Now that I have your attention, I apologise for the provocative clickbait title, but I promise it is relevant. The West End is the UK’s equivalent to Broadway and so for some, it is looked upon as the pinnacle of a Musical Theatre performer’s career. The ballet and jazz classes from age 3, the yearly dance competitions, the months spent auditioning for drama schools and the subsequent three years of training is done with the hopes that one day in your career, you may be fortunate enough to say, “I performed in the West End”, however for some, the wait isn’t nearly as arduous as it used to be just a few decades ago.
Gone are the days of having to earn your equity card by doing profit shares and regional theatre (I say this with no comment on the calibre of these jobs). There now appears to be an influx of graduates soaring straight from drama schools into The West End, some before even officially graduating. What was once an anomalous opportunity afforded only to a few students, now seems to have become a regular occurrence and I must pose the question, what (if any) effect will this have on our industry and its performers alike?
“Employing graduates is a great way of ensuring that the industry is regulated via new talent filtering through it”
Unfortunately, our industry does not have a guaranteed success ladder. As a performer, there are many variables other than talent that contribute to succeeding in landing your next job such as; timing, your look and if it is a long running show, even something as simple as fitting well into the costume of the actor, whose track you could potentially be taking over from, could effect your chances. Age can also be another factor, with a high amount of actors admitting to either lying about or feeling ashamed of their age the older they get.
Graduating and trying to break through into any industry proves to be extremely difficult year after year, especially into creative industries where your grades are not nearly as important as talent and what you present in the audition room. Employing graduates is a great way of ensuring that the industry is regulated via new talent filtering through it and can also provide a boost in terms of the energy and gratitude they bring to the work environment. However it could also be argued that, due to having no prior knowledge to how the industry works, graduates are unaware of good vs bad working conditions and subsequently can be roped into doing more work for less money thus reducing the minimum amount performers are expected to work for.
I had the pleasure of performing in The National Theatre’s 2019 production of Follies. As well as being a phenomenal environment to go to work in everyday, it was also incredibly inspiring to work alongside a breathtaking group of such accomplished older female actresses of whom the storyline was centred around. It is no secret that for women in this industry, roles often fall under the category of ‘Wife’ ‘Mistress’ or ‘Mother’ and most actresses go through the difficult working years ranging from mid 30’s to mid 40’s where you’re now deemed “too old” to play Hot ensemble girl and “too young” to play the mother that belts out a song about her elusive husband or unruly children. – An admittedly honest, yet singular archetype. –
’45-64 year olds make up only 3% of the Musical Theatre industry’
Women within society, are often treated as disposable beings that depreciate in value with every year, whilst men are deemed to age like fine wine and roles for the bachelor and ‘coming of age’ stories are ever available. According to theatre publication The Stage’s 2019 article “Diversity of The West End revealed for the first time” Men make up 58% of the industry compared to women that make up 42%. Reports also showed that both BAME actors and female actors were significantly more likely to be cast in an ensemble rather than named/title roles. (Another blow for actors that fall under the category of both BAME and female, whose odds at a named role were reduced even further)
In the most recent report available written by The Stage, the percentage of actors in Musical Theatre working past the age of 45 was incredible low, with drama UK chief executive Ian Kellgren detailing that “Life after 44 [for performers] is limited”. The report showed that in terms of age diversity, while TV and Radio had a 33% representation of 45-64 year olds, Musical Theatre had a staggering difference with only 3% of this age demographic represented. Ages 65+ had low representation across the board.
So is it the chicken or the egg? Is there a lack of actors past the age of 45 within the industry because there are no roles available or are there no roles being written for this demographic due to the vast amount of actors that leave the industry around this time in their lives? And why are they leaving around this period in their lives? It could be said that if certain producers are offering graduates less money, surely this lowers the average wage of a performer, making the cost of living unsustainable past the age of 45.
And what can be done to ensure that Musical Theatre doesn’t turn into a young mans sport? Musical Theatre legends tend not to be household names within the UK unless they have been fortunate enough to cross over into television and as I myself, delve into another year of this industry, my concern lies with the future of these performers. After 20+ years as a musical theatre performer, you become an expert in this field, so unless you go onto the other side of the table and begin choreographing or directing, what options are available to you for work? I worry that we are not doing enough to nurture the talent that helped to build and shape this wonderful industry and it is the industry’s responsibility to give back to and support them, as they have dedicated decades of their lives to it.
We must carry the baton whilst acknowledging who passed it to us.
Thanks for reading and as always, all options are strictly my own.
Vanessa xo
Bibliography
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2014/theatre-vs-tv-report-exposes-age-ethnicity-differences/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/21/actors-lie-age-maggie-gyllenhaal-rebel-wilson
https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2019/exclusive-diversity-west-end-musicals-revealed/
veeveevoom 