FIA: On the night of 28 October 2015, the ‘Law of the Actor’ (‘Ley del Actor’), officially recognising performers as workers, was unanimously approved by the Argentinean Senate. FIA warmly congratulates its Argentinean member AAA (Asociación Argentina de Actores, Argentinean Actors Association) on this historic victory.
5 comments:
Good for Argentina! It is a little disheartening that it took this long, but I also don't pretend to understand the socio-political climate of Argentina in relationship to the arts. The issue behind this article gets at something significantly more important in that its focus is on the decision of non-artistic lawmakers acknowledging theatre practitioners as workers. It is obviously difficult for someone who is not in the field of drama to understand the amount of focus, presence and time necessary to do what we do well. While in America we have laws protecting our artists (for the most part), our theatrical tradition is not one of must respect in the realm of money and law that supports our institutions. This will not change unless we change. AAA proved to their lawmakers that the work that artists put in is worth recognition. We need to hold ourselves to a much higher standard if we are to prove to our money-makers and lawmakers that we are worth their funding and support.
Now, it also may be said that we ought not to function relative to people who would hold us to a standard of quality that they create, when they do not know what we do. I think that this is true. However, we cannot allow our work to slip into unspecific mediocrity as a result of our position. Instead, we have to make work that speaks so loudly (not necessarily boisterously) that they cannot ignore us.
It's rather telling that something this basic has been left on the back burner for so long in Argentina, and indeed the rest of the world. As audience members, we seem to forget that the people putting their lives and beings onto stages for our entertainment are not only real humans after all, but real humans most likely living underpaid, under-insured, and under protected lives in pursuit of their crafts. While it's easy to slip into a mindset that views actors and other entertainers as one dimensional beings who cease to exist the minute they step offstage, this law is a reminder that that is not true.
Going off of that, Argentina's law is more that s law. It is a safeguard against the dismissal of the needs of entertainment professionals, a reminder of the legitimacy of entertainment as a career, and above all, a protection for performers and other professionals from profession-related abuse and neglect.
While the law itself may simply afford basic rights to performers and their families, the fat that it exists broaches many more complex topics, and has hopefully begun meaningful dialogue in Argentina.
This is so incredible! To me, this really highlights the dedication that was going into working in Argentina as a performing artist. We become very numb, here in our very modern and cushy country, to how hard it is to do what you love almost anywhere else. It's very sad to me that even though working in theater is not always the easiest option for life, it's not all that hard when you look at how we're at least still considered people who are working. It seems like it's an upswing for the whole world to start recognizing art as an honorable profession. I believe this also allows us to hope for better art, as a result of more funding, around the world. This is a really great start to this solution!
Congrats to Argentina! I'm surprised that they didn't have a law recognizing actors already, but it's never too late to recognize the performing arts as a profession. I agree with Abby, that we in the US forget how hard it is to get paid to produce art in other countries, let alone legally BE an artist. Argentina has a wonderfully rich cultural history filled with music, dance, song, and movement, and it would be a shame for the Argentinian government to stifle its citizen's abilities to express that, or anything really, through performance. Now the cast members of a hypothetical production of Evita in Argentina can actually be paid to perform a musical about one of their more famous leaders! And now that performers will be paid, I wonder what the contract and payment structure looks like for those in the technical roles in the performing arts.
This is such great new, I'm so happy for the performers of Argentina! Like Abby and Rachel, I don't usually think about how much of a privilege it is to be an artist in America. Being at Carnegie Mellon gives us so many opportunities that wouldn't be possible in other places. We get to study under people who work professionally in beautiful spaces with all the resources we could ever need. One thing I always tell myself when I get stressed or frustrates is that there are people who would kill to be in my place. Sometimes it's important to take a step back and be truly thankful for what we have, and this story is a great example of this. The people of Argentina have taken an important step towards being accepting of the arts as a valid career choice, and that's something I'm very happy about. Fostering the arts allows a culture to grow, and lets people express who they really are.
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