Don’tputyourdaughteronthestageMrsWorthington;or,

PrecarityandthePerformingArts.

StevenSparlingLondonCollegeofMusic

Precarity

•  Term used by sociologists to refer to the spread of contingent work and insecure employment within the labour market.

•  The term is also used to refer to the subjective condition of those who experience insecure work.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

AdamSmith,wriBngin1776commentsthatthe'exorbitantrewardsofplayers,opera-singers,opera-dancers,etc.arefoundeduponthosetwoprinciples;therarityandbeautyofthetalents,andthediscreditofemployingtheminthismanner...Shouldthepublicopinionofprejudiceeveralterwithregardtosuchoccupa;ons,theirpecuniaryrecompensewouldquicklydiminish.Morepeoplewouldapplytothem,andthecompe;;onwouldquicklyreducethepriceoftheirlabour.Suchtalents,thoughfarfrombeingcommon,arebynomeanssorareasitisimagined.ManypeoplepossessthemingreatperfecBon,whodisdaintomakethisuseofthem;andmanymorearecapableofacquiringthem,ifanythingcouldbemadehonourablybythem.(WealthofNaBons,bk1,pt1,ch.x:124).

Datatellsusthenumberofar;stsisgrowingrapidly.USCensusdatafound386,000arBstsin1940,whichrisesfive-foldto1,931,000by2000(AlperandWassal,2006).Between1982and1999therewasa98%growthrateofarBstsinFrance(Menger,2006).

Workpreferencemodels(Throsby,2007;Alper&Wassal,2006;Menger,2006)suggestthatactorsprioriBsethepsychicincomethatcomesfrompracBcingtheirartoveracapitalis;cpursuitofwealth.Whilethismaybetrue,therehasbeenlessresearchintothedifficulBesandhardshipsfacedbyactorsasaresultofthisprioriBsaBonandhowthismightimpactontheirongoingabilitytopursueacBngwork.Ifcareerlongevityisdeterminedbyhowlongtheactorisableto‘stayinthegame’thenanawarenessoftheimplicaBonsofprioriBsingpsychicincomemustbeunderstood.

h`p://studiousguy.1ygkv60km.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Maslows_Hierarchy_of_Needs.jpg[accessed23/06/17]

Maslow’sHierarchyofNeeds

ResearchQuesBons

•  Whatpricedoactorspaytobe‘inthegame?’•  IntheulBmate‘marketeconomy,’withanever-changingA-List/B-Listofactors(Caves2000),wheresupplygreatlyoutstripsdemand,andmanyactorsonlyworkafewweeksperyear,whatimpactdoesthishaveonmentalhealthandoverallsaBsfacBon?

•  Howdowepreparestudentsfortherollercoasterrideofa‘Winner-Takes-AllEconomy’(Caves,2000)whereafewachievesuccessandmostdonot?

AReviewof(someofthe)QuanBtaBvedataaboutthe

EmploymentMarketforActors

nothing,11.20%

under£5K,37.70%

£5-10K,18.30%

£10-20K,19.10%

£20-50K,11.40%

£50-100K,1.50%over£100K,0.70%

Equity2013MembershipSurveyn=3804

AnnualIncomefromAcBng

48.9%earnunder£5kLondonLivingWage£19K/annum86.3%earnunder£20K

Equity2013MembershipSurveyn=3804

WeeksProfessionalEmploymentinprevious12months

65.5%workfewerthan20weeks/annum

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

morethan40weeks

30-40weeks

20-30weeks

10-20weeks

lessthan10weeks

none noanswer

Percentage

OtherDataonEmployment•  HESADesBnaBonofLeaversfromHigherEducaBonSurvey

2013/14(UK)[lookingatgraduatesofhighereducaBonintheirfirstyearoutofeducaBon]

•  n=9665•  OfgraduatesofPerformingArtsdegreesfrom2013/14,

29.9%employedinjobsinarts,designandmedia

No-pay/Low-pay

•  (Equity,2013)46%hadworkedfornomoneyinpreviousyear

•  (CasBngCallPro,2013)70%hadfiveno-pay/low-payjobsinthepreviousyear

•  (Spotlight,2013n=50,000)66%ofmembersdoworkforno-pay/low-pay,orwoulddoso.87%ofcas;ngprofessionalsthoughttherewasaplaceintheindustryforno-pay/low-paywork

Inequality

•  Gender:(DramaUK,2014)atNaBonalTheatre63%ofroleswenttomen,37%towomen.InUKfilm68%ofroleswenttomen,32%towomen.

