09 Aug Pay Increases for Stage Directors in the News

SDUK welcomes any pay increase for directors but the recently announced agreements for the West End, commercial and subsidised sectors are a disappointment on numerous fronts.   

West End directors in category A are now receiving a minimum of £6,347.  The fee, though not irrelevant, is not the crucial issue when directing in the West End, it is the royalty that matters and nowhere in the agreement is this addressed.  

Freelance directors in the lowest pay grade working in subsidised repertory theatre will now receive a minimum fee of £3,367.62.  Freelance directors in the lowest pay grade are the vast majority of directors in the U.K.  This minimum illustrates why so many are leaving the profession as identified in the SDUK 2023 Census.

In commercial repertory theatre, a freelance director will now receive a minimum fee of £3,196 for a show, or a weekly fee of £711.26 for the first year of the agreement.  It seems that these agreements are made for the independently wealthy who make theatre as a hobby.   

There is no mention in any of the agreements of pre-production preparation, design consultations, production meetings, casting, etc.  Directors do not waltz into rehearsals on day 1 and wing it, it takes weeks of study, research, conversations, and contemplation to be prepared to start rehearsals.   

The attention-grabbing headline figures such as Directors receive 10% Pay Increase are underwhelming when you look at the big picture, 10% of a little is still a little.    

Our profession continues its steady march towards being an industry limited to those who have private wealth or are willing to live perpetually in financial insecurity.