“Your work is the purest expression of the collective”
The primacy of individualism in the arts is a pernicious myth, says Equity General Secretary Paul W Fleming, when the power of the collective is self-evident.
Lots of myths are told about those who work in our industries. Like all untruths, they are often contradictory on their own terms: artists are simultaneously privileged but also have to accept that low pay and precarity are inevitable; artist are overpaid in a powerful industry disconnected from the ‘real world’, but also unproductive and not doing ‘real work’. Perhaps the most pernicious and damaging myth is that the performing arts and entertainment industries are solely about individuals, and never the collective. From the moment an artist considers a career they are told about how it’s cutthroat, depends on your talent alone, that individual resilience will be enough, that the few with a mythical X-Factor have the key to success.
This untruth is told, as with all those other myths, for a single purpose: to twist the truth to the benefit of the powerful. Producers, bosses, bookers, and funders have to push the narrative of individualism because your work is the purest expression of the collective: dancing in time with one another, harmonising voices together, living in the shoes of others, and connecting with audiences through the movement of people, costumes, light, and sound. Only if this truth is disrupted, and the collective pitted against itself can artists be kept poor, and their work depicted as trivial and selfish.
Being an Equity member is the best antidote to this divisive poison.
More than any year since the pandemic, 2025 calls to the power of our collective strength to make material change for artists, workers, and the world. Our negotiations for new TV and film agreements come to a head in the coming months; by the end of the year, claims for all of our major theatre agreements for performers and
stage management will be submitted. Venue closures and continued austerity in local authorities can only be combatted by loud and proud campaigns on the ground. We can achieve an end to audition fees for training institutions if they feel pressure from 50,000 creatives. Our class action against Spotlight can win, as can a member campaign to change the legal carveout that allows them to charge up-front fees at all. Our new insurance package, bought individually, would cost you more per month than it costs per year as an Equity member – because members have come together to procure it.
When we stood up for Oldham Coliseum, we won. When we stood up for more arts funding in Scotland, we won. When we demanded collective agreements in panto we won.
From Bethnal Green to Birmingham we will save drag, comedy, and variety venues by leading coalitions of trades unionists, communities, and audiences. There is no final victory, but the lesson of Equity’s 95 years that standing together against the bosses, not each other, gets the goods.
When artists collectively use their power to fight for a different world they’re mocked as out of touch, or as ‘luvvies’. It happens to all trade unionists – railway workers are ‘dinosaurs’, cleaners are ‘uneducated’, teachers are ‘selfish’. Precisely because it is work that creates wealth, and because united working people have power, that it is your worth as a working person which vested interests attack. That means when we’re mocked as ‘luvvies’, it’s just another slur for ‘workers’. By that token, I tell any trades unionist I meet that if we’re luvvies, then they are too. And the luvvies, united, shall never be defeated.
VIEWS
“To cut the arts is a fallacy – it isn’t a case of choosing either/or”
With her hometown of Bristol the latest target of proposed arts cuts, Equity’s President Lynda Rooke calls on members to continue the campaign to Stop the Cuts and Save the Arts.
I have often argued that the performing arts are a powerhouse industry in the UK economy. They stimulate economic growth throughout the night-time economy, including for local bars, restaurants, hotels and transport. They give towns and cities their sense of identity, making them vibrant places to live and work. They support health and wellbeing, and are vital in replacing the cuts to arts subjects throughout state schools. In other words, we help mop up the pieces from failed government policies.
And yet, national and local governments continue to cut arts and culture funding across the UK: in the Greater London area, Nottingham, Somerset, Wales, Birmingham, Suffolk, and Northern Ireland. And shortly after the New Year, we became aware that the latest place to be hit would be Bristol, where I live.
Bristol City Council’s new proposals to completely stop funding arts organisations by 2027 comes off the back of almost a decade of cuts. Last year, Equity’s Bristol & West of England Branch also fought hard against delays to arts funding decisions that led to the closure of several organisations in the city. After mounting a loud campaign, we were able to bring forward the decisionmaking and prevent further closures.
This year, we were ready to fight again. Our anti-cuts campaign dominated local news, with coverage on BBC Points West, ITV News West Country, Bristol Live, and more. Myself and Councillor Rachael Fagan, a member elected to represent the South West area on the union’s governing body, put forward our questions to the council at a meeting.
Also leading the way is the local trades council, made up of members of different trade unions across Bristol. They invited us to address their ‘Stop the Cuts’ meeting and we are now a driving force in this wider community campaign. On 25 February, after this magazine goes to print, Bristol & West of England Branch activists will join a rally outside Bristol City Hall, where the council will decide the final budget.
As I write this article, the proposed arts cuts in Bristol have potentially been deferred for a year, which would mark another win for the union. But as Austerity 2.0 bites, I have a feeling they’ll be back – and not just in Bristol. This is a call out to all members wherever you live, to fight back by forming a campaign and rallying support in your locality. You will not do this on your own; the union is there to support you.
The arts bring in income and boost economies, which in turn helps pay for things like health, social care and education. To cut the arts – which is the choice often presented by national and local governments – is a fallacy. It isn’t a case of choosing either/or.
Invest and grow, not cut and wither.
Photos by Jamie Bellinger
We took our fight for union contracts in video games straight to the final bosses.
“These companies refuse to use union agreements”
The UK video game industry makes £7bn a year, according to UKIE, the national trade body representing games companies. Yet these companies refuse to use union agreements to ensure proper pay, terms and conditions for performers.
This is something Equity is determined to change. In August, we launched our Game On! campaign to fight for better pay, terms and conditions for performers working in video games.
This was followed by a demonstration in October outside UKIE’s AGM at the Barbican Centre in London. With the meeting open to UKIE’s members – which includes hundreds of games companies, from small indies to corporations worth billions – it was an opportunity for Equity members to leaflet and chat to the bosses themselves about the need for union agreements and issues such as poor pay, vocal stress, and the overuse of NDAs.
In 2025, the fight continues. If you’re a performer working in video games you can get involved by joining Equity’s Video Games Network tinyurl.com/equity-video-gamesnetwork.
And visit the Game On! campaign page to use our recommended minimum rates to negotiate your own pay, as well as access our guides to fair treatment in the industry tinyurl.com/ equity-game-on.
Together, we’ll keep pushing to ensure performers – who work so hard to bring video games to life – are treated fairly and receive their share of the profits in an industry worth billions.
“In 2025, the fight continues”
It was also a chance to show solidarity with our sister union SAG-AFTRA, where members have been on strike against video games companies since July. In the US, companies have refused to ensure proper consent, compensation and transparency for performers working with artificial intelligence – the same issues affecting Equity members in the UK.
Photos by Jack Witek Photography
For years, Equity members Leila Mimmack and Will Attenborough have been spearheading the move to invest Equity members’ pensions into a fund with extensive fossil fuel exclusions – and now, their hard work is becoming reality. They tell us how they did it, and the lessons in activism they’ve learned.
While one effect of the climate emergency means rivers and lakes around the world may be running dry, money continues to be poured into the fossil fuel industry. This includes through investments made by the banks, insurance companies, and, yes, pension providers we use.
But for Equity members, this is changing. From April 2025, the £130 million Equity pension scheme is moving into a new greener, more progressive fund. This means that (unless you choose to opt out of the fund) the money you save for your retirement will not be invested in companies involved in thermal coal, nor those making more than 10% of their revenue from oil and gas.
Overall, Equity members’ money is far less likely to be directly invested in the big fossil fuel companies that are driving dangerous climate change. What’s more, the default
fund remains at the same risk level as the previous one (although you do have the option of choosing a different risk level), and comes at no extra cost to you – which is only possible through the collective bargaining power of the union to negotiate for its members.
It’s a huge win for the union’s action on climate change, the members of the Equity for a Green New Deal Network and, in particular, actors Will Attenborough and Leila Mimmack, who have led the charge on this since 2017. And the story of how they did it is a case study in tenacity, camaraderie and the leveraging of collective power.
Leila Mimmack: We were friends before we started getting involved with Equity.
Will Attenborough: We once did a job together where we had to kiss. I remember
“I was really overwhelmed by the climate crisis and felt powerless”
Leila Mimmack and Will Attenborough
reading the script and thinking, “God, this is going to be such a steamy bit to shoot, I wonder who’s playing the other character.” I turned up to the read through and Leila was sat there waving at me, like “Hello!” That was probably 2015. I actually introduced Leila to her partner at the pensions campaign launch event, so we’ve been doing this as long as you two have been together…
Leila: I joined Equity a long time ago but I’ve only recently, through the pensions, got more involved. I’ve since been an Equity Councillor and I co-founded the Equity for a Green New Deal Network in 2020.
Will: I’m currently a member of the union’s Screen and New Media Committee and I juggle acting with climate campaigning. When Leila co-founded Equity for a Green New Deal she got me into that, and I currently co-run the Green Rider campaign.
The idea to change the Equity pension scheme came out of an article I read by Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid activist – it totally changed my life. I was really overwhelmed by the climate crisis and felt powerless, but in this article Tutu wrote about using the same tactics to tackle the climate crisis that were used successfully during apartheid – of pulling money away from something that is unethical. It was really compelling in that he was talking about fossil fuel companies in the same way that he’d been talking about apartheid leaders.
I was really moved by that and found a local group called Divest London who were doing this work, and Leila joined as well. We put pressure on the Mayor of London to divest the London Pensions Fund Authority – a leading pension scheme for local government, which is now worth £8bn – from fossil fuels. And when Sadiq Khan got elected in 2016, he agreed to do it.
Then in 2017 we thought, it makes total sense to do the same for our own trade union and industry.
Will: In the meantime, we put an event on at the Young Vic for Equity members and had experts lay out the theory behind shareholder activism – of moving your money and using that as a political tool. Ahir Shah also did a bit of standup comedy and Simon McBurney gave a talk. And we wrote to lots of famous actors and asked, would you put your name to this? We had actors like Mark Rylance, David Harewood and Zoë Wanamaker say they wanted the money in the Equity pension fund to stop being invested in fossil fuels, so we sent out a press release and the story was featured in the Financial Times. It helped us catch the pension provider’s attention for sure.
“There were many wins along the way”
Leila: Through Divest London, we knew some people at ShareAction, which is a charity pushing for responsible investment, so they gave us all this technical advice. Then we had a meeting with the Equity President at the time, Malcolm Sinclair, and he told us to get the action passed as motions through Equity’s local branches, and then Council [the union’s governing body made up of elected members].
But while we thought the big battle was to pass a motion through Council and get the union behind it, that was actually quite easy.
Leila: We thought we would then go back to the pension provider and administrator and it would be job done – but it wasn’t.
Will: Every six months or so we would get into a room with the pension provider, the pension administrator, and someone from Equity, and talk about it.
Leila: That felt like three years.
Will: It went on for a while. I thought it was going to be much simpler, but it was a learning curve and we realised that actually it is very complicated. It’s a highly regulated sector and we needed a fund that would be the right risk level for all these different types of members, and the fee couldn’t be above a certain amount. So they told us what we were asking for just didn’t exist as an option.
Leila: But there were many wins along the way. Our pension administrator made it easy for members who were signing up for a pension for the first time to choose a highly ethical fund with strong fossil fuel exclusions on their website, which was great.
Will: But we felt that our ‘default fund’ – the fund you’re automatically put into when you sign up, and where the vast majority of members stay – should be an ethical fund.
Leila: Then our pension provider offered to change our default fund to a ‘low carbon’ one in 2022.
