West & South West London Equity Branch June 2018 Newsletter

Next meeting: Wed 13 June, 7pm Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham Street, WC2A 9LA (opposite Donmar Warehouse)

Guest speaker: James Graham

We are thrilled to announce James Graham as our guest speaker. James’s play , directed by Jeremy Herrin, opened at the Cottesloe in 2012 and transferred to a sell out run at the Olivier, and later to the West End. opened at the Donmar in 2014 and then on Broadway with Daniel Radcliffe. Last year James had two plays – Ink and – running simultaneously next door to each other in the West End. His latest play is currently on at the Noel Coward Theatre. He has also written the book for a Broadway musical, and for TV and film. He is currently working on a film adaptation of acclaimed memoire Gypsy Boy and adapting 1984 for Paul Greengrass. On first, at 7pm sharp!

ELECTION FEVER The ARC – The Branch more London Branches will be than punched its weight at holding joint Council Election the Annual Representative Hustings on Monday 11 Conference this week. Our June, 2-5pm at Equity HQ motion on backstage Guild House. Come and grill conditions was the first one the candidates before you passed unanimously, decide how to vote! following a terrific speech by Branch Vice Chair Dan Page - picked up and featured by ELECTION FEVER 2 The The Stage. And the London Branch has nominated AGM motion on dodgy Branch Secretary Larner agents didn’t even need Wallace-Taylor and is Branch Secretary Larner- supporting former Chair Wallace-Taylor to speak. The Branch Safe Spaces t-shirts, Andrew Macbean and N&E mere threat sent the motion which went down a storm at the ARC, raising £300 for Act London Chair Shenagh direct to Council for approval. Govan in the elections. for Change. AVAILABLE AT NEXT BRANCH MEETING!

TANIA FOLEY SUMMERTIME CABARET Got an audition speech you want to try out? A song? Got a party piece you’re secretly very proud of?! Got an unusual skill which might surprise people? Come and perform it in front of London’s friendliest, most empathetic and receptive audience at the climax of the summer season – forget Ascot, Wimbledon or Henley - the Branch cabaret/scratch night. Tuesday 24 July, 7.30pm at the Bread & Roses, Clapham. Fancy having a go? Email Will on [email protected].

W&SW London Equity Treasurer: George Play readings: Larner In brief ….. the Prime Branch Contacts: Staines Wallace-Taylor Minister has On Twitter: [email protected] [email protected] announced a new £3 million fund for @EquityWSW London Speakers: Joan Rehearsed readings: creative industries Blackham Cliff Chapman On Facebook: across the North of Workshops: Sarah rr.equitywswlondon@gm England. Joan Collins www.facebook.com/Equi Agha ail.com is to be sculpted live tyWSWLondon/ for charity by royal equity.wswlon.workshop Union update visits: artist Frances Chair: Malcolm Ward [email protected] Freya Dominic & Su Segelman at the [email protected] Auditions: Will Baylis & Gilroy London Film Museum. Ayvianna Snow The tourism industry 07770 764388 07599 428481 accounts for 8% of the Social media/students: Vice Chair: Daniel Plus: Rhonda world’s carbon Page Eddy Cottridge & Nicky Goldie Bachmann, Andrea emissions, 3 times Secretary: Larner Black higher than estimated. Wallace-Taylor The Old Vic has

celebrated its 200th secretary.equity.wswlon birthday. Research @gmail.com suggests that the boom in streaming STUDENT FILM SURVEY PETER PLOUVIEZ Peter was could turn music into a $50 billion industry. Equity's Professionally Made General Secretary of Equity Professionally Paid campaign 41% of families now from 1974-1991. A Service of play video games has been successfully Thanksgiving for his life and challenging unpaid work in our together – and 44% of work will take place at the industry since its launch in 2014. parents swot up on the The campaign has made a Actors’ Church (St Paul’s, latest releases to try significant impact in fringe Covent Garden) Bedford Street, and appear cool. theatre, where it has brought London WC2E 9ED at Noon on Germany’s culture th £2.75 million in wages into the Thursday 7 June. All welcome, budget is to get a 23% sector. Improving student film especially London branch increase. The BBC jobs is now a key campaign members. Philharmonic are objective for 2018, and Equity inviting audience are confident they can make an members to keep their phones on and access impact. Please complete the COMING UP – TOLPUDDLE live programme notes. new Student Films Survey, FESTIVAL 20-22 July in Tolpuddle, The Palais de Tokyo which will help them develop Dorset. TUC coaches going down Museum in Paris has their strategy in this for the Sunday, when the march become the city’s first area: https://www.surveymonkey and speeches take place. Put it in to welcome nudist .co.uk/r/studentfilms your diary! visitors. The

Metropolitan Police’s ELECTION FEVER 3 Turnout Zephyr Actors Management is a facial recognition for Equity elections has always new co-operative agency being set system has yet to been low. Let’s improve it. up by 2 committee members at our identify a criminal. friends in the N&E London branch. Here’s an idea from Andrew The University of They are looking for new members Macbean – if every member who California has found who are interested in being part of votes contacted one friend who that pop music has got that process and taking an active they think might not bother and sadder in the last 30 part in developing the agency and persuaded them to vote, it would years. their careers. Interested? Email: double the turnout. Let’s DO IT! [email protected]

Minutes of W&SW London Equity Branch Meeting Wednesday 9 May, 7pm, Seven Dials Club, Covent Garden

Attendees – 47 (*committee members): Ayvianna Snow*, Malcolm Ward*, Joan Blackham, Freya Dominic*, Callan Durrant, Sarah Agha*, George Staines*, Eddy Cottridge, Jamie Newall, Ray Gardner, Mimi Brooks, Maureen Beattie, Des Fleming, Chris Eccles, Claude Starling, Nicky Goldie, Clive Greenwood, Chandrika Chevli, Richard Evans, Annie Fitzmaurice, Jane Goddard, Marie Collett, Edward Halsted, Jasper Jarman, Marjorie Hayward, Hugh Hemmings, Candice Palladino, Andrew Macbean, Mary Drake, Tim Block, Joanna Lewis, Kate Copeland, Blanche Anderson, Stephanie Shaw Parker, Amanda Holt, Andrew Candish, Alice Kornitzer, Sibeal McGuinne, Christopher Poke, Barrie Collits (guest), Eva Fontaine, Felicity Trew, Sarah Simmons, Christopher West, Lin Sagovsky, Sally Grey, Mat Burt (guest speaker).

