Strike stops Court Theatre show
The Court Theatre’s performance of “Hobson’s Choice” this evening has been cancelled because of a strike by actors and production staff. The staff voted for the stike at a meeting yesterday after the Actors’ Equity award talks broke down for the second time in Wellington on Thursday. Actors and production staff at Wellington’s Downstage Theatre walked off the job on Thursday evening, causing the cancellation of the evening performance of “Happy End.” Actors’ Equity had been trying to negotiate with the Community Theatres Association for a 50 per cent wage increase. On Thursday the union reduced its claim to ‘25 per cent, with a commitment to increase actors’ wages over
two years to reach the level of the average total weekly wage. Community Theatres did not increase its first offer to the union of a 7.02 per cent wage increase.
The vice-president of the Canterbury branch of Actors’ Equity, Mr Bryan Aitken, said the employers rejected the union’s new 25 per cent claim because they had been warned that theatre funding would be cut if they broke the Government’s wage guidelines. Only the Court Theatre was affected in Christchurch as it was the city’s only community theatre. “This strike is not specifically directed at the Court Theatre management but aimed to impress on politicians and theatre administrators that we cannot exist any longer on the wages we are getting,” Mr Aitken said.
The union felt strongly that it should not back down on its claim.
Nearly all actors and production staff at the Court Theatre had attended yesterday’s meeting which voted for the strike to go ahead, he said.
Staff at other theatres throughout New Zealand are also meeting to discuss action.
Mr Nicholas Mcßryde, publicity officer for the Court Theatre, said that anyone with tickets for the cancelled show could take them to the booking office at the theatre today to rebook or for a refund.
The theatre management regretted any inconvenience to patrons, he said.
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Press, 30 March 1985, Page 7
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332Strike stops Court Theatre show Press, 30 March 1985, Page 7
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