Will: We were like, OK, this is better. It’s not perfect, but this is movement – let’s go for this for now. Because at the time, if existing
members wanted to put their money into a fund with really high ethical standards and extensive fossil fuel exclusions, it could be very laborious. We tried to keep encouraging members to do that nevertheless, to show there was demand.
Leila: I think you were really great Will at pushing that within our membership. We would hold a Zoom and get people to come, and we’d say “We can all switch our pension together, here’s a template you can send to the pension administrator.”
Will: Equity also designed a flyer, there was a page on the website, we recorded a video and visited branches. But getting members to switch their individual funds was taking so much time and energy and effort – we weren’t getting a huge amount out of it. What was going to be much more impactful, was if we could change the default fund to something much more progressive. Then tens of thousands of members’ funds would switch without them having to bore themselves with the admin of it.
Then in 2023, our pension provider told us that they had created this new fund range with really strong restrictions on fossil fuels and lots of different risk levels. And we were like, OK – this sounds like the real deal. I remember we went for a big drink afterwards!
Leila: There had been a few times where it felt like, this is it. And then it’s like: oh, no it’s not.
Will: There was still some negotiating we had to do for about a year – there was a big thing about the fee. Equity’s General Secretary, Paul W Fleming, said he could only recommend the fund to Council to approve if it didn’t involve an increase for members. At the time I thought, oh my God, this whole thing is going to fall apart over the bureaucracy of it all. But he was right to stick to his guns.
Leila: We were very hesitant until Council had agreed to it, and the various parties had crossed their t’s. But it’s all done now and we won’t have to talk about pensions ever again! Which will be good.
Will: I feel really relieved.
Leila: Helena Wilson in the Green New Deal Network connected us with a few people at other unions who are working on
switching their own pension scheme to one with fossil fuel exclusions. They said they could reference what we’d done in their meetings as an example of what’s possible.
Will: And that’s what we had set out to do in 2017 – to show a trade union could do this. I actually think for most entities out there, it won’t be this complicated. Our industry’s really weird – very few of us have long term employers, we have a really complicated way of working, and a lot of members are financially vulnerable. I think for different sectors, it might be a lot easier to do this. In terms of our personal lives, this took hundreds of hours.
Leila: My advice for anyone wanting to do something similar is to have an ally, it literally just takes one other person that you trust. Have a friend you love spending time with so that when it’s really, really boring, you’ll still want to have a drink after a bad meeting and be like, well, what’s next? What do we do now? I think if you just have one ally, then you can build that group up.
Will: I totally agree. Because I think we were able to tag team with each other when other things in our life would take over. It worked that the other person would take the baton and push with the emails and keep the fire going. Equity for a Green New Deal coming together was also such a galvanising thing, having not just Leila but a whole community of people who were like, “This sounds really cool, well done guys”. And there was the regularity of meeting every month so you don’t feel so alone.
There were also NGOs like ShareAction and Make My Money Mater who supported us – it’s good to remember those groups are out there too.
Leila: The final thing I would say is that if you’re doing it as part of the union, you actually get professional support for campaigns. There is that resource there if you can galvanise enough support.
Will: And collective power. You can say, we represent approximately 50,000 people. That’s really powerful, and it changed the game.
To find out more about the Equity Pension Scheme, visit tinyurl.com/equity-pensionscheme
“My advice for anyone wanting to do something similar is to have an ally”
When actor Dan Dewhirst signed up to work as a digital avatar, he didn’t expect to become the face of fake news in a foreign country. Here, he tells Sian Jones his story and how it serves as a warning to other performers when working with artificial intelligence.
Equity member Dan Dewhirst was excited when he was offered a job to become a ‘performance avatar’, powered by artificial intelligence (AI). He expected similar rights and safeguards that he was used to in stock video or photography work, but the lack of regulation and unwillingness of the engager to amend contract clauses left him vulnerable.
Little did he know how badly events would turn out.
When international media reports exposed the ‘fake news’ his avatar was peddling for a Venezuelan propaganda campaign, Dan found himself exposed, violated and with few protections. He turned to Equity for help.
Dan’s story
Dan Dewhirst is an actor and model with over a decade’s experience in TV, film, and commercials. In July 2021, he was offered a job to be one of the first actors to be made into an AI avatar. It was exciting, using cutting edge technology, and it felt like a great opportunity.
Although it was a new experience, Dan could draw comparisons with motion capture, stock video, and image work he had done previously.
After submitting a self-tape, Dan was invited to a studio in East London to see if he would make a ‘good avatar’. The session involved reading a monWWologue which made little sense in itself; the purpose being more about capturing mannerisms, intonation, and expressions. Dan was captured from different camera angles and in different costumes, including a doctor. “It was like being a sort of Action Man,” Dan said afterwards. “I’m now very nervous about ‘Dr Dan’, given what happened with the other avatar.”
Dan was paid a BSF (basic studio fee) for the session and within days was told he had passed the ‘good avatar’ test. He was sent a contract and release (or ‘buy-out’) terms stipulating what the avatar could be used for, and was required to sign the paperwork to receive his fee and set ‘avatar Dan’ into use.
“When I looked over the contract, I became concerned about the wide-ranging clauses which I hadn’t seen for comparable jobs in modelling or stock video and photography, so I contacted my agent and Equity for advice,” said Dan. “I’d really urge any creatives to check your contract carefully. Don’t just leave it to your agent. It’s such an important moment that can have long-lasting impacts on your work.”
Many of the safeguards and rights that Dan expected were missing from the Synthesia contract, including standard exclusions preventing illegal, misleading, or political use.
A question crept in for Dan – what is it that an avatar version of Dan could say which the real Dan wouldn’t?
Dan discussed his concerns with Equity and his agency. The union echoed his concerns and said “yes you’re right to be concerned about this, don’t do it on these terms”.
Synthesia wasn’t willing to amend the contract. But Dan’s agent pointed to their booking confirmation which includes stipulations that the avatar can’t be used for illegal or unsavoury purposes. They also pointed to the Synthesia handbook which contains ethical codes.
With these two assurances, albeit not in his contract, Dan decided he had enough to take the job on. So he signed the contract.
The face of fake news
Dan’s avatar launched in late 2021 and was used in content such as corporate presentations and B2B videos, not necessarily jobs that Dan would be chasing, so it felt the right fit for ‘avatar Dan’.
Then in April 2023 everything changed.
“A friend sent me a link to a CNN report asking: ‘Is this you?’” explains Dan. His AI avatar, the one recorded for Synthesia and with apparent assurances over its use, was front and centre posing as a TV news anchor spreading what CNN were calling
“I’d really urge any creatives to check your contract carefully”
“The small comfort I take is that by telling my story I can help effect positive change”
“AI isn’t the future, it’s the present”
“misinformation” about the economy in Venezuela. This was then shared on social media by pro-government figures and shown on state-run TV. CNN did an exposé of the ‘fake news’ campaign, and Dan’s face was splashed all over it.
“I couldn’t believe it” says Dan. “My stomach dropped. Everything I was worried about had happened, but a thousand times worse. I’m literally the face of fake news. My avatar is being used for misinformation, political propaganda and in TV – all things not allowed under the assurances I was given.”
For Dan, it was an “I hate to say I told you so” moment. “I was so shocked, and it had a huge impact on me” shares Dan. “I couldn’t believe this version of me was out there spouting political rhetoric that the real me had nothing to do with. It felt like the ultimate defamation. I don’t want to be associated with these things. I care about my work. You need to have integrity in this business, and this was now out of my control.”
Dan contacted Equity, and the union provided extensive legal advice and made representations to Synthesia on Dan’s behalf. The Guardian newspaper also published an investigation and video featuring Dan and other victims of Synthesia, while Equity’s media team press released Dan’s story leading to further coverage.
Dan is still dealing with the impact of the experience. “What happened to me is awful, but the small comfort I take is that by telling my story I can help effect positive change,” he says. “I want other artists to be able to take these jobs without fear of being exploited or given false assurances.”
Equity’s advice to members engaging in any recorded media work – whether digital avatars, movement and voice performances, TV or film – is to interrogate your contract. “Legally, your contract is what you can rely on for any breach of terms,” explains Assistant General Secretary John Barclay. “While morally we take issue with a lot of bad practice, from a technical and legal perspective we can only take action if clauses are written into contracts. If you or your agent are in any doubt, we urge you to speak to the union.”
Protecting performers’ rights
Equity wants the Government to recognise the threat posed by AI and update the law.
The union is also working to get the industry onside so that artists can feel safe in the knowledge that their historic and future intellectual property is protected.
“AI isn’t the future, it’s the present,” says John Barclay. “It’s here right now and performance artists are increasingly working in this growth area, providing movement and voice recordings for generative AI content. For any work, basic employment and human rights apply. Companies can’t have carte blanche to use and abuse performers’ likeness – their faces, voices, and bodies – without some basic protections and limitations.”
Dan’s experience is an extreme but not unique case. In response to his story, many more Equity members came forwards with their own experiences of AI exploitation.
“AI is such a huge issue for performance artists, especially in recorded media,” says Equity Industrial Official Liam Budd. “As a union, we’re fire-fighting multiple examples of misuse and exploitation, but the legal framework is currently failing to keep up and this is leading to performers being exploited.”
Liam appeared at a parliamentary Select Committee in December last year, giving evidence on behalf of Equity and the thousands of members impacted by AI. He said: “To safeguard our members’ image, voice and likeness as we move forward with AI technology, an extension of performers’ rights is desperately needed.”
Liam also explained that the vast majority of generative AI models in existence today have been trained on creative works without consent or remuneration for creators. “This is industrial-scale illegal infringement of Equity members’ intellectual property. The UK government has a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure that the creation and use of AI tools are built on legally compliant data.”
If you’ve been impacted by AI or similar issues, please contact us by visiting equity.org. uk/contact-us and filling in the form detailing your issue.
To access advice and template contracts to help you protect your rights when working with AI, and to find out more about our Stop AI Stealing the Show campaign, check out our AI Toolkit at tinyurl.com/ai-toolkit
Equity members are putting up a colourful fight to save this beloved queer venue and variety performance space from closure.
On a hot summer’s day in July last year, over a hundred people gathered outside the historic Victorian building in East London that is the home of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (BGWMC). Drag artists, cabaret performers, magicians, club punters, local residents and trade unionists were all out in force.
But this wasn’t just another of BGWMC’s eccentric and joyful regular events. It was a rally organised by Equity to save the club, after its owners had indicated a wish to sell it, putting it at risk of closure.
The campaign drew strong support from people who didn’t want to see the shuttering of yet another culturally important nightlife venue and variety performance space. Over 12,000 people signed a petition to save the club, and London’s media ran coverage across BBC London, The Standard, MyLondon, London Centric and more.
Since then, there has been leaps of progress – although the fight to save the club is far from over. Tower Hamlets Council designated the club an Asset of Community Value, which gives the local community the right to bid to buy it if the building goes up for sale. Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, a cooperative made up of locals and supported by Equity, was then set up to do just that.
Tower Hamlets later took the step of clarifying that it would not allow anyone buying the building – including property developers – to run it as anything other than a cultural venue.
But this does not mean the club does not still face significant risk. As has happened to so many other LGBT+ venues, such as the Joiners Arms, the biggest danger the club faces now is being bought by a developer as an investment, and then being kept closed and allowed to fall into a derelict state.
We wait with bated breath to see when the club goes on sale, with Friends of BGWMC readying themselves to fundraise the large sums needed to save the club. Or better yet, Tower Hamlets Council decides to buy the club and lease it to the Friends.
“Equity members have already overcome the odds and saved this club from certain closure,” says Equity’s Variety Organiser Nick Keegan. “Some people don’t realise that the rally on 29 July was also the exact day of the planned eviction. Without the tremendous public outcry orchestrated by our members, and those who physically turned up to make sure their voices were heard, we would not have opened a dialogue with the sellers and prevented the eviction.”
“Without the work of Equity members, BGWMC could have been gone for good. But it is not, the club is back open and the campaign is still building strength.”
Follow the campaign on Instagram at @savebgwmc
Photos by Jack Witek Photography
From the very beginning of their careers, working class artists are confronted with barriers. Here, Nicole Vassell reports on the campaign led by Equity students that aims to tackle this by abolishing audition fees for drama schools and performing arts courses.
“Affluence and success in the creative arts seem to come hand in hand”
When Ellie Bibby realised she’d spent £1,000 auditioning for drama schools, her feelings could be summarised with one simple word: anger.
In her first year auditioning, Ellie wanted a place on either an acting or a musical theatre course – so, the then-17-year-old auditioned for each course at three different institutions to try to secure her spot. For each of her six auditions, it meant a fee ranging from £20 to £50. Plus, making her way to London from Telford in the West Midlands and back on six separate occasions, Ellie’s travel costs were starting to rack up.
“I was 17 the first time round, so I wasn’t allowed to stay in hotels on my own – I had to have someone who was 18 or over with me,” she explains. “So, every time I had an audition, I had to bring my mum, my dad or my auntie – that’s a cost, for the two of us on the train. If an audition starts at 9am, you pretty much have to be in London the night before – so we had to pay for somewhere to stay.”
Ellie was offered a place on a one-year foundation acting course at ArtsEd in London. But when it came time to apply for three-year BA programmes again, Ellie tried out at double the number of schools than before, at the encouragement of her tutors and her peers.
“They said, ‘You need to be auditioning everywhere’, so I went to about 12, purely for acting. I remember working out that after two years of auditioning, I had spent over £1,000 on the process – the fee itself, plus travel and accommodation,” Ellie says. “It felt unfair, and really frustrating.”
Ellie’s experience, while shocking, is far from unique. A survey conducted by Equity found that out of 94% of respondents who had to audition for a performing arts course, 57% had to pay audition fees costing between £40 and £80. In addition, less than 3% of people were offered reimbursement for audition expenses such as food, travel or accommodation, leading some to incur costs into the thousands.
The campaign
It’s stories like these that have spurred Equity’s Break Down Barriers campaign to abolish audition fees in drama schools and performing arts courses. The campaign has been created by Equity’s Student Deputies Committee, made up of elected Equity members who have volunteered to be the union’s representatives in higher education institutions. The committee’s hope is that making auditions more accessible is the first step of many to making the industry more reflective of the world outside it.
Class barriers to the performing arts and entertainment industry have long been documented, with people from privileged backgrounds being represented more widely than others. The social mobility charity the Sutton Trust found that Baftanominated actors are five times more likely to have attended a private school compared to the national population, with 35% of nominees privately educated, compared to the national average of just 7%. Meanwhile, a report by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre found that 8% of creatives working in film, TV and radio are from working-class backgrounds, with over 60% being middle or upper class – the highest rate in the last decade.
Affluence and success in the creative arts seem to go hand in hand – and with some training institutions charging aspiring performers upwards of £50 per audition, money comes into play right at the start of an actor’s career.
Ben Donaghy, a third-year musical theatre student from Durham, auditioned for three drama schools – two of which he had to pay an audition fee for. At the time, auditions took place online with selftapes, due to pandemic restrictions – so while he didn’t have to travel across the country each time, Ben still had to pay to be considered. “They’d tell us to prepare however many monologues, sing whichever song, and collate it all in a video,” he recalls. “It might just be a 10-minute reel that you’re sending off, but it’s all edited together – that takes work.”
For one of the schools, considered to be one of the best performing arts institutions in the country, Ben says he never received a response to his audition – a disheartening result, especially since he’d paid for the privilege of sending a self-recorded video from his bedroom. He eventually accepted a place at Leeds Conservatoire, which didn’t charge him to audition, partly out of principle: “It immediately felt accessible, like anyone could train there, regardless of money.” After a year, Ben ultimately decided to study elsewhere, and got into Urdang in London – a school that also appealed, in part, due to not having audition fees.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents to an Equity survey considered the removal of audition fees to be the most effective way to break down barriers to the performing arts. For Ben, audition fees can discourage those who may have passion and talent, but not the funds to get their foot in the door. “What if the most talented person in the world can’t afford to pay that fee and then misses out on that chance?” he says. “It’s as if you pay your way [into the industry].”
The Break Down Barriers campaign, which launched in October, responds to longstanding complaints and concerns among people in the arts about the prevalence of privilege across the industry. As well as scrapping audition fees, the campaign demands the end of hidden course costs, and for schools to cover expenses for accessing auditions and open days. Over half (56%) of all Equity survey respondents, and twothirds (65%) of working-class respondents say they were prevented from applying to training institutions due to audition fees and hidden course costs going towards supplies, resources and other expenses.
Drama schools and institutions respond
Though the campaign shines a bright light on the real costs of training, and how it keeps the industry exclusive, some schools took the initiative to combat these before its launch. The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London scrapped its audition fees in April last year in an effort to combat “elitism” in the arts. At the time, principal Josette Bushell-Mingo noted that people in the industry “must push back against a creeping narrative that says the arts are elitist, that they are only for a select few”. Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) also stopped charging potential students to audition in October 2022 in an effort to increase access and diversity.
Joshua Bendall, Chair of the Student Deputies Committee who studies at Central, has been one of the leaders of the Break Down Barriers campaign. As a performance design student, Joshua didn’t have to audition; rather, he submitted a portfolio of his work and attended a free assessment day with his future tutors. Though he was unaffected by audition fees, Joshua wanted to be a part of the movement to break down barriers to his future workspace.
“I wanted to get involved after looking around my own drama school and seeing the types of people that were there – and more importantly, the types of people who weren’t there,” he explains. “I thought about what kind of industry I want to end up working in. Do I want to be in an industry that is elitist and doesn’t represent society, or do I want to try and change that?”
The campaign’s second demand, to end hidden course costs, is wide-ranging. Students are often told to spend their own money on specialist clothing, shoes, equipment, and playscripts.
“Some places require people to have a Spotlight subscription as part of a ‘professional practice’ module,” says Joshua. At the time of writing,
an annual graduate membership to the casting directory Spotlight costs £129.60, rising to £198 for an adult membership. “It’s seen as the thing all actors need when going into the industry. There are places where, if you don’t sign up to Spotlight, you won’t pass the module. Also, students have to pay for headshots, and have to hire their own photographer for shows.”
Since the launch of the campaign, a few drama schools have defended their choice to uphold audition fees. To the question of why audition fees are charged in the first place, some justified the cost as essential to ensure a valuable learning experience for applicants, as well as funding cover tutors for their current students.
Others noted that they offer waivers for students whose household incomes fall below a certain amount. However, it’s argued that having to apply for this consideration is a deterrent in itself – almost half (46%) of respondents to Equity’s survey said that having to do this would put them off applying for training in the performance industries.
Changing arts access
Professor Randall Whittaker has been the principal and CEO of Rose Bruford College in South-East London since 2023. One of his first motions was to axe audition fees for incoming students as an intentional first step towards making the school more inclusive. “Audition fees create an immediate financial barrier, and disproportionately affect those from less affluent backgrounds,” he explains. “It reinforces a privilege-based entry system, which runs counter to the ethos of inclusivity.”
Professor Whittaker is passionate about making changes to arts access – and, for him, part of this change means adjusting the way courses are taught in response to the rising cost of living.
“It’s as if you pay your way into the industry”
Elitism in the system is clear, and great change is needed to make arts and entertainment more equitable and diverse. The first step to revolutionising the system, however, can start with abolishing audition fees. Launched to widespread support from students and workers across the sector, there’s every sign that the Break Down Barriers campaign will continue to build traction as the months go on.
A petition launched as part of the campaign has gained over 4,000 signatures, demanding performing arts courses scrap audition fees, hidden course costs and cover expenses for auditions and open days. The Sutton Trust has also called on the Government to ban drama schools and arts institutions in receipt of public
“Do I want to be in an industry that is elitist?”
Ellie Bibby eventually studied a BA in Drama,
throughout the week, which meant she could earn money working front-of-house at a theatre. “I really needed to have extra income, as my maintenance loan only covered about half of my rent – having extra time meant that I could do that,” she says.
don’t need to work; those who have the backing funding from charging audition fees.
Professor Whittaker says that less intensive work models should be considered, as they are more inclusive and adaptable to the real lives of students. “Schools will say you need ‘rigour’, meaning contact time, to develop world-leading excellence, but that is something that is becoming only accessible to those who to do this ‘rigorous’ training,” he explains. “Or, if you’re a single mum, who’s going to look after your baby when you spend 30 hours in the studio? It’s the job of institution leaders, like myself, to think about how we create systems that empower and not exclude.”
Equity’s Student Officer Fraser Amos, who visits students enrolled on performing arts and creative courses to talk to them about the union and their rights at work, has been met with enthusiasm for the campaign. “When I ask students what the biggest barriers are to the performing arts and what needs to change, without fail they say audition fees.”
“It’s not something we’re going to let up on
On the future of the campaign, Student Deputies Committee Chair Joshua Bendall says: “Now that we’ve reached out to some schools, we can see how, or if, they reply, and apply pressure where it’s needed with local, targeted campaigns in 2025. easily.”
To sign the petition to abolish audition fees, visit tinyurl.com/break-down-barriers-petition
Pictured below left to right: Ben Donaghy (Credit - Adam Hills), Ellie Bibby and Joshua Bendall
The fight against cuts to the Welsh National Opera chorus is a fight to protect singing jobs in Wales – and across the UK.
Photography by Helen Smith
“Proposed cuts
by
WNO management threaten this proud history”
From using songs to preserve the Welsh language to the popularity of singing among coal mining communities, Wales has a reputation as the ‘land of song’. It is this rich heritage that a group of miners, teachers, doctors and community members from across south Wales set out to live up to when they founded the Welsh National Opera (WNO) in 1943. But the decimation of arts funding and proposed cuts by WNO management threaten this proud history.
In September, 93% of singers in the 30-strong WNO chorus voted for industrial action, on a full turnout. It was a big moment: the WNO chorus has never taken strike action before.
They were taking a stand against management proposals to impose compulsory redundancies, reduce contracted working weeks (despite the chorus being under resourced), and impose a 15% pay cut. In doing so, they were joining Musicians’ Union members in the WNO orchestra who had in July voted overwhelmingly for potential strike action over similar proposals.
“I am a mother of three living a very basic lifestyle, these cuts will put me just above minimum wage and this is unsustainable for me and my children,” said Clare Hampton, an Equity deputy (workplace representative) and soprano who has been in the WNO chorus for 22 years. “With few opportunities here in Wales to transfer my skill set, it could force me out of my home and possibly out of the sector.”
In June, prior to the ballot, an open letter was sent to the Secretary of State for Wales, calling on them to intervene to save WNO jobs through funding, with Equity holding a rally outside the Wales Millennium Centre, home of the WNO, to publicise it. In September, chorus members met with the WNO’s Board of Directors, which oversees affairs, and handed in an open letter signed by over 1,300 people, calling on the Chair of the Board to intervene with management to oppose cuts and save jobs.
So far, strikes have been averted thanks to constructive discussions, resulting in an overwhelming majority of the chorus voting for strike action to be postponed. But since September, the chorus have been taking part in action short of strike across several dates, often joined by their colleagues in the orchestra. Such action includes telling audiences about the dispute from the stage during curtain calls and wearing Equity t-shirts emblazoned with #SaveOurWNO #AchubOCC, demonstrating outside of venues, and leafletting audiences.