Apologies: Fiona MacPherson, Bryan Harty, Tara Dowd, Cliff Chapman*, Daniel Page*, William Baylis*, James Wrighton, Avril Gaynor, Paddy Glynn, Freddy Merrydown, Su Gilroy, Larner Wallace-Taylor*, Norma Dixit, Pat Boothman, Flip Webster, Linda Beckett, Rebecca Yorke, Heather Bleasdale, Eileen Battye, Pamela Binns, Andrea Black, Noël Butler, Rhonda Bachmann, Melissa Collier, Adam Wittek, Maria Perry, Sarah Edwardson. Rosemary Smith, Cathryn Gleeson, Annabelle Gauberti.

Welcome

Malcolm welcomes members attending a branch meeting for the first time.

GUEST SPEAKER – MAT BURT, DIRECTOR, VAULT FESTIVAL

The Vault Festival is a swarming mass of comedy, film, music etc. We run it as a festival so we cram in as much as possible. We do 5 days a week. Shows tend to come in on a Tuesday, run from the Wednesday and then get out on Sunday. Applications for the Vault Festival need to be in by the end of August. From one-person shows to grand musicals and immersive theatre, we have at least one new show every day of the festival. There’s a lot going on, we find ourselves screaming into cups of coffee at 3am.

I also run Heritage Arts Company. We used to make site specific theatre and we encountered what everyone else encounters - that London is a very, very oversubscribed space especially when it comes to renting somewhere or getting someone to believe in your work. So we spoke to Network Rail and we met with a guy who was a ‘suit’ kind of guy. We thought we would be told to go away but they were really, really interested. His name is Tristan and he used to spin jazz records in the 80s, so was actually keen to hear about something creative again. Originally the Network Rail Planning & Record Office was full of debris and dirt, so we struck a deal - if we help get rid of the stuff, we could put on some shows here. We only had until Christmas to turn a dump into an attractive and safe work space.

We had 3 main shows and we originally had to beg people to come and do it! ‘Would you like to do your incredibly crafted show and perform it in a damp underground space’ was our pitch. Luckily we got 3 scratch shows and there were about 3 of us putting it together. We invented a bar (by that I mean a bin with some cans) and we invented a box office (by that I mean me with a pen and a good memory). Chloé Nelkin helped us - an incredible PR who supports lots and lots of fringe shows. She said ‘why didn’t you call me a long time ago?!’ She told a few newspapers about it and they came along. It grew and grew over the years!

Being artists ourselves we’re very sick and tired of being taken advantage of by people with more money than us. All the way along the chain people are taking money and that often means, as you all know, the artists and the people putting themselves out there get paid the least... if at all. We start every year at 0 when it comes to cash flow. We can’t commission but we take shows and try to remove as many barriers to entry as possible. Vault Festival is free to enter and we offer a box office split. In other venues you would need a few grand before you can even get a show off the ground, which is why we have such an imbalance of class and race in theatre. We get the festival to pay for itself. We tend to open at about 6 and the last show will start at 11, so there’s only a half an hour turnaround - a very tight festival model. Therefore even if one show doesn’t do well in terms of footfall we don’t need to ‘punish’ them because there’s enough people in the building buying beer so we’ll always break even. We’re very big on our core values : trust, opportunity and kindness. This is a difficult industry - we shouldn’t be competing, we should be cooperating.

We try to get artists to share what they have, for example projectors etc and try to get everyone to work together and flyer for each other. We know the more people we can get interested in this theatre the more everyone benefits from it! My specific job is Communications Director (and founder) so it’s my job getting the right people to the shows. When we had fewer people involved I was on the phone to everyone but now when there’re 350 companies involved, I can’t be everyone’s best mate but the artists and the audience are what makes the Vault what it is.

What was your footfall this year?

MB. 70,000 people. The year before it was 50,000. It’s growing by about 10,000 each year. There is an increase in awareness and it feels to us now that there’s a certain level of interest in terms of press and industry too. It’s all very well given someone a room and a decent financial deal but if the room is empty there is no point in doing it. This year we had people from the Pleasance, the Bush and the National around all the time. It has become a sort of feeder school - industry can come and see 10 shows a week without even leaving the borough.

I’m a writer and producer, are there a set amount of plays you’re allowed to submit and what do you look for?

