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2 AUGUST 1 2024 NEWS Former Actors Centre up for sale for £4m GEORGIA LUCKHURST Seven Dials Playhouse has been put up for sale in a move Equity has said “demands answers”. The long-term lease at Covent Garden’s 1A Tower Street is listed for sale at £4,020,000, as a “virtual freehold interest” expiring in December 2987. It is currently owned by Seven Dials Playhouse Limited. As part of the conditions of any sale, the property would be leased back to Seven Dials Playhouse, with a rent of £300,000 per year, or £38.61 per square foot – for 15 years. The Stage understands this move would give it financial stability at what has been a turbulent time for the theatre – which in its most recent accounts, made up to March 31, 2022, admitted its first year of trading since rebranding from the Actors Centre had “proven harder than we imagined financially”. A spokesperson for campaign group Actor at the Centre – which has been calling for the theatre to return to its founding purpose as a space for actors’ training and development – called the sale “an act of vandalism”, while the general secretary of trade union Equity said the building had been “bought and paid for by actors, for actors”. Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said: “The building is an accessible training hub, designed to meet the needs of artists who want to hone their craft and be part of a community. It is bricks and mortar for workers in an industry built on shifting sand. “After two and a half years of attempting to understand why the ‘Seven Dials Playhouse’ has dumped the most economically successful part of the Actors Centre model, and excluded the workforce from participation in the space, to see the leasehold up for sale is shocking but not surprising. Equity is united with the Actor at the Centre campaign, demanding answers, and solutions, to the disaster that has unfolded since the Centre was rebranded.” In a listing about the sale posted to surveyors Hanover Green, the leaseback to the theatre is described as a 15-year lease, with a tenant-break option in the 10th year. The revelation once again places scrutiny on 1A Tower Street, which was purchased by the Actors Centre in the 1990s as a permanent home for the organisation’s workshops, training and peer-to-peer networking. The names of those formerly involved with the Actors Centre include such leading stage professionals as Ian McKellen, Alec Guinness, Judi Dench and more. But in 2021, the charity rebranded as Seven Dials Playhouse, with chief executive Amanda Davey previously telling the Guardian that out of concern for its “survival”, management had had to do things differently and that it needed to “reimagine what the organisation was for”. In its most recent accounts, representatives for Seven Dials Playhouse Limited made reference to the building’s money-raising potential, writing: “We own a valuable central London property asset, which is our home, and while we are optimistic of a positive outcome given our ongoing efforts to obtain future funding we have not excluded or discounted any of the potential options that might be available to us.” Critics say Seven Dials Playhouse has travelled far beyond its founding remit as a home to support actors and become simply another Off-West End receiving house. ACE creates role to support freelancers MATTHEW HEMLEY Arts Council England has created a role dedicated to the needs of freelancers. The post – director, London and individual practitioners – has been filled by Yasmin Khan. Her role will be to “help strategically enable creative freelancers across all art forms and regions”, ACE said. She will be responsible for taking a national leadership role in shaping and delivering the Arts Council’s work, policy and funding processes as they relate to freelancers and individual practitioners, it added. Khan will join ACE in September, having previously worked at the Science Museum and at the British Library. “I feel it’s an ideal time to embrace this new role at ACE. I’m so excited I’ll have a chance to collaborate with such talented and dedicated colleagues who enable England’s art sector to thrive,” she said. Earlier this year, MPs backed demands for a freelancers’ commissioner to “champion” the interests of creative freelancers. A report published by the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee recommended the government appoint a commissioner to advocate for freelancers. Banning zero-hour contracts RSC changes CONTINUED FROM FRONT of the talent pool and no doubt increased costs for theatres.” Meanwhile, Sofi Berenger, executive producer and acting chief executive at north London’s Kings Head Theatre, said her venue believed in offering zero-hour London Living Wage contracts (£13.15 an hour) to help “best support artists, who often value flexibility due to their unpredictable working patterns.” Berenger said the arrangement permitted artists to pursue creative ambitions alongside working, and called for the government to consider excusing theatre from the zero-hours contracts ban. She said: “An exemption for the arts and cultural sector and an investigation into the benefits there are in zero-hour contracts for freelance artists is vital to the ecology of the sector.” A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said the government was “committed to working with businesses to give workers more rights to be heard in the workplace”, including ensuring those who want to work flexibly can do so, but that it would be “ending one-sided flexibility and exploitative zero-hours contracts”. They added: “That is why we will ensure workers have a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work, while allowing them to remain on a zero-hours contract if they decide this is what suits their needs.” But the concern remains as to how these distinctions will be implemented, with Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre co-chief executive Claire Walker saying her organisations were briefing the government on their concerns regarding the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill. She said the theatre sector “enjoys strong and healthy employment relations”, which had been “developed over decades between ourselves, as employer representatives, and our partners in the trade unions on behalf of the theatre sector.” Walker pointed out that as well as benefiting freelancers, zero-hours contracts allow employers to “manage seasonal fluctuations effectively.” Under proposed legislation announced in the King’s Speech on July 17, prime minister Keir Starmer will pursue a “new deal for working people”, including a ban on what Labour has called “exploitative” zero-hours contracts. The change in law would give workers the right to a contract reflecting the number of hours they regularly work, as well as requiring bosses to give “reasonable notice” and compensation if shifts are changed or cancelled. The government has described the bill as “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”, with the legislation also reforming practices around parental leave, sick pay and unfair dismissal. Justifying the decision to ban zero-hours agreements, the government said such jobs permitted only “one-sided flexibility”, to the benefit of employers and detriment of workers – about one million of whom in the UK are currently engaged on the contracts. But the policy has drawn flak from both theatre management and those who take on zero-hours contracts