Freelancers Make Theatre Work welcomes today’s announcement from the Royal Court, setting out a new pay and employment reset for freelance creatives alongside the launch of a Freelance Charter.
The announcement is accompanied by an open letter to freelance artists from Artistic Director David Byrne and Executive Director Will Young, which offers more detail on the thinking behind the reset and directly acknowledges the financial pressures facing freelance artists working in theatre today.
The announcement includes increased fees for freelance creatives, a commitment to greater pay transparency, clearer payment schedules, improved induction and wellbeing support, and strengthened reporting routes for freelancers working with the organisation.
At a time when freelance theatre workers continue to face deep uncertainty around pay, conditions, contracts and protections, public commitments like this matter. They create accountability, offer clarity, and help move the conversation from “what should change?” to “what are we doing about it?”
The Royal Court’s Freelance Charter sets out a clear commitment to improving the experience of freelancers across its work. We hope other organisations, buildings and companies across the sector will take time to look at the Charter, reflect on their own freelance practice, and consider what they might be able to learn, adapt or build on.
This announcement also speaks directly to the areas FMTW will be focusing on as we enter our next phase of funded work. Following the news that FMTW has secured three years of funding, our work will continue to centre the needs of freelancers across the performing arts, including fair pay, contracts, payments, protections, wellbeing, and employer standards.
We know there is no single fix for the challenges facing freelance theatre workers. But clear, public commitments like this are an important part of building a fairer, more transparent and more sustainable sector.
We warmly welcome this step from the Royal Court and hope it encourages further action across the industry.
