Les Miserables... just for something different :)

Orchestral muso's stand out among the performing arts in that they realise their collective bargaining power and are almost uniformly solid in the muso's union. This means they don't stand for any crap and they get paid appropriately. The orchestra is always the first group to be paid, on time, and management listens to what they want.

Strange to observe that actors, who are outwardly so confident and self assured, seem to always shy away from standing up for themselves in a business situation (amateur or professional). It seems we must also be very needy for performance opportunites, and frightened of being replaced if we disagree with working conditions. And of course there is the paradox that usually we enjoy the working conditions, even when they are terrible.

From an amateur performer's point of view, yes, a gig like this is fun and doesn't come along too often; there is little to lose other than the time and energy put in, and many things to enjoy from being part of the show.

From an audience point of view, there will be some who go to see friends and colleagues and will enjoy it from that perspective. There will be afficionados who love the musical and will see it over and over regardless. There will be average punters who missed it last time and so will be introduced to a good show. And others who may compare it to the professional production, and I hope they will be appreciative. All of them will be paying significant prices, and hopefully, they will consider they got their money's worth.

But from the professional actor's point of view, shows like this worry me. Perhaps not this particular show, but what they represent to the industry. The fact that Perth audiences are queuing to spend their viewing dollars on this show means less of the pie is going to other productions. High profile shows like this compete with the few professional companies that are struggling to get audiences; they are already struggling with problems of their own doing, this doesn't help.

Most professional actors in Perth are putting themselves in a similar situation anyway, in cooperative productions like at the BlueRoom or Rechabites. But at least they enter in with the understanding that they will be in part rewarded for their efforts. But this relies on ticket sales, and it's very hard to compete with companies like Omnibus. Audiences aren't very discerning about where a production comes from, only if they like it or not. If Les Mis is a great show, it's going to hurt our grassroots industry by comparison. And if it's a poor show, it will still hurt, by association (and the ticket money can't be respent.) I don't think the "amateur" status is going to register with the general audience as an excuse, because of the ticket prices and the profile of the company. So for the good of everyone, I hope it is a good show, but this is still not going to help the local industry.

And to be a good show, it needs good performers, which it exploits by not paying them (and even charging for the right to audition, did I hear???!) so it can put money into areas which will impress the audience and disguise the "amateur" status, in as small a print as it does in its advertising. Also, the amateur status conveniently means it pays very little for the performance rights, so will recoup more from the ticket prices.
This industry rides on the back of it's artists in so many ways already (most of us also make up a significant proportion of the theatre-going audience anyway, putting our dollars back into watching productions). I find it awkward to realise that we are also undercutting our own industry anytime we allow ourselves to be exploited.

I don't blame anyone for wanting to be part of this production or to watch it. The nice thing about being an amateur is that by definition you have an alternative source of income, and so the concept of exploitation probably doesn't really carry much significance.
My main concern is that this casual attitude often continues when amateurs progress into the professional industry, meaning professional actors are already in the habit of being exploited, taking any conditions without complaint, just happy to be performing. It just makes things much harder for those of us who do make a living from this industry. We don't seem to be able to follow the example of our colleagues in the Musicians' Union, and hold out for better conditions. As soon as one artist accepts their exploitation, they lower the mark for everyone.

This company is here now, with an attractive opportunity, and it will probably all turn out very well for them. Good luck to all concerned.
But I am here for the long term, and so am choosing to invest my scarce dollars in a local industry production with some integrity.

Cheers
crgwllms


<8>-/======/-------------


PS: While I'm on this rant: if you're ever in the privileged position of getting paid for a gig, even if it appears to be a one-off and you can't see the immediate benefits; do your bit to support the union. If everyone did this, there would be a stronger industry in the long term, and the likelihood of more paid gigs. Wouldn't it be so much better to be doing this for the love of it AND receiving fair payment in recognition?

crg
(Equity 6672051 since 1988)