MB. We always struggled a bit with artistic criteria. Not having any funding or spare money of our own means we run the whole thing by raising capital every year. We have to make it viable, so we are looking for everything so long as there is lots of variety resulting in lots of people being there. If we can offer a big selection - different styles, times of day, content, opinions - hopefully the maths says more people will come. Our artistic criteria is very broad. We are looking to create a kind of amazing banquet of things! So if you’re thinking about submitting, think about what other people are doing. There are social trends in theatre - for example there have been lots of shows recently about mental health, suicide and depression etc - which is a very positive thing for the industry to be talking about. So I get sent a lot of treatments and scripts. As much as I would like to program everything which comes in on mental health, I do need to think about variety so we need that circus show or that comedy show too. So if you are writing about mental health for example, think about how you can make it different. What is your contribution to the conversation? Is it your style? Are you bringing in film or cabaret or is it a very different story? People find it hard to describe what there show is - they might be able to talk about the process etc but it’s important for me to also know that it is a two-hander which lasts an hour for example. We don’t really want to theme the Vault Festival - we want it to be responsive. The plan is not to make it a curated festival. So for example we won’t be saying we specifically want more shows on the environment or whatever. We get far more applications than we can reasonable fit in the room so we have to make choices. It sucks but I have to send more e-mails saying ‘you didn’t get in’ than saying ‘you did’. I put off doing it, it’s not much fun which is why we keep the artistic criteria so broad. You can submit as many as you like

You have awards don’t you!? Who is the judging panel?

MB. Pretty much everyone who works at the festival. There are a lot of us so by the time the festival is up and running, everybody has a say. Everyone is encouraged to score and talk about the shows as we go. We also have a panel of industry people - producers, directors etc and people who have won before. What is nice about the awards is that there’s so much on. It’s funny - in one way we don’t like giving them. My job is not to be a critiic walking round deciding what show is good or not! I would like to encourage everyone and congratulate people for doing something scary and intimidating - doing a show in a damp tunnel! It was so much bigger this year and our resources were kind of stretched. The whole time we want to be supporting everyone. Giving awards to one set of people and not the next is not very egalitarian but it also helps having an award or logo on a poster when they take it elsewhere and that’s also good for us. Things tends to emerge quite quickly. By the Wednesday there will be hype about a particular show – the staff will be saying ‘you really have to see this’.

Are you ok with resubmission or do you discourage it?

MB: No they’re great! We absolutely want to read it again if something didn’t get through the first time. This festival wasn’t planned - it was an accident so we’ve been learning as we go over the past 6 years or so. We don’t know the amount of applications we’ll get until the deadline. One thing we don’t do is feedback because we get so many right up to the deadline that often we send a blanket answer which is 99% true saying ‘it’s not that we don’t like the show, we do, we just don’t have space for it this year.’ We also need a few names and a few award winners just to get people in but we also want to take risks and find new things. We’re not expecting everything to be amazing so for that reason we don’t reject stuff because it’s going to be ‘shit’ but because we don’t have room for it. So, yes definitely resubmit!

Who is on the panel in terms of gender? Race?

MB. The founders are all 30ish, we’re all male and white. On the reading panel we have all sorts of ages, races etc. but one of the problem is that we don’t have money to pay people. The main reason why the festival works is that we don’t have budgets, so my team who set it up, we don’t give ourselves salaries. Until we can find a way to make the festival fund itself, application panels are really difficult. This year we are appealing to people’s better nature but it’s kind of a tricky one.

It’s a superb festival! With regards to programming, is it a one hour time slot?

MB: Yes that’s the general consensus because then it’s easier to work the maths around. However this year we had one immersive show in one of the very big tunnels which was longer but generally it makes sense for everything to be 60 minutes.

In terms of sharing props, chairs and tables etc do you work that all out before?

MB. We try! It’s hard to administrate what 300 different companies might need but we try and get the shows to talk to each other. Also we are in a venue that already has lots of chairs and tables! There is very limited storage space in the Vaults. We have tried to make every little nook and cranny available for performance so we don’t have much room left for storage. Generally we will sort it out, we have not had any real issues with it.

What about the marketing side of things? What do you provide?

MB. There is no fee to be in the brochure or anything. We are all sitting on the same side of the table. Until we’re a venue that charges rent up front and then doesn’t have to worry about ticket sales. We are all working incredibly hard to sell as many tickets as possible for all the shows. The programming is a long process so we try to get as much done by October in the programming window, but as soon as we have a good crop of people we get them together and tell what works, how to do social media campaign - dos and don’ts etc. We then do a big distribution run in boroughs as it is hard to make the most of of flyers. We can give out any discount offer codes on pretty much whatever basis you suggest like '2 for 1’s’. If you want people to hear about your show get other people to talk about it. There is no magic formula. Some shows we think are going to smash it don’t and then some shows we hadn’t expected to then sell out. Word of mouth and recommendations on twitter are the best. Companies tend to make the mistake of going on and on about their on show but actually having someone else recommend your show is much more powerful. So we try to get people to help each other out... we can’t produce 350 shows, it was hard enough doing 2!

Someone has to ask the trade union question - what are the backstage conditions like?

MB. We pass every health & safety test. In the Pit, which was originally designed as a flood barrier, the wall always glistens like a beautiful dungeon. So for example in that venue all our electricals are outdoor. There are showers depending on which show you are. As far as I know we are completely on point - it’s very important - people raise that every so often.We have to be down there all year so we would be the first to suffer the effects.

On your footfall - is it mainly a younger audience?

MB. Yes the people you expect. Screwed quite towards women (60-63% women), majority white. The metrics we have from the audience agency tell us we fall into the ‘metro-cultural’ category. So that’s people with fairly decent jobs, unlikely to have children, with a bit of money to spend on things. But we do have a big spread because we do a lot of kids’ stuff. Our eldest recorded audience member was 92. There was also an opera last year which attracted lots of 60+ but we have other shows that won't attract anyone over 25. We want people to treat the Vaults like Edinburgh and see a bunch of different things and hopefully the ticket prices are low enough that they can do that and explore. However the vast majority of people who attend are coming to see a specific show. We do have walk-ins and we are getting more people every year. Hopefully people are just having a nice time and hanging out in the bar but it would be nice if they could see another show.

