SPRING 2017 www.equity.org.uk
Miriam Margolyes: My pride in audio work Josie Long on the Arts Emergency in education Celebrate Variety 2017
SEALING THE DEAL LINDEN WALCOTT-BURTON ON GETTING THE SUB REP DEAL DONE
Contents News
04 Graduate Membership 06 Making Tax Digital
18
Success stories 10 11
Unknown funds for charities Dance sector leaps forward
Cover star
14
Linden Walcott-Burden
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14
08 24
Features
18 Arts Emergency 24 Celebrate Variety
08
Campaigns
28 Play Fair in action
24
Plus
32 >
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08 Meet the membership 30 Letters 32 Branch update
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Cover image: Š Paul Stuart
32
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FRONT OF HOUSE
UPFRONT
EQUITY TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH GRADUATE MEMBERSHIP NEW SCHEME WILL HELP STUDENTS TRANSITION FROM TRAINING INTO PROFESSIONAL WORK
Vote in the union’s referendum VOTING WILL DETERMINE RULE CHANGES ABOUT ELECTIONS THE REFERENDUM IS to determine whether three of Equity’s rules should be changed. The first proposed change deals with Equity’s election processes and, if passed, would allow Equity branches to nominate candidates for election to the Council. The second would allow the Equity Council to determine the upper age limit for a member wanting to stand for election to the Young Members seat on Council. The third is the rule governing the retirement of the Equity General Secretary. This is the second time this referendum has been presented to the membership. Due to errors in the drafting of the proposed rules the Council suspended the last ballot held in November 2016. None of the votes from November will be counted in this referendum. Your voting paper is included with this magazine or you can vote online at www.equity.org.uk The poll closes at noon on 17 March 2017.
FROM MAY 2017 THE UNION will introduce a Graduate Membership Scheme, which unlike the current student membership will entitle graduates to the same benefits as full Equity members. This will include: £10 million Public Liability Insurance, the ability to access legal support and the union’s Job Information Service, plus the right to vote in union elections and participate in branch meetings. Graduate Membership can last for two years and the subscription cost will be 50% of the full rate. “We understand the high costs of education and the many barriers young people face in entering the industry,” said Matt Hood, assistant general secretary. “We want to support students to transfer from their training into working professionally.” A further change is the creation of a student network and the development of student deputies. The network is a forum for students to meet fellow Equity members, to talk to each other about any issues or problems they are facing and to create better links between Equity and courses. This network will be able to have a direct influence on the policy of the union by sending motions to Council, Equity’s governing body, about student-related issues or concerns. Students have never had the ability to influence the union in this way before. The new student deputies will reflect Equity’s ‘Dep’ structure that currently exists in workplaces. These will be members who will act as a liaison between students on courses and the union.
Make a difference in the industry PUT YOURSELF FORWARD TO SERVE ON EQUITY’S INFLUENTIAL COMMITTEES
Clarence Derwent Award celebrates West End roles
THIS YEAR’S WINNERS of the Clarence Derwent Awards went to Melody Grove for her performance as Isabella Farnese in Farinelli and the King and Jonathan Broadbent (pictured left with his wife) for his portrayal of Guy in My Night with Reg. The Clarence Derwent Awards are
Phil Adams
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given annually by Equity for the best individual male and female performances in a supporting role in a West End production. The UK awards date back to 1948 and have an illustrious history of rewarding some of the most respected names in British theatre – including familiar names such as Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench. It is also the occasion when Equity presents its student and young member bursaries of £500 each. The recipients are pictured above with Equity President Malcolm Sinclair: Cristo Fernandez, Abby Restall, Erika Eva and Jonathan Mathews.
www.equity.org.uk
EQUITY’S COUNCIL HAS CREATED a structure for the union’s network of committees, at the heart of which are three influential industrial committees — Screen and New Media, Stage, and Variety, Circus and Entertainers — with the authority to conduct negotiations. These committees, made up of members with recent experience of relevant work and elected by members, are at the forefront of improving pay and conditions for members. Supporting them are five specialist committees — Audio, Dance, Singers, Stage Management, and Directors and Designers. There are also committees of members in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, four equality committees — Deaf and Disabled; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender +; Minority Ethnic; and Women — and a Young Members’ Committee. Please consider whether you would like to take this opportunity to improve the industry and put your name forward. There is a nomination paper with this magazine or you can go online at: www.equity.org.uk/elections Nominations close at 12 noon on Friday, 12 May 2017.
Christine Payne General Secretary
Equity members do not simply give advice on what the union should be doing, they can decide what it does SO WHAT WILL 2017 BRING FOR EQUITY, the UK and the world? Members of Equity are absolutely central to what we do. Equity is a trade union and that means members do not simply give advice on what Equity should be doing, you can decide what it does. It’s crucial that members have the opportunity to make their voices heard and there are a number of ways that can happen. Included with this magazine is an invitation to attend your local Annual General Meeting (AGM). At the AGM, together with fellow members, elected Officers and staff, we identify and discuss the challenges we are facing and look for solutions. If you have never been to an AGM please think about attending. The AGM’s are an opportunity to talk about issues that affect your working life and profession, to put a proposal to the Annual Representative Conference (ARC) and proposals to Council and for the English area AGMs to send representatives to the ARC in May. Places on all the unions committees – industrial, national, specialist, equality and young members – are up for election this year. So also included in this magazine is a nomination form for you to stand for one – or more – of the union’s committees. Please take the time to look at the nomination form and consider if you could contribute to any of these committees on behalf of your fellow members. They do important and valuable work for the union and together with staff change really does happen. This can be seen with the recent re-negotiation of the Subsidised Repertory Agreement. The Stage committee and the Sub Rep working party have worked incredibly hard to create a good deal for members working in this sector (see more on page 14). However, as with every negotiation there are swings and roundabouts and members had the opportunity to raise concerns on the new agreement to which members and staff responded. We will genuinely monitor the changes – especially to stage management
teams – and can address any weaknesses in the next round of negotiations. And please support the union’s branch network. Branches are a regular opportunity for you to find out what the union is doing, to give your views to the Council, committees and ARC. Branch funding now allows the branch to develop professional learning or training opportunities for members locally. If it is difficult for you to attend a meeting then why not get involved in the online branch – see www.equity.org.uk/online-branch I am currently working with members on the Casting Working Party to distil at least fifteen proposals about the casting process. This working party was formed as a result of a motion from the W&SW London General Branch to the 2015 ARC. I completely understand why casting is one of the most prominent issues for Equity members and, with the support of Council, the working party is drafting a Manifesto for Casting that will set out Equity’s vision of how the process of casting can be made clearer, fairer and less stressful for everyone. Celebrate Variety 2017 is one of our major campaigns this year (see page 24) and came about because of a motion to the 2016 ARC from the Variety, Circus and Entertainers committee for a year of celebration of variety to commemorate the 50 years since the VAF was incorporated into Equity. Variety has a very proud history and it has a very exciting future in Equity’s safe hands. What more can we do to support our professional variety entertainers who work all over the world and in all sorts of venues? The Variety, Circus & Entertainers committee and our Variety branches want to hear your views. And of course we will be watching very carefully the implications of Brexit on our profession and industries as the governments plans develop over the year. But we are only here to do all of this because of your support. The end of last year saw the union achieve a record membership of 41,841. Thank you for your support. Thank you for giving Equity its voice.
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FRONT OF HOUSE “The dream bottle to buy”
In brief...
-THE TIMES
“Stupendous gin”
Annualand Equity Conference BECS
The union’s 2015 Annual of Equity From 2017 the distributions Representative Conference monies to performers will bewill be in London on and 18 May. undertaken by17 the union itself,The not the deadline for motions is noon on British Equity Collecting Society 12 MarchBoth and Equity for amendments (BECS). and BECS have noon onthat 17 April. The 2016 agreed performers needARC a strong will take place inan Bristol on 21, 22 trade union and independent and 23 May. collecting society. Both audio-visual organisations will continue to work together, and Equity will continue to support the financial stability of BECS The thus union has reached an and ensure that performers in the interim BBC UK will agreement still receivewith thosethe European Minimumrights fees for main artists are statutory payments to which up byare 2.5% and supporting artists they entitled. Find out more here: and walk-ons fees have also been www.equity.org.uk/Equity-BECS increased by 1%. The agreement also includes a pre-purchase of certain rights. The deal is effective Equity’s annual 2014. accounts will be sent from 1 October out with the next issue of the magazine and will be available at the upcoming AGMs. They are also available to Equity strongly opposes download from the website at: censorship and is extremely www.equity.org.uk/accounts2016 concerned that this show was forced to close. The union’s consistent position is that it 2017 is the 50th anniversary supports artistic freedom of the Variety Artistes’ Federation (VAF) of expression. being incorporated into Equity, which happened on 16 May 1967. Equity is organising an event in London to Welsh soap opera y Cwm and is commemorate thisPobol anniversary has received a special looking to contact anyBafta former honouringofthe 40th members theshow’s VAF. All those anniversary. The awardtransferred was members who actually in presented at already an eventbeaton Roath 1967 should our list, but Lock Studios in had Cardiff other members dualBay. membership Hannah Raybould, director ofdid not of both unions and therefore Bafta Cymru, transfer. If youpresented were everthe a member of accolade to actor Gareth Lewis, the VAF then please contact Mike Day who accepted it on behalfso of that the we on mday@equity.org.uk cast give and you crew. can details of the event.
