West & South West London Equity Branch May 2018 Newsletter Next meeting: Wed 9 May, 7pm Seven Dials Club, 42 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LA (opposite Donmar Warehouse) Guest speaker: Mat Burt The 2018 VAULT Festival underneath the arches in Waterloo attracted 70,000 people to 350 shows in 16 venues. It's the largest platform in London for innovative, daring, new work - and is committed to being the fairest for artists too. Festival Director Mat Burt tells us all about it. On at 7pm sharp! WORKSHOPS IT’S MAUREEN! AND THANKS 2 workshops coming up We are absolutely thrilled this month: Mon 14 May, that branch member, our MALCOLM! A massive Thank You too to 10-1 or 2-5 at Equity HQ very own Maureen Beattie, is Guild House. Empowering to be the new President of current President Malcolm Sinclair. Malcolm has done a the Actor with Lucy Equity – and the first female Jenkins of Jenkins President since 1946. superb job as President these last eight years. McShane Casting. And Following Malcolm Sinclair’s Wed 30 May, 10-1 also at extraordinarily successful Diversity, equality, Casting Manifesto, harassment - he's Guild House, Audition eight years, Maureen has Technique with been elected unopposed for dealt with an extraordinary array of major issues, as well Christopher Worrall, the next two years’ term. And Casting Director at the she will be making her debut as many less publicised, sometimes at the eye of a Donmar Warehouse. appearance since the result Both workshops £20, or ….. with us at the next global media storm - and done so with intelligence, £10 for first 3 branch meeting on 9 May! student/graduate members. Come and hear her views on charm and passion, all the while somehow maintaining See attachment with this the challenges we face and newsletter for full details, how we can overcome them. a successful career as an actor. He has been a total including how to apply. Audition day - Fri 18 May, star and a very hard act to Next PLAY READING is on 10-17.00, Spotlight. Paul follow. Fri 25 May, 12pm at Guild Davies, Artistic Director of House. Play to be MAY DAY RALLY Volcano Theatre, who will confirmed! Email Larner on Sat 12 May 2018 is the date shortly be casting their next [email protected] for for the TUC’s official May production – a tour of more details nearer the Day rally, where Equity will Macbeth. Volcano is a small, time. be looking to play a full part. energetic, responsive arts company with a great track Join the closed Branch Committee member record. Full details in Discussion Group on Ayvianna Snow has attachment accompanying Facebook. Email Malcolm personally recruited 23 this newsletter. on [email protected] branch members this year. W&SW London Equity Treasurer: George Play readings: Larner In brief ….. Hull’s Branch Contacts: Staines Wallace-Taylor year as UK City of [email protected] On Twitter: Speakers: Joan Culture attracted @EquityWSW London Blackham Rehearsed readings: more than 5 million Cliff Chapman people, £220 million On Facebook: Workshops: Sarah rr.equitywswlondon@gm of investment and www.facebook.com/Equi Agha ail.com 800 new jobs. A tyWSWLondon/ equity.wswlon.workshop [email protected] Union update visits: collection of over Chair: Malcolm Ward Freya Dominic & Su 100 of the most [email protected] Auditions: Will Baylis & Gilroy disastrous 07770 764388 Ayvianna Snow 07599 428481 inventions will go on display in the new Vice Chair: Daniel Social media/students: Plus: Rhonda Page Eddy Cottridge & Nicky Bachmann, Andrea Museum of Failure Goldie Black in LA. The UK’s Secretary: Larner creative exports are Wallace-Taylor worth £21 billion, £6 secretary.equity.wswlon billion more than @gmail.com previous estimates. The NHS should ELECTION HUSTINGS! UNDERSTUDY RUNS Following prescribe the arts The London branches are our recent motion to Council on more, according to a holding JOINT LONDON including understudy runs in the new Arts Council HUSTINGS for the forthcoming forthcoming commercial theatre Wales study. A Council elections on Monday 11 negotiations, this really useful performance of June, Equity HQ Guild House, 2- (and thoughtful) tip from casting James MacMillan’s 5pm. Come and grill the director Irene East: Is there any Stabat Mater will be candidates who want to speak way of reminding members that the first ever concert on your behalf for the next two casting directors are very live-streamed from years! Interested in coming? grateful to be informed of the Vatican. Ringo Drop Malcolm a quick email, so understudy runs? I've, not Starr has been we can have an idea of infrequently, cast actors from knighted. You can numbers: understudy runs. It does seem now learn Star Trek [email protected] to be a rather haphazard language Klingon on business. Some managements the Duolingo app. TANIA FOLEY SUMMERTIME are very helpful, but others feel it The Church of CABARET! Named after much doesn't come under