The chorus and Equity are calling for full time wages, a full time chorus, and no compulsory redundancies. Contracts must also allow the chorus to fulfil their caring responsibilities and to have a reasonable work-life balance. Strike action remains very much a possibility.
Not only do management’s proposals undermine the job security of the chorus, but they put some of the few secure contracts available to singers in Wales – and the UK – at risk. For the chorus and their union, this is absolutely worth fighting to protect.
When Vicky met Julie
Equity’s North West Councillor Victoria Brazier celebrates the success of the Save Oldham
Coliseum campaign in conversation with her friend Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Photo by @onlyonebimmy
Friends of Oldham Coliseum (Credit –Elspeth Mary Moore)
“I was always the Equity dep at Coronation Street”
It was in November 2022 when Arts Council England (ACE) announced its decision to withdraw all of its funding from Oldham Coliseum, putting the beloved theatre at risk of closure.
So Equity member and actress, Julie Hesmondhalgh, jumped into action. Julie, who is also known for her roles in the likes of Coronation Street and Mr Bates vs the Post Office, joined Equity members to hand in a petition opposing arts cuts at ACE’s Manchester office.
“Oldham Coliseum occupies a special place in the hearts of anyone who has ever worked there or been an audience member,” she said at the time. “A theatre that is truly owned and prized by the people of the town, whose programming has been consistently bold and reflective of the diversity of its community.”
Actress and Equity Councillor Vicky (Equity name Victoria) Brazier, elected to represent North West members on the union’s governing Council, also joined the charge. When Equity held a packed out rally at the Coliseum – attended by locals, artists and the media – it was Vicky who compered the event. Vicky was also one of the Equity representatives who met with ACE in an effort to persuade them to reinstate the Coliseum’s funding.
Sadly, the Coliseum’s Victorian-era building closed in March 2023, apparently for good – or so we thought. It was then that a group of Greater Manchester locals, including Julie, took up the campaign to Save Oldham Coliseum. They wrote to decision-makers, paraded down the streets of Oldham in panto costumes, produced a campaign film, worked with the new board of the Coliseum, and met with politicians.
Vicky Brazier: Why was it important to you to save Oldham Coliseum?
Julie Hesmondhalgh: It’s really, really hard to explain to anybody who hasn’t been to Oldham, the importance of that theatre to that town. It’s what sets it apart from so many other Northern post-industrial towns that are struggling.
What’s become clear is the lack of understanding that a lot of people have about what a working class theatre actually is. We’ve been talking about this lots recently in terms of trying to find a way to get the National Portfolio Organisation status [regular funding from Arts Council England] again next time and the many hoops you have to go through.
They are necessary, but what always seems to get forgotten is that the audience that comes through the doors at Oldham Coliseum on a regular basis, is an audience that other theatres all over the country would be drooling to get through their doors. It’s a hard to access audience, it’s blue collar theatre and always has been. And there’s an ownership in the town of the theatre. The Coliseum has also been the biggest engager of Greater Manchester actors out of all the theatres in the area.
Vicky: At one point during the campaign, after I had gone with Equity to meet the Arts Council, I had completely given up. So I was stunned when Friends of Oldham Coliseum turned the campaign around and saved the theatre, it’s really exciting.
“I didn’t know whether we would win, but I was still very much feeling hope”
Their hard work and determination paid off: in July last year, Oldham Council announced that it would invest £10m into the theatre’s refurbishment, allowing it to reopen. The win was a beacon of hope in an arts landscape that has seen venues close and funding cut for over a decade.
With the Coliseum hoping to open in time to stage its popular pantomime for Christmas this year, Vicky caught up with Julie to chat to her about the success of the campaign, the secret to having hope, and whether Julie has her eye on a panto role...
Julie: Myself and Kersh [Julie’s husband, the Oldham-born writer Ian Kershaw] have them to thank really, for our involvement in this. Right from the start, we were part of the Save Oldham Coliseum campaign. But like most people, we thought it was lost.
But this dogged little group of theatre lovers did not stop, and they met up at Valentino’s restaurant every Tuesday night and kept on going, kept petitioning, kept talking about it. So we turned up at Valentino’s to join the Friends, and what a force they are.
It also comes down to the formation of a new board at the Coliseum, who stepped in very quickly and formed a governing body that kept the name of Oldham Coliseum safe and protected. And huge kudos to them for
making work all through this period, making sure that there was still art and culture and theatre for people in Oldham. And the much maligned Oldham Council – they listened to the people.
Vicky: Will there be a panto on at Oldham Coliseum in 2025?
Julie:The idea is panto 2025, but there’s a lot to be done before then!
Vicky: Will you be playing the fairy?
Julie: [Laughs] I don’t think I will, because the thing is with Oldham is that it’s never been about getting former soap actors to come in. It’s always been homemade by the town and for the town. It’s affordable and every school kid in Oldham has always gone there, so it’s often young people’s first experience of theatre.
I think panto gets denigrated as an art form all the time, but if you want to get people through the doors from all different backgrounds, that is the way to do it. And then you have to put on a season of work that’s exciting to them.
Vicky: And I guess there’ll be some well-priced tickets. It won’t be going for megabucks?
Julie: Affordable tickets is what it’s always been about. That’s the message we want to put out loud and clear to the Arts Council, that everything about that place is about
making affordable art for everybody in that town.
Vicky: What would be your message to Equity members, what can we do to support Oldham Coliseum?
Julie: Because Oldham had such a good track record of always having proper union contracts and having a huge workforce from the locality, I think it’s to keep an eye on it and make sure that continues, because that’s very much its USP. It’s what makes it really special and beloved of artists and audiences.
Vicky: What’s been your involvement with Equity over the years?
Julie: I actually signed up as a variety member because I got my Equity card from being a children’s entertainer at the Chicago Pizza Pie Factory in central London on Sundays – I would go and do face painting and drama with children. Then I was always the Equity dep (representative) at Coronation Street. During that time, we had many challenges as television changed. Under the wonderful Jamie Briers, who was Equity’s North West Official at the time, we did some really extraordinary things in terms of membership and activism and holding the company to account. We lost a lot of battles, but we did win some small but very significant ones. Those were very proud moments for me.
“Oldham Coliseum is about making a ordable art for everybody in that town”
Credit – Elspeth Mary Moore
Vicky: You’re very good at having hope, I think. What’s the secret to that?
Julie: Even if it’s a surprise like the Coliseum was, you’ve got to have some core belief that something good will come of it. It’s about the joy of collective action, and that in itself being worth something. And that is what a union does. We’re living in a world of self-care, looking after number one, and the rise of the individual. It’s something that is very much in the interests of people in power to encourage us to be thinking about your skincare routine rather than your workers’ rights.
Vicky: At the public meeting that Equity coordinated to Save Oldham Coliseum, I didn’t know whether we would win, but I was still very much feeling hope. Even if the Coliseum had never reopened, I will never forget being in that theatre, which itself was incredible. Being on its stage, feeling all of those people so passionately and angrily wanting the same thing.
Julie: And that in itself is an amazing thing. To feel the energy of a common cause or a common core is what I live for. It’s the joy of resistance.
Vicky: I feel embarrassingly late to activism. I’ve always had my Equity card, but it took me nearly 20 years to get involved in the branch – which I only went to because I thought “I’ve not been around in Manchester much and it would be a way to plug back into the scene.” So I went to a branch meeting and got more involved, then it was Covid and I got asked to go to conference. I get a huge amount out of doing stuff with Equity – I love feeling like we’re all after the same thing. And we will disagree about some of it, but ultimately we’re all part of something and we want to make a difference. There’s power in your union.
Julie: Yes, absolutely. It’s collective action.
50 YEARS OF ITC
While many fringe organisations lack union agreements, members of the Independent Theatre Council (ITC) are choosing instead to lead by example. In the year of ITC’s 50th anniversary, Sarah Woolley looks at their longstanding relationship with Equity and why everyone – from producers to the workforce – works better on a union agreement.
Photos top-bottom: Charlotte Jones (Credit - Sharron Wallace); an ITC conference (Credit - Sharron Wallace); ‘Strike’ by Ardent Theatre (Credit - Mark Douet); Karrim Jalali (Credit - Tom Greenwood)
“Nothing is more damaging to the theatre sector than undercutting”
Behind some of the UK’s most daring and original theatre is a collective of independent companies driven by a shared vision of creativity and fairness. Groundbreaking ensembles like the disability-led Graeae, radical theatre company Red Ladder, and the working-class talent at Ardent Theatre are among the producers and theatre companies that use the Equity-ITC Agreement.
These companies aren’t just bold in their productions. They wear their ITC Ethical Manager Status – the accreditation given to ITC members that use union agreements –as a badge of honour to demonstrate their commitment to fair, ethical work behind the scenes.
“Sometimes the independent sector is seen as a poor relation or a cowboy fringe of theatre,” says Independent Theatre Council (ITC) Chief Executive Officer, Charlotte Jones. But she argues that the member organisations that make up ITC are “a group of professional, vision-driven companies who do extraordinary work right across the globe, on and offstage.”
This year on 18 March, ITC will celebrate its 50th year and everything it has achieved as a management association through support, lobbying, and advocacy for independent theatre venues, companies and producers across dance, drama, puppetry, opera, circus, and more. Equity will also raise a glass to a history of constructive negotiation with ITC and results that have shaped industry standards for half a century.
Equity and ITC
Equity and ITC first sat around the negotiating table in 1978 – four years after ITC was formed in 1974 by 25 small-scale theatre companies seeking Arts Council funding and union recognition. Today, ITC prides itself on upholding fair practice and ethical standards, and continues to engage in collective bargaining with creative unions.
“In the last 25 years, none of our members have been taken to employment tribunals and a lot of that is down to ITC and Equity working well together,” says Charlotte Jones. The latest rounds of negotiations have brought major wins for the independent theatre sector, especially when it comes to the Equity-ITC Agreement. Last year, a landmark three-year deal was secured providing a 5% pay rise every year from
2024 to 2027 for performers, stage management, and choreographers, with salaries increasing from £545 a week to £630.90 by 2027.
Unlike larger-scale commercial and subsidised theatre, Equity does not hold union agreements with most small-scale independent and fringe organisations. Any agreements that are in place are often through the ITC’s Ethical Management Scheme. Ethical Manager status has become a hallmark of excellence for ITC members and it allows independent and fringe companies to opt into a system that ensures performers, stage management, choreographers, designers, directors, and other theatre professionals (all represented by Equity) are engaged under union contracts, with pay, terms, and conditions negotiated by the union.
“Those minimums are really important,” says ITC Chief Executive Officer, Charlotte Jones, “but one of the things we say quite a lot to people is, ‘do not treat them as a maximum. Treat them as a minimum.’ They’re meant to underpin the conditions of the sector, not to cap it off. Our membership is effectively a community of peer companies and it’s very important for those companies to be able to trust each other to maintain standards. Nothing is more damaging to the theatre sector than undercutting in terms of how much people charge and how much they pay people.”
The latest agreement builds on successful negotiation following the pandemic, which led to policies on equal opportunities, dignity at work, and environmental sustainability. The resulting one-year 2023-24 agreement secured a huge 10% rise in minimum weekly salaries, a 20% boost to daily fees for performers and stage management, and established a standard five-day rehearsal week. The deal also reduced working hours, improved holiday entitlements, and made producers responsible for providing digs and better living conditions.
