Have recently been caught up in a massive culture change of a once-inclusive independent theatre and I think people should know about it as many of the existing employees aren’t resourced enough to seek legal advice. The arts industry is already compromised post pandemic. The rates everyone is getting paid are way below market standard but that’s the least of our worries – we expect it in the arts.
The theatre was smoothly run, everyone worked there (for significantly under market rate) because it was a nurturing, safe and inclusive place to work with very low staff turnover. We had a stunning bar and eatery which was booked out most nights. Our staff was almost exclusively queer and PoC artists, actors, musicians etc. A lot of us had our lives saved by working here. A few of us were disabled as well and our disabilities were supported so the diversity was basically a corporate’s wet dream. Except we all genuinely loved the place, hence working for slightly less.
About 5 months ago, management changed hands and the finance manager became the new general manager. With support of the CEO, the GM started bullying our long standing employees, including the chefs, the duty managers/liquor license holders who managed the bar and people who managed the safety plans for the building. For a couple of them who stuck up for themselves, they were stood down with no opportunity for consultation and no redundancy payout with literally 24 hours notice. We know it’s illegal but again, none of us had money to pursue it and pro bono legal work is pretty rare in our part of the world.
After that, the theatre was working in breach of their liquor license for a week or so. The GM started by firing the health and safety officers who were also heads of departments. She then started following “problem” employees around, even to the bathroom and especially ones that had been very open about their disabilities. She then hired temp staff (who they hire for $40ph) who were at times, homophobic and racist to existing staff. A couple of our staff members had sensory and neurological disorders. The GM put them into deliberately noisy situations and when they occasionally asked for a break, they would be asked to go home and not come back. A few of them didn’t have their rosters refilled for the next weeks, so she effectively fired them. She also banned people from drinking water during shifts. Again, anyone who spoke up got their rosters cancelled. Quite a few of our staff were touched inappropriately by her and again, when it was reported to the CEO, they were stood down and had their rosters cancelled.
The heads of departments who also spoke up were handed scant redundancy packages which again, nobody could afford to contest or even have the energy to. The GM then took on all their roles including her own. Ironically, we’d often be underpaid, our taxes weren’t correctly paid to tax department and we’d often be left with a tax bill at the end of the year. She couldn’t even do her own job properly.
As the theatre runs as a charity, it also gets an amount of public funding on the basis that it fits certain inclusivity criteria, which they no longer do. Unfortunately that also means that there is a bunch of corporate loops that everyone has to jump through.
The amount of cruelty that was handed down on the basis that “nobody could afford legal advice” is absolutely shocking. I’m still writhing that they are still touting the place to be inclusive and committed to anti-bullying .
I’m devastated that what was once my family I never had was taken from me so abruptly. I often struggle to hold down positions because of my disabilities and here I was given purpose and support. Again, not because of the workplace but because of the people. I’m truly devastated.