themselves – often to support their own creative goals. Director Matthew Iliffe, who has staged shows at Summerhall, Bristol Old Vic and Riverside Studios, said he works two casual box office jobs alongside his freelance work, to support himself. He said: “Thankfully, I am a busy director but work is still inconsistent and the fees on offer don’t nearly cover most people’s living costs, especially in London.” Iliffe added: “Without flexible work that fits around directing, I would have to quit the industry altogether.” Philippa Childs, head of creative industries union BECTU, said her organisation welcomed the government’s plan to “make work pay and crack down on poor working practices and exploitative zero-hours contracts”. But she too noted that their flexibility “often lends itself to creative-sector work”, and said BECTU would be “keeping a keen eye on the draft legislation”. Fellow union Equity said Labour’s new deal for working people must be “implemented in full”. General secretary Paul W Fleming said: “This includes ending zero-hours contracts which empower bosses at the expense of working people. Our members are on zerohours contracts outside of the industry to support their careers due to the low pay and insecurity they experience in the arts and entertainment sectors.” CONTINUED FROM FRONT a more inclusive approach to how we respond to writers’ needs.” When pushed on the changes to its New Works department, it provided a follow-up statement. “While we are unable to go into detail, we can confirm that, following a period of reflection and consultation that has now concluded, there have been some internal changes to our New Works function at the RSC, which include the introduction of the new writer-in-residence role and some changes to reporting lines,” it said. R S C/ S A M A L L A R D Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre
page 3
AUGUST thestage.co.uk/news Hiddleston and Weaver to star in Jamie Lloyd Shakespeare season MATTHEW HEMLEY Sigourney Weaver Tom Hiddleston Tom Hiddleston and Sigourney Weaver are to star in a season of Shakespeare work at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, directed by Jamie Lloyd. As previously reported by The Stage, the season will run at the theatre in-between Frozen closing and Hercules opening, fulfilling Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wish to see the playwright’s work programmed once again at the venue he owns. Weaver will play Prospero in The Tempest, with Hiddleston playing Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing opposite Hayley Atwell as Beatrice. The Tempest will begin performances on December 7, running until February 1, with a press night on December 19. Much Ado About Nothing will begin previews from February 10 and run until April 5, with press night on February 19. The season, which is being produced by the Jamie Lloyd Company, will run for 16-weeks only. It will include 25,000 tickets under £25, which will be for under-30s, key workers and those in receipt of benefits. Lloyd said: “It is such an honour to be invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber to be the first company to present Shakespeare at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in decades. I could not be more thrilled to welcome three-time Academy award nominated and BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actress, Sigourney Weaver – an international icon of stage and screen – to London. Then to PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK collaborate again with two of the greatest actors of their generation – Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell – on one of Shakespeare’s wittiest and most tender comedies is a dream come true.” The season fulfils Lloyd Webber’s ambition to stage Shakespeare at the venue again, with a production of The Tempest starring John Gielgud in 1957 marking the last time the playwright’s work was performed at the theatre. After Gielgud broke his staff playing Prospero in that production, he said Shakespeare would not be performed there again, with Lloyd Webber later saying he was determined to prove him wrong. Lloyd Webber said: “When I was nine years old I was taken to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Peter Brook’s legendary production of The Tempest with John Gielgud as Prospero. It made a profound impression on me. At the final performance Gielgud broke Prospero’s staff and pronounced that Shakespeare would never again be performed at the Theatre Royal as it would be ‘lost to musicals’. “Ever since I owned the Theatre Royal I have been determined to prove him wrong. It is therefore a massive joy that Jamie Lloyd is bringing back Shakespeare to the Lane and even more wonderful that the first of two Shakespeare plays will be The Tempest.” Hiddleston described working with Lloyd previously on Harold Pinter’s Betrayal as “one of the most fulfilling and meaningful experiences of my performing life”. Kit Harington: Black Out nights do not discriminate Slave Play actor Kit Harington has defended the production’s Black Out nights, hailing them as an “incredibly positive thing” in an industry where audiences are predominantly white, writes Matthew Hemley. The actor was speaking alongside co-star Olivia Washington on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, about the decision for Jeremy O Harris’ play to have two Black Out nights during its run – an idea devised to attract all-black audiences. Harington said: “I have come to realise or believe that it is an incredibly positive thing. We had our first the other night and it was an incredible show. The energy on stage and in the audience was unlike anything I have ever experienced. And I do believe, with this play and what it is saying, that having a place where a certain group of people can come and feel open to laughing in a certain way and reacting in a certain way, in safety for two nights of the entire run, is a great thing.” When the nights were announced, the then prime minister Rishi Sunak criticised the concept, with Downing Street issuing a statement saying “restricting audiences on the basis of race would be wrong and divisive”. Responding, Harington said: “Number one: if you are white, no one is stopping you buying a ticket – it is not illegal to buy a ticket if you want to come. It is saying we would prefer the audience to be this. Number two: I have been going to the theatre since I was young with my mum and I have only ever known predominantly white audiences. It is still a particularly white space. So to have the argument that this is discriminating against white people is vaguely strange and ridiculous.” Washington described seeing a theatre of “black and brown people in a 900-seat theatre” as “very special”. “It’s a difficult subject matter... but to feel supported by this room in a different kind of way felt really great,” she said. Following the interview, the show’s panellists debated Black Out nights, with writer and performer Stephen Fry highlighting how few people of colour he sees at the theatre. “You have to use your imaginations – [black people] look at these events and think: ‘This is not for me,’ and they feel a little out of place... Think about it for a bit and think about how theatre can be opened up to a whole population of people who might then come to other shows, which have mixed audiences. It’s a fair idea and unfair to say: ‘Let’s put the other case and imagine whites are banned,’ as it isn’t like that,” he said.