The enthusiasm for this agreement came as no surprise to Charlotte. “The ITC sector tends to be the smaller, less well-funded organisations, but the Equity-ITC- minimum pay rate is higher than most of the other minimums across the performing arts sector,” she says. “That’s not because we’re crap negotiators, it’s because we believe in high standards and our members back us up. When we were negotiating quite
a significant raise to the minimum postpandemic that was tough for members, but we had an astonishing amount of support for it, which is a real testament to how much the sector cares about good standards.”
Tackling class inequality
Ardent Theatre is an example of what is possible when ITC members go above and beyond the minimum standards. The company was founded ten years ago with a mission to “bring the curtain down on class inequality in theatre” and is known for staging ambitious productions with affordable ticket fees and pay far above the minimum. Last year, a 13-strong ensemble cast performed STRIKE!, a powerful story of Dublin shop workers in 1984 who refused to sell South African goods during apartheid. Ardent is also dedicated to providing free resources to early career artists and audiences and runs ARDENT8, a career progression program for working-class graduates outside London.
“From the beginning, we were always aiming for ITC recognition,” says Mark Sands, Co-creative Director of Ardent Theatre. “But we just couldn’t afford the membership fee in our early days, so we had a bespoke agreement with Equity instead. Since joining the ITC, we’ve been taken more seriously. We’ve also got a good reputation and part of that definitely comes from having ITC’s baseline contract. We know there’s a standard that’s been scrutinised, so it’s like a benchmark for good practice.”
Mark notes how transformative these standards are for young actors taking part in the ARDENT8 project. “ARDENT8 reaches working class graduates in regions where there isn’t high employment or any connections to the industry,” Mark says. “Some of our young actors who live outside
London can’t even afford a train fare to auditions. So we run a programme where we invite eight of them to do a series of 12 workshops, and pay for their travel and accommodation. Then they do a week of performances that are treated as professional engagements – paid at 5% above Equity minimum rates.”
Fair pay out the gate is the best stepping stone for working class graduates, says Mark. “For most of them it’s their first professional contract and their first credit that they can use. It’s worked well for us to adopt the Equity-ITC contracts for ARDENT8 and pass them on to those actors as they begin a professional career.”
Securing Ethical Manager Status from ITC was a natural step for Ardent. “For us, the Ethical Manager Status is a kudos thing,” Mark says. “We always had ethical policies and wanted to treat people how we wanted to be treated ourselves, so the Ethical Manager Status was just an extra part of the jigsaw.”
Beyond the practical benefits, Mark also values the sense of community and solidarity that belonging to a membership body provides. “As an ITC member, you’re part of a network and you find your alliances with companies and people you want to be associated with,” Mark says. “It really feels like we’re all in it together, and we have a collective voice.”
Looking to the future
Equity’s Independent Theatre Official, Karrim Jalali, says that working toward Ethical Manager Status is “the right thing to do” if a theatre company wants to thrive creatively and financially.
“When companies use the Equity-ITC Agreement they’re ensuring that they walk the walk and don’t just talk the talk when it comes to their values,” Karrim says. “The agreement is a really important way of protecting themselves from basic liabilities because, if they adhere to it, they will absolutely fulfil and exceed basic employment law.
“If you want a production to flourish you’ve got to give the workforce decent terms and conditions. Anything less just costs you more in the long run – for instance, when it comes to sick pay, when members of the workforce can’t take time off, they can spread illnesses
“Fair pay out the gate is the best stepping stone for working class graduates”
“In the end all artists are fighting together”
or get even sicker. The Equity-ITC Agreement has got proper provisions for full sickness pay and that always ends up being in everyone’s best interest.”
Karrim points out that the success of the agreements with ITC has a ripple effect across the industry. “We’ve successfully lobbied the arts councils in each nation to make funding conditional on meeting industry standard terms and conditions, such as those contained in the Equity-ITC Agreement. And these rates are often used when organisations put together their budgets in the first place.”
After 50 years of collaboration, what does the future hold for the Equity- ITC Agreement? “We will keep pushing for more independent theatre organisations to use the agreement,” says Karrim. “We also want to work positively with the ITC around dance and opera, and will be consulting with Equity members in these areas with the intention of drafting a similar type of agreement to the dance appendix to address their specific needs.”
At the ITC50 anniversary conference in March, the council will focus on three key areas for the long-term future, says Charlotte Jones. “At the conference we’re going to be looking at the future of touring because 80% of our companies are touring companies but the costs have escalated massively,” she says. “The other area we’re looking at is young people’s theatre because over 40% of our companies regularly work with or for young people. That’s absolutely essential to the future life of theatre and so is funding –we’ll be exploring how this sector actually sustains itself into the future, and whether there are alternative sources.”
There are tremendous pressures on the independent sector, but negotiations between ITC and Equity reflect the strength of a membership that is willing to roll up its sleeves and work together. Writer, actor, and standup, Dian Cathal, got involved in the ITC negotiating party and Young Members Committee at the last round of negotiations and encourages more members to take an active role in future.
“I had previously been on the working group for the self-tape guidelines and found it a very rewarding experience, so when the opportunity came up to work on something more concrete than ‘recommended guidelines’ I jumped at it,” he says. “It
was just clear from the beginning that the negotiations were friendly and both sides wanted the same thing. Everyone in the room acknowledged the state of theatre right now and how dire funding is but everyone was committed to getting workers paid fairly for doing the thing we all love. It was just a great feeling to have everyone aware that ‘technically’ we were meant to be on opposite sides but we’re all still artists and that in the end all artists are fighting together.”
Karrim hopes that more members take a seat at the table with ITC. “We will definitely be consulting with members for the next round of negotiations and inviting them to join working groups,” he says. “It’s so much more powerful when the experience of our workers are part of these negotiations so we would definitely call on members to be active with us. In the meantime, we can all champion the Equity-ITC Agreement and encourage companies to join ITC and secure Ethical Manager Status. There’s an awful lot of breaches of employment in this industry, but our members are increasingly aware of their rights and what they can do.”
Dian agrees. “At Equity there are lots of wins that make it worth it. Now is the time to get up and fight. As we see a generational shift in the entire industry, now is when new people and ideas can have a major impact.”
The majority of ITC’s membership aren’t based in bricks and mortar buildings, but they stand strong with a collective strength. “Theatre is about people, not red seats and curtains,” says Charlotte. “Our members provide amazing amounts of work for people at the cutting edge of theatre so the ITC is far from a fallback position. Quite frankly, it’s a really brilliant sector and people should aspire to work within it.”
Equity’s new insurance package has you better covered than ever before – something that’s only possible because of the collective purchasing power of 50,000 members.
When Ricardo Castro fractured his ankle on stage, he had to deal with physical pain and concerns about this health. But as an actor on a short-term contract he was just as worried about the impact on his income.
Thankfully, Ricardo was able to claim for lost earnings through his Equity insurance when the injury put him out of work for a while, helping tide him over until he was back on his feet.
The Personal Accident Insurance included with your Equity membership has helped thousands of members like Ricardo over the years. At the same time, Backstage Personal Property Insurance has provided cover for your belongings whilst you work, practice or commute. And Equity’s Public Liability Insurance, which provides cover for injury or damage inadvertently caused to other people or property, has enabled thousands more members to go out to work in the first place. For many variety artists – from fire performers to puppeteers – it’s a requirement of the job and they simply couldn’t work without it.
Last October Equity’s insurance package, which has always been an important safety net in an often precarious industry, was significantly upgraded. Now members are covered for personal injury for occupational accidents not only while at work, but also for a number of activities connected to their profession.
For most members, payouts have doubled too. Plus, more members are covered than ever before.
This has only been possible because of the collective purchasing power of 50,000 Equity members. Purchased individually the insurance package would cost more than double the average member’s subscription. But by joining together, everyone can access the upgraded insurance package at the lowest possible cost. It means that all Equity members can access the support they need, when they need it.
A brand new package
Equity spent over two years working closely with members – as well as new insurance broker Verlingue and insurance providers Aviva – to understand what performers and creatives most need from their insurance.
“It was really important for us to understand what members thought of the current insurance and what improvements they wanted to see” says Sam Fletcher, Equity’s Head of Membership. “Our surveys and focus groups illustrated how highly valued the insurance package is and helped us shape the products to ensure the offer was right. The input from members allowed us to source insurance products with the confidence that we knew what was of value to Equity members.”
The result is a new package that covers members better than ever before.
For the first time, student members are now covered, as are all artists up to the age of 85. More professions are covered too, with fire, circus and stunt performers covered as standard and additional top up costs scrapped.
Protections also extend to more situations and scenarios. The Personal Accident Insurance covers members for occupational accidents both at work and while commuting, rehearsing, practicing, auditioning or training in connection with their profession. All members are also covered for MRI/RIB scans if they have an accident during any of these activities too. If members are unable to work due to an injury related to their profession, they will now receive £300 a week, double the previous weekly payout for most members.
Having partnered with Equity’s membership team for over a year to fully understand what members need, insurance broker Verlingue are also able to provide personalised advice tailored to the creative workforce. That might be advice on where to find the best car insurance as a freelancer, or home insurance that covers specialist work equipment.
Sam Fletcher says “Our aim was to improve the benefits and to simplify the cover. I was thrilled at the end of the two-year process to feel we had achieved this, particularly with the payout for those not able to work due to an injury doubling from £150 to £300 per week. It’s been rewarding to hear how members who had previously been buying extra top ups are now so pleased to be included at no extra cost and the difference this is making to them.”
She continues “Insurance is one of those benefits that you hope you never have to use, but it’s reassuring to know that it’s there for you if you should need it. Your Equity membership ensures not only protection for you – but for every other member too.”
For more information, including on how to make a claim, visit equity.org.uk/advice-and-support/insurance. To download your Public Liability Insurance document, go to equity.org.uk/ my-account
Words by Zoe Ellsmore
“It’s reassuring to know that it’s there for you if you should need it”
What you’re covered for –free as part of your Equity membership
•Public Liability
Insurance providing up to £10 million of legal liability claims.
•Personal Accident Insurance now providing cover for accidents not only in the workplace but also whilst commuting, auditioning, practicing, rehearsing, practicing or training in connection with your profession. Weekly payout doubled to £300 for most members.
•Backstage Personal Property Insurance providing cover not just at work but also in all professional activity relating to performing work.
More members covered than ever before
•Student members now covered for accidents and injury during training and education.
•All artists up to the age of 85 now included.
•Fire, circus and stunt professions all now included in standard cover.
“I received over £2000 after fracturing my ankle”
- Ricardo Castro
“If I wasn’t an Equity member, Public Liability Insurance would be more expensive”
- Stephanie Greer
“In May last year I was doing a show at a theatre in London. There was a big dance moment and I felt something happen to my ankle. By the time I walked off stage, I was hobbling and my ankle was mega swollen. I had an avulsion fracture; a small fracture of the ankle.
“The show’s run came to an end soon after so it immediately affected my work from there. That was the scariest part, because coming to the end of a contract, you already have the pressure of booking something else. All of a sudden many things were no longer available. I wasn’t able to do any auditions that had dance or movement in, which was a lot. I didn’t work from May until August.
“I came to the union to help me understand my rights. Equity Official Ian Manborde managed my case and told me that potentially I’d be able to claim insurance as I was out of work. I’m very thankful to him for this as I didn’t even know I could claim.
“The insurers clearly highlighted what I could potentially get, depending on whether I was completely unable to work, how many weeks it had been, etc. I made the claim and it came through a few months later. The insurance covered the cost of an MRI too, because at the time the engager didn’t want to pay. I received just over £2000. When it came into my account after a whole summer of worrying what was going to happen, it was great.”
