Broadway actors come to Philly to knock on doors for Harris, Walz, and Casey

In 2009, actors Julianna Zinkel and Michael Stewart Allen starred in People’s Light Theatre’s A Tale of Two Cities. Fifteen years later, on Monday morning, the two had an unplanned reunion in Bridesburg’s Teamsters Hall. Both members of Actors’ Equity Association, the actors joined 60 of their union mates in canvassing for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz’s campaign, and for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s reelection.

“We’re going to go around to different neighborhoods in Philadelphia to make sure that our local union folks are going to be supporting our union-backed candidates, which include Harris and Walz, and Bob Casey,” said Zinkel, a Narberth resident and a cast member of Arden Theatre Company’s forthcoming production, Intimate Apparel. “We always knock on a few Trump voter doors as well, just to check in, because we really believe that standing there in person in front of another human being makes a difference.”

Allen, who lives in New York, arrived in Philadelphia with a bus full of his union colleagues to add to the efforts of the Philadelphia chapter of Actors' Equity and AFL-CIO, who have been knocking on doors of various union members to get the vote out for Harris and Walz since August. After Monday’s round of canvassing in Port Richmond, the Actors’ Equity has knocked on an estimate of over 10,000 doors in Pennsylvania. The 51,000-plus-member union is also organizing canvassing efforts around the country.

“If you look at it, there’s only one real ticket that’s supportive of the unions,” said Allen, who last performed in Philadelphia as a part of Warhorse’s touring Broadway cast. “Trump crossed the (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) picket line when he worked for The Apprentice. Harris and Walz have walked the picket lines with union members. They’ve been to union houses and they address union issues.”



https://www.inquirer.com/arts/theater/broadway-canvassing-kamala-harris-voting-20241029.html