The Lantern Theatre is a small but well-established company in Center City, employing about 60 people during a season of five productions. Last fiscal year the company, for the first time, brought in over $1 million in earned and donated revenue.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Lantern Theatre company raises pay rates for union and non-union staff
The Lantern Theatre is a small but well-established company in Center City, employing about 60 people during a season of five productions. Last fiscal year the company, for the first time, brought in over $1 million in earned and donated revenue.
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4 comments:
I totally agree with this artistic director. The people who are attracting people to a town, a city, a neighborhood are bringing wallets to businesses. What would Philadelphia be like without any of the arts so deeply rooted as they are there? It would be a very different and even scarier place most likely. Those who are on and off stage helping the local economy should be paid like they are important to the city. In my head I am picturing Times Square without Broadway, It is just not possible! So the people who make Broadway what it is are paid pretty well, though that is an exaggerated comparison. I hope that theaters follow in the footsteps of the Lantern Theatre Company and pay their employees more. I would also hope that theaters like this that really think about the importance of their employees will be the ones hiring more in the future.
I really hope this means that theatres, not only in Philadelphia but around the country, will make concerted efforts to increase the wages of their staff. There are several well-intentioned things that really stand out about this decision. Thankfully, this raise is an across the board increase, regardless of union affiliation or department. Too often it seems that union actors get treated drastically different than their non-union counterparts when it comes to compensation. With this increase also extending to staff throughout the company, it shows that there will continue to be a commitment to high quality shows and ethical responsibility. I am curious however if this would apply to any interns or apprentices that might be working for the theatre. I know of several companies that don’t pay their interns one iota, let alone a living wage. If this isn’t included in the across the board increase, maybe it will be considered soon.
I have talked about this topic a lot, and it might be rooted in my general philosophy that the American workforce is underpaid, but I’m really glad to see the Lantern Theatre invest in their labour/talent. Acting is a valuable skill, that is, it has monetary value. People are quick to exploit this, and pay less than the value of that skill to actors. Additionally, it is really nice to see this investment into the crew members of the theatre. If the artistic director was being honest when they said they wanted to pay what they thing is fair, not what they can bargain, then I think that theatres across the nation should take this as the new standard. They may be spending more, but it is truly an investment, for a few reasons.
Firstly, people who are more secure financially tend to be more happy, and less worried. People can worry about creating the best show they can instead of paying the bills. Also a benefit, if a person isn’t working to the standard that the theatre holds, if they aren’t truly earning their paycheck, then you have a viable argument. It’s easier to take the moral high ground when telling someone to work harder if you’re paying them a fair wage.
I'm happy to see that theater is being celebrated in such a culturally vibrant city as Philadelphia--this fund-raising will hopefully create enough buzz and publicity for the performing arts to continue such philanthropic efforts. One can hope that this pay raise implemented over the next 4 years will be continued for many ears more, but since theater success depends on the fluctuations of the economy, this is uncertain. The buzz in the theater community will hopefully raise questions about the current predicament of performers and designers and their current income which many may argue is not enough to be financially secure. Performing arts are often taken to the sidelines of our culture, and this will preferably be altered through various efforts such as these.
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