their England is to begin loved committee member Tania jurisdiction, and rely on actors taking contactless Foley, who passed away in involved to get the word out. donations at more hospital last year aged only 39, THANKS, IRENE! than 16,000 we are thrilled to announce that INSURANCE FORMS AT churches. UK we will once again be holding CASTINGS Following member theatres could face a our summer scratch Jamie Newall’s jawdropping list of £180 million lighting night/cabaret – on Tuesday 24 personal items he had to fill in at a bill under new EU July at the Bread & Roses in recent casting, just to say that proposals to ban Clapham. Got a party piece you Equity are ONTO this. It may take a certain lighting love showing off? Got an while – it’s the insurance fixtures. Facebook is audition piece you’d like to try companies who are the problem, getting into online out? Got a song you think would not the production companies, so dating. A new they don’t have the same influence go down well – with London’s museum has – but they are addressing the issue. most fun, welcoming and opened in Passau, sympathetic audience?! Email In the meantime, their advice is to fill in the insurance forms. Germany celebrating Will: [email protected] the dachshund. MINUTES OF W&SW LONDON EQUITY BRANCH MEETING, APRIL 2018 Wednesday 11th April 2018, Seven Dials Club, Covent Garden Attendees (33; *committee member): Freya Dominic*, Callan Durrant, Su Gilroy, Claude Starling, Mimi Brooks, Ayvianna Snow*, Malcolm Ward*, Miranda Heath, Philip Anthony, Larner Wallace-Taylor*, Jamie Newall, George Staines*, Davey Seagle, Nicky Goldie, Linda Beckett, Annie Fitzmaurice, Felicity Trew, Christopher Poke, Flip Webster, Chris Eccles, (illegible), Richard Evans, Alexander Gordon-Wood, Clive Greenwood, Pat Boothman, Silas Hawkins, Fenella Fairbairn, Sibeal McGuinne, Daniel Page*, Victoria Gigante, Rhonda Bachmann, Lola May, Peter Charlton. Apologies: Brian Harty, Lin Sagovsky, Andrew Macbean, Kristin Milward, Mary Drake, TIm Block, Rosemary Macvie, Andrea Black, Chandrika Chevli, Sheila Keating, Paddy Glynn, Sarah Agha*, Mufrida Hayes, Kate Copeland, Carrie Cohen, Maureen Beattie, Adam Wittek, Noël Butler, Rosemary Smith, Eddy Cottridge, Victoria Seabrook, Penelope Lambton, Sarah Simmons, Sarah Edwardson, Will Baylis*, Cliff Chapman*. March meeting - Corrections/Matters Arising • Lola May attended but was mistakenly omitted from the list of attendees. • Rhonda’s SERTUC meeting was January 20th, not March 14th. Rhonda also wished to clarify that Sadiq Khan’s five Brexit strategies report was circulated prior to the SERTUC meeting, but was not discussed at all at the meeting itself. Finally, the fifth and worst case scenario according to the Khan report was reversion to WTO rules with no transition period. News from the Committee Secretary Our next reading of dirty butterfly by debbie tucker green (note edgy lower case spellings) will take place at the irregular date and time of 25th May at 12.30, due to Bank Holiday closures at Guild House. The recent motion, proposed by committee members, regarding the reallocation of branch funding equally amongst branches was rejected at the March Council meeting. They said: ‘The current structure is fair and reflective of the responsibilities of the branches to their members in their areas. However we remind branches they can already apply to the Honorary Treasurer for an additional amount up to £100 for a single specific project. Refer the motion to Matt Hood’s Review of Engagement so its contents and the Council’s position can be considered.' Finance Our balance is currently £3200. A quarterly claim has been submitted to Guild House for our reimbursable expenses, which totalled £1064.63. Once this has been received our balance will be £4300. The success of the workshops so far this year means that we run at a healthy surplus. Malcolm reiterates that the money belongs to the branch and that our accounts are available for any member to look at, if they wish. Workshops • Donmar Casting Director, Christopher Worrall, to reschedule a workshop for the end of May. • 14th May - Lucy Jenkins - Casting Director to host workshop on Audition Technique. • 8th June - Simon Godwin returns for an all day session on Timon of Athens. Auditions • 19th April - Coz Greenop - CEO of Green13 films, makers of independent British feature films Equity Council Elections Malcolm reads out a statement from Andrew Macbean, our former chair, who seeks branch support in the upcoming Council Elections. I’ve been an Equity Councillor for two years and before that, Chair of the W&SW London Branch. During that time I’ve instigated or been involved in the Casting Manifesto, a review of cast visits, the anti bullying action plan, and getting more producers to use our contracts. I work in all sectors of theatre from outdoor to the National to fringe, plus bits of TV, film & corporate role play.