-TELEGRAPH
Exhibit B show
Member of the VAF? Pobol y Cwm award
In 2009 we launched the first copper distillery in London for nearly 200 years, on a mission to bring the art of beautifully hand crafted gin back to the capital where it all began. It was to mark the beginning of a gin renaissance in London. We hand craft our gin in small batches with skill, care and love. Only ever taking the
BBC deal
Annual accounts 2016
Lovingly distilled in London
heart of the spirit, and never made from concentrate,
UPDATE ON TAX & BENEFITS
this is gin made the way it used to be, the way it should
THE UNION CONTINUES TO FIGHT AGAINST PROPOSALS FOR QUARTERLY TAX SUBMISSIONS AND THE UNFAIR IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSAL CREDIT EQUITY CONTINUES TO OPPOSE the proposals by government that would compel members to make quarterly submissions to HMRC of their income and expenditure using HMRC-approved software. This is known as Making Tax Digital (MTD). Members have been giving their input during the consultation period on these proposals and the union is continuing to lobby strongly for changes to what is proposed. As soon as the final form of the proposals is known, Equity will explain to members what further action it will be taking. Find out more about Making Tax Digital at: www.equity.org.uk/MTD The union is also lobbying government in regards to Universal Credit. This replaces a range of means-tested benefits including
Jobseeker’s Allowance and Tax Credits. Equity is particularly concerned about the impact of the Minimum Income Floor (MIF), which is, in most cases, an assumed income from self-employment based on the National Living Wage x 35 hours a week, irrespective of your actual income. This has already resulted at members getting nil awards of benefit during a month when they had zero earnings. The union is lobbying strongly for the MIF to be revisited and is working closely with other organisations. Equity will be asking for members’ help in lobbying on this issue and more information will be available in Tax and Welfare section of the Equity website. For more help, the Tax and Welfare Helpline runs on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm on 0207 670 0223.
be. The result is stunningly smooth, full of character and exploding with flavour.
Equity’s Los Angeles Advert-Jan 2017.indd 1
24/01/2017 14:24
US network Stop Arts Cuts
As the magazine wasnetwork going toinpress, Equity’s West Coast the news arts cuts in Bristol and Bath US is of having an event to connect was Members in the withbreaking. fellow members living or South West please support your branch working in Los Angeles orlocal nearby. in resisting theseon local government It will take place 5 November, cuts. A march against austerity is 7.30pm – 10.30pm and the venue planned Bristolbar on 21 is TimmyinNolan’s onFebruary. Riverside Find & West General branch on Drive,Bristol CA 91602. twitter here: @Equity_BS_West
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www.equity.org.uk
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MEET THE MEMBERSHIP
Voicing an
OPINION
Miriam Margolyes has enjoyed a successful career on stage and screen, but she has a great love for audio work. Here, she reveals her tips on how to make it in this sector Photography Debra Hurford Brown
Q
When did your career begin in audio? I started in radio for the BBC in 1965 when I joined the BBC Drama Repertory Company. It was a company of around 40 actors at that point. It’s considerably reduced now, but it still exists. It remains a very good job to have because it gives you a foundation in radio technique and how to use a microphone. I was able to work with a lot of wonderful actors such as Paul Scofield and Claire Bloom at a time when radio was very popular. It appears to be on its way back, but radio work has been in the shadows for many years.
Q
Interview: Phil Pemberton Image: Camera Press London
How healthy is the audio sector? The whole area of voice work has enormously increased since I started. It isn’t just BBC radio drama, it’s commercials, audiobooks; there’s commentaries; there’s feature animations, video games and lectures. I think people can make a living working just with their voice. But you have to be good and it isn’t the case that every actor can do voice work. It is a particular skill. For example, you need to be able to time a piece of text so that if you are asked to do it in 30 seconds, you can do it. There are irritations, which I know Equity is looking at, such as pay rate agreements. I also find the issue of the engineer and director a problem. If the company is not providing a director then that should be reflected in the pay as it means the actor is taking on extra work.
Q
Do you think audio work should get more respect? I believe that recording an audiobook is the highest and most difficult test for any actor. I also think that my voice work is some of the best performances I’ve ever done. I’m extremely proud of Sue Townsend’s The Queen and I audiobook, for which I won an award. I played all the members of the Royal Family and told the story. I also loved recording Oliver Twist in its entirety. Dickens’ novels or any classic books are very testing. When you are working on an audiobook, you concentrate on talking to one person, to nourish their imagination. Audio work does require particular skills. For example, if you are creating a character in a feature
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animation, you have nothing but your voice to work with. They give you a drawing and a piece of direction, but everything about the character has got to come from the voice.
Q
What advice would you give for someone wanting to work in the audio sector? You need to listen and observe. Listen to audiobooks, listen to commercials, do it critically and practise on your own. Record yourself. Hear whether you are sounding nasal, whether your ‘S’ sounds are not good enough, whether they are sibilant, for example. Explore the lower registers of your voice, watch your consonants and keep the energy going to the end of the sentence. If you are reading an audiobook, you have to be able to control your breathing so that it is not heard on the mic. In terms of finding work, I think you have to make a voice reel and go around the voice agents. You can also listen to commercials and find out if there’s a particular director or a commercial that you enjoy and write to them. It’s a really rewarding area to work in.
Get our guide to audio A GUIDE TO AUDIO WORK has been compiled by members of Equity’s Audio Committee who are experienced audio artists. It covers subjects such as ADR (automated dialogue replacement), audiobooks, commercials, radio drama and video games. It aims to provide a background to the major areas of work in this sector and answer frequently asked questions such as ‘Is it necessary to have a dedicated voice agent?’ and ‘Do I need a home studio?’ Download the guide from: www.equity.org.uk/AudioGuide
www.equity.org.uk
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SUCCESS STORIES Equity members and staff mixed with politicians in the annual event that puts the entertainment industry on the political agenda
UNKNOWN FUNDS PROVIDE CHARITY BOOST
DANCE SECTOR LEAPS FORWARD THE UNION HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS TO SUPPORT DANCERS
AMICABLE SETTLEMENT OF HIGH COURT CASE WILL BENEFIT INDUSTRY CHARITIES
MORE THAN 60 PEOPLE from across the dance industry came together in October to attend an event entitled Sharing Excellence in Dance Management, an Equity initiative jointly hosted by the Independent Theatre Council and One Dance UK. The event was a key stage in Equity’s effort to encourage take-up of the ITC Ethical Manager Performers Agreement among subsidised dance companies, in a bid to improve conditions for our members working in this sector.
THREE LEADING INDUSTRY CHARITIES have received six-figure donations as part of the settlement of Equity’s ‘unknown funds’ case. Approximately £1m was discovered in Equity’s accounts in 2005 and despite extensive research, which included a team of forensic accountants, the source of the money has never been accurately discovered. A high court judgment has settled the issue and Denville Hall, the Royal Theatrical Fund (RTF) and the Royal Variety Charity (RVC) will benefit. Commentating on the funds, Giles Cooper, RVC chairman, said: “This will be put to such good use by the charity”. Alison Spencer from The RTF wanted Equity to know: “How important this donation will be” and Lalla Ward, chair of Denville Hall said: “I’m ecstatic, this will make a huge difference to us”.
