Newsletter
Chair: Fiona Whitelaw – 07778 585206 (Cellphone):
Treasurer: Jeffry Kaplow – 020 8293 6600
Temporary Secretary: Richard Dargan – 01737 559450 –
PR Officer: Judith Quinn -
Minute taker: Richard Dargan (Temp Secretary)- 01737 559450
IMPORTANT THINGS
1. BRANCH ARC MOTION
At the FEBRUARY meeting, we will be considering the Branch MOTION for the Annual Representative Conference. This is the time when the Branches of Equity have a strong chance to influence Equity policy.
If there is anything that makes you say “Why on earth don’t they do something about that?” – this is your chance. There’s some information later in these minutes to help you draft a motion for the Branch to debate.
2. DOES EQUITY HAVE YOUR UP-TO-DATE ADDRESS???
If not, they and we won’t be able to get in touch with you.
3. ACCESSIBILITY
If there is anything that prevents you participating fully in the meeting or what the Branch does, or cannot read these minutes, please will you let the one of the Branch committee know. We will find a way to help you - for example; we can make an MP3 version of the minutes and newsletter and send this to you.
4. ‘MEETING DAY’ CHANGES
From January 2013, we will usually be meeting on the THIRD Saturday of every month, though there may be occasions when we will meet on another day, or at a different venue. This ensures there are no clashes with other London Branches’ meetings
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be on Saturday 18 January 2014 at 11.00am in The Conference Room, 4th floor, Royal National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1.
AGENDA
1. Apologies
2. Minutes of last meeting – Matters arising
3. Members’ News and Casting Information Exchange
4. Correspondence Received
5. Financial Report
6. Health and Safety
7. Recruitment and Retention
8. Equality and Diversity
9. Donation to Joan Littlewood Statue
10. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Annual Report
Financial Report
Plans for the Future
Election of New Committee
11. Any Other business
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT 11.00 AM ON 14 DECEMBER 2013 IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM OF THE ROYAL NATIONAL THEATRE.
PRESENT –
Fiona Whitelaw; Elizabeth Holland; Rufus Graham; Judith Quin; Richard Dargan; Marie Fortune; Sarah Finigan; Hilary J Derrett; James Ivens; Peter Geddis; Jeffry Kaplow; Tigger Blaize; Barry Rocard.
APOLOGIES – Kandy Rohmann; Paul Valentine; Ali Wadey.
MATTERS ARISING
We are planning a meeting at The Albany Arts Centre possibly in the second week of February – perhaps 8 February – and with Gavin Barlow,the Artistic Director of the Albany, as a guest speaker.
Fun palaces - Fiona talked about the idea of fun palaces. It is important to involve local people in planning the centre and what it dealt with. Fiona has e-Mailed Jude Kelly’s deputy to see whether some form of fun palace would be feasible for the South Bank .
The Branch Banner – Lizzie Holland (EH) will contact John Ainslie at Equity HQ to ask about costs of banners, and (EH) will ask about whether there is a ‘house style’ for banners. EH will see if thereis any scope for deal to be done regarding the cost of producing a banner.
EH is chasing up Rufus Norris regatrding him speaking at a meeting.
CAST SHARE - Members’ News and Casting Information Sharing
Marie Fortune – Is working with the Globe Players in The TinderBox
Fiona Whitelaw – Appeared in Tales of The Bailey as a suffragette (See I-Player), and is attending a meeting next week about Women in the Arts.
Richard Dargan – Appeared in small scene in Mortdecai, an action comedy thriller.
Sarah Finigan – Is appearing ain a film about the suffragettes.
CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED
West and South West London Branch Newsletter.
Assorted notes about courses in Central and Eastern Europe from IUGTE
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
The Branch will ask for members to volunteer to visit Drama Schools.
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
Nothing to report.
FINANCIAL REPORT
The Branch has a balance in the Bank of about £150.
GUEST SPEAKER – TED CRAIG
TED CRAIG
Ted Craig is a theatre director who for 26 years has run the International Playwriting Festival based on the Warehouse Theatre Croydon between 1985 and 2012 at The Warehouse Theatre premises. This year the theatre closed because Croydon Council withdrew a subsdidy for the arts.