“The Public Liability Insurance (PL Insurance) has always been really important for me. As an aerialist I often work at things like city council events, festivals, outdoor events, Christmas lights switch-ons. They will always want you to have insurance. I’ve never had to claim on it, but it’s good knowing it’s there.
“Equally, I’ve always taught circus and aerial classes and, as a service provider to the public, it’s important for that as well. Even when I’ve worked for other people, their venue has wanted my Public Liability Insurance document. It’s just so much easier when you can say: here is my Equity document.’
“If I didn’t receive PL Insurance through Equity, then I’d have to research and buy it elsewhere – and I know from friends who have got quotes from companies that that’s more expensive. It’s nice that it’s one less insurance I have to arrange for myself.”
Ricardo Castro (Credit Yellowbelly)
Stephanie Greer (Credit – Andrew Ness Photography)
The Stage Management Hub
A new online resource has launched on the Equity website, by and for the union’s stage management members. Will Boisseau finds out what it offers and the issues it hopes to help tackle.
Increased workloads, a cost-of-living crisis, and expensive digs – the working life of stage managers has not been easy over recent years. But Equity’s Stage Management Committee – made up of elected members – have been organising to change this.
From negotiating union agreements for improved pay and working conditions, to setting union policy to support the stage management workforce, the committee have been busy building industrial power for stage managers.
Their latest piece of work is the Stage Management Hub, which recently launched on the Equity website. The new hub hosts resources for stage managers including a tracker for managing overtime payments, news from the Stage Management Committee, and advice for members working in this area.
Member Lizzie Cooper, who serves as Equity’s Stage Management Councillor – elected to represent stage management members on the union’s governing body – says that the hub has been launched after listening to members’ concerns: “It’s a port of call with information for stage management members, including often asked for resources, information on how to get involved with the work of the union and Stage Management Committee, and to point members in the right direction if they have a query that cannot be resolved in the hub.”
Setting the stage
So what are these concerns? Stage management is a demanding and varied job. The role includes responsibility for the smooth running of shows, which involves facilitating rehearsals, providing pastoral care to performers, arranging props and
coordinating the company backstage. This versatility can lead to problems when employers overwork stage managers and expect them to undertake tasks that shouldn’t be in their job description.
Sophia ‘Saf’ Horrocks, who has been a stage manager for over 15 years and has served on Equity’s Stage Management Committee for three terms, explains the difficulties faced by stage managers: “We’re hearing a lot that stage managers’ mental health is really suffering because of the pressure they’re put under in the industry and it just gets harder and harder.”
For those who tour or work away from home, expensive or unsuitable digs are a key issue. “It’s very hard to get decent ones that fall within your subsistence or your touring allowance,” says Saf. Equity has been working to improve standards with the Dignity in Digs campaign, including producing a code of conduct which outlines the responsibilities of hosts, producers, venues, and UK Theatre (the organisation representing theatre companies and engagers).
Another key issue is pay. Saf says, “It can be hard to negotiate with producers and employers to get satisfactory wages.” This is why Equity has recently run a Negotiations for Stage Management workshop, to develop skills when negotiating stage management contracts. After attending the training, Saf successfully negotiated a fee increase for herself.
Workload is another issue facing stage managers. Saf explains that “workload just increases and increases, there are some jobs where you’re being asked to do things that a stage manager traditionally wouldn’t be asked to do, for no extra money, and it does have an impact on people’s health.” This also makes the work life balance worse.
Managing to resist
Stage managers may have struggled with working conditions over recent years, but they are fighting back under the leadership of Equity’s Stage Management Committee.
Lizzie Cooper explains that Equity is working to support stage managers: “We benefit directly from collective bargaining across much of the industry,” she says. “Stage managers are in those negotiation rooms, and on those working parties so our voices and priorities are heard. There are also union policies in place that protect us from stage management specific inadequacies, for example the support to help eliminate exploitative panto contracts”.
Lizzie highlights that the Stage Management Committee are activists working in the industry who “actively want to hear from members about issues that are affecting workplaces”. Saf also raises the importance of dialogue with members: “Equity is a union that listens to its members and wants feedback if we are not talking about important issues our workers face. If there’s something you need to raise then there are people you can talk to, and that work can be started.”
The hub is now a focal point for Equity’s stage management members, built to give them the resources and confidence to start resisting.
After all, stage managers are supported by Equity’s 50,000 members. As Lizzie says, “Representing stage management as part of a strong and ever-growing union made up of brilliant activists should feel like a source of power, in that you are part of a movement striving for better terms for all.”
“Being a member is a wonderful act of solidarity with all workers.”
Visit the Stage Management Hub at tinyurl.com/equity-stage-management-hub
Are you interested in joining the Stage Management Committee? Consider nominating yourself in Equity’s committee elections! Check out page 34 for more info.
Spotlight High Court hearing to take place in July
Our legal challenge against Spotlight’s fees, a “tax on hope”, continues. Equity’s legal team is preparing our case for the full hearing in the High Court in July. We have asked the court to make a declaration that Spotlight must charge no more than the cost of producing and distributing the directory and an order that it show how it assesses this cost.
Meanwhile, we continue to lobby government and MPs to put an end to the carve-out which allows casting platforms to charge upfront fees to work-seekers when it has long been unlawful in every other industry.
Don’t get ripped o or put up with bad treatment at Edinburgh Fringe
Unfortunately, Equity often hears from artists who have been exploited when working at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Common scenarios are:
•Large promoters and agencies offering to take your show to the Fringe and covering costs such as venue hire, travel and accommodation. In return, if the show makes a loss, you will have to provide future gigs for that promoter for no fee until the shortfall is paid off. This could be significant and take some time to pay off.
•Using a publicist/PR through your agent/promoter. You may be paying them a high fee without any guarantee they’ll do anything for you. If you want to use publicity services, do some research and get recommendations from artists you trust.
Equity members can always contact us for contract advice – send your contracts for Edinburgh Fringe engagements to nkeegan@equity.org.uk or scotland@equity.org.uk if you are unsure about anything. We would urge you to do this as early as possible before the festival, and before signing anything. If you wait until after the festival, it may be too late. You can also visit the Equity stall onsite in Edinburgh throughout the Fringe for support and advice, dates and time to be confirmed. For more advice on the Edinburgh Fringe, visit tinyurl.com/equity-edinburgh-fringe
The
Equity committee elections are your chance to make a di erence in the union
Have you ever wanted to get more involved in the union and have a say on improving working conditions for people just like you? Now’s your chance!
This year, Equity is holding elections to its committees. They represent different groups of members’ interests, related to industrial, equalities and national geographic areas.
Nominations open Wednesday 5 March – details on how to apply are below.
Committees have the power to set the union’s agenda in different areas – including sending motions to Council and the union’s annual conference, which have the potential to be enacted by the union – and many committees are responsible for negotiating collective agreements.
There are lots examples of excellent work originating in Equity’s committees – including the Northern Ireland National Committee’s Resist the Cuts campaign for increased arts funding; the production of an industry standard-setting Casting Guide for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodiverse Dancers, which came from the Deaf and Disabled Members Committee; and an Audio Info Hub online resource produced by the Audio Committee, containing recommended minimum rates, contract templates and guidance for audio artists.
Many committee members go on to get elected to other positions within the union too, such as to Council – the union’s governing body – or to become a senior Officer or even President.
If you’re interested in advocating for change within the industry, consider running for one of the 16 committees below. Nine members will be elected to each committee, serving a two-year term from July 2025 to July 2027. All members (aged 18 and over) will be eligible to stand for election.
INDUSTRIAL
AudioSingers
Deaf and Disabled Members Northern Ireland
DanceStage ActorsLGBT+Scotland
Directors and Designers Stage Management Race EqualityWales Screen and New Media Actors Variety, Circus and Entertainers Women
Young Members
Nominations will open on Wednesday 5 March and will be managed online by our elections provider, UK Engage. They will send round a link to all members when nominations open.
And even if you don’t stand for committee, you can still make sure you exercise your democratic union rights by voting! All members (aged 16 and over) will be eligible to vote. The ballot will be conducted by email, with a postal option for members with no email address only.
The full timetable for committee elections is:
Wednesday 5 March 2025
Monday 28 April 2025
Friday 2 May 2025
Friday 16 May 2025
Nominations open. Online nomination instructions sent to all members by email. Paper nomination form available on request: email equity@uk-engage. org, or write to UK Engage, 10 Acorn Business Park, Heaton Lane, Stockport SK4 1AS or call 0161 209 4808.
Friday 16 May 2025
Provisional nominations deadline. Members who have started the process by this date will be offered support to complete their nominations by the final deadline.
deadline. Nominations close at 12 noon.
Ballot papers go to press.
Voting opens. Online voting instructions sent to members with an email address. Postal ballot papers sent to members without an email address only.
The scrutineer appointed to oversee the elections is UK Engage.
Negotiations for performer and stage manager theatre agreements
Later this year Equity will submit claims on three of the industry standard theatre agreements for performers and stage managers – the West End Agreement, the Subsidised Theatre Agreement and the Commercial Theatre Agreement. If you have worked on any of these agreements since they were last re-negotiated in 2023 you will be included in the consultation exercises Equity will undertake to seek members’ views about the improvements you want to see to your terms and conditions in theatre.
Please log in to the members’ area of the website to make sure your contact information (email address, phone number and home address) are up to date so you don’t miss the opportunity to have your say and get involved. For queries on the West End, please contact Hannah Plant: hplant@equity.org.uk and for Commercial & Subsidised Theatre please contact Charlotte Bence: cbence@equity.org.uk. You can access the members’ area of the website at: www.equity.org.uk/my-account
Final
Disability rights activist wins legal challenge against social security cuts with support from Equity
Disability rights activist and member of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) Ellen Clifford has won a judicial review against the Department of Work and Pensions’ attempt to cut nearly £5,000 a year from almost half a million disabled people.
The case related to social security (‘welfare benefit’) payments made to those experiencing long term ill health and/or disability. The previous Conservative government had tried to reduce qualifying criteria, known as the Work Capability Assessment, for these payments. This would have put 100,000 disabled people into absolute poverty.
In a consultation, the then-Government presented the changes as needed to help disabled people into work, while not making clear its intention to substantially cut social security in the budget. The Labour Government has continued to defend this position.
Equity was able to discredit these claims and provide key evidence as it is the only UK trade union that offers a specialist social security advice service to its members, including deaf and disabled members.
Although the current Government responded that it would re-consult on the Work Capability Assessment changes in light of the judgment, it also said it was committed “to deliver the full level of savings in the public finances forecasts.”
Equity will continue to fight against such misrepresentations of disability, work and social security. “Measures to help the economy should not require the impoverishment and suffering of hundreds of thousands of disabled people,” said Ellen Clifford.
If you need advice on your social security rights, you can contact Equity’s Tax and Social Security team by calling 020 7670 0223 on Mondays and Thursdays between 10am-1pm and 2-5pm, or emailing helpline@equity.org.uk. You can also access more information at visit tinyurl.com/equity-socialsecurity-tax.
(L-R) A member of DPAC, Ellen Clifford, and Equity Tax & Social Security Officer Emma Cotton
Disabled People Against Cuts with Equity outside the Royal Courts of Justice
Equity win! Arts funding increases by £34m after union campaigning e orts
“I don’t mean to sound sceptical”, says Marlene Curran, Equity’s Scotland Official, “but when it comes to arts funding there’s been so many U-turns by the Scottish Government that even an owl’s head would be dizzy.”
Speaking on Scotland Tonight in November, Marlene made Equity’s position clear: “The only time we will be confident in the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland is when the money is actually in our members’ bank accounts.”
