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The Young Women’s Movement publishes impact report

Nov 14 2016

What has the past year looked like for The Young Women’s Movement? What difference have they made? Read the 2015-16 highlights and the Movement’s focus for the year ahead in this new report.

This year The Young Women’s Movement piloted the Status of Young Women in Scotland report (SYWS): a pioneering piece of research into the effect that their gender has on the lives of Scotland’s young women. The report responded to a gap in research broken down by age, gender and geography, and an especial lack of research highlighting young women’s voices on their experiences.

Almost all participants offered examples of gender equality affecting their lives across more than one area: it is clear that gender equality forms a considerable barrier to Scotland’s young women.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote in her foreword to SYWS:
‘Research such as the Status of Young Women in Scotland is important as it shines a light on the issues still facing young women in Scotland and where we must do more to make sure they can maximise their potential.’

PiPA Best Practice Research Survey

Oct 20 2016

We are currently working with Parents In Performing Arts on their ACE and Creative Scotland funded Best Practice Research Project, conducted in conjunction with Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Please find below the link to their survey about parental and caring responsibilities in the theatre industry. It is important that as many people complete the survey as possible, irrespective of gender or whether you have caring responsibilities or not as they are trying to get a comprehensive overview of the work/life balance and need to hear from everyone. The survey closes on Sunday, the 6th of November.

For more information about the survey please visit www.pipacampaign.com/research-information
If you have any questions about the process please let us know or contact researchers Tom Cornford (tom.cornford@cssd.ac.uk) or Tom Whittaker (tom@tomwhittaker.net) directly.

Thank you for your time and support. It is greatly appreciated.

SURVEY LINK:
Best Practice Research Survey

Parents in Performing Arts

Parents in Performing Arts campaign for equal opportunities and access for parents and carers working in the performing arts. Their aim is to achieve sustainable change in attitudes and practices in order to attract, support and retain a more diverse and flexible workforce.

Stellar Quines is a proud member of a new consortium of leading UK theatres and arts organisations, unprecedented both in scale and reach across the performing arts, who are committed to work together to back and support PIPA’s mission.

Led by The Old Vic, the consortium brings together a collaborative network of theatre industry bodies and unions including:

pipa-image_webUK Theatre, ITC, One Dance UK, Equity, Spotlight, Actors’ Children’s Trust, Family Arts Campaign as well as Donmar Warehouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Dundee Rep Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Stellar Quines Theatre Company, National Theatre Scotland and English Touring Theatre.

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Stellar Quines part of Parents in Performing Arts first-of-its-kind Best Practice Action Research Project

Oct 05 2016

Stellar Quines are proud to be one of a consortium of 15 leading UK Theatres and The Royal Central School Of Speech and Drama that will be part of Parents in Performing Arts (PIPA) first major piece of work.

The Best Practice Action Research Project aims to identify barriers facing carers working in the performing arts, and to investigate practical ways of reducing them.

The news, announced this week, has received a positive reception from the media, featured by The Stage – ‘Leading venues across the UK have launched a major year-long project that aims to identify barriers faced by parents in the sector and has the potential to “change the landscape” of theatre’, and ‘Theatre consortium to give ‘unprecedented’ support to parents working in performing arts’, Equity , the Family Arts Campaign.

It follows acclaimed director Phyllida Lloyd last week arguing ‘the theatre industry needs to get its “house in order” and make better provisions for working parents.’

The first stage of the research will begin shortly, with Stellar Quines working with PIPA and the other consortia members to gather qualitative and quantitative data through a survey and interviews of present employees, and freelancers over past 6 months.

Parents in Performing Arts Press Announcement

Oct 05 2016

Release: Monday 3rd October

PARENTS IN PERFORMING ARTS ANNOUNCES CREATIVE SCOTLAND AND ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND FUNDED FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND BEST PRACTICE RESEARCH PROJECT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 15 LEADING UK THEATRES AND THE ROYAL CENTRAL SCHOOL OF SPEECH AND DRAMA

Today, Parents in Performing Arts (PIPA), a Consortium of 18 leading Industry organisations, announces its first major piece of work, a Best Practice Action Research Project. PIPA campaigns for equal opportunities and access to work for those with caring responsibilities.

Creative Scotland join a list of funders including The Arts Council of England, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Actors’ Children’s Trust, UK Theatre and The Family Arts Campaign, in supporting this research. The aim is to identify barriers facing carers working in the performing arts, and to investigate practical ways of reducing them. The outcome will be a Best Practice Charter to be embedded in Family Arts Standards in conjunction with the Family and Childcare Trust as well as other performing arts industry guidelines.

PIPA’s first of its kind Best Practice Action Research Project will be led by PIPA co-founders Cassie Raine and Anna Ehnold-Danailov with Dr Tom Cornford from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. 15 leading UK theatres and theatre companies will participate in the project: Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Dundee Rep Theatre, English Touring Theatre, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Hull Truck Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester, National Theatre of Scotland, National Theatre Wales, Northern Stage, Royal Court Theatre, Stellar Quines Theatre Company, Theatre by the Lake and The Old Vic (PIPA lead organisation.)