THE DANCE COMMITTEE has created a guide entitled Right to Rest to assist members in understanding the complex area of paid holidays. The guide has been devised for dancers but it will be useful to other performers, employers and professionals throughout the sector. Download it from: www.equity.org.uk/dance
Members visit Parliament to put the case for the arts BREXIT, MAKING TAX DIGITAL AND THE UNION’S PLAY FAIR CAMPAIGN WERE ON THE AGENDA AT PARLIAMENTARY EVENT
Phil Adams, Jess Hurd
Praising West End Deps EQUITY WELCOMED MORE THAN 50 DEPUTIES to the Duke of York’s Theatre to thank them for their work on behalf of members. Abiola Ogunbiyi, the union’s Young Members’ Councillor and frequent ‘deputy’ introduced the event that was hosted by Ian McKellen. Ian spoke about his work in theatre and the benefits of a unified voice in dealing with employers. If you are interested in being an Equity Dep, contact Caitlin Dunham on cdunham@equity.org.uk
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The Fit to Dance Charter has been very successful and is looking for new venues”
MORE THAN 60 MPS AND PEERS came along to the Performers Alliance Reception at the House of Commons in December. Equity members took the opportunity to lobby them on a number of issues including the union’s Play Fair Campaign, Making Tax Digital and Brexit. Alison McGovern MP formally hosted the reception on behalf of Equity and Matt Hancock, minister for digital and culture policy spoke on behalf of the government, while Tom Watson MP returned for the Labour Shadow Culture team. Jeremy Corbyn also came to the event and spoke from the podium, while Equity member Amy Lamé attended in her capacity as the newly appointed London Night Czar. Members of the English National Opera (ENO) chorus gave a surprise performance during the event to thank parliamentarians for their support during their dispute with the ENO in 2016.
www.equity.org.uk
DANCE CAPTAIN GUIDELINES have been produced following members’ concern about the duties a Dance Captain is expected to undertake. The union also advises that anyone offered the role
of Dance Captain should ask a series of questions before agreeing to take the position. The guidelines and list of questions are available to download from: www.equity.org.uk/dance For more details, contact Virginia Wilde on vwilde@equity.org.uk THE DANCE PASSPORT has been boosted as Equity will be part of a steering group led by EuroFIA to reignite the long-standing Dance Passport Scheme. The scheme allows dancers and choreographers who are paid-up union members in their home country to access local union support services while travelling in any European country where there is a participating union. The rejuvenation of the scheme is being funded through the European Commission. THE FIT TO DANCE CHARTER has been very successful and is looking for new venues. In 2016 Equity and One Dance UK joined forces to develop a new minimum standard for dance audition and rehearsal spaces across the UK. If you know a great local venue, ask them to register by emailing fittodancespace@equity.org.uk
Industry joins together to discuss bullying In November, Equity as part of the Federation of Entertainment Unions (FEU) brought together HR staff from across the industry to focus on positive strategies to combat bullying. FEU research shows bullying is rife. That is why it set up Creating without Conflict to rebut the myth that artists should expect to suffer if they want to achieve a higher level. More information at: www.equity.org.uk/bullying
www.equity.org.uk
Industry experts attended from RSC, National Theatre, ITV, BBC and producers’ body PACT
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Member offers Equity membership entitles you to a wide variety of discounts, from photos to the Phoenix club; see below for a selection. Go online for a full list: www.equity.org.uk/discounts Individual lessons at Gilbert Street, Nr Bond St, London. 30% discount to members. Twenty-six years of teaching performers; supporting improved poise and confidence, preventing backache and vocal strain. For info phone Kate Kelly 0845 3479389 www.alexandertec.net
assist taxation services Assistance with the preparation and submission of self-assessment tax returns for Equity members who are required by HM Revenue & Customs to submit a return. Equity members receive an exclusive 20% discount off the normal fixed fee of £250. A further 10% discount is available to members for referrals. We also offer self-employed accounts preparation and tax advisory and planning services. For further details please contact Nasir Majeed on 07775 691009, email nasir@assisttaxationservices.co.uk
cinema tickets Discounted tickets when showing Equity card: Queens FilmTheatre Belfast, Pictureville Bradford, Watershed Bristol, Cinema 3 Canterbury, Chichester Cinema at New Park, Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre Dumfries, Edinburgh Filmhouse, Hull Screen, Adam Smith Theatre Kirkcaldy, Showroom Sheffield, NFT.
michael barnes hairdressing Equity members get 40% off all cutting and colouring on your first visit to the salon and then you will receive 20% off all services whenever you visit after that. Michael Barnes is located at 224 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, 020 7836 7152.
photography HCK Photography is offering Equity members headshots/publicity shots for £95, a saving of £155. . For more information contact Kit at: 020 7112 8499. www.hckphotography.co.uk/equityoffer Scotland-based photographer Aly Wight is offering a 10% discount off headshots and location shots to members, see www.alywight.com
rac breakdown cover We’ve teamed up with the RAC to bring you a great deal: a potential 50% off RAC Rescue cover, this is off the base, standard cover. With your discount, Roadside cover starts at just £29 a year. And, depending on which level of cover you choose, you could save as much as £99.25.Join today at rac.co.uk/join/benefits or call0800 096 6836 quoting EBS001
Special offer
dance studios £60 off Pineapple Studios Annual Membership. Equity members get £60 off annual membership to Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden, London (usually costs £160). Additional benefits of membership include 25% off all full-price clothing at the Pineapple store opposite the studio in Covent Garden. Members can visit the studios at any time for classes or to meet friends and colleagues. Two passport size photographs are required. Claim in person with your Equity card at Pineapple Dance Studios, 7 Langley Street, London WC2H 9JA. Tel 020 7836 4004. www.pineapple.uk.com
hair removal Pulsar-permanent hair removal and skin treatments. Pigmentation, spots, photorejuvenation and more. IPL-intense pulsed light therapy. More advanced than laser: never shave again. For men and women – all skin and hair types. 10-20% discount for Equity members. Minimum fee applies to house visits. Contact Dr Succar on 020 8848 8288 or www.natura.org.uk
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Develop your passion!
rex restaurants Chris Corbin and Jeremy King are keen supporters of the theatre and they have arranged for all members to receive 10% off any bill at their London restaurants. These are: The Wolseley, The Delaunay, The Counter at The Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel and Colbert. See the Rex Restaurant website: www.rexra.com. for details of the different eateries. The offer is for an Equity member and up to five guests (i.e. six people in total). You need to show a valid Equity card as proof when you arrive at the restaurant.
Apply now for: • • • •
2017 Summer Masterclasses MA Ensemble Theatre MA Theatre for Young Audiences BA (Hons) Opera Studies (part-time, online learning) • BA (Hons) Theatre Studies (part-time, online learning) • Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in HE: Theatre and Performing Arts (PGCLTHE)
stage newspaper Equity members can have 10 per cent off an annual subscription. This is available to all Equity members on both print and digital editions. To take advantage of this discount go to http://subscriptions.thestage.co.uk and select the version you require. Remember to include the code EQUI in the Promotional Code box.
different, diverse, distinctive
travel lodge Travelodge offer 5% discount on bookings through their Business Account Service. To register set up an account, go to www.travelodge.co.uk Click on the Login/ Sign up button on the top right of the menu. Choose Business and then follow the Sign Up steps quoting Equity as the Business name.
Rose Bruford College, Burnt Oak Lane, Sidcup, DA15 9DF
Annual Representative Conference 2017 Observers
Equity’s 2017 Annual Representative Conference (ARC) will take place on May 21-22 at the Ibis Hotel, Earl’s Court, London. The ARC brings together your elected representatives from across Equity’s branches, committees and Council to review the union’s progress and to make policy. Any member, including student members, can attend as an Observer but, due to venue constraints, space is limited. If you would like to be an Observer (no voting or speaking rights or expenses) please complete the form below and return it to Equity. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis and we only accept applications made on this coupon. Thank you.
q-park
50% off annual membership at pheonix artist club A private members’ club and licensed bar for professionals in the entertainment industry and their guests, open Mon-Sat 10.30am-2.30am (last entry 1am) with hot food served in the brasserie until 9.30pm. Sunday open 12 noon – 1.30 am. Entertaining entertainers since the eighties, this “jewel in the ground”. Annual membership is £200 reduced to £100 on presentation of your paid-up Equity card. Join online or phone the club during the day. Located beneath the Phoenix Theatre, 1 Phoenix Street, Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 8BU. Tel: 020 7836 1077, www.phoenixartistclub.com
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Equity and Q-Park have teamed up to provide Equity members with discounted parking in London and other major cities. More cities will come on-stream as Q-Park rolls out its development programme, so if the city you want is not yet listed, do please check regularly. The rates represent a 15% discount across the day with a special flat rate of £6.00 for London parking from 6pm to 2am. To take advantage of the Equity discount you need to pre-book your parking. Follow this link to do this: www.equity.org. uk/parking
Equity Name Equity No Address
Email I have been selected by my branch as their official Observer
Yes/No
My branch
Please mark your envelope “ARC OBSERVER” and return by 23 APRIL 2017 to: Louise Grainger, Equity, FREEPOST RTKS-BRUB-LYJR, Guild House, Upper St Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9EG
please note: Equity does not endorse the third-party services provided in these membership offers. They are made available on the request of the vendors.