Do you need to submit a full script at the same time as applying?

MB. No you don’t have to. We ask for supporting materials but there is no requirement for a script to be written. If all you have is a 3 paragraph description that is still ok. The idea has to lead - if it makes us smile and we enjoy it then we look at the ‘who you are’ section. We have to think about whether it’s conceivable to the festival. If someone has a really ambitious idea like elephants charging through, isn’t viable! We have to be realistic,

Do you seek or encourage ethnic minorities’

MB. We suffer from the same problem the whole theatre town has. Representation is a feeling of inclusivity. In order to attract people from a more diverse audience we need to have more people who look like them on stage. To us the festival is still kind of a surprise that we created 6 years ago but its growth and its cultural importance means it is now a gatekeeper for something that can provide a platform for Camden Fringe, or Brighten Fringe, Edinburgh etc. We want to create a fair and egalitarian approach. How can we create a structure that does that? Putting on more shows that are demographically diverse would help so we are collaborating with Tamasha and Black Theatre. It’s a Catch 22 effect. If it’s only white people on the stage then it’s for a white audience. We want more representation on stage - we want to get to a point where it is more representative of the community. But it’s a problem all theatres have that white people are more likely to have the funds to see something silly under the ground.

What about venue sizes and ticket prices?

MB. We offer a 70/30 box office split. Our main income comes from the bar. Our venues range from 78 in the pit to 150-200 in the immersive room. But then last year we had groups of about 4 or so listening to music in the back of a van so there are scattered little ones too. But generally around 100. There is a £1.50 booking fee for the booking software but we advice people to charge about £5-£12 or so. If someone is torn between charging £10 or £12 we would advice them to charge £12 and then we can offer discounts and deals. We want to make sure artists get paid for what they are doing. But without any kidn of subsidy, a lot of people don’t understand how much it costs to put on a show. It is a difficult thing to manage.

What about disabled audiences and performers?

MB. Every venue is fully wheelchair accessible. The only exception is the metal mezzanine but that’s just bar space anyway. We’ve applied in the past for accessibility based funding to the Arts Council but have not received it. It is very easy for us to execute a relaxed performance so we encourage that. In terms of signed performances that is harder to do as it requires someone to get paid to sign it. I’m proud of what we are doing. We introduced gender neutral toilets this year. Also we want to make a ‘photo journey’ to let people know what they will see, feel and hear if they see each show.

Is there anything you would like Equity do for you or support you?

MB. Speaking on behalf of the festival there is nothing we require - it kind of doesn’t exist - it is an umbrella we put over the festival. Our job is to put those shows on a platform. If there is anything your wider community can do to encourage people to come that would be good! Equity is very important and our industry needs Equity. The more that artists can be supported the more sleep I can get.

Are you open to people attending workshops or shows throughout the year?

MB. Yes! We get lots of emails. My email is [email protected]. We love seeing theatre. We have a big calendar up and it’s one of the things I love about my job. Definitely do!

How you decide who gets what theatre?

MB. People tend to want the smaller theatres. On the form we ask people to give as much information they can give and then they give their first or second preference. Some are obvious, so for example the dungeon-like pit would fit a one man horror show, but we can never give everyone the space they want. We ask people to tell us what we would prefer then we send an offer and wriggle it around in a big jigsaw and see what we can managed.

Malcolm thanks Mat for coming – warm applause.

Mins of April Meeting: No matters arising

MAUREEN BEATTIE – Branch member and new President of Equity

Hello everyone! I have been elected unopposed as the new Equity President (enthusiastic applause). My initial reaction was a mixture of delight and horror, and a sense that there is no going back now!

I will be taking over as President in July which gives me a few months to get ready and get my head around what this will mean in my life. And it gives me time to think about what I want to do with the role.

The first thing I want to talk about is Communication, both from Equity to the membership, and from Equity to the outside world. We all know that there is great strength and power in advertising; the reason you buy one brand of cereal in the supermarket as opposed to another brand is the way it has been advertised. And I feel that this is something Equity lacks at the moment; we are great at working in the background, but not great at getting the word about the work we do out there to the world. I remember watching the Today programme a few months ago when the BFI were launching their new agenda for change with a guide for behaviour, and advice about what to do if you are suffering harassment. The great actress Ruth Wilson was on the programme talking about it, and she said that she thought this was wonderful as it was the first time that there had ever been a helpline you could call if you found yourself in a difficult position and wanted help and advice. Now, this is of course not the case. Equity have had a helpline you can call for years now! But the fact that Ruth Wilson didn’t know about it isn’t her fault, it’s our fault. It just shows that the wider world is not aware of what we do, and we have failed to advertise ourselves enough. If people become more aware of what we do, it will also help us to frighten people who behave badly towards performers; it will give them the sense that Equity will come after them if they don’t change their ways.

The Stage newspaper every year has its Top 100 Powerful People in Theatre and Equity has never once been on it! We have 43,500 members! What about Malcolm Sinclair and Christine Payne? This needs to change and Equity needs to start featuring on these sorts of lists; we should be seen as a powerful force in the industry.

The second big thing I want to mention is Disability. 20% of our population has some sort of ongoing, life-changing disability and yet only 2% of all roles on stage and film go to disabled performers. That is horrific and not representative of the population as a whole. My dream is to have total accessibility to all jobs in this industry, whereby the only reason you can’t be considered for a job is if it is physically impossible for you to do that job. If you are able to do the job, you should have the same chance as everybody else. I have been having lots of meetings with the Deaf & Disabled Committee and I have been doing a lot of listening to work out what I can do to help. I am currently working on a radio series where my character has a son with Down’s Syndrome. They have cast an actor who has Down’s Syndrome which is wonderful and he is marvellous in the role! Of course he is - why wouldn’t he be?

