Arts Jobs listing amateur projects

My attention was drawn to a listing on the Arts Jobs site (run by the Arts Council) for unpaid roles in the Henry IVs at http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/arts-job/post/actors-unpaid-henry-iv-parts-1-and-2/

I’ve looked into this, and it seems quite clear that the company is an amateur/community company, whose constitution requires that auditions are open to the general public. From the point of view of their community, it could be a concern that they’re not being open in their selection policy, as their constitution requires. They may have advertised more widely; their local community may indeed be fully aware of opportunities for the general public to get more familiar with Shakespeare. This is a good thing, but it’s not really relevant to the profession (save that we might be hired to act in an educational or advisory capacity).

I don’t believe this is some fly-by-night dodgy employer, but an over-eager group that isn’t especially well-informed. Partly this is based on the evidence; partly my own belief that bad stuff usually comes down to incompetence rather than malice. Call me cynical, but I’ll usually err on the side of ‘cock-up’ rather than ‘conspiracy’: it’s much less fun, but usually more effective at dealing with problems.

So who should help inform the uninformed? The Arts Council? Equity? Both are authoritative institutions in the professional arts world. But the Arts Council also has a specific brief that covers community engagement with the arts. So I got in touch with them:

“A number of colleagues have expressed concern that this posting appears to be in breach of your terms and conditions for posting, that jobs meet the relevant employment law.

Although unpaid, there is no explanation of how this satisfies conditions for exemption from the National Minimum Wage.

Additionally, the company’s own terms establish it as a community organisation, open to all, so posting selectively in a professional forum such as Arts Jobs appears to be disenfranchising the community the project aims to serve.

I am aware of growing concerns amongst actors of unpaid work being advertised. As Arts Jobs has a clearly constituted policy on legal employment, I would be very grateful to hear how you interpret this policy in respect of work that is unpaid.

Kind regards,
Alyn Gwyndaf”

I await their response. Watch this space...

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