www.equity.org.uk
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SUB REP
The art in the
DEAL The new Sub Rep Agreement is a landmark settlement that will deliver at least £1 million of extra pay to members by 2019. It was achieved by union staff working with members and, here, an actor and stage manager talk about how the deal was done Photography Paul Stuart and Phil Adams
LINDEN WALCOTT-BURTON – ACTOR When we consulted with members about a new Sub Rep deal, the overwhelming response was: “We need more money”. I know so many young, up and coming actors who either have to leave the industry well before their time or have to move out of London and the big cities because they can’t afford to live there anymore. Others have to stay with their parents for an extended amount of time because they cannot live off the wages they have been getting. If actors cannot survive from the money they earn, we are either going to lose them or have an industry that only has performers from wealthy backgrounds. None of us want it to be that way. So the pay increase is easily the most important thing about the package. But we have not given everything else up for those higher fees. I also believe the new equality clause is really important. It encourages employers to be more diverse in their casting. Of course, it’s not going to solve everything overnight, but it is a step in the right direction and one which we should celebrate. I got involved in Equity Stage Committee because I believe it’s important for everyone to be represented
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and that everyone, every demographic, deserves to have a say. I feel working class young people and ethnic minorities in particular do not have enough of an influence in the power structures of politics and the arts, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to put myself forward. It was really interesting to see how negotiations work – it is not a simple process. There is a fantastic range of people on the Stage Committee, from those who have been involved in negotiations many times to newcomers like myself. There is also a breadth of experience of working within the industry itself. This is a great help in reflecting the concerns of the wider membership. But it was very tough at times, because you are trying to please so many people and everyone wants to gain, nobody wants to lose. When discussing issues such as Sunday payments and debating whether it could be £30, £40 or £50 you know it is not just an empty debate, but something that will affect members’ standard of living. I believe the majority of people will be pleased with this agreement, but for those who are not, why not stand for election and get involved in making these decisions? >
www.equity.org.uk
If actors cannot survive from the money they earn, we are going to lose them and have an industry that only has performers from wealthy backgrounds”
SUB REP
The agreement has been continually adapted and it will need to change again for the next negotiations”
FIONA MOTT – STAGE MANAGER I have worked in stage management for more than 30 years and the majority of my employment has been in sub rep theatre. I spent the early part of my career with the Library Theatre Company in Manchester, moving on to the Oldham Coliseum for three and a half years and I was at Leicester Haymarket for ten years. I’m just about to start a job at Birmingham Rep, so I will be test-driving the new agreement. This is the fifth time I have been involved in negotiating an agreement and this was probably the most difficult. The employers and ourselves were initially so far apart – it was tough for everybody. It was about trying to find the middle ground and secure a deal that we felt favoured us. The talks are complicated by the fact that the industry has changed, and is changing. There are not many sub reps that work in the traditional repertory way. The Liverpool Everyman is trialling that approach again, but there are very few rep theatres that produce a full season of their own work, let alone with the same company of actors. The original Sub Rep Agreement has been continually adapted as the business evolves and it will undoubtedly need to change again for the next negotiations. We aimed to modernise the agreement in the way the union itself has modernised over the past ten years and make it a deal that reflects the patterns of work that the
industry is moving towards, without it having detrimental effects on our members, or compromising health and safety. For stage managers, the difficult issues surrounded the size of the stage management team and Sunday working. In practise, managers were reducing the core three-person SM team and members were rarely questioning it. The new agreement says the SM team will normally consist of three, and where there’s a variation the managers will have to inform Equity, along with the reason for the change. The new agreement commits Equity to proactively monitoring Stage Management levels, with a review of how the new clause is working at the end of the 21 month duration of the agreement, but it also needs stage managers to be proactive in alerting Equity where there is any variation to the norm. This deal is a great step forward. It guarantees significant salary increases. I think it will mean that stage managers will no longer have to think: “I need to work a 50-hour week and every Sunday I can just to cover my rent.” It’s important to add that the four Stage Management members on the working party (all of whom have recent experience of working in sub rep) felt 100% supported by every performer alongside them and the offer was only put to ballot when every member of the working party was in agreement.
Highlights from the new Sub Rep agreement DEAL INCLUDES PAY RISES ACROSS THE BOARD AND HIGHER PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS THE NEW SUBSIDISED THEATRE AGREEMENT represents a remarkable success for Equity, and is a landmark achievement in terms of developing a set of terms and conditions fit for the 21st century. Our claim was reached after extensive consultation over a period of almost two years – including focus groups, cast visits and a survey of all performers and stage management who have worked on the agreement since 2010. Members gave clear direction that with the massive decline in rep working, many of the overtime and additional payments were simply being ‘managed out’ by theatres, reducing the size of the wages
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actually taken home. Thus, the working party of elected activists and working deputies put together a claim with the guaranteed weekly salary at its heart. Highlights of the agreement include: A short agreement, delivering improvements over just 21 months Rises in minimum pay for performers of 12.5% (£50 a week in real terms for most) Stage management pay rises ranging from 9.5% to 13% (again, around £50 a week for most) An additional 2% a week contributed by managers to all artists’ pension schemes Improvements in rates of overtime (including double time for missed breaks) to help better
protect the work/life balance. In exchange, we have working days that reflect how subsidised theatres produce today, plus changes in hours of work to support touring and a restructure of some payments including the payment for performances on Sunday. The final package was agreed by members who had worked on the agreement since 2010 via an online ballot in December 2016. Full details of the new agreement are available on the Equity website, and any questions about the deal can be answered by Paul Fleming, Live Performance Organiser, via email: pfleming@equity.org.uk
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ARTS EMERGENCY The Arts Emergency service is already beyond capacity. It has funding for 40 places, but it is offering 120 this year
Studying the arts should not be a luxury Comedian Josie Long is the co-founder of Arts Emergency, a charity that aims to provide arts education and mentoring to those least able to access or afford it Photography Idil Sukan
M
y friend Neil Griffiths and I set up Arts Emergency together and in June 2013 officially registered as a charity. It has been growing steadily ever since. But before I tell you about what Arts Emergency is and does, I think it’s as important to tell you why we wanted to do something in the first place. We believe that it’s not a luxury to study the arts. The arts have massive and obvious value for society: Arts degrees teach people to think critically, further human knowledge and deepen our understanding of who we are, and who other people are. Theatre and film broaden our experience and enlighten us. Altogether, the arts make our lives more wonderful and more worth living. We believe those things are desperately important – now more than ever before. We also believe some things do not have a ‘£’ attached to them. We believe some things should not because economic advance is not the same thing as human progress. We believe it’s completely unjust that children born into wealth are leaving university debt-free and going on to lead in every aspect of our culture, while their equally talented counterparts from low-income families begin adult life with £50,000 plus of debt and no clear way to make a breakthrough. It’s not easy for anyone from any background now, but this just makes it even harder again for those with less. Finally, we believe, indeed we now know, that looming debt and lack of
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ARTS EMERGENCY
Real social mobility is hard. If you don’t know any graduates or professionals, how do you achieve it? knowledge and contacts affects the type of degree less wealthy young people choose – if it does not deter them entirely. That size of debt changes the way people view degrees – it makes it feel like a financial trade-off when that amount is three or more times what your family lives off in a year. Real social mobility is hard, and many young people lack support and knowledge. The arts in state schools are increasingly non-existent now, careers advice the same, and university is an expensive mystery. If you don’t know any graduates or professionals, how do you know how to do it? It feels like baby-boomers have pulled the ladder up and left the least well off young people completely cut out of mainstream education and culture. But a generation before, they were changing the world! People from every walk of life revolutionised music, comedy, art, theatre, poetry, TV, film, radio, even journalism and politics. Of course, they had at that time free higher education, and society valued lifelong learning and creativity as a public good, not a frivolous extra – and now it’s the opposite. We wanted to do something really practical and positive so first off, we went and had conversations with lots of young people in Hackney where we are based. It was clear they needed proper personal support to kick back against the cuts. They needed to feel part of something bigger than themselves, and they needed people in the know to give them a leg up and show them that they can seriously aim high and do what they want to do. So we invented our charity: Arts Emergency. Nothing but good comes of what we do – this is positive countervailing pressure and practical support that is
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needed so, so much. We meet young people one to one, talk about what they love to do, what they want to be one day, and find them a trained mentor in that area and set them to planning how to do it. Not just this though, we have built an entire alternative ‘old boy’ network of people from every walk of life, doing every kind of creative or critical job you can imagine, and that network is completely open to the young person and their mentor to make hay with. Not even just this though. After a year with a mentor, that young person is still able to use our network until they are 24 – for all kinds of things from help with homework, to uni applications, to audition coaching, work experience, backstage visits, feedback on music or writing. So many things change between 16 and 24 and we want them to use us before uni, throughout it, and especially after – when a whole new lot of benefits will come from having these connections. It’s called privilege. It’s called cultural capital. We are passing ours on, no strings and saying to young people this world is yours to change. Eight hundred people donate around a fiver every month and with that we’re working with 20 schools in London and Manchester. Sadly, we are overwhelmed with applicants from kids who really want and need this. Many more than we can responsibly handle. As well, every week young people and teachers are getting in touch from around the country asking us to set up near them too. Most arts and education charities struggle to gain interest and applications for their programmes, some even pay kids to come along. But here we are turning them away because we just cannot grow quick enough to meet the
demand. Remember, just 800 people give us a fiver a month – really the service we actually do run is already way beyond capacity – we have actual funding for around 40 places, but we are offering 120 this year. It could and should be nearer 500 or 1,000! We need serious funding to scale this up. The services have been tested and reviewed and improved dramatically over three years now. We have featured in every major press outlet from ID Magazine to The Sunday Times, from the New Statesman to Mix Mag. We have got more than 4,000 people from across the arts pledging time, contacts and skills and we have got hundreds of young people waiting to use that. What we need is regular, reliable, monthly or yearly donations that allow us to go out and cash in this potential for society’s most sidelined generation. Recently, the director of one of the county’s most prestigious art schools pledged 10% of their salary to Arts Emergency for the next three years. We are looking for other people in that position, who recognise just how powerful this idea is, to back us in similar ways.
