Theatre

An Equity-spearheaded campaign to ban casting directors from charging performers upfront fees has received backing from the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

The support, confirmed at the annual TUC congress currently taking place in Brighton, means the body will call on casting services to transfer fee-paying responsibilities from actors to producers. It has also said it will lobby the government on legislation to protect job-seeking performers.

The National Education Union is also supporting the motion.

Earlier this year, Equity confirmed it would take legal action against casting service Spotlight over the fees it charges.

According to The Stage, Equity is hoping it is ruled that Spotlight operates as an employment agency and would then be forced to show the rates it charges amount to no more than a reasonable estimate of the cost of production and distribution of its services.

The case is set to be heard in the High Court. Equity President Lynda Rooke, who moved the motion backed by TUC, has said she would give evidence at the case to challenge Spotlight's “excessive fees”.

An independent review has found "significant failures" in the governance of Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, the National Theatre of Ireland, between 2019 and 2021.

The report found significant payments were made to former co-directors Neil Murray and Graham McLaren during this time. Each received redundancy payments of more than €63,000, while McLaren received a further €110,000 following a bullying and harassment inquiry against him.

The investigation found the theatre paid more than €1m in direct costs to the former directors, legal fees and its human resources investigation. The country’s arts council withheld part of the theatre’s annual €8m budget due to the handling of the case.

Abbey Theatre has only recently published part of the report, which was commissioned as a condition of funding from the arts council, although it was completed last year. The theatre says "some key actions" have already been taken to implement its recommendations.

"The board is mindful of its responsibility to provide accountability and transparency in its governance arrangements and their application, and of its obligation to correct course and make changes when that responsibility has not been met," a statement from the theatre said.

"The board acknowledges that the review process has been constructive on both fronts."

Bristol Improv Theatre says it has been saved from closure after exceeding its £20,000 fundraising target.

The theatre started a crowdfunder after revealing rising costs and a reduction in audience spend amid the cost-of-living crisis had put its future at risk.

An update from the theatre confirmed surpassing the target means its doors will remain open. It says the money will go towards planning for the long-term and making the building fully accessible.

“Words aren't enough to say how grateful we are for the immense amount of support we have received over the past seven weeks. To everyone who has donated, bought a ticket to our events or spread the word of the campaign, thank you,” the theatre said.

The crowdfunding campaign remains open, with £25,536 from 299 donors to date.

Theatre professionals have reacted with disbelief after music technology company MakeMusic revealed plans to withdraw its popular music notation software program Finale after over three decades.

Musicians in the US, where the programme is widely used, have criticised the move, which has sparked widespread concern among composers, copyists, archivists and publishing companies that rely on the software and will now have to invest in time-consuming conversion of their content libraries, as Finale files do not export in their entirety.

Finale President Greg Dell'Era said: "Finale is no longer the future of the notation industry - a reality after 35 years, and I want to be candid about this. Instead of releasing new versions of Finale that would offer only marginal value to our users, we’ve made the decision to end its development." 

Users can no longer buy or update Finale and its related products, including PrintMusic and Notepad, but they will continue to work on devices where they are already installed. From August next year, it will not be possible to authorise or re-authorise onto new devices.

One of a handful of notation products on the market, Finale’s main competitors include Sibelius, made by Avid and prevalent in the UK, and relative newcomer Dorico, which MakeMusic has recommended to its users.

Matt Smith from London Music Preparation Ltd said that although the closure's impact would be “devastating” for the US and Broadway, he anticipated the direct impact to the UK to be “minimal” as "the vast majority" of UK organisations and individuals use Sibelius.

However, with Finale’s endorsement of Dorico, he warned that a mass sector shift could see users of other platforms face a simillar fate further down the line. 

Writing on Instagram, film, TV and musical theatre composer Marc Shaiman said: "To all my compatriots freaking out about today’s announcement, um, it was right there in the name all along. FINALE! As Maya Angelou said, 'When someone tells you who they are, believe them!'"

A bid to keep a 450-seat venue in Hampshire that was operated without planning permission has been turned down.

The BBC reports that the Arden venue was constructed behind the existing Titchfield Festival Theatre in St Margaret's Lane, Titchfield, on land purchased in 2021.

Fareham Borough Council issued a Planning Enforcement Notice in November because the building only had consent to be used for storage.

The theatre appealed against that decision but the case was rejected by the Planning Inspectorate.

Titchfield Festival Theatre has now been told it has to stop using the venue for performances by 12 October and remove the stage and seating within seven months.

Ian Bastable, Vice chairman of the planning committee at Fareham Borough Council, said: "I am pleased to see the Planning Enforcement Notice has been upheld and the appeal dismissed.

"It seems extraordinary that, despite concerns raised by the council in connection with creating a large theatre here, the works still went ahead."

The final phase of a major refurbishment at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre has been given the green light by council planners.

The BBC reports that the theatre will be extended to create a new rehearsal space, two more accessible dressing rooms, a new back-of-house stage, and a new admin block entrance.

The theatre aims to use the new space to enhance programmes for young people.

Michael Ockwell, Chief Executive and Creative Director at the theatre said: "We recognise that our on-site provision for youth theatre falls short of our vision for creative spaces to develop and inspire young people.

"In addition, touring companies require dedicated rehearsal space as Southampton remains the first stop for West End touring productions."

Work is expected to start next year and be completed by summer 2026.