Get-in, Get-out and Get paid

Before they become the norm and I fail to continue to recognise them, I thought I'd just record a few of the differences I've noticed between the Australian and British theatre worlds.

My favourite are the British terms for our 'bump in/bump out'. Bumping anything has always made me think of a large woman pushing things around with her hip. Not sure why. The British 'get in/get out' sounds even more efficient and effortless - a bit George Clooney planning a bank heist in Oceans 11.


The most surprising difference is in the disparity between the awards. Less than AUD$660 per week for actors in Britain compared to the AUD$860 per week they would get in Australia! Can that be right? I hope to understand the award system in a little more detail and why the rates are comparatively low. My suspicion is that with the vast number of long running shows here (many shows run for years here) and therefore more stable employment available, British actors might end up better off in the long run. Don't worry I plan to make a full 60 Minutes investigation of this and get back to you with the shocking truth.

Oh and guess what: Australian theatres are much better at getting to know their audiences! Despite the huge number of theatres in the UK which must inevitably share audiences, each theatre guards their audience data from the other like a beefeater. While a few of the major companies have adopted the Tessitura software, on a per capita basis - according to my excellent command of mathematical ratios - Australia is way ahead. [Here's a list of UK and Australian companies who use Tessitura to share audience data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessitura_software , no need to thank me].

I suppose that the very fact that there are so many theatres and theatre companies in the UK makes for a very competitive environment. Again, I plan to discover more on this point. I've been lucky enough to have been given contacts at a number of theatres around town so I'll be able to ask the question.

Tonight it's Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery at York Hall, Bethnal Green. Lavery and Frantic Assembly were responsible for Stockholm which they brought to STC earlier this year. I have a special reason for wanting to see more of Lavery's work and all will be revealed shortly!

Today's photo of the day is of the offensively ugly Barbican building which I saw for the first time today. I can't believe that anything like it could be built anywhere in the world let alone in the cultural capital of the world! Apparently I'm not the only one to have had this initial reaction to it but it appears to have been accepted by the city and has become some of the most sought-after real estate in London. Ew.

St Giles Cripplegate

The building surrounds what was once Shakespeare's local church.













A demain!