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Comment by Dick Bradnum on November 26, 2013 at 4:17

Thanks for this Justin and I wish your company every success.just wanted to raise the debate.best wishes dick

Comment by Justin Teddy Cliffe on November 26, 2013 at 3:50

Hi Dick,

Thanks for posting this, I am a member of the company that posted the casting call. Just want to apologise for any offence or inconvenience caused. We at no point wanted to appear to have the endorsement of NTW for this specific project, that was never our intention and sorry for the confusion on that one.

The wage was also posted incorrectly and has thus been removed to save anymore confusion. I would like to say, although the wage on appearance may seem low, it more than covers National Minimum Wage equal to the amount of hours that will be worked per week, and was in fact made this way to safe-guard the performer with a guaranteed wage instead of asking them to commit to something of this length on profit share, which, unfortunately, would be our alternative. Trust me when I say we have an awful lot of respect for the people we work with, and a lot of them seem to agree as they work with us time and time again.

We of course aspire to pay Equity rates and in the past when we have been project funded we have and always will commit to and pay these rates, but the truth is we are a small company still attempting to earn money and support our companies growth, in this lies the balance of collaborating with others and making sure they are paid and treated their worth. I agree with you, this explanation should have accompanied our initial post, in order to make clear the obligation of the performer and the reason the wage may seem low.

This job has been well received in the past at a similar wage. I think for jobbing actors and emerging actors seeking experience in this field it is a perfect opportunity for them to be paid a wage in a dedicated tour, for a certain amount of time, with accommodation and travel costs covered. It can work out as a good opportunity to make extra money, work in what may otherwise be a quiet time, raise their profile and add more experience and substance to their C.V's.

Sorry again for the confusion and offence this post seems to have caused.

Jc

Comment by National Theatre Wales on November 25, 2013 at 5:13

Cheers Dick.  I agree.  J

Comment by Dick Bradnum on November 25, 2013 at 4:54

Thanks for the prompt response John. I am glad you are happy for me to have raised the issue. I have no issue with companies starting out not being able to pay properly. In the end no actor is forced to say yes to anything. I just think we need to be clear that there are agreed rates and that companies wanting to employ actors should at least acknowledge this in their breakdowns. best wishes Dick

Comment by National Theatre Wales on November 25, 2013 at 4:27

Hi Dick, thanks for taking the time to raise this important issue.  This online community is open to anyone who wants to post information about theatre in and beyond Wales, and a lot of companies use it to look for collaborators.  However, it's also a space where issues can and should be debated, and the question you raise is a really significant one. To be perfectly clear, National Theatre Wales pays its actors considerably above Equity agreed rates, and runs a full casting process for all shows, with casting calls posted in the Actors group here online.  Blogs by other groups or individuals are allowed on an open basis - we can't and wouldn't want to determine what rates they set, but we do encourage input such as yours.  However, we wouldn't want there to be any implication that NTW endorses particular companies, and will try to make sure that any companies posting on here for actors are clear that they are independent of NTW.  All the best, John