I have also just joined Twitter so that people will be able to contact me - my Twitter handle is MaureenBeattie2.

This branch are very friendly with the Brighton branch and they have asked if you would be willing to travel down to Brighton to speak to them?

Maureen: Yes, of course I would! I would be delighted!

Firstly, I think a lot of people are wary of becoming the Equity Dep in a company. When it comes time to choose the Dep, there is a general feeling of ‘I hope it’s not me!’ And that needs to change. People fear that they will be seen as troublemakers always going to the management with problems. People should be proud to be the dep, not fearful.

Secondly, I think we need to beware of tokenism. Often the same Down’s Syndrome actor will be used all the time for every TV series, and it becomes a box-ticking exercise rather than a genuine search to cast the right actor for the role.

Maureen: I agree the situation with people fearing to be the Equity Dep needs to change. I will just say that I learned recently that you should not use the term ‘Down’s Syndrome actor’; you should instead say ‘actor with Down’s Syndrome’. You should not define the person by their disability.

I think we need to make sure that people who don’t use the branches are aware the branches exist. When I returned to acting in 2016 I wasn’t even aware about the meetings. People don’t realise how much power they have.

Maureen: I think that’s a very important point. We don’t realise our own power. When we decided to launch our Casting Manifesto, at first we were going to have a low-key launch. But then we reconsidered and realised that if we want people to take us seriously as a powerful union we need to show them we mean business. The launch needed to be bigger and more thrilling! So we hired a room at the Ivy and of course everyone turned up. And because they had come, they were then forced to listen to us!

Also, I feel that the emails Equity send out are too verbose and long-winded, they need to be more exciting and punchier. We are also getting our new website soon, although I realise it is taking a long time, but Matt Hood is on the case. So the website should help too.

Perhaps we could create some short viral videos for YouTube explaining what the union does? People could share them on social media?

Maureen: We did try something like that before and in my experience the videos aren’t watched by many people. Although I know the branch video this branch made went down very well.

(From Chair): The branch membership lists have been problematic for some time. About 3 or 4 times a month I get an email from someone who has inexplicably dropped off our mailing list and stopped receiving emails. We call them The Disappeared. We work very hard to engage people so it is frustrating when they just drop off the list for no reason. Kevin and Brenda at Guild House have been brilliant and always add everyone back on again quickly, but it still drives us round the bend.

Maureen: I wasn’t aware of that. I will look into that and get back to you with a solution.

It would be great to get more people to vote in our elections. Do you have any great ideas? Maureen: Yes, I know. Election turnout is very poor. Voter turnout in the last election was only 11% which is not good enough. I was also a little disappointed to be elected unopposed, it wasn’t what I wanted; I wanted a good, clean fight. So if we could get a better turnout this year that would really help me to feel like I have a good mandate and it will give me a burst of energy going into my presidency.

I think people are fearful to vote. You get this enormous booklet and it seems like a really big task.

I intend to send out an email a week before everyone receives the pack in the post to prepare people for it. I will encourage people to at least open the pack and look at it, and even if they recognise just one name, cast just one vote. Even that would be a start. I will emphasise that people do not have to fill out the entire thing if they feel it is too much for them. You’re allowed to only vote for one or two people.

I think there is a feeling sometimes that Equity is just for actors. I am a director and I also teach, and when my students ask me why they should join Equity I find I haven’t got an answer for them. Many people do not expect to be paid properly during their first few years after training, so Equity is no longer about contracts. There’s a sense that it is old, dusty and not relevant.

Maureen: I would say that is a matter of communication again; we need to get better at letting people know what exactly we do.

(Chair) Also, many young people ARE engaged. We have a very thriving Young Members’ Committee; one of their members Callan Durrant, is here tonight.

I am a new member who recently joined Equity. I found that I wasn’t even sure how to go about voting in elections. I didn’t know whether I would have to go to a polling station at a certain location, or whether I could do it online. I didn’t know I would be receiving papers in the post.

Maureen: That’s a good point. I must be sure to include that in my email; an explanation of how the voting process works.

Finally, I just want to say that the creative industries are worth £92 billion to this country. We need to teach the people in power that there is a connection between that money and the people who actually make the work!

Malcolm thanks Maureen and emphasises that she can always come to the branch if she feels the need for support. (Huge applause).

News From The Committee

Secretary

The secretary has received a message from the casting director Irene East (who is also a branch member). She says ‘Is there any way of reminding members that casting directors are very grateful to be reminded of understudy runs? I have, not infrequently, cast actors from understudy runs. It does seem to be a rather haphazard business. Some managements are very helpful, but others feel it doesn’t come under their jurisdiction, and rely on actors involved to get the word out.’

Midlands Area Councillor Sally Treble has kindly created an updated, accurate list of Walk-On and Supporting Artiste agents and also Variety agents, plus updated information on Walk-On repeat fees. Given new data protection laws (as of 25th May), it's probably the last time she'll be able to do this. So if you'd like a copy, please contact Malcolm.

Treasurer

Three and a half years ago Maureen Beattie bet Andrew Macbean here that he would stand for Council. He swore he wouldn’t, but of course he did! So I am now taking this opportunity to give Maureen her fiver! Though I realised when I got it out if my drawer that it was an old fiver!

We currently have £5,200 in the bank.

Our repayment of £1,064.63 from Guild House has come in including things like the hire of this room for meetings, as well as our branch funding allocation of £450. The extra money is a result of the success of the workshops which always either break even or make a profit.

