Wesley Enoch: Philip Parsons Memorial Lecture 2013

Queensland Theatre Company Artistic Director Wesley Enoch has labelled some other main stage companies ‘immoral’ for not paying Independent Theatre artists.

Here is an excerpt of his blistering speech delivered for the Philip Parsons Memorial Lecture at Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney December 8, 2013.

I called this Lecture – I don’t do it for the money – because it’s a phrase I’ve heard many times. Though I’ve never heard a lawyer say it, I haven’t heard a doctor say it, I haven’t heard a plumber or carpenter or bus driver or bank teller or office worker or an insurance agent or an engineer….you get the picture. Where I’ve heard this phrase used most is from the mouths of nurses, teachers, social workers and artists. Always artists. In a form of vocational justification we as artists use this phrase – I don’t do it for the money – to explain why we are not getting ahead in a career or our financial well being, we say this phrase as a way of asking for more time, we stretch out our hope on a torture rack and say the pain is worth it. I don’t do it for the money – acknowledges we believe there is a greater good being achieved through our work, a huge social project that requires our long term sacrifice or a need to build skills and exposure to one day hit the jackpot in a career gamble where the odds are never in our favour.

Independent theatre has a number of roles it can play. I break them down into four areas - Experience, Exposure, Exploration and Economics. Experience – As a training ground Independent theatre can be where you test and explore your skill base, where you build working methods and relationships and put into practice things you have learnt in theory. This trial and error through practice allows peer to peer learning and is where I witness most Independent theatre occurring. This goes hand in hand with Exposure. Independent Theatre is a public audition process, building audience connections and reputation, showcasing your talent so others can see and potentially offer you employment.

Exploration is what used to be called fringe where research and development can occur especially around form. Here I see Independent meaning separation of traditions and pushing the boundaries setting out to learn something new about theatre and performance. Economics refers to a group of artists who set aside payment to build a show with the view of selling that show to broader audiences through festivals, touring bodies, other presenters etc. We’ve seen this in Brisbane with groups like Briefs, Polytoxic, Casus, Shake and Stir who build shows that can then have extended lives touring. One group has been touring through Europe for 8 months with a show they created as an independent theatre offering.

These 4 areas all have in common deferring financial rewards for future benefit and are not mutually exclusive.

Unfortunately the bulk of Independent theatre has little if any financial returns for those who are making it. I chatted with a group who are part of the LaBoite indie program about their recent experience. They had a sold out show and were likely to walk away with around $1000 – $1500 dollars each between 17 people after expenses and house costs. The average ticket price was approximately $24 for a 3 week season, they held a Pozible campaign which raised about $3000 and by my rough calculations the house took around $12-15K or roughly 1/4 of the income. So the house makes a small amount if any after costs but gets to include the audience demographics in their figures, build standing in the community, gather ticket charges and associated incomes ie restaurant and bar sales, parking. The house gets a series of low risk soft benefits associated with this investment in the new.

We have seen a proliferation of these independent programs within funded companies MTC and their Neon Program, Malthouse and Helium, Griffin and Stablemates, LaBoite’s LaBoite Indie program, in addition to venues and Arts Centres. (I should acknowledge that Belvoir has ended their B Sharp program in the downstairs and replaced it with professionally paid projects). These recent additions to the independent theatre scene have mostly occurred in the past 10 years and have joined the long term Independent theatre structures like laMama, Metro Arts, The Old Fitz/Tamarama Rock Surfers/Bondi Pav, the Blueroom and many more.

There are a plethora of models and deals on offer. These diverse offerings vary so greatly that it’s best for each company to promote their own programs.

I need to say now that I am not against the idea of self funded risk or artist investment in work but I see a trend where publicly funded companies who are funded to produce and present professional theatre are increasing their programming through unpaid or partly paid labour.

There is no malice or intention to defraud artists, it has become about sharing the risk and the potential rewards.

I argue that when funded companies are curating a program of works, developing relationships with new audiences and promoting the fact they are engaged in high risk programs to secure philanthropic or corporate support then there is little to distinguish between what is paid and what is unpaid. Audiences must distinguish through the choice and layout of venue, maybe ticket pricing, and promotional material etc how what is being presented in Independent Programs differs from mainstage. We have seen funding bodies part fund or accept part payment models with different companies around the country like Red Stitch, Short and Sweet, Darlinghurst Theatre, Tamarama Rock Surfers etc. If we believe that funding is about supporting risk, innovation and development and not primarily about the status quo then I argue companies should put their money where their mouths are.

I think it is immoral for people on full time salaries in companies and venues with multi-million dollar turnovers to be asking artists to do work for free or less than the agreed award.

We must start to challenge ourselves to question the sustainability of our careers and crash through our disappointment. We have to stop letting our hopes and dreams, our ambitions and goals becoming a cage that allows us to deceive ourselves and compromise our lives. When is the sacrifice too great? When is it time to transition? How do I support myself?

For many this is not a process of their own choosing. We must accept that we work in an area where there is a pyramid of opportunity and that attrition is hardwired in to ensure there are only a few at the top. Maybe we can balance our artistic work with more financially sustaining work and find an inner peace in that. Keep our artistic life alive through community and amateur theatre. But we must learn to live our lives.

Coming back to independent theatre, I believe after 20 years of Independent theatre I can see 20 clear lessons that all theatre companies should investigate for the future of our Industry.

1. Rehearse part time create structures that allow artists to continue their teaching, tempingand waiting jobs by negotiating rehearsal schedules rather than expecting a fulltimecommitment from actors that usually means leaving their part-time jobs

2. Every ticket has a percentage set aside for the person who sold it incentivise the people involved to sell tickets

3. Stop paying for advertising be creative and create moments, publicity stunts and storiesrather than paying big bucks for print and media advertising

4. Go digital it’s cheaper and more likely to hit your target markets.

5. Let the market decide if you get paid or not be box office sensitive, let the audience know what it costs and create value for the ticket.

6. Focus on the performers are sets and costumes the way forward, focus on the people.

7. Go to where the audience gathers  stop thinking about gathering people to you and startbeing imaginative about where the audiences are.

8. Mobilise your support networks  create personal followings and fan bases of friends andfamily.

9. Create each show as a brand  create each show as a stand alone event that can argue forattention rather than need to have a huge mega brand that tries to entice audiences.

10. Crowd funding as a norm instead of subscription use crowd funding to getinitial capital, audience buy in and support, demonstrate community need before committing to a project.

11. Work with people who are committed to the project by not relying on guns for hire to build your show you can get more out of the working relationship.

12. Cut the administration down to the barest minimum allow administration to share the risk atthe box office through door deals and contract labour rather than fulltime staff.

13. Build an audience through person contact get out of the ivory tower and meet the audience,Q&A sessions, conversations about the work.

14. Drink in the bar after every show don’t be Namby pampy get amongst youraudience as soon as possible and keep them drinking at the bar.

15. Maximise opinions rather than valuing reviews reviews are just one opinion build a culture ofdiscussion where many opinions are possible and encouraged.

16. Be inventive to maximise the dramatic effect what are things that money can’t buy you in thetheatre, think about the effect of these when making a show.

17. Create festivals and hubs don’t try to be a stand-alone event, develop cross over audiences,build nights out not just nights in the theatre.

18. Do deals...everywhere with everyone, never pay full price act like you’re poor because you are.

19. Do not give away free tickets to anyone never give it away, never ever.... everything has aprice, value what you do.

20. Ticket sales are the only form of payment for those involved pay people in tickets to sell, they make their money the more tickets they sell for the show.

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