•  Age:(Ibid)NaBonalTheatre,51%ofroleswenttoactorsunder34yearsofage,whileonly19%toover54.InMusicalTheatre,91%ofroleswenttoactorsunder34.

Class

•  DatafromSu`onTrust(Kirby,2016)– 67%ofBriBshAcademyAward(Oscar)winnersand42%ofBaqawinnerswereprivatelyeducated.

•  [7%ofthegeneralpopulaBonisprivatelyeducated]

BullyingandHarassment•  FederaBonofEntertainmentUnions(Equity,BECTU,Musicians’Union,NaBonalUnionofJournalists,andWriters’GuildofGreatBritain)(n=4104)–  56%oftheatreworkersdirectlyexperiencedbullying,harassmentordiscriminaBon

–  68%ofthoseworkinginfilmwerebullied,harassedordiscriminatedagainst(only28%reportedit)

–  2/3’sthoughtthatindustryastudestorespectatworkwerepoororverypoor

–  1/10witnessedsexualharassment(includinginappropriatesexualcommentsandgroping)

‘ThecreaBveindustriesareseenasglamorousandthereisgreatcompeBBontogetinandgeton.Buttherealityismostworkersarefreelanceorworkonshort-termcontractsandhavefewstatutoryrights.Thereisthefearthatthereisalwayssomeoneelsehungrytotakeyourplaceifyoucomplain.Thesurveyshowedthattherewasalmostanacceptanceoftheprevailingcultureofbullying;anastudeof‘ifyoucan’tstandtheheatthengetoutofthekitchen.’Onerespondentsaidyouwereexpectedtoputupwithit“toearnyourstripesandanythingelsewasseenasaweakness.”’(FEU,2013,p.1).

MentalHealth

•  StudybyArtsandMinds(Hemley,2015)inpartnershipwithEquity,SpotlightandTheStage(n=5000):– 46%idenBfytheirmentalhealthaspoororaverage

– 40%describephysicalhealthaspoororaverage– 20%hadacBvelysoughthelpformentalhealthissues

“DothemanypoorandfailedarBstssuffer?AsfarasIknow,li`leresearchexistsinthisarea;itisnotrewardingtodoresearchonthedarksideofthearts.GenerallypeoplewhoarepoorforalongBmetendtobecomesociallyisolated,andarBstsareperhapsnoexcepBon.IntheircasetheshameofbeingpoormaywellbesupplementedbytheshameofhavingfailedasanarBst.”(Abbing,2011,p.345)

PilotStudy

Ninesemi-structuredinterviewswith‘mid-career’actors(definedas10+

yearsintocareer).

“Ithinkalsowhenyou'reastudentyouhavethatmentalitythatyouhaven'tgotverymuchmoney.AndIdon'tthinkthatI'veeverreallygotoutofthatmentality.Justrecently[husband]hasbeendoinglotsoftellyandearningalotmoremoneyandwe'reactuallyquitebadatspendingthemoneybecausewe'rethinking,‘yeah,butnextyearwemightnotearnanything’.Andyougetyourselfintothatmentalityandyouthink,wellIdon'treallyknow.Icannotrelyonthisjobtosupportmeforevernecessarily.”

ParBcipantE

“MyfinalquesBonisdoyouconsideracBngacareer?IsacBngacalling,orisitavocaBon?Howdoyouviewthejobofanactor?PARTICIPANTE:It'sahobby.INTERVIEWER:Okay.PARTICIPANTE:No,that'snotfair.I'mbeingflippant.Ithinkforavery,veryselectfewitisacareer.Andtomostofusitisacalling.Imean,youwouldn'tgothroughthisunlessyoureally,reallywantedtodoit.IfIcouldfindsomethingelsethatIwantedtodoasmuch,Iwoulddothat.ButIhaven'tfoundathingthatisasrewardingandthatIloveasmuch.”

"thecontemptofriskandthepresumptuoushopeofsuccessareinnoperiodoflifemoreacBvethanattheageatwhichyoungpeoplechoosetheirprofessions."(Smith,1776,126).