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Monday, October 23, 2017
Metropolitan Opera Slashes Actors' Pay If They Wear Bras Instead Of Performing Topless
New York City, NY Patch: Less skin means less cash for some performers at the Metropolitan Opera this season. The storied company is paying seven actresses who wear a bra and panties about half as much as others who instead wear pasties and thongs in its revival of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann," which opened Sept. 26.
I was appalled to read this article. To say I am mad at the Metropolitan Opera is an understatement. By paying two women differently just because of one article of clothing suggests that the Metropolitan Opera only values the nudity of it’s actors. In addition, the fact that this budget change is only occurring now, is beyond absurd. They’ve performed this show multiple times and for this change to just occur now suggests alternative motives. It’s quite honestly sexist. The fact that they did not inform the women of the differing paychecks is very unprofessional. All of these women, pasties or not, are dancing in minimal clothing in heels on a professional stage. This was an extremely unprofessional move made by the Metropolitan Opera. These women deserve to be paid the same. It’s really disappointing to see such an impressive company cutting corners.
Although I understand that the Met is going through some financial hardships this does not in any way excuse the difference in pay based on the clothing they're wearing. Obviously you have to cut corners sometimes but this is not the correct place to do that. Like the article says paying women more money for wearing less clothes completes disregards the talent of the performers. It makes it seem as if their worth is only about how much clothing that they're wearing, and that is completely unacceptable. This issue is made even worse due to fact that previously women were able to choose which of the two costumes they could wear without taking a pay cut. You would think that such a large performing arts company wouldn't want to take such a large step back as this, and yet they are showing that they are willing to compromise ethics in the name of money. Opera should be about the performer's voices and this has shifted the focus to something that does not reflect their talent at all.
It’s unfortunate that the Metropolitan Opera is doing so poorly financially as it produces amazing work but it should never cut performers’ pay just because of a costume change. The performers deserve their payment. What shocked me the most is that the Met didn’t reveal payment per performance to the performers until the night before opening and that the American Guild of Musical Artists didn’t step into say something. Working in the arts results in living paycheck to paycheck and the performers shouldn’t have to deal with this. I am surprised that the AGMA doesn’t require actors to know their payment sooner or how the approved the quick pay change. Also, why the AGMA didn’t step in confuses me because it is their job to represent their actors. I think this whole ordeal was made worse by the lack of action from the American Guild of Musical Artists. I wonder what else could have/should have been cut besides half of the performers’ paychecks.
3 comments:
I was appalled to read this article. To say I am mad at the Metropolitan Opera is an understatement. By paying two women differently just because of one article of clothing suggests that the Metropolitan Opera only values the nudity of it’s actors. In addition, the fact that this budget change is only occurring now, is beyond absurd. They’ve performed this show multiple times and for this change to just occur now suggests alternative motives. It’s quite honestly sexist. The fact that they did not inform the women of the differing paychecks is very unprofessional. All of these women, pasties or not, are dancing in minimal clothing in heels on a professional stage. This was an extremely unprofessional move made by the Metropolitan Opera. These women deserve to be paid the same. It’s really disappointing to see such an impressive company cutting corners.
Although I understand that the Met is going through some financial hardships this does not in any way excuse the difference in pay based on the clothing they're wearing. Obviously you have to cut corners sometimes but this is not the correct place to do that. Like the article says paying women more money for wearing less clothes completes disregards the talent of the performers. It makes it seem as if their worth is only about how much clothing that they're wearing, and that is completely unacceptable. This issue is made even worse due to fact that previously women were able to choose which of the two costumes they could wear without taking a pay cut. You would think that such a large performing arts company wouldn't want to take such a large step back as this, and yet they are showing that they are willing to compromise ethics in the name of money. Opera should be about the performer's voices and this has shifted the focus to something that does not reflect their talent at all.
It’s unfortunate that the Metropolitan Opera is doing so poorly financially as it produces amazing work but it should never cut performers’ pay just because of a costume change. The performers deserve their payment. What shocked me the most is that the Met didn’t reveal payment per performance to the performers until the night before opening and that the American Guild of Musical Artists didn’t step into say something. Working in the arts results in living paycheck to paycheck and the performers shouldn’t have to deal with this. I am surprised that the AGMA doesn’t require actors to know their payment sooner or how the approved the quick pay change. Also, why the AGMA didn’t step in confuses me because it is their job to represent their actors. I think this whole ordeal was made worse by the lack of action from the American Guild of Musical Artists. I wonder what else could have/should have been cut besides half of the performers’ paychecks.
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