FREELANCERS MAKE THEATRE WORK MEETING: FRIDAY 19 NOVEMBER
Chair: Peter McKintosh
Minutes: Alistair Cope
Present: Alistair Cope, , Kelsie Acton, Paule Constable, Jake orr, Sunita Hinduja, Vicki Mortimer, Paul Carey Jones, Emma Jayne Park
Updates and reports
Anti-racism statement (JU)
-Statement was read out and will be placed on the website
- Fundraising – funding model proposal and timeline (JO)
- ACE have awarded us a discretionary £9,999 which should be received in the next week. This must be used for projects and be used by the end of March 2022. This grant is specifically for access provisions and ‘skills based workshops (how your union works, networking etc), Money towards Big Freelancer Survey 2 and a role to cover this work. The money is ‘flexible’ so can be split in anyway across the projects. We also don’t need to use Grantium!!
- PC – Have we heard anything from the MB fund as our funds are running low? Jake – yes, it is on its way and they apologise for it coming late
- PC – This is also great about ACE as it shows they see longevity in FMTW and the importance of our org.
- Sunita – Can we look at EDI training with this? Jake – Yes, absolutely.
- Fundraising – Letter to ‘Big 12’
- We have started writing a letter to the ‘Big 12’ (and more) asking them to donate a yearly contribution to FMTW and commit to supporting Freelancers and/or help create round table events to get more Freelance voice in the rooms.
- Question from the fundraising group: When should this proposal be sent out? New CRF has just been announced but as we are in the Christmas period where theatres need to make money from their winter shows. KA – My experience at BAC is that the money gets eaten up quick. We maybe need to get it in quick. Sunita – yes, we should strike while the iron is hot. EJ – How do we approach the other nations? JO – We absolutely want to and are open to suggestions.
- Outreach invitation (AC) – Meeting didn’t happen but this will be a new group within FMTW to actively look for groups and orgs we should be working with.
- Lobbying invite (JU)
- Wellbeing programme launch 2022 (Al/Josie) – We are not going to try and launch any new wellbeing services in the next few weeks but launch them all together in the New Year.
Agenda Points
- EU Visas cribsheet (PCJ)
- PCJ – we have created a one pager that covers the topline issues . Aimed at people who are inclined to be on our side but perhaps overwhelmed with how complicated the subject is. We’ve boiled it down to the bare bones. It looks at the importance of us working in the EU and the importance it is to the economy. Question: What do we do with it now? AC – Could it be used as an MPs letter? PC- There is a lot of misinformation about this coming from DCMS. We must educate people that what DCMS have done is not that great. Should we add this to the doc too? Perhaps we could email it to people from Hello@ but add a couple of us as personal contacts to discuss further?
- PCJ – The pain situation shows that there is room to change things, even if it is small.There is still a mountain to climb.
AOB
- Next APPTLE Meeting – 14th December
- Newsletter – Sunita to write a response to the 10 Principles.
- 28th November – Sunita has set up a WhatsApp group for the Donmar FMTW Green Room event. We have the green room for the afternoon and we are using it to bring FMTW together and also bring people in who might like to be involved in FMTW. We want to invite them in for a relaxed afternoon of bonding, conversation and organic onboarding. -PM Can we put all this in an email?
- BECTU Freelancers Branch have been in touch . This should be a relationship to strengthen. PC to follow up.
ACTION POINTS RECAP
- Put anti racism on website (AC)
- Add the Donmar event invite to the minutes email (Sunita to supply to JU)
- Newsletter (SH)
- Take down old MPs letter (AC)
- Write Visa Cribsheet into new MPs letter. (PCJ – Lobbying Group)