The £450 has to be used to take the work of the union forward, to support a campaign or do something educational. We have decided to use some of the money to produce T-shirts to support our ‘Safe Spaces’ campaign. I also invite sensible suggestions for other possible uses for the money - I will put my email address in the newsletter and you can contact me with your ideas.

Workshops We have three upcoming workshops, two of which have sold out.

- Lucy Jenkins, of Jenkins McShane Casting, will be running a workshop called ‘Empowering The Actor’ on Mon 14 May, which has sold out. - Christopher Worrall, the Casting & Creative Assistant at the Donmar Warehouse, will be running a session on Audition Technique on Wed 30 May, which has sold out. People who have missed out will be placed on a waiting list. - Simon Godwin will be running another workshop on 8 June which is not open for applications yet.

I hope to get more female artists to run workshops after this.

Audition Days

We have two upcoming audition days.

- Paul Davies, the Artistic Director of touring theatre company Volcano Theatre, will be hosting an audition day at Spotlight on Fri 18 May. He is currently casting his autumn tour of Macbeth, so will be asking for Shakespearean monologues. The deadline for applications is 11 May. - Ian Talbot, the ex-Artistic Director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and freelance director, will be hosting an audition day on Fri 22 June. He is currently casting a musical called ‘Eugenius’ which is doing an 8-week run in London this autumn

Play Readings

The next play reading is on Fri 25 May at 12pm at Guild House. We will be reading Dirty Butterfly by Debbie Tucker Green, which is a three-hander.

These readings are very useful. Our member Fiz Marcus did a reading of Absolute Hell a few months ago, and then got an audition for it at the National. She is performing there right now!

Rehearsed Readings

This branch has great relationships with theatres such as Theatre 503 and the Drayton Arms where they use our actors for rehearsed readings of works in progress; these readings are designed to fill the gap between plays in development and full- scale productions. They can be very useful as they let the director visualise how the play will work in the space and let the writer see how their words play in the moment.

We have recently hit upon the idea of approaching individual writers to see if they would benefit from a rehearsed reading of their work. We have been approaching writers with prestigious credits to their name, including graduates of the Royal Court writers’ programme. Cliff has been writing to several TV writers. A few of us also went along to a networking night in Merton a week ago - organised by Jonathan Humphreys of Attic Theatre - to publicise our rehearsed readings offer. We emphasised that, if we’re approached by an individual writer as opposed to a theatre company, we reserve the right to decline if it’s not for us. We were approached there by a writer who has an agent and whom Willy Russell has mentored. We will let you know what happens.

Equity Council Elections

- The Joint London Branch Hustings will take place on Monday 11 June 2pm-5pm at Guild House. Come and meet the candidates standing for Council. - Shenagh Govan, Chair of the N&E London Branch, has requested our branch support in the elections. Malcolm reads out a statement from Shenagh and adds his own personal recommendation, from their work together with the other London Chairs. Result of vote: overwhelmingly carried, with 2 abstentions. - (Adam Burns has withdrawn his request for branch support as he has been elected to his seat unopposed.)

Motion: Recruitment Practices in the Entertainment Industry

Claude Starling reads the motion out, as proposer.

Callan Durrant seconds the motion.

Claude: This branch proposed the ‘Manifesto For Change’. We talked about it for two years, we had a huge launch at the Ivy, people signed up, and yet nothing has changed. We are still regularly being degraded at castings. I also work in recruitment in the corporate world so I can really see the difference in how we treat people coming in to interview and how I am treated as an actor. In the corporate world, we see five people a day. In our industry, casting directors see 30 people a day and will often be running almost an hour behind schedule.

In the corporate world, they will spend an hour interviewing someone for a £60,000 a year job and will be able to make a decision after one hour. In our world, we will go up for a commercial worth only £2,000 and will still be asked to attend a recall.

I was asked to attend a recall recently which I did as I had been told I was on a ‘heavy pencil’. When I got there I found 12 other actors had also been told they were on a ‘heavy pencil’. The term ‘heavy pencil’ has become meaningless.

This is a £92 billion industry, we should be treated with more respect.

Joan Blackham: I think that acting is a different industry from the corporate world. We have to accept that it is harder for us and there are just too many of us. We shouldn’t complain at being asked to show up knowing our lines. Eddy Cottridge: I find the motion too broad. Casting is a very wide field. Different casting directors will have different approaches. I often work with commercials casting directors and I find they are happy to have a chat with me and hear about my day. Nicky Goldie: It all comes down to respect. I said this before the Harvey Weinstein story came out; actors are not treated with any respect. We need to make a big fuss and a lot of noise before anything will get done about it. Clive Greenwood: You’ve mentioned getting in some outside recruitment consultants, such as the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), to investigate the situation, and I think that will be very costly to the Union. It’s too much money to spend and it won’t have a lot of sway with casting directors, who may well not even have heard of the CIPD. Maureen Beattie: I agree that the CIPD will be too costly, and including this point may well stop the motion getting through Council. I suggest deleting the reference to the CIPD. Ray Gardner: If castings are running late, it’s because there is a reason. And we should know our lines. We should stop complaining. Yes, the industry as a whole is worth £92 billion, but the vast majority of us are just jobbing actors and are not personally worth huge amounts of money to the country. Tim Block: Yes, we should know our lines, but we should be given sufficient time to learn them. It isn’t fair to send us a script with just a few hours’ notice and expect us to learn it perfectly! Andrew Macbean: The motion isn’t about learning lines, it is about reinstating the Casting Working Party which I 100% support. In fact, I already requested it myself. I think we should get rid of the point about the CIPD as it complicates things too much. Sarah Agha: I think we should add the words ‘and ethnicity’ where it says ‘filmmakers and venues are asking for age’. I’ve known actors be asked for their ethnicity at castings and they shouldn’t have to disclose that information. Claude Starling: I think it’s important to include some examples of bad experiences in the motion to shock and provoke people, and make the motion contentious. I also think its important to compare our industry with the real world so we don’t get stuck in a bubble.

