An Actor's Life For Me


I bumped into an old friend of mine in the centre of Glasgow the other day - Drew McFarlane - Scottish organiser of the actors' trade union - Equity.

I wrote something about Drew and Equity for one of the Scottish newspapers years ago - but for some reason a particularly nasty woman editor changed the piece without my consent.

The final version was very different from the original article I'd written - which hacked me off no end at the time.

So I'm pleased to reproduce the article here in full - to set the record straight, albeit many years on.    

An Actor’s Life For Me!

What do Sean Connery, Billy Connolly, Elaine C Smith, Peter Mullan and Ewan McGregor all have in common? Besides being some of the most famous Scots alive the answer is they’re all members in good standing of the actors’ union, Equity.

Equity can call upon its celebrity members for support because they remember what it’s like to earn a living in much less glamorous circumstances. For most actors, fame and fortune is distant dream. What keep them going is their self-belief and passion for performing.

“Equity membership is not about joining a celebrities club, neither is it a ticket to appearing on ‘Take the High Road’”, says Drew McFarlane, the union’s Scottish organiser. “Most members are jobbing actors and performers, unemployed for long periods of time, living a hand to mouth existence in many cases, which is why they need a real trade union”.

Elaine C. Smith has been an Equity member since 1980 when she got her big break by joining the 7:84 Theatre Company. “I’ve been an Equity member from day one”, says Elaine, during a break in her busy schedule. “I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, but the industry needs a strong campaigning union. At any one time 85% of Equity members are out of work, the average wage is less than £300 a week and performers often have difficulty arranging loans and mortgages. So, I still try and do my bit when I can”.

Drew McFarlane represents 2,000 Scottish members from a bewildering variety of backgrounds and walks of life: comedians and choreographers, singers and street entertainers, lap dancers and ballet dancers, actors and opera singers, performers of every kind from theatre, radio and television.

An electrician to trade, offshore oilrig worker and all round man of many talents, Drew has a keen, self deprecating Glasgow sense of humour that helps to keep his feet firmly on the ground, even at stressful times.

“Addressing Equity meetings with the members fully dressed in their pantomime costumes takes a bit of getting used to”, admits Drew. “Being put in your place by Cinderella and the Ugly Sisters is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives! There’s no substitute for getting around the country and meeting the members, it’s an essential part of the job and pays great dividends. Times are often hard for professional performers, but they have a great sense of camaraderie”.

“Equity was born in 1931 in the west end of London where many of the big national theatres exist to this day. At the time, all the leading lights were sons and daughters of middle-class parents who were able to subsidize a career on the stage. The film industry was in its infancy, television had still to be invented. Performers received no payment for rehearsals, no overtime and no holiday pay. Equity was an idea waiting to happen and over the years it has encouraged people from all walks of life, from ordinary working backgrounds, to pursue their dreams and make a life in the performing arts”.

Equity’s bread and butter role is about establishing minimum rates of pay through industry wide agreements negotiated mainly at a UK level. Independent producers are now more significant than 20 years ago, but the union has established a good working relationship with employers’ organisations such as PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television).

“Problems can still occur even if there’s no dispute over fees”, says Drew. “Performances get cancelled, sometimes at short notice, and members sometimes struggle to get paid what has been agreed. If that happens, the union often has to sue for breach of contract although the legal service is free”.

Equity has a fight on its hands at present over performers rights in the film industry. In America members of the Screen Actors Guild (Equity’s sister union) receive additional payments if a film turns into a smash hit or does well on release to video; a very lucrative part of the market these days.

“The problem is that actors in the UK are treated as second class citizens”, explains Drew. “American actors receive top up payments in addition to their original one-off fee if a film does better than expected, even when American and UK actors are working on the same production alongside each other. After years of patient negotiating, Equity members have lost patience. The union is threatening to boycott big productions in the pipeline, such as the next James Bond movie scheduled to begin shooting in London in December”.

“Unexpected issues also crop up”, says Drew cheerfully. “Things can be coasting along nicely when out of the blue somebody does something unbelievably stupid and arrogant. Scottish Ballet shares a chief executive, Chris Barron, with Scottish Opera. Just recently he announced that Scottish Ballet would be transformed into a contemporary dance company. But no one bothered to speak to the staff before releasing details to the press”.

“It beggars belief that big organisations spending millions in public money can behave in such a cavalier way. Naturally, Equity members are disgusted and expect the union to fight back. Dancers have short performing careers and need to plan for the future. Management look cold hearted and callous, which is just what they deserve”.

Equity is not affiliated to any political party and takes pride in its campaigning work, lobbying fiercely without fear or favour. High up the agenda is the campaign for an indigenous Scottish film industry. Will there be a new home and if so, where? What role can the Scottish parliament play?

Equity would like to see a more open and robust debate about funding the performing arts in Scotland. “The Scottish Arts Council completely dominates the scene, but lacks empathy for the wider cultural agenda outside the cloistered world of Scottish Opera,” says Drew. “The Scottish parliament is beginning to make its presence felt which bodes well for the future. Maybe, the winds of change are blowing, at long last”.

Mark A. Irvine

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