Give your support THERE IS DEMAND across the UK for the mentoring and speaker services, so get in touch if you can offer your help or support Arts Emergency with a monthly donation. Their work is 100% funded by members of the public. http://arts-emergency.org/donate
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IN APPRECIATION
Graeme Cruickshank KEN BENNETT-HUNTER REMEMBERS THE STAGE MANAGER WHO SELFLESSLY SERVED HIS FELLOW MEMBERS IN MANY ROLES INCLUDING THE EQUITY COUNCIL AND THE SMA
G
raeme Cruickshank, who died in December aged 85, was from a generation of stage managers and technicians whose careers covered major changes in theatre practice and who were key to improving pay, standards and working conditions for backstage workers. As an active Equity member he made a significant contribution to these developments by serving on a number of Equity committees and by representing stage managers on the Equity Council from 1975 to 1980. For many years he was also a member of the Committee of the Stage Management Association and for a while was its deputy chairman (he later commented on the choice of title for this post, observing that “stage managers don’t have vices”). Graeme was born in Wembley in 1932 and, after National Service in the RAF, in 1954 he became a valuer with a firm of philatelic auctioneers but also acted with a number of amateur dramatic groups. In 1959, taking a considerable salary cut, he made his professional debut as actor and assistant stage manager with the Penguin Players at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea. For the next four years he worked regularly in repertory
Graeme has truly been someone who has held a light that people wanted to follow” companies as actor and then stage manager. He also appeared as an extra and in small parts on a number of television programmes. In 1963 he first became a company and stage manager (still often also appearing as an actor). This was a role he was to fulfil on many productions on tour and in the West End until he retired in 1990. From 1967 to 1970 he was engaged by Frank Hauser’s Oxford Playhouse Company (Meadow Players). Early West End work included Behind the Fridge with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (1972) and George Gershwin’s Oh Kay! (1973). His last show as company manager was Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Ambassadors in 1990.
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Graeme had a great interest in theatre history and he was a vice-president of the Society for Theatre Research and an active member of the Association of British Theatre Technicians’ Historical Research Committee and the British Music Hall Society’s Study Group. He wrote and lectured on many aspects of British theatre and music hall history. For 18 years he was chairman and subsequently life president of Equity’s Save London’s Theatre Campaign, and served as a trustee of the Theatres Trust for nine years. Rupert Rhymes writes: “During my time chairing the Theatres Trust it was always a delight to find Graeme as part of the Save London’s Theatres delegation at our periodic meetings. Whilst his colleagues brought much passion, it was Graeme who brought the knowledge and sagacity which could be effectively used - and he was always good company!” Mhora Samuel, former director of the Theatres Trust, adds: “Without SLTC’s early campaigning, there would have been no Theatres Trust, as it fought to secure the future of many theatres in the West End that make Theatreland so successful today. The Theatres Trust ensures it has a legacy.” Graeme was one of the first recipients of the SMA Golden Headset Award. In June 2008, he and his wife, Joy, were among the first five recipients. His citation read: “Graeme was always a joy to work with. The perfect CSM: quiet, fair and amusing. Everything happened without any fuss. Graeme has truly been someone who has held a light that people wanted to follow and his knowledge and ability to convey it to others is enviable.” In his suit and trademark bow tie Graeme remained a familiar figure at theatre events until he and Joy moved to New Zealand in 2009.
Listen to the magazine If you, or a fellow member, has difficulty in reading printed material the Equity magazine is also available as an audio file on CD or data stick. To receive it, contact the RNIB via: Donna Gordon, donna.gordon@rnib.org.uk 01733 375106
(John) Graeme Cruickshank was born on 25 August, 1932 and died on 8 December 2016 aged 85.
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VARIETY
Celebrating
VARIETY Equity will be celebrating Variety throughout 2017. Performers Yvonne Joseph and Dan Shelton explain the past and present of the sector as we launch a guide to contracts Photography Phil Adams
Variety has a fascinating history and a vibrant future. The union will be celebrating the sector throughout 2017 and promoting the advice and support we offer for those who work in it. One of the showpiece events of this initiative will be an event on 16 May. The union will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Variety Artistes’ Federation being incorporated into Equity, which happened on 16 May 1967, at a special occasion at the London Palladium. >
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VARIETY
DAN SHELTON
Work issues remain very similar: getting the contract right and collecting the fee”
YVONNE JOSEPH The world of variety has changed in many ways since the form began, and in my time as a performer, but there are fundamentals that remain the same. Variety artists were given that name by the music hall in the 19th century because of the variety of acts on the bill. It subsequently evolved into variety theatre and then it went to clubs and cabaret. However, the 1990s saw a drop off in variety jobs, there was still the working men’s clubs but they were getting less popular and then the smoking ban badly affected them. But I have seen a resurgence in work in recent years. This is through the restaurant and wine bar scene, the rise of music and other types of festivals, plus the popularity of cruise ships has been astonishing. Variety acts come in and out of fashion. Speciality acts are difficult to see now in the UK. I think we have some great performers but they tend to
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work abroad where they are appreciated more. The issues at work have remained very similar during my time. Problems around contracts, making sure performers get the right deal and details into their contract and ensuring bookers pay the fee! I will be sharing some fond memories at the Variety Artists Federation celebration in May. We will remember some brilliant summer seasons and the great fun we have all had in pantomimes. I will think about singing on stage in Falkirk when I was ten-years-old, getting a standing ovation and people wanting my autograph at the stage door. When I asked my mum how I had done, she simply said: “Fine”. She was right to downplay it as you need to keep your feet on the ground in this business as it can be very tough at times.
