Equity has officially launched its Charter for Outdoor Theatre, setting a new benchmark for pay, conditions, and protections in the open-air touring sector. For the first time, the Charter is now open to venues and landowners, including heritage trusts and local authorities, following a successful pilot of the Charter in spring/summer 2024.
Open air touring provides entertainment to millions across the UK each year but behind the scenes, performers often face poor working conditions; routinely being paid below minimum wage, working under weak health and safety protections, and experiencing serious breaches of Working Time Regulations.
Publicly declared determination to accept nothing less than minimum legal professional terms and conditions must, and will, usher in a brighter future for outdoor theatre and all who enjoy it.
Oliver Gray, Artistic Director of Illyria
The Charter addresses these issues for those engaged by touring outdoor theatre companies, by ensuring ‘worker’ status for performers to guarantee key employment rights including pensions and paid holiday. It also ensures minimum pay, maximum hours during the touring period of 43 hours, that companies provide adequate accommodation and provision for adequate rest breaks, as well as meeting safety standards around dangerous or risky weather conditions particularly linked to outdoor theatre. As well as protecting the workforce, adhering to the Charter protects venues and companies from serious legal liabilities.
This latest development follows major inroads made by Equity in the sector, including a commitment from Cambridge Shakespeare Festival to pay its performers following a campaign led Equity activists. The company has committed to negotiations with Equity for a union agreement that will lead to fair pay, terms and conditions for the performers they engage and comply with the performers’ employment rights as workers in law.
Seven companies have signed up to the Charter so far, with many more expected to follow. These companies are:
• Illyria
• HandleBards
• The Rude Mechanicals
• The Duke’s Theatre Company
• Paperback Theatre
• The Plandits
The Quorn Grange hotel is the first venue signatory to the Charter. “We are proud to be the first venue to commit to this agreement and we encourage others to do the same”, said Gawain Little, General Secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions which owns the hotel.
If a company cannot find a way of making theatre viable without exploiting workers, then make way for the companies that can.
Karim Jalali, Equity’s Industrial Official covering Outdoor Touring
As well as those signed up to the Charter, a number of other touring companies, such as Shakespeare in the Squares, are already using existing Equity collective agreements, protecting the workforce with fair and dignified terms and conditions of work. Both this and the Charter support sustainable working practices within outdoor theatre. Karrim Jalali, Equity’s Industrial Official covering Outdoor Touring, commented “If a company cannot find a way of making theatre viable without exploiting workers, then make way for the companies that can.” Equity encourages venues and company representatives to reach out if they are interested in using the Charter, by contacting Karrim via email via email kjalali@equity.org.uk
Oliver Gray, Artistic Director of Illyria, said:
“Illyria has supported the Charter since its inception. We urge all companies and venues in this sector to sign up. Shared, publicly declared determination to accept nothing less than minimum legal professional terms and conditions must, and will, usher in a brighter future for outdoor theatre and all who enjoy it.”
George Attwell Gerhards, co-Artistic Director of Paperback Theatre, said:
"Paperback Theatre are really proud to be signatories to Equity's Charter for Outdoor Theatre. As a company run by two freelancers, we appreciate the significance of collective agreements in maintaining standards and dignity in work, and making sure that outdoor theatre, which brings so much joy to the British summer, is not being run on poor and exploitative practices."
Karrim Jalali, Equity’s Industrial Official covering Outdoor Touring, said:
“When companies fail to honour the workforce’s basic employment status, they get to undercut the companies that do. That’s not right. It means that decent companies who care about their workers are not competing on an even playing field. It also places workers at more risk and effectively steals from their pockets.”
Equity strongly encourages performer and relevant stage management members working on open air tours, panto school tours, or theatre in education tours to send contracts and schedules to Equity for review at pmpp@equity.org.uk.