After much debate, the motion was amended to read:

It’s been a year since Equity adopted its Manifesto for Casting and prior to this there were two years worth of working party negotiations – little has changed. Casting directors are still not notifying performers when they haven’t got the job or how many performers are pencilled. Castings are still held in inaccessible venues. Student film makers and venues are asking for age and ethnicity. Castings are running 40+ minutes late. The Casting Directors’ Association has still not signed up to the Manifesto for Casting. Performers are writing in The Stage that their mental health is at stake or that they’ve had to shame casting directors to their clients.

Online we see a casting director publicly complaining that actors haven’t learnt lines for ‘dialogue heavy’ castings. We see a casting director holding an online 25 minute ‘time trial’ to submit your showreel. A number of casting directors now resort to a blanket message on Spotlight’s casting board – ‘Sorry too busy to send individually but all pencils can now be released’ or simply ‘This commercial is now cast. Thanks’.

The disrespect is palpable, insidious, an abuse of power and a dereliction of duty of care. Our members’ mental health, family life and legal rights are being damaged and degraded.

Such abuses are unheard of in ANY other sector where, with considerably more money at stake, job interviews run smoothly on time and applicants are afforded respect. Even Equity branches can run their own audition days on time!

The W&SW London Branch urges Council:

- to reinstate the Manifesto for Casting Working Party asap to reinvigorate and direct our dialogue with casting directors and members - and to get the Casting Working Party to recommend or commission a review, or get the industrial committees to recommend or commission a review.

With sexual abuse, mental health, bullying, no pay and bad practice in recruitment all rampant our sector cannot sink any lower. It is hoped that a credible third party report with best practice recommendations can be used to exert further pressure on an industry that is crying out for reform and regulation. Let’s stop the rot!

Motion overwhelmingly carried, with 2 abstentions.

Council Report from Andrew Macbean

The May Council meeting ran over two days. The main focus was to consider the ARC (Annual Representative Conference) including speakers, Honorary Life Members and every one of 54 Motions submitted plus numerous amendments.

Matters Arising - discussions continue to purchase the new Glasgow office for £225,000. An additional £200k will be needed to complete renovations & to make it fully accessible.

Industrial Reports - A long and detailed report from the Screen & New Media Committee. After 20 years of having no formal agreement including minimum fees with the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) a deal is close to completion. It is not perfect but a massive step. Full details will be announced once it is signed.

Other issues reported on and discussed were the Student Film Agreement, blacking up actors in Disney’s live action Aladdin which seems to have been a misunderstanding, and the work the union is doing to protect actor’s images after their death. Discussions are on going with the games industry including motion capture and audio artists leading to a specialist conference planned for later in the year.

The Stage Committee reported on the 2019 West End claim. It was developed following an extensive survey with members who had worked in the West End over the last three years plus the West End Deps Committee. It includes the main action points from the Sexual Harassment Working Group and the Casting Manifesto.

Variety, Circus and Entertainers - following a Motion from the 2017 ARC (Young Members Committee) a survey has been developed to consult those who work in visitor attractions, especially those operated by Merlin. Low pay and security from assaults by visitors were keys issues raised.

Guidance for applications to the ‘Unknown Funds’ - To allocate these funds as openly and fairly as possible simplified guidelines were agreed including limiting applications from branches and committees to £5,000 per application and to one a year. Applications can be made for branch building, campaigning, educational activities and capital costs such as equipment and room hire. The money cannot be used for existing core branch activities or wages and performance fees.

Negotiations were completed for a 3 year sponsorship deal with the Actors’ Centre including numerous benefits to members at a cost of £15K a year. Full details will be sent to the branch committees. In addition the Tristan Bates Theatre has signed up to use the Equity Fringe Agreement.

A working party of members has been meeting to discuss Arts Policy and Campaigns. An interim report was circulated containing some fairly radical, and to my mind unrealistic, proposals around funding from central government and the engagement of branches in union campaigns. The report was for information only with a final version to be submitted later in the year. I mention this only because I understand that a member of this working party is slated to attend an upcoming branch meeting to discuss campaigning.

A report was tabled with details of the number of nomination papers received for the upcoming Council and Presidential elections. Maureen Beattie was the only Presidential candidate and is therefore appointed unopposed. Ballot papers will be sent to all members on 6 June. Under trades union legislation Council elections can only be conducted by post and not on line.

Reports were circulated from recent meetings of the three National Committees - Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, plus TUC conferences for Women, Black Workers, and Young Workers. Equity delegates attended all three.

Motions - Two motions were discussed from the Welsh National Committee. The first concerned the delegating authority for S4C to the Welsh National Assembly. The other was about providing Equity documentation bilingually to enable it to be used more widely.

Membership - Membership continues to grow, with 43,838 members in benefit on 31 March 2018. The Graduate Membership Scheme, launched last year, continues to be popular having a positive impact on encouraging students to stay with the union in the tricky post drama school/university period.

Other issues discussed included the draft 2017 Annual Report, expenses for committees and branches, and a 2018 budget update. An interesting change to the budget in light of a recent motion proposed by branch members to the London AGM was a reduction in branch funding from £5,900 to £2,530. This is the 25p per branch member that we get from central funds. The reason for the reduction is that is has been brought in line with the 2017 figure of what was actually claimed. A significant number of branches do not claim any of the available funds. Needless to say W&SW London branch claims their full allowance and spends every penny on branch activities.