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I started as a street entertainer in the ‘90s, learned circus from my friends that were all touring performers and began working at festivals as part of a troupe. When I was performing as a stilt walker and barker for a venue they refused to pay me, I got in touch with Equity and that sparked my interest in how the union worked in the variety sector. I’ve worked in lots of different situations from corporate events to family festivals through to warehouse parties. On the surface this can seem very different from a traditional variety setting of a theatre or club, but the fundamentals are the same. There is still a venue, the booking and someone paying you for your work. Performers need to remember that a verbal contract is not good enough. Probably the most recurrent problem the union deals with in respect of variety performers is the lack of a contract. Members need to sort the details of the booking out before it takes place to avoid problems later. Download the latest guide to contracts the union has created for Celebrate Variety 2017 (right) and if you are in any doubt about the details of a booking, contact Equity. It can be quite lonely out there if you are working a lot. The more involved you get with the branches and the Equity community, that’s where you can get support. I think social media is a great tool in connecting people. Whether you are doing a gig in Dubai, on the road in the UK or on a cruise ship. I’m really passionate about having a peer chatroom where performers can discuss issues such as contracts or dressing rooms and I have set up a facebook page for this purpose. I am also interested in using the #IamVariety on Twitter to show the breadth of work that members are involved in. With Equity staff I’ve been visiting various education institutions that teach drama, circus and performance, talking to young people about the union. I speak about the tradition of variety and how it has developed. It’s great that we have separate identities for comedians, for dancers, for circus performers etc. They have their individual voices, but as a collective we have one united voice. I think that if we can reach out to our older and younger members through initiatives such as Celebrate Variety 2017 then we’re combining our past with the present to make a future together.
Celebrate Variety is combining our past with the present to make a future together”
Get the guide to contracts
AS PART OF CELEBRATE VARIETY 2017 the union has created a guide to contracts for this sector. The purpose of the guide is to assist members who make contracts directly with companies or individuals to provide their entertainment services mainly for one-off dates. This will include vocalists, children’s entertainers, comedians, circus performers, magicians and basically anyone who performs their act in return for a fee. The majority of variety members work in this way and this guide highlights some important considerations when taking bookings to minimise potential problems. Download it from Equity’s website via: www.equity.org.uk/ContractsGuide
CAMPAIGNS
in action Employers have failed to embrace Play Fair principles”
Notice from Equity
Union defends Play Fair values EQUITY QUESTIONS THE CASTING DECISIONS OF EMPLOYERS IN CONTROVERSIAL PRODUCTIONS BY PRINT ROOM THEATRE & SKY ARTS EQUITY HAS RESPONDED to two employers who have failed to embrace the principles of its Play Fair Campaign. In April 2016, the union wrote to Sky asking for an explanation for the casting of a white actor in the role of Michael Jackson in a Sky Arts UK production. Equity highlighted its inclusive casting policy, particularly the part that states: “Equity calls for greater care and consideration by productions when casting roles where the artist’s personal characteristics are relevant to the role.” Sky responded that: “It gives producers the creative freedom to cast roles as they wish, within the strict diversity framework which we have set.” Nine months later, Sky took the decision not to broadcast the show following social media protests and Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris saying she was
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“incredibly offended” that a white actor has been chosen to play her father. Meanwhile, Equity responded to the Print Room’s statement about its decision to cast exclusively white actors in its production of In the Depths of Dead Love, which is set in ancient China and has Chinese character names. The Print Room said: “It is in fact a very ‘English’ play and is derived from thoroughly English mores and simply references the mythic and the ancient. It has therefore been cast accordingly”. The union responded, stating: “The Print Room’s statement is completely unacceptable on a number of levels, not least of which is the suggestion that an ‘English’ play must be completely white.” The union is seeking a meeting with the Print Room to discuss the principles of its Play Fair campaign.
MIGHT THE UNION BE HOLDING MONIES FOR YOU
Play Fair season at the Actors Centre
FROM THE 1990s? We are delighted to have reached an amicable resolution of the
Equity and the Actors Centre have presented a series of events to highlight, explore and celebrate the importance of greater diversity in the arts. A programme of workshops and panels focused on challenging and improving under-representation in the industry. These have included: ‘Stand Up for Women’, with a panel that included Diane Messias, Siobhan Cannon-Brownlie and Flip Webster. ‘Class Action: who gets in and on in the creative industries?’ with Tracy Brabin MP and Tom Stocks from Actor Awareness. Plus ‘Casting: who holds the net?’ with Julia Crampsie, BBC Head of Casting and Deborah Sawyerr from Theatre Royal Stratford East, and ‘Disability: it’s not such a drama!’ with Cindy-Jane Armbruster and Mik Scarlet.
longstanding problem of how to use the monies received by the union around 1995 and, known as the “Unknown Funds.” An important part of the resolution is that Equity undertakes to meet the claim of any members or non-members who believe and can produce evidence to show that the Union received residual payments due to them in respect of their performance in independent TV productions retransmitted before about 1998 and that those residuals were not passed on to them. Therefore, if you or your agent wish to make a claim you should contact the General Secretary of Equity on 0207 379 6000.
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Letters...
THE PRESIDENT WRITES
FIRST OF ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR – a lot of us are hoping for a kinder 2017 than 2016 turned out to be. So bad news first. Arts cuts. This has a far too familiar ring, I know, but if things were bad before, I’m afraid they are going to get a lot worse. The bad news comes from two of our great cities, Bristol and Bath. Two great centres of theatre and music: shows of all kinds. As I write, both councils are in the ‘consultation period’ on cuts to their arts
investment is also threatened because word has gone out that if certain cities fail in their obligations to their own artistic communities, other cities who maintain that support will be favoured by the Arts Council, an incentive, it is hoped, to persuade city councils to think very carefully about their plans. Equity is seeking to meet with Bristol’s new mayor but these battles can only be won if local members get the fight going. Headquarters can then lend logistical support and heavyweight fire power, and hopefully those that need persuading can be persuaded. But if there is no local campaigning it is very difficult for London HQ to expect to have any success in ‘interfering’ in local matters. Fortunately, members in the South West are leading the fight – unlike some local artistic leaders who seem to want to ‘manage’ the cuts, rather than fight them. Those of you in the South West: go to your local branches and get stuck in. Please contact your local councillors and MPs. Even if you don’t have a BS or BA postcode but have worked, trained or had a connection with either city please voice your opposition. Now some good news: there is a new Sub Rep Agreement, and it is good. I know
‘Arts cuts’ has a far too familiar ring and the latest bad news on funding comes from two of our great cities: Bristol and Bath” funding: Bath by 100% by 2020, Bristol by 26% by 2022. Of course, we know that the financial position of local councils is dire because of policy dictated by central government. But we still oppose cuts, because the losses inflicted can often never be rebuilt, but also, and perhaps more persuasively, cuts to a city’s artistic provision damages the economic wellbeing of city life. A flourishing arts scene attracts business of all sorts, resulting in continuing inward investment. The councils’ published plans also reveal an emphasis on community participation rather than professional provision, which directly threatens our members’ livelihoods. They may think this is cheaper, of course, but it should not be a choice between community arts and our great theatre companies. Arts Council England
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there are great worries about Sunday working, all of which the working party shared, but we think we have those concerns covered and we will review it in two years’ time. The working process to get where we are was a model of how things should be done; members and staff collaborating to make sure all avenues were covered. There were late email flurries about Sunday working and the position and responsibilities of stage management, but all doubts were ultimately satisfied. Job done. And finally 2017 is the Year of Variety. It is 111 years since the foundation of the Variety Artistes Federation and 50 years since they joined Equity. There will be some great events to mark the Year. Watch this space.
