Catherine Love: Breaking the culture of silence about bullying (and money) in the arts

In the space of the past week, two frustrating, saddening but important pictures of the arts have separately emerged. First, there was the revelation, according to a report commissioned by Equity, that the arts, media and entertainment are “hotspots” for workplace bullying, with more than half of those surveyed reporting that they had been bullied, harassed or discriminated against at work.

Then, later in the week, performance artist Bryony Kimmings published an angry and astonishingly honest blog about the difficulties artists face in attempting to make a living from their work, particularly when faced with venues determined to haggle down fees.

These two stories flag up very different problems, but both point to a working environment that is uncomfortably at odds with how most of us think of the arts. While it’s hardly news that money is tight, what these two examples share is the worrying suggestion of an arts community that is fractured and adversarial rather than one that is working together to overcome common challenges. There is a bitter irony that the goodwill and inclusiveness that we so often see advocated in the art itself is not reflected in those who make it, who instead (and this, of course, is a huge and in many cases unfair generalisation) seem to have succumbed to haggling, infighting and intimidation.

As depressing as it may be to realise the truth about the working conditions that underlie the theatre we love, however, both Equity’s report and Kimmings’ blog do offer some hope. What is most important about Equity’s report is that it has forced these uncomfortable truths out into the open and broken what it calls a “culture of silence” around bullying in the arts and entertainment industries. Kimmings, meanwhile, has started a genuine conversation about money – something we’re all usually reluctant to discuss. Her offer of “I will show you mine if you show me yours” has already met with a huge response on social media, with many artists candidly sharing their experiences and their finances.

Since Kimmings’ blog stoked up debate among both artists and venues, fellow theatre-maker Andy Field has made an interesting contribution to the discussion, suggesting that what is needed is more transparency. He proposes the creation of an online space where artists can declare by venue how much they have been able to charge for their work and venues and festivals can reveal what proportion of their annual income goes directly to artists.

It’s not a solution, as Field himself admits, but the open culture that he imagines is as much about a wider shift of attitude as it is about finding a specific resolution for a specific problem. Transparency is also an issue for audiences, who might – quite rightly – want to question the values and working conditions that are really behind the theatre they go to see.

It sounds trite, but surely the only way to overcome issues like those highlighted in the last few days is by starting a conversation and working together. As Field says, “perhaps if we trusted one another more, were more consistent and transparent in how we talked to and dealt with one another, then we could all go on trying to solve this impossible problem together”. Which is why, however perverse the logic might seem, the unveiling of these huge challenges by Equity and Kimmings can only be a good thing. By laying these problems out in the open, no matter how ugly they may initially appear, the industry might be moving one step closer to tackling them.

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