Because of the closure many potential entrants to the Festival thought it had finished, and the number of entries plummeted. The festival, however, continues. The organisers have extended the entry closure date to the end of the year.
Ted Craig ©Richard Dargan 2013
Ted Craig, the organiser of the Festival, and the driving force behind the Warehouse Theatre and the International Playwriting Festival was born in Australia. After training there as an actor and theatre director, he worked as a successful actor for some years, mainly playing elderly men. In 1964 he decided to seek fame and fortune in Britain.
He joined the Crewe repertory company where he acted and directed. Later he moved on to Richmond, Folkestone, and Harrogate. Later, he returned to Crewe as the resident Artistic Director where he stayed for three years, before taking over from Christopher Denys as the new Artistic Director at the Connaught, Worthing.
He has directed theatre productions all over the UK, Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia, including the directorship of the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House. As a freelance director, he directed productions have included the Off-Broadway production of Look Back in Anger off Broadway with Malcolm McDowell in 1980. In Australia, he directed Shakespeare, Congreve, Molière, Feydeau at the Sydney Opera House, as well as the Australian première of The Elephant Man, Arthur Miller's The Last Yankee and (in Cyprus) Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane.
From 1985 to 2012, Ted was Artistic Director of the Warehouse Theatre, Croydon. His productions included The Astronomer's Garden by Kevin Hood, Playing Sinatra by Bernard Kops, Sugar Hill Blues by Kevin Hood (all of which went on to more central London venues).
The Warehouse also gave a start to performers like Lenny Henry, French and Saunders, Rik Mayall, Ben Elton, and Julian Clary (not forgetting Fanny the Wonderdog). Cate Blanchett had her UK stage debut in Sweet Phoebe with the Sydney Theatre Company.
One of the features of The Warehouse Theatre has been the Dick Barton – Special Agent series of plays which have been produced reguarly over years.
Ted is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts.
Until the cuts, the Warehouse Theatre received a regular subsidy from the Arts Council (ACE) and Croydon Council. These were withdrawn. The Council said it withdrew the subsidy …’because the theatre could not demonstrate to us that they were solvent that we had no choice but to protect public money by not paying it to an organisation with such large outstanding debts’. The theatre had between 60 and 65% occupancy of seats, so it was not doing badly compared with other companies. There were problems with an old building – for example, leaks in the toof had to be fixed. Space was limited, and shows which were put on had to work round this limitation.
Once the subsidies were withdrawn, the theatre had no option but to go into administration. There was little in the way of assets to sell; just seats, lights, and sound system. They raised £723.
The Warehouse Theatre had been working for several years with Stanhope/Schroders to develop a new theatre. Section 106 planning permission for the whole site was granted on the condition that a theatre would be built on the site on the same site as part of the overall development.
Presently, with the Warehouse Theatre liquidated, the company has been revived in the form of a new company with a website – Warehouse Phoenix. The hope for the theatre is that until the outcome of the Council elections in May matters are in limbo, and perhaps with a change in administration things will go forward. The International Playwriting Festival is continuing, and entries will be accepted till the end of this year.
AFFILIATION TO TRADES COUNCILS
The meeting voted in favour of a motion proposed by James Ivens and seconded by Jeff Kaplow regarding affiliation to Lewisham Trades Council. The votimng was 11 in favour and none against.
GENERAL STRIKE MOTIONS
The meeting voted on motions which originated with James Ivens.
The first related to the opening of talks between Equity and other unions on this matter, and was proposed by Fiona Whitelaw. The voting on this was 10 in favour with 1 against and 1 abstention.
The second of these motions was that Equity, like some other Trade Unions should not repudiate any unofficial strike action on the part of its members. This was proposed by Fiona Whitelaw and seponded by Sarah Finigan. Voting was 6 in favour and 5 against.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
ARC MOTION – Fiona Whitelaw invited members to suggest possible motions for the Branch to send to the ARC, but it was important they stood a good chance of being successful.