Get in touch Have you got something to say about your experience of Equity or the contents of the magazine? We want to hear from you. Please email or write to the editor via the contact information below: The Editor Guild House Upper St Martin’s Lane London WC2H 9EG Tel: 020 7379 6000 Fax: 020 7379 7001 Email: editorial@equity.org.uk Web: www.equity.org.uk
Tania Foley It is with great sadness that I learned of the sudden death on 15 January of Tania Foley. Tania was just 39 years old. Her radiance, her spirit, and her optimism shone through right up to her Facebook posts just hours before her death. She was recovering from a bout of pneumonia but complications set in and overcame her. Tania was a working actor with a rare generosity of spirit that made her memorable. She was an active Equity member and enthusiastic supporter of her local branch. During her time on the branch committee she set up and ran an extensive programme of rehearsed readings with London fringe theatres for members of the WSW London Equity branch. These gave opportunities for literally hundreds of branch members. Whether it was as a Christmas elf in Santa’s grotto, as the elegant Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband
for the National Theatre of Slovenia, or as the star turn at a Branch Scratch entertainment night, Tania gave it her all. She will be sadly missed by her Equity friends. We send our heartfelt condolences to her family and large circle of friends and admirers. Andrew Macbean
Shouting in the Evenings I have just finished reading James Hayes’ wonderful and extremely entertaining memoir of his 50 years (and counting) on the stage, Shouting in the Evenings (published by Matador). I would love to recommend it to all Equity members. Jimmy’s career is entwined with the genesis and development of the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and, it would seem, almost every theatre in between. He has worked with almost all of the great artistes of our time, not a coincidence if you ask him. This warm-hearted, often outrageous and occasionally insightful account of an actor’s life is not to be missed. I say ‘occasionally’ to keep his feet on the ground as he addresses the second halfcentury of his career. Hilarious and honest, Jimmy tells the story ‘from Limerick to London, from Barrow to Beijing, from Stratford to Shanghai’. Do check it out! Joseph Kloska
Arts and Minds I was impressed to learn about Equity’s Arts and Minds initiative, which seeks to raise awareness of mental wellbeing in the entertainment sector. In Wales, culture is at the core of our promotion of good emotional health. It’s something I’m especially passionate about, as I struggled with Generalised Anxiety Disorder in my youth, but harnessed the arts to help overcome it. The Welsh Government that I am part of will deliver a Labour manifesto that promises a new Wales Wellbeing Bond, investing in activities that improve the physical and mental health of people. We also intend developing a Social Prescription for preventing and treating illness through addressing its causes. For example, evidence shows that using cultural activity to tackle loneliness can help prevent mental illness and extend life expectancy. Therefore, to enhance the Social Prescription and Wales Wellbeing Bond, we will develop a national strategy for loneliness and isolation. The arts will be crucially important in this. We will create a new Challenge Fund for community arts groups to widen access, utilise online crowd funding and support new talent. A new body, Creative Wales, will be formed specifically for the creative industries
to grow from strength to strength and we’ll also create a National Music Endowment Fund for young people. We will also continue the ground breaking Arts in Creative Learning programme for schools, based on the recommendations made by Professor Dai Smith. This suite of measures, delivered in partnership with the Arts Council of Wales and others, demonstrates that in Wales there is a genuine belief in the power of the arts to improve lives. Ken Skates AM. Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Welsh Government
Michael Napier- Brown Though sad to read of Michael’s death, it brought back very happy memories of weekly rep in The Penguin Players in Bexhill-on-Sea. Richard Burnett, who ran it, was looking for a young girl to play the lead in a new play and suggested I audition. I got the part and had the huge joy of being directed by Michael. He was so helpful, funny & taught me so much in that week of rehearsals, Those were the days of nurturing young players, including getting me started on Equity membership. I know of other actors who benefitted from Michael’s talent and generosity, which I have never forgotten. Jenny McCracken
In memoriam With regret it is recorded that since the publication of the last edition of Equity magazine we have learned of the deaths of the following members: Jean Alexander, Julia Allton, Geoffrey Annis, Gillian Ashby, Margaret Ashcroft, Coral R Atkins, Stuart Barren, Hagan Beggs, Kenneth Besant-Sheppard, Margaret Brough, Betty Broughton, Reg Brown, Ricky Callan, Jean Carlin, John (Parker) Carson, Sarah Carter, Dave Cash, Yvette Chauvire, Peter Clayton, Leonard Cohen, Betty Colin, Dennis Collins, Vernon Conway, Mary Courtney, Adrian Cowdry, Jon Croft, Noel Crowder, Graeme Cruickshank, Deddie Davies, Johnny Dennis, Brian Harvey Dickinson, Hazel Douglas, Juliet Duncan, Rosemarie Dunham, Magdalen Egerton, Ann Emery, Amanda Fairclough, Marilyn Finlay, Carrie Fisher, Paddy Fletcher, Tania Foley, Elizabeth Forbes, Bernard Mitchell Fox, Clive Fryde, Gordon Fulton, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bernard Gallagher (i), Joy Garbett Valerie Gaunt, Colin George, Michele E Gerbola, Tufty Gordon, Rosamund Gray, Valerie Griffiths, Sheila Hamilton, Steve Handforth, Hermione Harvey, Leon Head, Bill Hetterley, Howard Davies, Elizabeth Howarth, Shirley Ann Kernow, Lee Kristofferson,
Faith Lawrence, Ronald Leishman, Monica Lewis, Patricia Lines, Ian S Liston, Mandelea, Jill Martin, Melody Martin, John T Martin, Bruno Martino, Mildred Mayne, George Michael, Stuart Mungall, Robert Myler, Audrey Noble, Katrina Norbury, Zara Nutley, Russell Oberlin, Herbert Of Liverpool, Colin Paris, Anne Pashley, Delia Paton, James Perry, Pierre Picton, Jeffrey Piddock, Claire M Porter, Michael Powell-Jones, Dai Protheroe, Om Puri, Debbie Reynolds, Gary Rice, Iain Robinson, Thomas Round, Andrew Sachs, Patrick Sanders, Ana-Raquel Satre, Amanda Saville, Ivon Sawtell, Sylvia Shields, Jacqueline Skarvellis, Liz Smith, Nickola Sterne, Ian Mackenzie Stewart, Alan Stuart, Peter Sumner, Peter Thomas, Angela Thornton, Harry Toseland, Steve Truglia, Peter Vaughan, Robert Vaughn, Bobby Vee, James Victor, James Walker, Jo Warne, A J Webb, David White, Nigel Winder, Keo Woolford, Jimmy Young. (i) not Benny Gallagher
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
Malcolm Sinclair
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BRANCH UPDATE
Equity branches are your local meeting place to discuss the industry, share insights and influence the direction of the union. Find your local branch at www.equity.org.uk/branches Trades ,19 South Mall,Frenchgate Centre,DN1 1LL9 Contact: chuffinells@hotmail.com
thames variety branch Date of next meeting: 13 Feb. 7pm, The Blue Posts, 81 Newman Street W1T 3E Contact: Nick Putz 020 8808 3802 nickputz@gmail.com
west of england variety Date of meeting: 13 Feb. 7.45pm, Inn on the Green Contact Mary Lane 07900 848003 cllrmlane@equity.org.uk
brighton & sussex general Date of next meeting: first Saturday of the month,10.30am, Friends Meeting House, Ship St Brighton Contact: Chris Webb 07973 465154
Northern lights
bristol & west general Date of next meeting: Third Tuesday of month (exc August), 7.30pm. SPACE, 6 West Street, Old Market, Bristol BS2 0BH Contact: equity.bristolwestgen@googlemail.com
NORTH & WEST YORKSHIRE VARIETY support fellow members in the variety sector
cardiff & s wales general Date of next meeting: First Thursday of month, 7.30pm. BBC Club Cardiff, CF5 2YQ Contact: Louisa stbbrown_morgan@hotmail.co.uk
T
he North & West Yorkshire Variety branch is extremely pleased to be part of the Celebrate Variety 2017 celebrations. Variety has a proud tradition in the Yorkshire region and the branch is happy that the union is turning the spotlight on variety throughout 2017. If you are a variety artist from the
birmingham variety Date of next meeting: 22 Feb, The Crescent Theatre Birmingham B16 8AE. Contact: alec@alecpowell.co.uk
blackpool variety Date of next meeting: 1st Tuesday of each month, 1pm, Blackpool Cricket Club, Stanley Park, FY3 9EQ Contact: Chris Cotton, 07941 550315
coventry & leicester variety Date of next meeting: Monday, 20 Feb, Broad Street Rugby Club, Brandon Road Coventry CV3 2AY Contact: Sheila Payne: sheila.rodgers@btinternet.com
east anglia variety Next meeting: 13 Feb, 8-10pm The Canary Club Norwich NR11RT Contact: peachymead@f2s.com
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North and West Yorkshire region why not pop along to the branch’s friendly and welcoming meetings? Discussion include what type of work is available in the region and what problems variety artists are facing in the work place. Meetings take place every third Monday at 7.30pm at George IV pub, Birkenshaw.
