RESPONSE TO GARY CHAMBERS

[Richard Hurst]

On August 25th, Gary Chambers wrote ... in part:
        "Well how about Equity?
        In the USA or Britain, anyone can buy a copy of
The Stage or Variety, or a number of other similar journals.
Therein they can learn about audition dates, and other
valuable career information.  In Canada, Equity officials
jealously guard this information.  They print a few
shreds of data in their paltry four page photocopied
newsletters, which they send out exclusively
to those who have been lucky enough to be ordained
into their segregated order."
        And, further on ...
        "And of course, mobs like Equity and ACTRA are right into
this game too.  Here's how it works.  First the
local burghers get a government arts grant, big enough to
hire a few professionals at respectable wages.  Then they
fire off letters to Equity and ACTRA, pleading poverty.
The unions respond by tossing waivers around like cheap
china at a Greek feast.  This enables the local
burghers to thumb their noses at the professionals, and
hire a bus load of gullible young job seekers at welfare
wages.  (The casting couch may be fading away, but working
in Canadian theatre can still get you screwed.)  Try as
they might, the group cannot stage the quality show that
a few professionals can offer. So audiences get thinner
and thinner."

        I take some exception to the above points made by Mr. Chambers. To
my knowledge (and I sat on Equity Council for ten years) Equity does not
"guard" audition information. Audition notices are posted in the Equity
Offices (East and West) for anyone to read, or that information is readily
available by calling any theatre in the country directly. As it happens,
most of the auditions are directed toward Equity Artists. Some (but not
all)audition notices are published in The Newsletter. (I wonder when was the
last time that Mr. Chambers took a look at The Newsletter? The last issue
(August)was sixteen pages long (and has occassionally been up to
thirty-two), printed via desktop publishing and, to my knowledge has never
been a "paltry four-page photocopied" publication.) Granted, entry into
Equity is not "readily" available to all and sundry, but then what
profession is? The Apprentice process takes a minimum of two years
incorporating three engagements at two different "professional" theatres
under a Letter of Apprenticeship Agreement (considerably different from ACTRA).
        Mr. Chambers later defeats his own arguement by stating that a
"group cannot stage the quality show that a few professionals can offer",
Thus the reason for the apprenticeship process. Quality does not come cheap.
No matter what the profession, the period of experience-gaining MUST take
place. It was unfortunate that Mr. Chambers was subjected to some old-style
unioning in being denied a media union membership twenty years ago. I think
things have changed. While quality and "professionalism" don't always go
hand in hand, the efforts on the part of those in our industry who earn a
living practicing their craft on a day-top-day basis have gone a long way to
establishing this country's theatrical reputation firmly on the world market.
        Later, Mr. Chambers states:
        "Canadian commercial drama is not an industry.  It's just an old
boys' network, supported in many cases by government subsidies."
        Canadian Commercial "drama" (read "theatre") is certainly an
industry. If Walt Disney Corp and their "Beauty and the Beast" production in
Toronto isn't an Industry, I don't know what is. The t-shirt revenues alone
could support a medium size Canadian theatre for at least one entire season.
It is also my understanding that the "commercial" theatre does not receive
government subsidies. Certainly most of the Regional Canadian theatres are
supported by provincial and federal funding bodies (all too poorly, I must
add) but "commercial" or "for-profit" theatre (ie: Livent, Mirvish, Disney)
do not fall under any subsidy guidelines of Arts Funding bodies of which I
am aware.
        One can live in hope that things get better all round, but until
that time, we must put our energies toward uniting all levels of our culture
and art, professional and non-professional, commercial and not-for-profit,
to make what we have even better than it is already.

Richard Hurst