The award rates in Britain are lower than Australia because... they are. Historically speaking, entertainment industry workers have never been paid much here. Sorry that probably wasn't very ground-breaking.
What was interesting was learning about how the award grades are determined.
The UK award for Theatre Managers Association/Equity Subsidised Repertory Performers looks like this:
Minimum salary £352 (AUD$577)
MRSL Grade 1 £429 (AUD$704)
MRSL Grade 2 £383 (AUD$628)
MRSL Grade 3 £359 (AUD$589)
MRSL stands for Middle Range Salary Level.
Theatre companies are graded by the Theatre Managers Association according to the number of people they employ, the number of venues they use and the colour of their carpet.
In one year, a Grade 1 company needs to pay an average salary of £429 and no less than £352 to any one performer. This gives companies the ability to pay good actors attractive salaries but in the balance, new actors are more than likely to end up on the minimum, regardless of the fact that the company is a Grade 1.
The awards for crew are just about the same (most slightly lower) however, to attract experienced crew members a company would never get away with paying the minimum. Quite often, crew members are offered a 'buyout', a fixed fee which covers any number of hours.
In conclusion, British awards are comparatively crap, but they are different degrees of crap depending on who you are and who you work for. Ta da!
Reclining Nude in Black Stockings by Snoo Wilson at the Arcola Theatre last night was great! While the script was a bit patchy, three out of the four performances were fantastic. I really enjoyed the opportunity the play gave us to hear the voice of the artists' muse and the performance of Simon Harrison playing Egon Schiele.
Studio 2 at the Arcola is tiny - it couldn't be more than a thirty seater - and really uncomfortable. I still don't think that excused the old fart next to me in the front row from putting his feet up on a seat that was obviously part of the set! The place has a great atmosphere though and is where all the beautiful people flock. Lucky for me it's just down the road :)
Lucky you!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI am trying to picture the theatre and imagining the ones that I have been to, here in Sydney.