As Equity’s Scottish members will know, Marlene’s cynicism is understandable. In August last year the Scottish Government announced that it would close the Open Fund for Individuals, one of Creative Scotland’s key arts funding programmes. This news followed a £6.6m budget cut that was imposed – then retracted, then reimposed – on Creative Scotland in 2023.
So, on 5 September, over 300 Equity members and supporters staged a vibrant rally outside Holyrood to protest ongoing indecision and arts funding cuts. Our members highlighted the devastating cultural cuts and vowed to hold the Scottish Government to its promise to increase arts spending to £100m over five years.
The rally left no doubt in politicians’ minds about the importance of the arts to Scottish people.Culture Minister Angus Robertson even agreed to an impromptu meeting with Equity representatives inside Parliament whilst the demonstration was taking place.At the meeting Robertson promised to stick to his Government’s £100m pledge.
Following this pressure from Equity, on 4 December the Scottish Budget confirmed that funding for arts and culture in Scotland would increase in 2025, with £34m made available and more promised for future years.
Reacting to this positive budget announcement Marlene said: “It will be huge relief to performers of all kinds, as well as the many cultural organisations across Scotland who rely so heavily on this arts funding to survive”.
Equity’s members voices have been heard, and in 2025 the union will continue to hold the Scottish Government to account and make sure that their funding commitments are delivered.
Words by Will Boisseau
Equity’s Holyrood rally against arts cuts in September
Tuaisceart Éireann
Guí le haghaidh maoiniú do na healaíona seolta chuig an Aire Airgeadais ar chártaí poist geamaireachta
Um Nollaig, líon gnáthóirí amharclainne i dTuaisceart Éireann míle cárta poist chuig an Aire Airgeadais ar a raibh guí speisialta amháin don athbhliain: maoiniú do na healaíona. An gníomh is déanaí i bhfeachtas Equity ‘Sábháil na hEalaíona, Seas in aghaidh na gCiorruithe’ a bhí sna cártaí, feachtas atá ag iarraidh stad a chur le ciorruithe ar mhaoiniú do na healaíona agus infheistíocht cheart sna healaíona i dTuaisceart Éireann a spreagadh.
Nocht boscaí poist Equity ag seónna Nollag ar fud na tíre, ón Lyric i mBéal Feirste go dtí An Croí i gCathair Dhoire, agus thug gníomhairí Equity cártaí poist amach. Chríochnaigh an lucht féachana, idir pháistí agus daoine fásta, an abairt, “Is breá liom seónna mar ...” lena dteachtaireacht féin a chur ar na cártaí. Scríobh Seren ó Bhéal Feirste, “Tugann sé mothú saoirse dom,” agus scríobh James, “Áit ar dóigh é le cuimhní a chruthú.” Dar le Sarah ó Dhoire, is ionann freastal ar sheó agus, “imeachtaí aoibhne teaghlaigh, agus thug sé an ceol agus an ealaín isteach i saol ár n-iníne ar dhóigheanna iontacha.”
Is léir go dtuigeann lucht féachana luach na n-ealaíon, ach tá easpa infheistíocht rialtais i dTuaisceart Éireann á gcur i mbaol. “Nocht ár mboscaí poist ag seónna in ionaid a
fuair ciorruithe infheistíochta i ndáiríre ó Chomhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann (CETE). Laghdaíodh maoiniú CETE thar 40% le deich mbliana anuas,” arsa Alice Adams Lemon, Oifigeach Equity do Thuaisceart Éireann.
Roimh chiorruithe maoinithe 2023, thacaigh CETE le 85100 eagraíocht ealaíon tríd an chlár bhliantúil maoinithe. In 2023/4, ní bhfuair 11 acu maoiniú ar bith agus fuair 74 acu maoiniú gan ardú. Dúirt Alice, “Ní don Nollaig amháin na seónna; tá gá le hinfheistíocht sna healaíona i rith na bliana.”
Taispeánadh na cártaí poist ag imeacht i mBéal Feirste i mí Feabhra agus tugadh don Aire Airgeadais Caoimhe Archibald iad roimh Cháinaisnéis Stormont atá le fógairt san earrach.
Óna thús i mí Aibreáin 2023, d’éirigh le feachtas leanúnach Equity Sábháil na hEalaíona, Seas in aghaidh na gCiorruithe baill a ghríosú le holl-achainíocha, le slógaí agus le gníomhaíochtaí stocaireachta sa troid leis na healaíona i dTuaisceart Éireann a shábháil.
Focail le Zoe Ellsmore
The cast of The Magician’s Nephew at The Sanctuary Theatre (Credit – Neil Harrison)
Panto postcards send arts funding wish to Finance Minister
Last Christmas, theatre goers in Northern Ireland filled in a thousand postcards to the Finance Minister with one special wish for the new year: arts funding. The cards were the latest activity in Equity’s ‘Save the Arts, Resist the Cuts’ campaign to stop arts funding cuts and encourage proper investment in the arts in Northern Ireland.
Equity post boxes popped up at festive shows across the nation, from the Lyric in Belfast to An Croí in Derry City, while Equity activists handed out postcards. Children and adult audience members alike added their own message by completing the sentence “I love shows because…”. Seren from Belfast wrote, “It makes me feel free”, while James said, “It is an amazing place to make memories.” For Sarah from Derry, going to a show “[Gives us] great family experiences and has opened our daughter’s world to music and art in wonderful ways.”
While the arts are clearly valued by audiences, lack of government investment in Northern Ireland is putting them at risk. “Our post boxes popped up at shows in venues which have received real terms cuts in investment from Arts Council Northern Ireland (ACNI), which has had its funding reduced
by over 40% in the last ten years,” says Alice Adams Lemon, Equity Official for Northern Ireland.
Before the 2023 funding cuts, ACNI supported 85-100 arts organisations through its annual funding programme. In 2023/4, 11 were no longer funded and 74 were funded at a standstill. Alice continues, “Shows aren’t just for Christmas, we need investment in the arts year-round.”
The postcards were presented at an event in Belfast in February and handed to the Finance Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, before the Stormont Budget, due to be announced in the Spring.
Kickstarting in April 2023, Equity’s ongoing Save the Arts, Resist the Cuts campaign has mobilised members with mass petitions, rallies and lobbying actions in the fight to save the arts in Northern Ireland.
Words by Zoe Ellsmore
Cast members of A Christmas Carol at the Lyric Theatre (Credit – Neil Harrison)
Mae drama carchar Bariau yn enghreifft o brosesau castio tryloyw a thrylwyr o fewn cyfyngiadau cyllidebol (Credyd - S4C)
Cymru
Mae castio cynhwysol a diogelwch AI ymhlith y gwelliannau a geisir ar gyfer y cytundeb teledu cyfrwng Cymraeg.
Mae aelodau Equity ar flaen y gad yn y trafodaethau am gyflog ac amodau newydd gyda’r corff cynhyrchu teledu Cymraeg TAC, gyda thâl, breindaliadau a diogelwch deallusrwydd artiffisial (AI) ar frig yr hawliad newydd.
Cynyddwyd y cyfraddau ddiwethaf ym mis Ionawr 2023, ond mae angen diweddaru’r Prif Gytundeb – a gafodd ei ddiwygio ddiwethaf yn 2020 – i gynnwys ystod eang o ystyriaethau, gan gynnwys amrywiaeth a chynhwysiant, gwallt a cholur, hygyrchedd, ymgysylltu â phlant dan oed, ac arfer gorau’r diwydiant mewn perthynas â chastio a hunan-dâpiau. Y nod yw i’r cytundeb newydd fod yn ei le erbyn Mehefin 2025, gyda gwelliannau ar feysydd sy’n cael eu hystyried yn allweddol gan aelodau Equity.
“Dydyn ni ddim eisiau i deledu Cymraeg fod yn israddol” eglura Swyddog Equity Cymru, Simon Curtis. “Rydyn ni wedi mabwysiadu agwedd wahanol at ein hawliad y tro hwn, yn unol â’r hyn rydyn ni’n ei wneud yn ddiwydiannol ar draws yr undeb.” Cynhaliodd Equity arolwg o’r aelodau yn gynnar yn 2024 ac yna cynhaliwyd cyfarfodydd agored ynghylch yr hawliad. “Bydd aelodau hefyd yn cymryd rhan o amgylch y bwrdd trafod – mae’n foment bwerus,” meddai Simon.
Mae Equity yn ceisio cynnydd o 7.5% ar yr holl ffioedd, gan gymryd y cyfraddau isaf i £745 yr wythnos neu £372 ar gyfer cyfradd ddyddiol, gyda chynnydd pellach mewn chwyddiant
(CPI) +1% yn 2026. Cynnydd mewn cyfraniadau pensiwn, sef 12.07% darpariaeth tâl gwyliau, a gwelliannau i freindaliadau hefyd wedi’u cynnwys. Mae amddiffyniadau helaeth o amgylch AI yn adlewyrchu honiad yr undeb gyda PACT, gan geisio diogelu eiddo deallusol a phersonol artistiaid mewn perthynas â pherfformiad, llais a gwaith symud.
Er y bydd cyfraddau bob amser yn ganolog i Gytundebau
Equity, mae llawer mwy i hawliad TAC eleni. “Mae’r broses gastio yn achosi cryn anfodlonrwydd ymysg aelodau yn y gymuned Gelfyddydol Gymraeg” meddai Trefnydd Equity Elin Meredydd.
Mae Equity yn chwilio am brosesau castio tryloyw a hygyrch sy’n galluogi ystod eang o dalent sy’n siarad Cymraeg, gan gynnwys pobl fyddar ac anabl, newydd-ddyfodiaid, a’r rhai sydd â chyfrifoldebau gofalu, i gael clyweliad. Fel yr eglura Elin: “Rydyn ni’n gwybod yn iawn ei bod hi’n bosib dod o hyd i dalent ffres trwy gastio cynhwysol, ac mae’n rhywbeth sy’n gwneud cynyrchiadau’n gryfach gydag apêl ehangach i’r gynulleidfa.”
Mae trafodaethau’n mynd rhagddynt, a chyda TAC yn symud yn gynyddol tuag at ffrydio, mae Equity yn anelu at foderneiddio’r Cytundeb a safoni ar draws pob platfform. “Rydym am i’n haelodau dderbyn gofal ym mhob maes” pwysleisia Simon.
Wales
Inclusive casting and AI protections are
among the improvements sought for the Welsh-language
TV agreement
Equity members are at the forefront of negotiations with Welshlanguage television production body TAC, with pay, royalties and artificial intelligence (AI) protections at the top of the new claim.
Rates were last increased in January 2023, but the Main Agreement – which was last revised in 2020 – needs to be updated to cover a wide range of considerations, including diversity and inclusion, hair and make-up, accessibility, engagement of minors, and industry best practice in relation to casting and self-tapes. The aim is for the new agreement to be in place by June 2025, with improvements on areas considered key by Equity members.
“We don’t want Welsh language TV to be the poor relation” explains Equity Wales Official Simon Curtis. “We’ve taken a different approach to our claim this time around, in line with what we’re doing industrially across the union.” Equity surveyed members early in 2024 and followed up with open meetings around the claim. “Members will also be involved round the negotiating table – it’s a powerful moment,” says Simon.
Equity is seeking a 7.5% increase on all fees, taking minimum rates to £745 a week or £372 for a daily rate, with a further increase of inflation (CPI) +1% in 2026. Increases
in pension contributions, a 12.07% holiday pay provision, and improvements to royalties are also included. Extensive protections around AI mirror the union’s claim with PACT, seeking to protect artists’ intellectual and personal property in relation to performance, voice and movement work.
