Pay us. Inform us. Sincerely, Actors

Help achieve DEI in Theatre and Film by doing these 2 things

Tangible solutions. We want them, we need them, and we need them now.

With companies publishing their Diversity and Inclusion plans recently, we still keep seeing a lot of vague promises. There are countless ways the film and theatre circuit have normalized toxic ways of functioning. I was taught to “show me what you did, not what you’re going to do” so that is what I want to ask of these industries. I am proposing two tangible items that you can put in place almost immediately.

Don’t get me started on our union system. That’s an article for another day.

No more unpaid work.

Period.

You’ve had the whole last year to dream up new ways of existing. Doors are set to open soon, you’re planning your season, and sending out casting notices. And yet so many of you are still offering unpaid acting work.

You’ve got to be out of your mind.

Outrage over toxic capitalistic structures seems to be waning now that people want to move on with their lives.

From small brands to non-profit theatres all the way up to big businesses, you have to reimagine every aspect of how you do business. Restructuring your business model while still existing within a capitalistic state is not easy, but it’s not impossible.

Unpaid work is disrespectful.

Any “working for free” situation (read: internships) most impacts BIPOC actors and employees.

There is a socio-economic impact of having unpaid work as a part of your model. The group of people this will affect the most are BIPOC actors and artists. BIPOC folks are more likely to be subject to lower income levels or be otherwise financially impacted by such policies. Meaning that the majority of people who take those jobs are whites. Continuing to pad out their resume and gain important or valuable experience. So not only do we perpetuate a situation where white actors get to move forward in their careers more quickly, but white audiences will more frequently see themselves portrayed onstage while BIPOC audiences don’t. It’s a double-edged sword and everyone loses.

Leveling the playing field in this way helps BIPOC the most, but everyone benefits as a whole. Win-win.

“If you can’t afford to pay your actors, you can’t afford to put up a show.”

Look, I know it’s difficult and there are a lot of elements at play. I know you have tiny budgets because this country does not value the arts and you have to make cuts somewhere. But just as waiters tell us that if you can’t afford to tip then you can’t afford to eat out, then I’m telling you that if you can’t afford to pay your actors then you can’t afford to put up a show. Full stop. End of discussion.

Find the money. If there’s one thing theatre-makers know it’s that where there’s a will, there’s a way. Theatre-makers are some of the most innovative, resourceful, and scrappy people I’ve ever met.

Here’s something to examine and consider: Is it that you can’t pay us? Or is it that you won’t?

How easy it can be to justify not paying someone when you know they’ll do the job for free. Not paying your actors is exploitation. Exploiting the fact that actors are desperate. They are artists who would do anything to DO the THING that they DO. Their craft. The craft they’ve studied and paid for classes and even have advanced degrees in. This is our job.

Not paying your actors is not just insulting. It’s theft.

I’m aware that small community theatres have the tiniest budgets of all. We’ve accepted that this is “just the way it is.” But we don’t have to. We don’t have to accept that. That narrative is old and we are trying to create something new.

If this budget doesn’t allow you to pay your actors, then increase the budget. You made the budget! Set your fundraising goal higher! Speak to your donors, talk about the importance of paying everyone you employ a fair wage. Speak about actors as professionals. So often we are spoken to and about as if we are silly dreamers indulging in a cute hobby. Stop it. You know that’s not the truth. Stop treating us that way.

Our job as theatre-makers is to use our imaginations, create new worlds, show audiences the plethora of possibilities that lie in our known universe. And yet. And yet you can’t even find new ways to exist after a year that has shut down our industry completely. A year that has shown us that capitalism is poison and that we should not be going back to “normal.”

There are nuances, yes. What I’m suggesting might not apply to every situation. Maybe a young theatre-maker wants to start a theatre company with no investors, no money. If all the positions to make your production happen are volunteer, by all means, go for it. It is just very common for the only people in production to not get paid are actors. No. No more of that. Even for young scrappy artists- if you’re doing a crowdfunding campaign for your project, make sure you’re raising money for the actors. Yes, it will mean more money and that will be hard.

Inform us when we don’t book the job.

Inform us when we don’t book the job. Whether it was a cattle call or an invite-only audition, you must let us know when we don’t book a job. It’s common courtesy. “But there are so many people to email.” Yeah, that sucks. But that’s your job. Also, mass emails are ok. We are not asking for personalized messages from the director (those are lovely when they happen btw), but to know whether or not we booked it seems like the least you could do.

Let this be clear, this is not about whining when we don’t book a job. This is about getting us the information so we can move on with our lives, and audition for other parts.

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It is time to start treating the actors (and everyone) in the film and theatre industry as professionals. There is an entire community of film and theatre artists who aren’t celebrities and who aren’t millionaires. We have worked on our craft, many of us have advanced degrees in this craft. Our work is important. It is vital. It is necessary.

These two very simple items should be part of your Diversity and Inclusion plan, which I know many theaters have been working on in the last year. If we say that we stand for art and culture, that we are against the status quo, that our work is about new possibilities and creating new worlds, then why do you fight so hard to be so White, so Capitalist, so Ordinary? We can make actionable changes to the way we operate in order to live up to the ideals and new worlds we so often create on the stage. Be better.

Pay us. Inform us.

Sincerely,

Actors