American Guild of Variety Artists

The American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) is an American entertainment union representing performers in variety entertainment, including circuses, Las Vegas showrooms and cabarets, comedy showcases, dance revues, magic shows, theme park shows, and arena and auditorium extravaganzas.

[2] Sharing the stage with Martin Luther King Jr. were Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Joe Louis, Johnny Mathis, James Baldwin and The Shirelles.

The most recent executive president was poet, songwriter, composer, and singer Rod McKuen, who held the post for 19 years until his death in 2015.

[7] In 2022, AGVA began organizing performers with Medieval Times, leading to a labor strike in 2023 at the Buena Park, California, location.

However, the strike ended without a labor contract, and in March 2024, facing anti-union backlash, the union announced that they would not be representing Medieval Times employees.