“The National Theatre of Scotland is delighted to be working with Dundee Rep and Stellar Quines to form the Scottish arm of this exciting UK wide consortium, exploring the challenges but more importantly the solutions, to ensuring people with caring responsibilities continue to access and thrive in the performing arts.”
Caroline Newall, Director of Artistic Development, National Theatre of Scotland

“I couldn’t be more strongly supportive of this research being done and us striving as an industry to identity more and better solutions to the challenges faced by parents and carers juggling their family commitments and a career in the performing arts.

This highly necessary project will help us all to understand better the reality of managing that balance across this varied industry and, I hope, inform practical steps for the future.” Matthew Warchus, Artistic Director, The Old Vic

“I am delighted to be working with PIPA on this Best Practice Research Project and leading UK theatres. It is a key aim of Research at Central to combine intellectual enquiry with the needs and aspirations of contemporary professional practice, and it is a privilege to work on a project that responds to this challenge and promises to achieve tangible change in a crucial aspect of working life.”
Dr Tom Cornford, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

The first stage of the research will be to gather qualitative and quantitative data through a survey and interviews of present employees, and freelancers over past 6 months at the 15 participating theatres followed by 6 months trialling possible solutions, exploring barriers and developing creative strategies to overcome them. Participating theatres and theatre companies will attend three symposia to share learning, and will work in focus groups with support from the research team to manage the trials, before coming together in June 2017 to formulate the Best Practice Charter that will be launched in September 2017.

For further information contact:

pipacampaign@gmail.com / 07791 765 456
www.pipacampaign.com

Notes to editors:

● Established in 2015 by Cassie Raine (Actor), and Anna Ehnold-Danailov (Director), Parents in Performing Arts is a grassroots organisation that emerged as a direct result of Cassie and Anna’s respective experiences of returning to work after having children. Both recognised that the unique challenges faced by carers in the performing arts industry include long and late working hours, erratic, last minute recruitment practices, regular travel and notoriously low earnings.

● Parents in Performing Arts Consortium is led by The Old Vic, London and includes Actors’ Children’s Trust, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Dundee Rep Theatre, English Touring Theatre, Equity, Family Arts Campaign, Hull Truck Theatre, ITC, Mercury Theatre Colchester, National Theatre of Scotland, One Dance UK, Spotlight, Stellar Quines Theatre Company and UK Theatre.

● Parents in Performing Arts Project Board is Chaired by Kate Varah (Executive Director, The Old Vic) and includes Alastair Coomer (Casting Director, Donmar Warehouse), Cassie Chadderton (Head of UK Theatre and Membership Development), Charlotte Jones (Chief Executive, ITC), Christine Payne (General Secretary, Equity), David Brownlee (Director, Family Arts Campaign), Jane Claire (Executive Producer, English Touring Theatre), Helen Laws (Interim Head of Industry and Artist Support / National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, One Dance UK), Melinda Burton (Head of HR, The Old Vic), Rachel Tackley (Director, Chichester Festival Theatre), and Trina Jones (General Manager, Birmingham Rep.)

● The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is a higher education conservatoire – a specialist college of the University of London which nurtures creative collaboration. Courses include acting, applied theatre, movement, musical theatre, drama & movement therapy, theatre & live performance, puppetry, scenography, actor & teacher training, voice, technical arts & production, and writing for stage & broadcast media. With over 60 academic staff, together with visiting artists and lecturers, Central has the largest grouping of drama/theatre/performance specialists in the UK, an active research culture and is a hub for the theatre and performance industries.

● Parents in Performing Arts campaigns for equal opportunities and access for parents and carers working in the performing arts. It aims to achieve sustainable change in attitudes and practices in order to attract, support and retain a more diverse and flexible workforce. A full list of PIPA’s aims and objectives can be read in their manifesto.

Download Media Release.

50:50 gender casting campaign gets union backing

May 27 2016

Actresses wear T-shirts emblazoned with the Equal Representation for Actresses campaign logo. Photo: Equal Representation for Actresses

A campaign for actresses to get more stage and screen roles has received official backing from Equity.

The actor’s union confirmed it was backing the Equal Representation for Actresses movement, which is calling for a 50:50 split of male and female roles across television and theatre by 2018.

Since the campaign’s genesis earlier this year, the BBC has committed to gender-equal casting across all of its on-air and on-screen roles by 2020.

Joining the ERA campaign, Equity assistant general secretary Martin Brown claimed it marked another step in the union’s long fight for equality between male and female actors.

He told The Stage: “Equity has a long history of campaigning for the equal treatment of men and women in the entertainment industry. So it was natural for the council to welcome the launch of the ERA campaign and to put Equity’s name to it.”

ERA launched in January with support from actors including Denise Gough, who said the issue was “everyone’s problem”.

Describing the campaign, an ERA spokeswoman said culture “holds a mirror up to society” and claimed the lack of female roles “distorts that image and the message it sends out has a detrimental effect on all of us”.

She added: “We have a responsibility to future generations to repair that imbalance, which is due in part to unmonitored industry practices that have run unchecked for decades and do not stand up to scrutiny in 2016,” she added.

In February, National Theatre director Rufus Norris announced the venue would ensure it employs a 50:50 balance of male and female directors and writers by 2021- 50:50 gender casting campaign gets union backing, by David Hutchison, The Stage, May 11, 2016

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