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| Freelancers Make Theatre Work | |
|---|---|
| Name | Freelancers Make Theatre Work |
| Abbreviation | FMTW |
| Formation | 2019 |
| Type | Advocacy group |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
| Leader title | Co‑ordinators |
Freelancers Make Theatre Work is a UK-based campaign and collective formed to represent freelance practitioners in the performing arts, particularly theatre, dance, and live performance. Launched amid sectoral crises, the group brought together a wide array of independent artists, technicians, producers, and stage managers to negotiate working conditions, welfare provision, and recognition for precarious labour. Its activities intersect with national policy debates, industrial actions, and sectoral reforms involving unions, venues, and funders.
Freelancers Make Theatre Work originated in 2019 as a response to funding cuts and precarity affecting practitioners in London, Manchester, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and regional theatres such as Royal Court Theatre and Young Vic. The group expanded rapidly after the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom closures prompted mass cancellations involving companies like National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Donmar Warehouse, and festivals such as the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Early public campaigns referenced legal and welfare instruments including the Employment Rights Act 1996 and engaged with trade unions like Equity, Musicians' Union, and BECTU. High-profile solidarity was visible alongside artists linked to institutions such as Barbican Centre, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Royal Opera House, Shakespeare's Globe, and producer collectives rooted in venues like Soho Theatre.
FMTW states objectives to secure fair remuneration, transparent contracting, and access to social protection for independent workers across venues including National Theatre of Scotland, Northern Stage, Bristol Old Vic, and touring houses like Tricycle Theatre. The campaign advocates reforms to grant frameworks administered by bodies like Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, and Arts Council Wales and seeks statutory recognition akin to protections under laws such as the Equality Act 2010. It promotes parity with salaried staff at institutions including Royal Exchange Theatre, Old Vic, Lyric Hammersmith, and festivals such as Latitude Festival and Manchester International Festival.
The collective employs a flat governance model with volunteer coordinators and working groups focusing on legal advice, health and safety, and negotiating toolkits targeted at freelancers working with entities like Chichester Festival Theatre, Curve Theatre, RSC, and touring promoters affiliated with British Council. Collaboration networks link regional hubs in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, and Newcastle upon Tyne and liaise with professional bodies such as Stage Directors UK, Theatrical Management Association, and artist networks like TheatreCraft and Theatre Artists Committee. Decision-making has incorporated public assemblies and online forums referencing benchmark practices from producers like Mischief Theatre and companies such as Complicite and Peacock Theatre.
Projects have included model contract templates used in negotiations with venues like Trafalgar Studios, research briefings on income patterns referencing data from Office for National Statistics and sector reports by Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. Campaigns have targeted commissioning practices at institutions including Royal Court Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre, and funding decisions by Arts Council England. Activities feature public demonstrations outside locations such as Downing Street, coordinated statements with unions including Unison, training workshops with legal clinics involving solicitors experienced with Employment Tribunals, and emergency relief funds in partnership with charities like Arts Emergency and Help Musicians. They have also published toolkits for touring artists collaborating with promoters of events like Edinburgh International Festival.
The collective influenced policy discussions at hearings before bodies like the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, contributed to consultations by Arts Council England, and informed sector-wide guidance adopted by venues including Southbank Centre and National Theatre. Public campaigns pressured producers and venues—such as Wilton's Music Hall and Colchester Mercury Theatre—to revise payment terms, and raised awareness in media outlets that cover theatre like The Stage, The Guardian, BBC Arts, and The Telegraph. Partnerships with unions produced joint bargaining frameworks that echoed practices at Royal Exchange, Donmar Warehouse, and Bristol Old Vic.
FMTW has operated primarily through grassroots fundraising, donations coordinated via crowdfunding platforms promoted by artists associated with Frantic Assembly, Punchdrunk, and Kneehigh Theatre, and through grants from charitable trusts sympathetic to freelance welfare such as the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and industry philanthropies connected to institutions like Wellcome Trust for wellbeing initiatives. Partnerships have included alliances with unions (Equity, BECTU), producer networks, and support from academic partners researching precarious labour at universities like Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Goldsmiths, University of London, and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Critics argued that FMTW's grassroots tactics risked alienating managerial leadership at venues such as Royal Court Theatre and Old Vic and complicated collective bargaining efforts with unions like Equity. Some funders and producers claimed public campaigns harmed donor relations with organisations like Arts Council England and affected programming decisions at festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Debates arose over representation—whether FMTW adequately reflected technical staff from companies like The Lighting Detective and stage management cohorts linked to Stage Management Association—and over the sustainability of stipend-based relief schemes versus structural funding reforms championed by institutions such as Bristol Old Vic.
Category:Theatre in the United Kingdom