Culture

The curtain goes up on Sundays

by mchawk | October 1, 2008 at 03:53 pm

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LONDON - The Stage is reporting that negotiations are nearly completed between the theatre union Equity and the Society of London Theatres (SOLT), that would mean widespread Sunday performances in London Theatres in return for a rise in the performers' minimum wage.

West End casts will finish voting on the proposed terms this week. Both parties are hopeful that a deal will be struck, ending 16 months of difficult and, at times, fractious negotiations.

“The new deal provides a different way of doing things in the West End and a new framework moving forward,” explained Stephen Spence, Equity assistant general secretary for theatre and variety.

Although fairly commonplace on Broadway, Sunday openings for the big shows are few and far between in London's West End. In the past this has meant that the city-centre is relatively free of tourists on a Sunday. Great for the locals, but not so great for business.

This summer's box-office receipts have been down, so much so that some shows (most noticeably Marguerite and Gone With the Wind) have closed before the end of their run. Five of London's première theatres have remained dark throughout most of the summer - usually the peak time for business. The move to Sunday performances has a real chance of turning Theatreland's fortunes around and breathing new-life into weekends in London, which can only bring all-round rewards for the whole of the city's tourism industry.

As well as being a boon to theatregoers, and theatre owners, the deal also guarantees better pay for the performers, raising minimum wages right across the board.

The new wage marks a sizeable rise in the basic pay for performers, who were on a minimum of £381 when Equity and SOLT began negotiations in early 2007.

If accepted by a majority of West End casts, the four-year deal - which would also apply to stage management staff - will see a new three-tiered system of pay introduced into the West End, whereby a minimum rate of £550 per week will be introduced into venues with 1,100 seats and above, £500 for theatres with 800 to 1,099 seats and £450 for those smaller than that.

SOLT chief executive Richard Pulford [has said] “I think for every producer, [...] for Equity and us, it has turned out to be a win-win deal. That, after all, is what you try to do in any negotiation. You’re not trying to beat people into submission, you’re trying to find a position in which both sides can feel they have gained something of real value.”

It has not yet been confirmed when the deal will be introduced - if it is approved - but Pulford stressed it would be “as soon as possible”.