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2

AUGUST 1 2024

NEWS

Former Actors Centre up for sale for £4m

GEORGIA LUCKHURST

Seven Dials Playhouse has been put up for sale in a move Equity has said “demands answers”.

The long-term lease at Covent Garden’s 1A Tower Street is listed for sale at £4,020,000, as a “virtual freehold interest” expiring in December 2987. It is currently owned by Seven Dials Playhouse Limited.

As part of the conditions of any sale, the property would be leased back to Seven Dials Playhouse, with a rent of £300,000 per year, or £38.61 per square foot – for 15 years. The Stage understands this move would give it financial stability at what has been a turbulent time for the theatre – which in its most recent accounts, made up to March 31, 2022, admitted its first year of trading since rebranding from the Actors Centre had “proven harder than we imagined financially”.

A spokesperson for campaign group Actor at the Centre – which has been calling for the theatre to return to its founding purpose as a space for actors’ training and development – called the sale “an act of vandalism”,

while the general secretary of trade union Equity said the building had been “bought and paid for by actors, for actors”.

Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said: “The building is an accessible training hub, designed to meet the needs of artists who want to hone their craft and be part of a community. It is bricks and mortar for workers in an industry built on shifting sand.

“After two and a half years of attempting to understand why the ‘Seven Dials Playhouse’ has dumped the most economically successful part of the Actors Centre model, and excluded the workforce from participation in the space, to see the leasehold up for sale is shocking but not surprising. Equity is united with the Actor at the Centre campaign, demanding answers, and solutions, to the disaster that has unfolded since the Centre was rebranded.”

In a listing about the sale posted to surveyors Hanover Green, the leaseback to the theatre is described as a 15-year lease, with a tenant-break option in the 10th year.

The revelation once again places scrutiny on 1A Tower Street, which was purchased by the Actors Centre in the 1990s as a permanent home for the organisation’s workshops, training and peer-to-peer networking.

The names of those formerly involved with the Actors Centre include such leading stage professionals as Ian McKellen, Alec Guinness, Judi Dench and more.

But in 2021, the charity rebranded as Seven Dials Playhouse, with chief executive Amanda Davey previously telling the Guardian that out of concern for its “survival”, management had had to do things differently and that it needed to “reimagine what the organisation was for”.

In its most recent accounts, representatives for Seven Dials Playhouse Limited made reference to the building’s money-raising potential, writing: “We own a valuable central London property asset, which is our home, and while we are optimistic of a positive outcome given our ongoing efforts to obtain future funding we have not excluded or discounted any of the potential options that might be available to us.”