east midlands variety Date of next meeting: 7 Feb, 8pm Headstocks NG6 8SF Contact: jimmywillan@btinternet.com 0115 9725558
humberside variety branch Date of next meeting: 6 March, 7.30pm, Henry Vernone Court, Pier Street, Hull. HU1 1UZ Contact: Christie Clifford, equityvbn4@msn.com
manchester & district variety Date of next meeting: 21 Feb, 7.30pm at Monroe’s Hotel, Manchester M1 1PE Contact: Yvonne Joseph, vonniegerry@btinternet.com
merseyside variety Date of next meeting: Second Monday of month, 7pm, Adelphi Hotel Ranelagh St, Liverpool, Merseyside L3 5UL Contact: Les O’Neill, lesoneill@hotmail.com
n&w yorkshire variety Date of next meeting: Every third Monday at 7.30pm at George IV pub, Birkenshaw BD11 2AH Contact: Valerie Jean Mann, val@mrstipsy.co.uk, 0113 285 3848
ne of england variety Date of meeting: 7.30pm, last Tuesday of month, The Alberta Social Club, Jarrow. Contact Steve McGuire. 01207238258, sirstephen2001us@yahoo.co.uk
scottish variety Date of next meeting: 6 March at 730p.m in the Equity office 114 Union Street Glasgow G1 3QQ Contact: Linda Rifkind, l.rifkind@btinternet.com
south wales variety Date of next meeting: first Tuesday of every monthTyn y Twr Public House, Baglan, SA12 8AU, 7.30 Contact: Shelli Dawn, 01685 812779
south yorkshire variety
central england general Date of next meeting: TBC The Wellington Pub Birmingham, B2 5SN Contact: David Edgar: davidedgar@gmx.co.uk
devon & cornwall general Next meeting: Third Sunday of the month at different venues around the two counties. Contact: Nigel Howells, howellsnj@gmail.com
dorset general Next meeting: Third Thursday of every month, 7pm. Wessex FM studios. Dorchester Contact: chris-gallarus@hotmail.co.uk
essex general Date of next meeting: TBC, unsually Trinity Methodist, Chelmsford, CM1 2XB. Contact: essexequity@deemardi.com
gtr manchester & region Next meeting: TBC Contact: davidcockayne@hotmail.com
home counties west general Date of next meeting: TBC usually 7:30pm, South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell RG12 7PA Contact: branch_sec_hcw@btinternet.com
isle of man general Next meeting: TBC Contact: colyn@colyn.co.uk
kent general Date of next meeting: 6 Feb at 7pm The Quarterhouse Theatre 49 Tontine Street Folkestone CT20 1BN Contact: Marie Kelly 07703 207878, kellygreenproductions@hotmail.co.uk
northern ireland branch Date of next meeting: TBC Contact: Vicky Blades vickyblades@gmail.com
north lancashire & cumbria general Next meeting: TBC contact below. Contact: Peter Rylands peter.rylands@btinternet.com
ne of england general Date of next meeting: 1st Tuesday of each month (excl. Aug & Dec) 6.30pm Northern Stage Newcastle NE1 7RH Contact: Steve McGuire., sirstephen2001us@yahoo.co.uk
north & east london general Next meeting: every second Saturday of the month at 10:30am: The Park Theatre, Finsbury Park. (not August) Contact: Nicola Hawkins nel.equity@gmail.com
north west london general Date of next meeting: 4 March,11.30am -2pmCentral School of Speech and Drama 62-64 Eton Avenue, London NW3 3HY Contact: Elise Harris, eliseharris@gmail.com
oxford general Date of next meeting: TBC usually Oxford Playhouse Contact: secretary. oxfordequity@gmail.com
south & se london general Next meeting: 18 Feb, 11am. Venue TBC Contact: Paul Valentine via email on equitysselondon@gmail.com
west & sw london general Next meeting: 22 Feb, 7.00pm, Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham St, Covent Garden, WC2H 9LA. Contact: secretary.equity.wswlon@ gmail.com
liverpool general Next meeting: 1 March at the Everyman Theatre on Hope St. 6.30pm start Contact: Sheila Jones, equityliverpool@gmail.com
yorkshire ridings general Next meeting: TBC Contact: Anthony Blakesley equity.yrgb@gmail.com
A national treasure EAST OF SCOTLAND GENERAL is a growing branch that brings members together from a large area of Scotland
T
he East of Scotland Branch comprises moe than 500 members and meets on a regular basis in the beautiful surroundings of the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. Over the past year the branch has hosted a range of speakers including Maryam Hamidi, co-founder of Scottish BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic actors) and Laura east of scotland general Donnelly, casting director, Next meeting: AGM, 22 Feb, 7.30pm Founders Room, National Theatre of Scotland. The branch continues to grow Festival Theatre, Edinburgh EH8 9FT. Contact: Catriona Joss, eastofscotlandequity@gmail.com and welcomes new members.
Next meeting: 9 Feb, 12.30, Doncaster
www.equity.org.uk
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CONTACT EQUITY
TRUSTEESS HERE
SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES 020 7670 0207 LIVE PERFORMANCE HELP DESK 020 7670 0237 RECORDED MEDIA HELP DESK 020 7670 0228
ADVICE AND RIGHTS HELPLINE 020 7670 0223 BULLYING REPORTING LINE 020 7670 0268 BRITISH EQUITY COLLECTING SOCIETY 020 7670 0350
HEAD OFFICE: Guild house, Upper St Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9EG Tel: 020 7379 6000 Fax: 020 7379 7001 Email: info@equity.org.uk Web: www.equity.org.uk EQUITY OFFICERS: Malcolm Sinclair: President Ian Barritt: Vice President Maureen Beattie: Vice President Bryn Evans: Honorary Treasurer EQUITY STAFF Telephone: To call a member of Equity’s head office dial 020 7379 6000 and at the prompt press the asterix and dial the three figure extension in brackets after the relevant name below. Email: To email a member of Equity’s head office type the initial and surname in lower case with no spaces followed by @equity.org.uk GENERAL SECRETARY’S DEPT (fax 020 7379 6074) Christine Payne General Secretary (155) Louise McMullan Department head, Policy Development Officer & Assistant to General Secretary (160) Duncan Smith Head of Finance (130) Hamida Ali Equalities & Diversity Organiser (173) Stephen Spence
Deputy for the General Secretary, Industrial and Organising (133)
LIVE PERFORMANCE Hilary Hadley Mike Day Virginia Wilde Paul Fleming Emmanuel de Lange
(fax 020 7670 0265) Department head, Opera & Dance Organiser (136) Variety Organiser (135) West End Organiser (139) London Area Theatre Organiser (138) Independent theatre/Low Pay No Pay Organiser (137)
RECORDED MEDIA John Barclay Claire Hood Laura Messenger Cathy Sweet Tim Gale
(fax 020 7836 5313) Department head & PACT TV Organiser (146) TV Organiser (152) Films & Contract Enforcement Organiser (149) BBC & Radio Organiser (153) TV Commercials Organiser (145)
COMMUNICATIONS & MEMBERS SUPPORT (fax 020 7240 6341) Matt Hood Assistant General Secretary (168) Phil Pemberton Head of Communications, Department head (111) Louise Grainger Marketing and Training Officer (114) Alan Lean Tax and Welfare Rights Officer (157) Emma Cotton Tax & Welfare Rights Organiser (151) Martin Kenny Legal Claims Referral Officer (125)
SOUTH EAST OFFICE Will Holmes South East Organiser Equity, Upper St Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9EG TEL: 020 7670 0229 EMAIL: southeastengland@equity.org.uk SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE Lorne Boswell Scotland and Northern Ireland Drew McFarlane Organisers Equity, 114 Union Street, Glasgow G1 3QQ tel: 0141 248 2472 EMAIL: scotland@equity.org.uk northernireland@equity.org.uk NORTH WEST OFFICE: Jamie Briers North West Organiser Express Networks, 1 George Leigh Street, Manchester M4 5DL TEL: 0161 244 5995 EMAIL: northwestengland@equity.org.uk NORTH EAST OFFICE: Max Beckmann North East Organiser Express Networks, 1 George Leigh Street, Manchester M4 5DL TEL: 0161 244 5995 EMAIL: mbeckmann@equity.org.uk WALES AND SOUTH WEST OFFICE Simon Curtis Wales & South West Organiser Equity, Transport House, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9SD TEL: 029 2039 7971 EMAIL: wales@equity.org.uk southwestengland@equity.org.uk MIDLANDS OFFICE: Ian Bayes Midlands Organiser Equity, Upper St Martin’s Lane, WC2H 9EG TEL: 020 7670 0232 EMAIL: midlands@equity.org.uk EQUITY MAGAZINE EDITORIAL Phil Pemberton TEL: 020 7670 0211 EMAIL: ppemberton@equity.org.uk EQUITY MAGAZINE PRINTING Jeremy Littlestone, TUInk TEL: 07810 825970 email: jeremy@tuink.co.uk EQUITY MAGAZINE ADVERTISING: Lisa Ottway, Sales Manager, Ottway Media Solutions TEL: 07958 046 147 EMAIL: lisa@ottwaymediasolutions.com Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation. Organisations offering financial services or insurance are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and problems with such services should be taken up with the appropriate body. Equity cannot accept any liability for the quality of goods or services offered in advertisements.
SPECIAL ATTENTION LIST The For Your Special Attention list is currently undergoing a review. For ongoing checks and information relating to the list please call 020 7670 0200 or email info@equity.org.uk.
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