin tones and hair textures. Article 42.1.14
- Management-requested grooming changes are reimbursed, and appearance changes require 6 weeks notice before first rehearsal. Article 20
- Wig fittings are scheduled, compensated work, with hair-styling supplies and paid time to restore the artist's own hair after a fitting. Article 14.3
What that means operationally
"A staff member experienced with various hair textures" is a staffing requirement, not a sentiment. It has to be true on the org chart before the season starts. The fitting provisions make hair time paid time, which is a scheduling and budgeting fact.
What it does not build
Experienced isn't verified by the agreement, and requirements vary company to company. If you work under an AGMA agreement, read your own: yours may say more, less, or something different.
Source: Agreement between AGMA and Seattle Opera, September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2026, Articles 14.3, 20, 42. Terms are employer-specific. Read at agmanatl.com.
The agreements keep using one word: qualified. None of them define it. The TV/Theatrical contract just renewed through 2030 without defining it. Until the contracts answer the question, the production has to.
The contract-to-production gap
The agreement can set the obligation.
It can't run Tuesday.
Every provision on this page assumes somebody operationalizes it. The contract can establish the protection. Texture Ready™ helps you build the production capable of delivering it.
- Who verifies the technician is qualified?
- When does performer consultation happen?
- Where is consent documented?
- Who is watching the 48-hour clock?
- How much time and money go into the budget?
- Who holds maintenance, and restoration at close?
- What happens when casting changes?
- What's the escalation path when the plan isn't working?
Coming in the next Contract Update
- Additional AGMA employer agreements as they are reviewed
- AEA Production Contract and Off-Broadway hair provisions
Working under an agreement we haven't covered? Send it our way.
Review log
- August 2026 · Page published. LORT 2023-27, NEAT 2023-26, SAG-AFTRA 2026 TV/Theatrical (verified against the fully executed May 27, 2026 MOA) and 2025 Commercials, AGMA/Seattle Opera 2023-26.
The fine print
These are plain-language educational summaries, not contract text and not legal advice. Specific requirements vary by agreement, contract cycle, and jurisdiction. Always read the agreements your production works under, and consult counsel for legal questions. Texture Ready™ provides production infrastructure and education.
The protections exist. Build the production that can deliver them.
Bring your agreements to a 30-minute scoping call. We'll walk the lines you work under, name the gaps, and map a scoped path to close them before your first hair call.
Scope Your Production →Not sure which agreements cover your production? Bring what you have.