Last but not least we discussed a Councillor’s Motion calling on Equity to clarify the 5 key points it campaigns on concerning BREXIT, namely:

- Fighting to ensure arts funding lost be matched and guaranteed by the UK government. - Campaigning on free movement for workers. - Workers’ rights to rest and holiday pay to be guaranteed. - Vocal opposition to a No Brexit deal that would devastate members’ careers, incomes and ability to provide for loved ones. - No hard border on the island of Ireland.

Council agendas are posted on the Equity website in advance of the meeting. Minutes are posted a few days after the following month’s meeting. If you have any questions feel free to contact me on [email protected].

ITV’s The Big Audition update

Malcolm: This is a reality TV show ITV are making where they plan to film real life auditions of various kinds – in theatre, TV, films and events. Our member Clive Greenwood has been generous in sharing his experiences with us. Equity’s TV Organiser Claire Hood has sent us a statement on what Equity is doing on the subject:

The Big Audition.

This is being made by an independent production company who first approached us about this show back in 2016. After several meetings they stated that the format of the show had changed from their original plans so it would not be going ahead in the way that they first envisaged.

However the production company recently approached a theatre company about potentially filming auditions. So I have given all of the TV rates and terms and conditions to my colleague in the live department and he is liaising with the theatre company to ensure that Equity terms are adhered to in relation to that aspect of the programme.

Many thanks for raising the further points below. I have taken them directly to the Head of Legal and Business Affairs at the production company and I will be in touch as soon as I have any further updates. In the meantime please do feel free to contact me should you have further concerns.

Any other business

- The Tania Foley Summertime Cabaret will take place on Tue 24 July at 7.30pm at the Bread & Roses in Clapham. Email Will Baylis if you would like to perform! [email protected] - The TUC May Day Rally will take place on Saturday 12 May, the Equity meeting point is on the Victoria Embankment at 11am. Tim Block will be taking along the banner and needs volunteers to help him carry it! - Jamie Newall has an update on the medical questionnaire he was asked to fill in upon being offered a small role in a feature film. He was asked to fill in a very long list of very intrusive personal questions.

Jamie: I spoke to Laura Messenger who agreed with me that the content was objectionable. The problem is how to go about challenging it. Apparently it is a standard form and when she spoke to the production company on my behalf they told her I was the only one who had queried it! The production company have assured me that only the relevant people will see the form once it is filled in and my personal information will not be viewable by the entire office. Preliminary discussions have taken place between Equity and the insurers but in the meantime I have been advised to fill the form in.

During the meeting I have jotted down a quick list of reasons why one should join Equity which I will read now if I may:

- Equity is in lots of respects a family and as we know now it’s a growing and very professional family - of young, middle aged and older dancers, stage managers, directors, designers choreographers as well as actors. - The union gives support in something that is to a lot of us a vocation, so we might lose focus on boring things like pay and conditions. - It gives us professional and honest advice about fair working conditions, pay and employment legislation. Advice from young, professional & knowledgeable experts in many fields who work amazingly hard for us. - You can ask really awkward and difficult questions of employers anonymously through the union and with the confidence that your name will not be revealed. - You can use the harassment helpline 020 7670 0268 - You can get legal, welfare and tax advice, sick pay and a really good ethically invested pension. - It gives you access, if you or your family and dependents are in dire straits financially or medically, to support from 15 charities and organisations such as www.bapam.org.uk - You know that under an Equity contract on film, TV, radio, dance or theatre and even now in some fringe venues (and the number is continually increasing) you will got an agreed level of pay; it’s still not enough and the Union is working on that, but you can live on it. - You will get proper tea breaks, overtime, travel expenses, holiday pay & sometimes residual fees .... and all of this now hopefully in a safe environment, free from racial prejudice, gender and sexual stereotyping and bullying. - It works in association with other unions so it is not unsupported. See www.feutraining.org/ - If the whole entertainment industry becomes too much for you, Equity can sometimes even help you retrain for a different career.

... And if we can believe what we hear, even a new all-singing, all-dancing website by the end of this month!

MEETING CLOSED AT 9.45PM

Minutes: Ayvianna Snow Speaker mins: Sarah Agha

Next meeting: Wednesday 13 June, 7pm, Seven Dials Guest speaker: James Graham, playwright LOOK OUT FOR:

* Cathryn Gleeson in The Snail and the Whale, on a national tour from 30 May: www.tallstories.org.uk/the-snail-and-the-whale

* Callan Durrant in short film Mass Trespass: https://vimeo.com/267620124 Maxine Peake said ‘This film is a must see! A gem. Informative and inspiring. Lest we ever forget Benny Rothman and the mass trespassers... because of their passion and bravery we have our freedom to roam. Long may they continue to inspire us’ * SPECIAL OFFER TO BRANCH MEMBERS: Headshot photographer and film maker Moritz Omland-Boehringer is offering branch members an exclusively discounted price for booking a session with him. Rates would therefore be £170 for 2 retouched images or £210 for 4, saving approx £40. Quote ‘Equity 18’. Based close to Greenwich on the Isle of Dogs (E14), his photos are always taken outdoors with natural light. Here is his website: http://moritzomland-boehringer.com and Instagram page: www.instagram.com/moritzomlandboehringer/ Tel: 07947 798821 And finally …..

* Member Paul Mclaughlin is organising two August workshops - limited to ten participants each - with well-known former US casting director (eg Fargo) Jane Drake Brody: www.janedrakebrody.com/about-jane

Contact Paul for details: [email protected]