THE PROBLEM IDENTIFYING

The current issues facing housing for performers

Affordability Of Accomodation

There are many issues facing performers when it comes to housing. Performers are giving grants by Equity which is the official trade union for actors, singers, performers, directors, choreographers, designers, stage managers and other creative workers in the UK. Yet these grants aren’t enough for the performers to afford safe and decent accommodation. With performers staying in “touring digs”, which are usually rooms that locals let out, there are often many issues with safeguarding, covid-hygiene and safety. Performers such as Shobna Gulati and George Sampson are calling out for a complete overhaul of the “fundamentally flawed” touring dig system and have listed changes they demand to see. These demands include:

An increase to the touring allowance on Equity contracts

Touring theatre companies to arrange accommodation for actors

Flexibility for performers who would rather receive the Equity subsidy and book their own accommodation

Theatres to take a greater responsibility for keeping digs lists up-to-date and inspecting digs

Theatres to look at renting properties on a year-round basis to provide affordable accommodation to actors

The last demand is particularly relevant to my project. My proposal would see a safe, affordable accommodation for theatres/ individual performers to rent out when touring Manchester.

POST-PANDEMIC COVID HYGIENE

In a post-pandemic world, hygiene and COVID safety is as important as ever. A lot of people letting out their homes for use as “theatre digs” have withdrawn or performer’s accomodations have been cancelled last minute. These issues with security and safety are increasing and it calls for reliable accomodation.

WOMEN’S SAFETY

There are also safety issues regarding women or other minorities as safe transport back to digs is never provided or safe inspection of the accomodation. Greenwood, who sits on Equity’s Womens’ Committee says that there is a need for “a major shift in the industry’s attitude to duty of care towards all members but especially towards women”. In response “They’ll say: ‘We don’t have money or time to ensure you have a taxi home from the theatre, or ensure we can send a runner or a producer to check out the digs list’. That’s the problem we always come up against: they say they don’t have time and they don’t have money”. As a solution I aim to include a transport initiative as part of my proposal that provides group taxis for the residents staying in the units.

For Performers Manifesto A

Setting the stage for what’s to come

The Problem.

Performers travelling with theatre’s are constantly concerned about accommodation; they are plagued with caution about their uninspected, and unsafe “digs”. Not only that, Manchester is the victim of a huge import in money, investment and regeneration which is completely outpricing artists from the city centre. Theatre digs getting further and further from the city centre mean a transport cost issue for performers too. A change is needed to support the arts and performers. The COVID-pandemic has seen so much loss for this industry, but in a post-pandemic world, they need to be recognised for their contribution to society, and supported by Equity, the government and theatres.

The Proposal.

I propose a housing complex comprised of 9 units that forms a temporary home for performers working in Manchester. The units will support people living alone up to families or friends of 6. Living with performers from the same production can increase safety as they can travel together, so having this as an option is important. There will also be a public-facing element such as an indoor or outdoor theatre that will be open to the whole community of Ancoats to come together and enjoy the arts. It is clear that there is a lot of segregation within Ancoats due to the recent regeneration by Urban Splash, but I strongly believe that theatre should be without divide and is for everyone. Overall, I want to design a calming and inspiring space for performers to live, practice and rewind in, and for the community of Ancoats to live the stories that theatre has to offer.

A Manifesto for the Environment.

The built environment is responsible for 39% of global greenhouse gas emissions As architects, as declared by RIBA president Alan Jones (2019), we are “the guardians of the built environment”, so it is our responsibility to embody sustainability in every stage of design. Following the UK governments new law to bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 in 2019, RIBA launched it’s 2030 Climate Challenge. We need to respond with transformational adaptation that rethinks how our cities are designed.

In response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, RIBA released their own Sustainable Outcomes to guide architects. These include: