Professionally Made : Professionally Paid

Equity – the union for performers and theatre workers – has launched a new year-long campaign highlighting the problem of low or zero pay for artists and theatre practitioners in the UK, writes HOT’s John Knowles, a local Equity member.

“Low and no pay is a major issue for Equity members. The union is responding to those concerns by launching a year-long campaign to convince employers that professionals should be paid.”

Equity’s latest campaign raises many interesting issues for local performing artists. I am sure there is not one of us who hasn’t either been asked to ‘do a favour’ or who have asked others to help out for no fee. In many respects it’s one of the things I love about Hastings and St Leonards, the fact that people are so willing to help one another and long may it be so.

Although Equity is trying to raise the issue of low pay at the bottom level, it is a campaign mainly aimed at making those who benefit from our work, pay for our work. Or at making  those who get funding for the arts to pay a living wage and not a minimum wage to the artists.  It’s worth asking why our high-profile arts festival spends so much on external artists and so little on local artists and why, when local artists are ‘involved,’ it is often on an unpaid basis, especially when the funding comes from Arts Council England. Are we not good enough?

Let’s get something straight, dear venue, festival or events producer: a ‘showcase opportunity’ isn’t a chance to get some street theatre or circus artists for free for your event. A showcase opportunity is where you, the producer, put on an event, and invite to it producers and bookers in that field. Asking professional artists to work for free is fine if it is genuinely for a charity event, but please don’t insult them by paying the marquee supplier, the toilet supplier and all manner of people and just not paying the artist.

Last time I was asked to do this I asked the organiser what he did for a living – he was a plumber, so I asked him, could he redo my bathroom for free on the basis that I’d show-case it to some mates? Apparently not! In fact I’d be happy to barter my professional skills, say for some new tyres for my car or a week’s shopping.

On a wider issue, this campaign is also about raising the profile of theatre practitioners (from across the spectrum: circus, cabaret, street theatre, etc) and about being a proud professional who expects to get paid. This is also a timely reminder to anyone in the performing arts of the valuable work that Equity does in supporting artists, in fighting for their rights and in being there when you need advice and support. They also offer free £10 million public liability insurance, something every street, circus and cabaret performer should have.

Find out more by visiting their website here.

Also in: Community Arts