A faint murmur of discontent continues to rumble through the West End - this time among the cast of jukebox musical Never Forget.
It has emerged that producers of the show - Tristan Baker, Bronia Buchanan and Charlie Parsons Creative Ltd - have been considering new contracts for performers, to coincide with the production transferring from the Savoy to the Lyric in November.
This could mean, according to a source close to the show, substantial cuts for both ensemble members and principals, while others could have their contracts terminated early.
So far two meetings to resolve the issue have fallen flat, Equity is on the case seeking legal advice, and cast members have been left feeling “powerless”.
The producers’ silence in response to The Stage’s coverage of this issue is unfortunate, because what could have sparked a timely debate is now just simply a bad news story.
So, is this just a case of good guy versus bad, or is there a lot more that we can draw out of the issue?
Like other industries, theatre is currently facing hard times because of the credit crunch - or at least this is an excuse being widely used by producers - and we only have to look to the last few months to see evidence of this.
Earlier this summer, the management of West End musical Marguerite decided to close the show nearly two months early, and Paddy Wilson and organisers of the Imperial Ice Stars both cancelled major regional tours.
Meanwhile, management of Sevenoaks’ Stag Theatre and Stratford-upon-Avon’s Waterside Theatre went into administration, and just last week, the Ambassador Theatre Group announced that it was considering making 27 members of staff redundant in Glasgow. They all blamed the economic downturn.
Anecdotally, I’ve heard of West End auditoriums being far from full, while it can be questioned if Andrew Lloyd Webber’s gimmick of free tickets for newly unemployed bankers was an act of philanthropy, or a way of getting bums on seats.
It boils down to this - if things really are tough out there, is it ever justifiable for a producer to issue a pay cut to performers? After all, if a show is forced to close, everyone loses out.
Or, if actors and Equity accept the pay cuts, will it set a precedent for other producers to do the same?
It’s a relevant discussion for the union and the Society of London Theatre, given their ongoing negotiations over minimum pay for performers. While Equity has pushed staunchly for a pay increase to £550, a resistant SOLT continues to put forward “best offer” deals, only to be rejected by the casts.
Perhaps a case of this kind will prompt Equity and SOLT to stop butting horns and actually reach an agreement - giving security to both performers and producers, and nipping in the bud similar potential disputes, which could otherwise crop up in each venue around theatreland.
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