Critics say Seven Dials Playhouse has travelled far beyond its founding remit as a home to support actors and become simply another Off-West End receiving house.

ACE creates role to support freelancers

MATTHEW HEMLEY

Arts Council England has created a role dedicated to the needs of freelancers.

The post – director, London and individual practitioners – has been filled by Yasmin Khan. Her role will be to “help strategically enable creative freelancers across all art forms and regions”, ACE said.

She will be responsible for taking a national leadership role in shaping and delivering the Arts Council’s work, policy and funding processes as they relate to freelancers and individual practitioners, it added.

Khan will join ACE in September, having previously worked at the Science Museum and at the British Library.

“I feel it’s an ideal time to embrace this new role at ACE. I’m so excited I’ll have a chance to collaborate with such talented and dedicated colleagues who enable England’s art sector to thrive,” she said.

Earlier this year, MPs backed demands for a freelancers’ commissioner to “champion” the interests of creative freelancers.

A report published by the cross-party Culture, Media and Sport Committee recommended the government appoint a commissioner to advocate for freelancers.

Banning zero-hour contracts

RSC changes

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

of the talent pool and no doubt increased costs for theatres.”

Meanwhile, Sofi Berenger, executive producer and acting chief executive at north London’s Kings Head Theatre, said her venue believed in offering zero-hour London Living Wage contracts (£13.15 an hour) to help “best support artists, who often value flexibility due to their unpredictable working patterns.”

Berenger said the arrangement permitted artists to pursue creative ambitions alongside working, and called for the government to consider excusing theatre from the zero-hours contracts ban. She said: “An exemption for the arts and cultural sector and an investigation into the benefits there are in zero-hour contracts for freelance artists is vital to the ecology of the sector.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said the government was “committed to working with businesses to give workers more rights to be heard in the workplace”, including ensuring those who want to work flexibly can do so, but that it would be “ending one-sided flexibility and exploitative zero-hours contracts”.

They added: “That is why we will ensure workers have a contract that reflects the number of hours they regularly work, while allowing them to remain on a zero-hours contract if they decide this is what suits their needs.”

But the concern remains as to how these distinctions will be implemented, with

Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre co-chief executive Claire Walker saying her organisations were briefing the government on their concerns regarding the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill.

She said the theatre sector “enjoys strong and healthy employment relations”, which had been “developed over decades between ourselves, as employer representatives, and our partners in the trade unions on behalf of the theatre sector.”

Walker pointed out that as well as benefiting freelancers, zero-hours contracts allow employers to “manage seasonal fluctuations effectively.”

Under proposed legislation announced in the King’s Speech on July 17, prime minister Keir Starmer will pursue a “new deal for working people”, including a ban on what Labour has called “exploitative” zero-hours contracts.

The change in law would give workers the right to a contract reflecting the number of hours they regularly work, as well as requiring bosses to give “reasonable notice” and compensation if shifts are changed or cancelled.

The government has described the bill as “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”, with the legislation also reforming practices around parental leave, sick pay and unfair dismissal.

Justifying the decision to ban zero-hours agreements, the government said such jobs permitted only “one-sided flexibility”, to the benefit of employers and detriment of workers – about one million of whom in the UK are currently engaged on the contracts.

But the policy has drawn flak from both theatre management and those who take on zero-hours contracts themselves – often to support their own creative goals.

Director Matthew Iliffe, who has staged shows at Summerhall, Bristol Old Vic and Riverside Studios, said he works two casual box office jobs alongside his freelance work, to support himself.

He said: “Thankfully, I am a busy director but work is still inconsistent and the fees on offer don’t nearly cover most people’s living costs, especially in London.”

Iliffe added: “Without flexible work that fits around directing, I would have to quit the industry altogether.”

Philippa Childs, head of creative industries union BECTU, said her organisation welcomed the government’s plan to “make work pay and crack down on poor working practices and exploitative zero-hours contracts”.

But she too noted that their flexibility “often lends itself to creative-sector work”, and said BECTU would be “keeping a keen eye on the draft legislation”.

Fellow union Equity said Labour’s new deal for working people must be “implemented in full”.

General secretary Paul W Fleming said: “This includes ending zero-hours contracts which empower bosses at the expense of working people. Our members are on zerohours contracts outside of the industry to support their careers due to the low pay and insecurity they experience in the arts and entertainment sectors.”

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

a more inclusive approach to how we respond to writers’ needs.”

When pushed on the changes to its New Works department, it provided a follow-up statement.

“While we are unable to go into detail, we can confirm that, following a period of reflection and consultation that has now concluded, there have been some internal changes to our New Works function at the RSC, which include the introduction of the new writer-in-residence role and some changes to reporting lines,” it said.

R S C/ S A M A L L A R D

Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Swan Theatre

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