The Week in Lighting & Sound
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Pay Protest - Four out of five theatre professionals who answered a poll by The Stage claim to have been left unpaid by an employer in the industry. The poll, hosted on The Stage website, asked whether readers had ever been left unpaid by an employer, after performer Jonathan Ansell stormed a stage in protest against a producer who he claims has failed to pay him money owed.
According to the result of the poll, which saw 267 people respond, 78% of readers said they had been left unpaid by a theatre employer. The results come as union Equity continues its campaign to stamp out exploitation in the sector, with its low pay/no pay initiative. A spokesman for the union said the industry body had not experienced an increase in the number of members reporting claims of unpaid work. But he said: “Equity members are entitled to free legal advice regarding breach of contract arising from professional engagements and the union represents a significant number of members each year in pursuing employers for lack of payment.”
Ansell’s complaint has been made against producer Stephen Leatherland, from World on Stage. The performer claims he is owed about £10,000 in unpaid wages, for a production called A Night in Venice, which toured last year.
Never Give Up - Former X Factor contestant Lucie Jones has been announced as the UK’s official Eurovision entry for 2017. The 25-year-old pop hopeful won the chance to represent the nation in Kiev, Ukraine later on this year after beating five other hopefuls on Eurovision: You Decide.
The Welsh singer, a finalist on series six of the X Factor, broke down in tears of joy as she was declared the winner after performing her song, Never Give Up On You. The singer, who is currently starring in the musical Rent, said there would be no bigger honour than representing the nation at the up-coming Eurovision song contest.
On The Carpet - Red carpet arrivals at this year’s Olivier Awards will be broadcast live around the world for the first time at this year’s ceremony. Viewers will be able to watch attendees arrive to the event on Facebook. The Oliviers will be held at the Royal Albert Hall for the first time this year, taking place on 9 April. In addition, broadcasters ITV and Magic will be the official broadcast partners for the event, with more details of how the ceremony will be aired to be revealed soon. The Society of London Theatre, which organises the award, said this year’s ceremony would be “the biggest yet”.
To coincide with the event, the Olivier Awards has launched a campaign that will focus on “theatre’s ability to inspire”. It will run under the banner Be Inspired. As part of this, six Be Inspired Champions who have motivated others with their “love and commitment to theatre” will be selected. Those chosen will be invited to the ceremony and presented with their “Be Inspired” plaque during the red carpet live show.
Ed’s Back - Ed Sheeran has revealed the first dates for a new world tour, after taking a year-long break from the music scene. After making a long-awaited return with new tracks earlier this month, the singer has now announced plans to share his new material with a spring tour. Starting in Turin, Italy, on 17 March, he will perform across Europe before gigs in the UK and Ireland, and will then move on to South and Central America, finishing in Mexico in late June.
Brit Awards - Dermot O'Leary and Emma Willis will host next month's Brit Awards after Michael Buble pulled out. The singer is focussing on cancer treatment for his three-year-old son. The show's new presenters say they're delighted but that their thoughts are with Michael. "Michael is an effortless show man, so those patent shoes will not be easy to fill, but it's an honour to be asked to step in with Emma," says Dermot. He calls the awards "a holy grail for a broadcaster".
(Jim Evans)