FORTHCOMING SPEAKERS AND EVENTS
Please note – Unless otherwise stated, the meetings will be on the THIRD Saturday of each month.
Feb - Albany
March - Femi Oguns from Identity Agency & Drama School
April - Maria McCarthy - Artistic Director Omnibus Clapham
May - Stella Duffy - Fun Palaces
June - Hot Coals Ensemble
…and we are hoping to invite members of the Women’s Committee and the Young Members Committee to meetings later in the year.
CASTING FOR OLDER WOMEN
Elizabeth Holland sadi a concern of hers was the lack of roles for older women. At the 50th birthday celebrations for the National Theatre, 20% of the performers were women. This did not reflect the population of the country, in that slightly more than 50% of the population were women, and in the 2011 census the numbers of people aged 25-49 was almost the same as the number of those over 50.
She cited the Bechdel test as a possible means of evaluating how women were dealt with in the popular media.
Jeff Kaplow suggested this might be a matter which couold form the basis of a motion for the ARC, but should be linked to the matter of age discrimination.
If anyone wished to help Elizabeth in this area, they should contact her via The Chair or Secretary.
FINALLY…
e HTAX CODINGS ETC.
If anyone has any queries about the HMRC view of his or her status for Tax and NI purposes, there is a number at HMRC for enquiries about tax codings. It is 0191 501 6078. When contacting the HMRC make it clear you are a self-employed performer, and normally have a NT tax code. My experience, from using the number, is that the HMRC people are very helpful and will correct the coding.
If, after ringing this number, you still have problems, please e-Mail Alan on -
SPEAKERS FOR MEETINGS
Is there someone who you would really like to suggest as a SPEAKER? Is there anything you feel you want to talk to us about? Is there anyone who you really would like to hear speak to the meeting? If so, please would you contact Judith, Fiona, or me?
BAPAM
These initials stand for the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine. BAPAM is a free medical service partly funded by Equity. It is for people like ourselves, performers, who have performance-related health problems. Performers have to work sometimes in conditions where there is a risk of injury – raked stages, for example. Things happen, like a sudden loss of confidence leading to stage fright, or your voice disappears when you need it most.
BAPAM runs assessment clinics where people who understand the special needs of performers will listen to you. BAPAM provides a list of practitioners and clinicians who can help you. BAPAM has fact sheets with health and fitness advice tailored to the needs of performers.
It’s a valuable free benefit you get from being a member of Equity, and is available to all members whether students or professional members of Equity. Branch members who have used BAPAM sing its praises.
BAPAM’s website is www.bapam.org.uk.
The contacts at BAPAM are Dan or Clare on 0845 602 0235 or 020 7404 8444
EQUITY CAREERS ADVICE SERVICE
If you feel your career has become stale, and you feel it would be a help to talk with someone about how you might get things moving again there are free-lance careers advisors who may be contacted through Equity. They are all trained to national Gold Matrix Standard for delivering advice.
For those in the London area, their contact details are: -
Paul Cawley–
Beverley Hills-
ROYAL THEATRICAL FUND
The RTF is a charity, which supports people in the theatrical world who have fallen on hard times. The RTF website is at - http://www.trtf.com/
PS The ADVICE AND RIGHTS HELPLINE days of operation have changed. These are now MONDAY and THURSDAY. The hours remain the same 10 – 1 and 2 – 5.
Enquiries to MAX BECKMAN whose number is in your Equity Diary (like the Equity Website – The Source of all Wisdom!)
EQUITY MEMBERS FOR INFORMATION.
Subscription to the Stage attracts a discount if you are a member of Equity.
AND JUST A THOUGHT…
Art is the great enemy of obtuseness, and artists are never the reliable servants of any ideology, even a basically good one - they always ask the imagination to move beyond its usual confines, to see the world in new ways.
Martha Nussbaum
AND ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY, REALLY, FINALLY…BUT NOT LEAST…
If HQ does not have your up to date address (or any other change of address or relevant details), please could you let the membership section know as soon as possible.
-THE END-