With uncertainty still surrounding the support of freelancers in the theatre industry photographer Ali Wright has curated My Latest Role; a series of environment portraits of self-employed creatives who became key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project aims to celebrate the resilience and adaptability of freelance creatives who make up 70% of the theatre industry and to highlight that despite theatres being legally allowed to open on 1 August with social distancing, it is still unclear how the Government’s financial package announced on 6 July will support freelancers. The images will be available online here www.mylatestrole.com.
Ali Wright today said, “As a theatre photographer, I lost six months of work overnight and only qualified for a fraction of my previous wage. I was interested in discovering how other freelance theatre artists were coping in this new context. I soon discovered that many across the industry were taking up roles as Key Workers to financially survive, many having been excluded from government assistance, and volunteering as a way to help others in a time of crisis. My Latest Role has been a way for me to play my small part in amplifying the theatre workforces’ resilience, adaptability and generosity.”
The professionals include:
- Actor Sarah O’Connor who was a swing on Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre and became a care home worker.
- Paris Rivers who is a Special Effects Makeup and Cabaret Artist who became a funeral service operator.
- Dev Danzig who is a Designer, Stage Manager and Prop Maker who began assembling and testing ventilators.
- Nadia Nadif who is an Actor and Director who began volunteering with the food poverty charity Feast! providing meals for the vulnerable.
- Andrew Ellis who is a Lighting Designer and was managing the spring tour of BalletBoyz’ ‘Deluxe’ who became a Tesco delivery driver.
- Kara Chamberlain who is a Writer, Producer at Crossline Theatre and Actor began working in an independent health shop.
- Parvinder Shergill who is an Actor, who has worked as a Doctor in a hospital before and during the pandemic.
- Karl Best who was performing in The Visit at the National and began working as a porter at King’s College Hospital.
If you are in a position to support, please consider making a donation to The Theatrical Guild, whom directly supports theatre workers facing financial hardship – https://ttg.org.uk/donate/
