Writer: Kate Herbert
Melbourne is a city full of voluntary workers - and they are
not only on tuck shop duty. The arts
industry is riddled with volunteers. The vast majority is women who range from
highly skilled artists or administrators to bored housewives or retirees, seconded
students or young artists trying to build an industry network
What was once community-mindedness, is now a major pathway
into employment. The arts have always relied on artists working for little or
no financial remuneration. Artists are expected to live on the ecstasy of
creative inspiration or the occasional opening night when they can rub
shoulders with the great and the beautiful.
I'm telling you, eventually you've gotta make a buck or
starve.
Managers at the MTC, Playbox, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Big
West Festival and La Mama, list three main reasons people volunteer: for on the
job training, industry networking or to fill in time when the kids leave the
nest.
From February to December 1999, I spent two days per week
working voluntarily for the Big West Festival. Why? To rediscover a sense of
community which was eroded by government policy over these last years, and to
create a network in the festival industry. Even there, employment relies on
"who you know."
It became clear that festivals (the exception being
Melbourne Festival) could not survive without volunteers. Alice Nash, General
Manager of Big West, lists 130 volunteers. At least seven worked the entire
year unpaid and 85 worked on the festival day in November. Two volunteer
theatre graduates, Assimina Simmons and Andrew Casey, stage managed The Great
Outdoors community project independently.
Ironicaaly, even the co-ordinator of volunteers, Kate
Williams, was a volunteer. She took two weeks leave from her regular job to do
the festival.
Melbourne Fringe Festival, according to artistic director,
Virginia Hyam, (OK) has only three ongoing paid staff. In the lead up to the
festival in September, there were 25 paid part-time co-ordinators plus 100 volunteers.
"To pay them would be an enormous cost", says Hyam.
So the government allows the community to subsidise its arts
and training sectors. Consider a festival which has a conservative estimate of
6000 volunteer hours over 6 months. A volunteer is officially worth $14 per
hour. That equals $104,000 that the government does not choose provide.
Liz Jones, Artistic
Director of La Mama Theatre in Carlton, says,
"Actors and technicians come to meet other people in
the industry." They paint signs, carry heavy objects and form alliances
after which they might get a paid gig . "It is a pathway into the
industry."
La Mama has a history of loner term volunteers moving into
paid positions. One student came on work placement and stayed for seven years
as House Manager. La Mama now also has 'work for the dole' volunteers.
Volunteerism is not restricted to small theatres or
community events. Major theatre companies, such as Melbourne Theatre Company
and Playbox, use volunteer labour. Playbox has 120 people on its Playmates
list. Playbox volunteer, John Wise, has worked one day per week for ten years
on the payroll.
Others help with occasional mail-outs as do members of the
MTC Centrestage Club which comprises members and subscribers of the MTC
.
Says Sioban Tuke at MTC, "They already have a
connection with the company and want to get behind scenes." Most do office
work or help at functions and are repaid with theatre tickets or invitations to
functions.
Both Playbox and MTC attach voluntary assistant directors to
many productions as well as students or graduates of publicity, stage management
or design. Jessica Wong is a stage manager seconded to the production of
Company which opens in the New Year.
It is unlikely that any other industry subsidises itself to
such an extent. It is unreasonable for the arts industry and its already
over-worked and underpaid personnel, to train its own workers and for workers
to volunteer such an inordinate number of hours. Why does the government not
formalise or at least acknowledge this hidden layer of the industry?
We are fortunate that the people in these organisations are
competent, responsible and careful with their volunteers. They should be
compensated for their input. The government should be providing training or
jobs for these volunteers if there is actually a market for them in the
workplace.
KATE HERBERT
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