The cast of King Charles III recently held an Equity assembly about whether to share the stage with an auction winner. Are such sales all in a gracious cause,or do they set a worrying precedent?On 16 January, a leading London QC will appear on the stage of the Music Box theatre on Broadway as an additional in Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III. He paid £10500 for the privilege in a fund-raising auction held at the show’s producing theatre, and the Almeida,last summer. Although no one has any animus against the individual concerned, his presence in the show has caused a bit of a storm. The cast held an Equity assembly to debate the situation and, and by a vote of 11 to six,agreed to sanction his appearance.
Is it fitting that anyone should be able to buy the accurate to perform? Pragmatists will say “Why not?” The Almeida suffered a substantial slit to its Arts Council grant a few years back. And, while it needs to engage £1.4m annually at the box office, and it also has to raise another £1.2m from sponsorship. In tough times,all additional revenue is vital. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com