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Actors'
Inequities
Anyone looking at the
international status of Irish culture might conclude that
Ireland is a country where the performing artist is nurtured,
by society and by government. As Josephine
Conlon reports after attending the recent Actors' Equity
Open Forum, this is simply not the case. [Extract]
To
celebrate their 50th anniversary, in October 2002, Actor's
Equity held a seminar to examine 'The Status of Performing
Artists and Their Role in the Life of a Nation'. In response
to enthusiasm expressed at that seminar, Equity held an open
forum for discussion of 'Artists and Their Role in the Life
of a Nation'. This took place in the Peacock Theatre on 26th
January 2003. It was chaired by Kathleen Barrington, President
of Irish Actors' Equity and attended by as many as 120 people
from a variety of backgrounds including Equity actors, non-Equity
actors, musicians and filmmakers. At the event, there was
strongly voiced opinion that we as artists are in a very critical
time and place, with section 481 due to be cut by the end
of 2004 and with recent severe reductions in Arts Council
funding.
The forum was divided into 6 groups, each with a nominated
spokesperson and each to discuss one of 6 topics for an hour.
These topics were:
1.
Status of the Artist and Social Welfare Legislation.
2. Communication and Visibility.
3. Restructuring of Taxation Legislation.
4. Representation of Artist/Industry Practitioners on all
relevant Bodies.
5. Copyright, Intellectual Property Law and Censorship.
6. Funding -in particular, Arts Council and Section 481.
We
reconvened after the appointed time and reported back on the
outcome of each workshop. What follows is a summary of the
conclusions reached.
Consensus was that performing artists
are poorly served by social welfare.
Firstly, an actor presenting to social welfare is not viewed
as a professional. He is not necessarily entitled to social
welfare benefits and he may be advised to seek work outside
of his 'chosen field'. So his right to pursue his career is
not granted.
Secondly, the unique and sporadic nature of the work of the
performing artist is not given special consideration. Benefit
that is paid is not income-averaged. Rent allowance for example
is assessed on a week-to-week basis, which means payment fluctuates
as the actor moves in and out of employment. A medical card
may be given, but this is then withdrawn when the actor is
in employment, only for him to have to reapply, when once
again out of work. The paperwork and time spent in social
welfare queues not only creates hassle, but also gives the
actor a sense of financial insecurity and low esteem.
The issue of housing was also raised. Because most job opportunities
for actors are in the capital many actors choose to live here.
Rent here is extremely high for those on low incomes, especially
when out of work. This has forced many actors to leave the
city, with negative careers implications. It was felt that
special consideration should be given to actors with regard
to eligibility for local authority housing.
This was a multifaceted subject, which
referred to both a) the visibility of the actor in society
and to b) the profile of Equity.
It was noted that the work of the actor, as with of many artists,
was poorly understood by the general public. Despite what
public perception might be the majority of Irish performing
artists live on incomes way below the industrial average.
Some anger was expressed at the perceived incompetence of
Equity. Many felt 'in the dark' as to the role of Equity.
Questions were put to the panel about the benefits of joining
Equity, and that body's performance. Equity assured that there
were benefits and that they could come through with their
commitments. Some of their answers to these questions are
discussed below (under 'specifically').
There was strong feeling that the mode of taxation of actors
was unfair - that actors were penalised for the sporadic nature
of their work rather than compensated for it. Currently actors
are classified as self-employed. They are taxed under Schedule
D exemption order, which means they pay their returns at the
end of the year, and not PAYE. However, fewer and fewer actors
can avail of this exemption order, in particular performers
new to the profession, and they therefore are taxed by PAYE.
There is talk of Schedule D being removed. In that the amount
of employment an actor secures is variable, he might one week
be struck hard for tax and the following week be out of work.
This further heightens the sense of financial insecurity actors
experience. (Note that 'creative artists' are entitled to
work tax-free. 'Creative artists' include writers, painters
and composers. Actors, (musicians, performers and directors,)
are not classified as creative artists, but as 'interpretive
artists'!)
The
full text of this article is printed in Film Ireland
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