EPISODE 64:
WE SEE YOU WAT WITH ALAINA NEWELL (PART 2 OF 2)
Host: Ethan Steimel
Release Date: 08/16/2021
Release Date: 08/16/2021
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Part two of a discussion on the finance related demands of We See You WAT, the movement calling for racial equality in American Theatre.
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Links and Resources
West Side Story - Broadway Revival 2020
Broadway Black - Drew Shade
African American Hair & Makeup - Bridging The Gap In Theatre
Jerrilyn Lanier Duckworth - Episode 37 | Artistic Finance
We See You WAT - List of Finance-Related Demands (compiled by AF)1 AF Don’t make each project similar (aka mix it up from the standard "financially viable" model)
2 AF Eliminate 10 out of 12s and the 6 day rehearsal week (when people can't sleep, they can't think or have a family, or a second job)
3 AF Mandatory estate and financial planning for all employees
4 AF Eliminate “years of experience” and education requirements for jobs
5 AF Cease “most favored nations”
6 AF Be intersectional – stop clumping BIPOC with white women and LGBTQ+
7 AF Get away with Mainstage and Second Stage (aka BIPOC is always second stage / marginalized)
8 AF Free tickets to Indigenous tribes on which homeland the theater sits
-standby
9 AF Explanation of how the land the theatre sits on was obtained and have it published in the lobby
10 AF Stop using BIPOC money for BIPOC productions and/or overhead – use regular funding for those projects
11 AF Publish how much money spent on white businesses versus BIPOC
12 AF Publish how much money earned by white artists versus BIPOC artists, broken down by job type
13 AF Publish an organizational budget
14 AF Publish salaries
15 AF Pay BIPOC artists to participate in talkbacks and marketing
-incentivize
16 AF No unpaid internships, and allow those internships be entry into a job (lift The Curtain: End Unpaid Arts Internships)
17 AF Evaluations must be reflected monetarily with bonuses and raises
18 AF Eliminate minimum financial contributions for Board positions
19 AF Eliminate monetary rational for board decisions
20 AF Non-Profits – establish BIPOC adherence ratings for each non-profit, donate money to the communities that stories focus on (play on Flint must include donating to Flint)
21 AF No police AF filiation, aka don't fund the oppressive system
22 AF Equitable partnerships with BIPOC artists – give funds when they help fundraise, do not accept rent or fees (enhancement money) to put their stories into a season that you can claim as yours, and do not make them raise the money for their projects.
23 AF Fund sustained growth and multi-year gifts to allow artistry to grow
24 AF Eliminate budget size determination for grants as BIPOC groups often have small budgets so cannot access large grants
25 AF Make a grant access rubric and make it transparent to rebuild trust in the grant giving process
26 AF Provide funding for audits
27 AF Provide overhead funding for BIPOC groups
28 AF Provide funding for space and maintenance of space for BIPOC groups
29 AF Redistribute grants and funds to BIPOC groups instead of PWIs
30 AF Broadway League – lower minimum amount of a production’s fees for membership (5% gross cap play, 2.5% musical gross cap)
31 AF Create special financing for BIPOC audience members and allow them prime seating rather than the sides
32 AF Lower rental fees and percentages of stop clauses to help shows find their audience
33 AF Allow Tony awards to any theatre with 500+ seats (aka The Apollo)
34 AF Gag orders to speak about wages must be eliminated (this is technically illegal via the Wagner Act of 1935 "The National Labor Relations Act" though employees sometimes urge workers to not discuss wages / society discourages wage talk)
35 AF Investors in productions be made public
36 AF Equal billing must equal pay
37 AF Additional compensation for work outside their scope of job
38 AF Enslaved Africans worked without pay, recognize how far back that puts them
39 AF Money for hair and makeup materials and consultants
40 AF Transparency of salaries
41 AF Eliminate the healthcare “weeks” requirements because that money is being taken away and not returned
42 AF Invest in Critic training, 5% of theatre budgets, and 15% from NYTimes and other
43 AF Divest from salaried critic positions and invest in contract-based positions
44 AF Producers divest from trades and marketing companies that do not have 50% BIPOC members
45 AF Buy ads in BIPOC publications
46 AF Eliminate pro bono work of BIPOC alumni for networking for BIPOC students, pay them if requested
Alaina Newell
Theatre Artist
@alainanewell
Fourth Wall (Alaina's Podcast)
Alaina Newell is a multi-hyphenate black, female, cisgender artist dabbling in acting, singing, directing, and writing. A recent BFA graduate, Alaina has taken her experiences from oppressive institutions and formed an artistic form of release. She created Fourth Wall, a podcast that brings on the players on both sides of the industry to investigate discrimination and bias in the theatre.