While rates will always be central to Equity agreements, there’s much more to this year’s TAC claim. “Casting has really exorcised members in the Welsh language community recently,” says Equity Organiser Elin Meredydd.
Equity is seeking transparent and accessible casting processes which enable a wide range of Welsh-speaking talent, including deaf and disabled people, new entrants, and those with caring responsibilities, to audition. As Elin explains: “We absolutely know it’s possible to find fresh talent through inclusive casting, and it’s something that makes productions stronger with wider audience appeal.”
Negotiations are ongoing, and with TAC increasingly tipping towards streaming, Equity is aiming to modernise the agreement and standardise across all platforms. “We want our members to be looked after in all areas” emphasises Simon.
Words by Sian Jones
Prison drama Bariau exemplifies transparent and thorough casting processes within budgetary constraints (Credit - S4C)
Cleo Sylvestre Obituaries
A working-class pioneer, Cleo Sylvestre was a force for change in the performing arts. Before the age of twenty five, she was already the first Black actress to appear in a leading role at the National Theatre, the first woman to record with The Rolling Stones, and she played one of British soap’s first main Black characters, broadcasting to millions on Crossroads.
The Hertfordshire-born North Londoner was also making history behind the scenes. The first Black woman elected to Equity Council, Cleo served on the union’s governing body from 1970 and was then re-elected for a second term in 1971,working alongside Richard Attenborough, Ian McKellen, and Peggy Ashcroft.
Proudly leftwing, Cleo helped form Equity’s Afro-Asian Committee to steer radical anti-racist work alongside Thomas Baptiste, Louis Mahoney, David Yip, and others in what became today’s Race Equality Committee. Together, they organised on integrated casting, fought against the use of Blackface, Brownface, and Yellowface, and campaigned for Equity’s television boycott of apartheid-era South Africa. Cleo also served on Equity’s former Rules Revision Committee.
Musically gifted, Cleo’s teenage recording career gave way to extensive stage and screen credits including social realist dramas
with Ken Loach (Up the Junction, Cathy Come Home), seasons at the Young Vic, The National Theatre, and performances at the RSC and The Almeida. She frequently worked with Isaac Julian (including his Turner Prize nominated film Vagabondia) and performed on stage alongside Alec Guinness, Anthony Sher, and Michael Sheen.
When looking back on a seven-decade career Cleo said she was most proud of her acclaimed one-woman show about Mary Seacole, performed at the House of Lords, the National Portrait Gallery, and Pentonville Prison. Ever committed to mentoring future generations, Cleo was co-artistic director and co–founder of the off-West End Rosemary Branch Theatre and the Branching Out festival for new works from emerging companies.
Tributes by friends and colleagues remember her talent, wit, and her return to music with her Blues band at the age of 70. In 2023 her services to drama and charity were recognised with an MBE. Speaking in 2016, Cleo said “Acting is political – you can really change people through theatre.” She passed away on 20 September 2024.
Cleo Sylvestre served on Equity Council 1970- 1972
Words by Sarah Woolley
Here follows a list of Equity members who have died since the publication of the last Equity magazine. This list serves as a notice to members, and organisations within our industries and beyond, that Equity has been informed of the death of the members listed below.
Christine Aitken
Phil Aizlewood
Richard Andrews
John Ashton
Ron Bain
Nicholas Ball
David Ballantyne
Ivan Baptie
Nick Barclay
Kenneth Barton
Jamie Baughan
Christopher Benjamin
Pamela Binns
Bette Bourne
Roy Boyd
Jill Bridges
Glynis Brooks
April Cantelo
Geoff Capes
Ysanne Churchman
David Clive
Donal Cox
Jennifer Croxton
Ray C Davis
Dame Fanny De Faux
Colin Dobson
Leigh Douglas
Patricia Denys
Geoffrey Drew
Peter Eddowes
Nigel Ellacott
Angela Ellis
Charmian Eyre
Shirley Anne Field
Barry Fitzhugh
Maureen Fitzpatrick
Angela Forrest
Julian Forsyth
Richard Franklin
Konrad Fredericks
Ian Gelder
Janey Godley
Alan Gold
Eric Gould
Exeunt
Denys Graham
Michael Gunn
Georgina Hale
Mirek Hanak
Katie Hardwick
Steve Harley
Philip Hedley
Mat Heighway
David Henry
Judy Hepburn
Geoffrey Hinsliff
Denise Hirst
Nick Hobbs
Jonathan Holt
Steve Hudson
Barry Humphries
Gayle Hunnicutt
Eddie Idris
Peggy Ann Jones
Terry Joyce
Gordon Kane
Charles Kay
Jacquie Kaye
Marjorie Keys
Christopher Keyte
Nigel Lambert
Mary Law
Martin Lee
Andrew Lord
Michael Loughnan
Rosemary Lyford
Brenda Martine
Jules Maxine
Patricia McAuley
David McCann
Amie Miller
Angela Moran
Catherine Morgan
Ken Morgan
Ric Morgan
Dewi Grey Morris
Stuart Organ
Honor Pallant
Neil Parke
Maria Pastel
Mel Peake
Donald Pelmear
Garry Robson
Rosemary Rogers
Jon-Paul Rowden
Denise Ryan
Leroy Schulz
Tim Seely
Janet Seignior
Pamela Shaw
Ken Shorter
Noel Slattery
Maggie Smith
Rosemary Squires
Christopher Stephens
Donald Sutherland
Cleo Sylvestre
Roberta Taylor
Gudrun Ure
Bernard Visgandis
Pauline Wadsworth
Johnnie Walker
John Warnaby
Dennis Waterman
Peter Wilson
Steve Wright
Meg Wynn Owen
Arnold Yarrow
Y-Not
In some cases, it may be possible that another member may have used the same or a similar name subsequent to the passing of the above members
Getting Involved
You are the union: together, we can implement real change in the industry. There are many ways you can stand alongside your fellow members and get involved in Equity’s work, from joining your local branch to becoming active within a network.
BRANCHES
Wherever you are based in the UK, there will be a branch: a community of Equity members who meet as a group to discuss the issues facing the industry, both locally and nationally. Branches hold regular meetings, organise and campaign.
Networks are a space for members with a shared interest to meet and discuss issues affecting their area, from choreographers to storytellers. Through these discussions, problems are identified and solutions offered, which the union can then implement.
Actor-Musician Network
hplant@equity.org.uk
Choreographers and Movement Directors Network moceallaigh@equity.org.uk
Members are elected to Equity committees to represent their fellow professionals and to improve their working conditions. Different committees cover the interests of different groups. Committees drive union policy, conduct negotiations and ensure that the needs of all Equity members are heard.
Audio Committee audio@equity.org.uk
Dance Committee dance@equity.org.uk
Deaf & Disabled Members Committee ddmcommittee@equity.org.uk
Directors and Designers Committee directorsanddesigners@equity.org.uk
LGBT+ Committee lgbtcommittee@equity.org.uk
International Solidarity Committee tpeters@equity.org.uk
Welsh National Committee pwyllgorcymru@equity.org.uk / welshcommittee@equity.org.uk
Women’s Committee womenscommittee@equity.org.uk
Young Members Committee ymcom@equity.org.uk
Do we have your up-to-date contact details? If not, you can amend them by logging into the members area of our website and going to the ‘personal details’ tab in your account. Alternatively, if you are having difficulties logging in, you can send an email to the Membership Team at membership@ equity.org.uk.
To email a member of staff or Equity Officer, type the initial of their first name followed by their full surname with no spaces and add @equity.org.uk. For example, the email address for ‘May Whitty’ would be ‘mwhitty@equity.org.uk’.
Officers
Lynda Rooke, President
Paul W Fleming, General Secretary
Jackie Clune, Vice-President
Nick Fletcher, Vice-President
David John, Honorary Treasurer
Secretariat
Paul W Fleming, General Secretary
Louise McMullan, Deputy for the General Secretary
Adam Adnyana, Assistant General Secretary, Live Performance
John Barclay, Assistant General Secretary, Recorded Media
Sian Jones, Assistant General Secretary, Policy & Communications
Beccy Reese, Assistant General Secretary, Finance & Operations
Governance & Allied Services
Nick Baker, Head of Governance & Allied Services
Sam Winter, Governance Officer
Policy & Communications
Sian Jones, Assistant General Secretary
Tom Peters, Head of Policy & Public Affairs
Dugald Johnson, Policy Officer, Employment Rights
Stephanie Soh, Press & PR Officer
Live Performance
Adam Adnyana, Assistant General Secretary
Charlotte Bence, Industrial Official, Theatre
Michael Day, Industrial Official, Variety
Hannah Plant, Industrial Official, West End/Central London
Shannon Sailing, Industrial Official, Audio & Games
Yvonne Smith, Industrial Official, Commercials
Toby James, Recorded Media Organiser
Salome Wagaine, Recorded Media Organiser
Laura Messenger, Contract Enforcement Officer
Nations and Regions
Louise McMullan, Deputy for the General Secretary
Dominic Bascombe, North East Official (based in Manchester office)
Iain Croker, East and South East Official (based in London office)
Marlene Curran, Scotland Official (based in Glasgow office)
Simon Curtis, Wales and South West Official (based in Cardiff office)
Alice Adams Lemon, Northern Ireland Official (based in Belfast office)
Karen Lockney, North West Official (based in Manchester office)
Ian Manborde, Midlands Official (based in Birmingham office)
Gareth Forest, Campaigns & Education Officer
MAGAZINE
This list includes external contributors who are not Equity staff
Stephanie Soh, Editor
Tom Greenwood, Design
Tiago Albuquerque, Cover Illustration
Sam Foster, Membership Section Editor
Jeremy Littlestone, Print Management
Precision Colour Printing Ltd, Printer
Contributors: Will Boisseau, Vicky Brazier, Zoe Ellsmore, Sian Jones, Nicole Vassell, Sarah Woolley.
Corrections and apologies
In the last issue (Summer 2024) of the Equity magazine, several professional headshots were featured without being properly credited. Some of these headshots belong to Yellowbelly. We apologise to Yellowbelly and others who may have also not been credited, and will ensure photography is properly credited where necessary going forwards.
The last issue included a list of Equity’s Councillors (‘Meet Your Councillors’ page 26-29), but missed out General List Councillor Fiona Whitelaw. We apologise to Fiona for this omission and have included her in the digital version of the magazine which is available online.
An Equity march to protest VAT on theatre tickets and cuts in arts spending sets off from Hyde Park, London in July 1979 (Credit - Ted Blackbrow, Daily Mail, Shutterstock)
“In any civilised community the arts… must occupy a central place. Their enjoyment should not be regarded as something remote from everyday life.”
- former Minister for the Arts Jennie Lee, in her radically transformative 1965 white paper ‘A Policy for the Arts’ which is marking its 60th year since publication.
Join a union because of who we are, together; not just because of what you do.
Because together, our voice is loud when we make demands of bosses, - whether in theatre, film, TV, audio, new media, dance or variety.
Because together we will build an industry where your class, your gender, your sexuality, your race, your disability does not limit what you can do.
Because together your lived experience becomes part of our voice too.
Because together we can fund insurances, legal support and welfare advice - to enable artists to work.
Because together we educate each other and the industry.
Because together we put the future of our industry’s workforce - freelance and employed - at the heart of its future.
Because together politicians of every party have to hear us - and give our industry, its workforce, and all working people the protection we deserve.
Because together we defend freedom of expression for artists in the United Kingdom, and around the globe.
Because together we create the global society working people and artists need to flourish - defend the environment, fight for new housing, better transport, freedom to move.
Because together you are not alone. We are over 50,000 members, and part of a global movement of millions, across the UK and the globe.