Broadway Black - Drew Shade
African American Hair & Makeup - Bridging The Gap In Theatre
Jerrilyn Lanier Duckworth - Episode 37 | Artistic Finance
We See You WAT - List of Finance-Related Demands (compiled by AF)1 AF Don’t make each project similar (aka mix it up from the standard "financially viable" model)
2 AF Eliminate 10 out of 12s and the 6 day rehearsal week (when people can't sleep, they can't think or have a family, or a second job)
3 AF Mandatory estate and financial planning for all employees
4 AF Eliminate “years of experience” and education requirements for jobs
5 AF Cease “most favored nations”
6 AF Be intersectional – stop clumping BIPOC with white women and LGBTQ+
7 AF Get away with Mainstage and Second Stage (aka BIPOC is always second stage / marginalized)
8 AF Free tickets to Indigenous tribes on which homeland the theater sits
-standby
9 AF Explanation of how the land the theatre sits on was obtained and have it published in the lobby
10 AF Stop using BIPOC money for BIPOC productions and/or overhead – use regular funding for those projects
11 AF Publish how much money spent on white businesses versus BIPOC
12 AF Publish how much money earned by white artists versus BIPOC artists, broken down by job type
13 AF Publish an organizational budget
14 AF Publish salaries
15 AF Pay BIPOC artists to participate in talkbacks and marketing
-incentivize
16 AF No unpaid internships, and allow those internships be entry into a job (lift The Curtain: End Unpaid Arts Internships)
17 AF Evaluations must be reflected monetarily with bonuses and raises
18 AF Eliminate minimum financial contributions for Board positions
19 AF Eliminate monetary rational for board decisions
20 AF Non-Profits – establish BIPOC adherence ratings for each non-profit, donate money to the communities that stories focus on (play on Flint must include donating to Flint)
21 AF No police AF filiation, aka don't fund the oppressive system
22 AF Equitable partnerships with BIPOC artists – give funds when they help fundraise, do not accept rent or fees (enhancement money) to put their stories into a season that you can claim as yours, and do not make them raise the money for their projects.
23 AF Fund sustained growth and multi-year gifts to allow artistry to grow
24 AF Eliminate budget size determination for grants as BIPOC groups often have small budgets so cannot access large grants
25 AF Make a grant access rubric and make it transparent to rebuild trust in the grant giving process
26 AF Provide funding for audits
27 AF Provide overhead funding for BIPOC groups
28 AF Provide funding for space and maintenance of space for BIPOC groups
29 AF Redistribute grants and funds to BIPOC groups instead of PWIs
30 AF Broadway League – lower minimum amount of a production’s fees for membership (5% gross cap play, 2.5% musical gross cap)
31 AF Create special financing for BIPOC audience members and allow them prime seating rather than the sides
32 AF Lower rental fees and percentages of stop clauses to help shows find their audience
33 AF Allow Tony awards to any theatre with 500+ seats (aka The Apollo)
34 AF Gag orders to speak about wages must be eliminated (this is technically illegal via the Wagner Act of 1935 "The National Labor Relations Act" though employees sometimes urge workers to not discuss wages / society discourages wage talk)
35 AF Investors in productions be made public
36 AF Equal billing must equal pay
37 AF Additional compensation for work outside their scope of job
38 AF Enslaved Africans worked without pay, recognize how far back that puts them
39 AF Money for hair and makeup materials and consultants
40 AF Transparency of salaries
41 AF Eliminate the healthcare “weeks” requirements because that money is being taken away and not returned
42 AF Invest in Critic training, 5% of theatre budgets, and 15% from NYTimes and other
43 AF Divest from salaried critic positions and invest in contract-based positions
44 AF Producers divest from trades and marketing companies that do not have 50% BIPOC members
45 AF Buy ads in BIPOC publications
46 AF Eliminate pro bono work of BIPOC alumni for networking for BIPOC students, pay them if requested
Alaina Newell
Theatre Artist
@alainanewell
Fourth Wall (Alaina's Podcast)
Alaina Newell is a multi-hyphenate black, female, cisgender artist dabbling in acting, singing, directing, and writing. A recent BFA graduate, Alaina has taken her experiences from oppressive institutions and formed an artistic form of release. She created Fourth Wall, a podcast that brings on the players on both sides of the industry to investigate discrimination and bias in the theatre.
