This announcement comes as the anniversary of theatres closing their doors as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic approaches.
The company, which represents theatre workers across all disciplines in the UK, advocating for a better, more sustainable and fairer future for them and the improvement of the industry as a whole, has announced the launch of a new campaign – Not Here All Year.
It has been announced that from the 9th March AAPTLE will be sharing freelancers’ photographs of venues in the days ahead of the closure and throughout the last year, highlighting the loss of work over the year, and to celebrate the industry, looking forward to when venues are able to reopen. The photographs will be shared through Instagram, using the hashtag #NotHereAllYear, with all those in the industry encouraged to take part.
Alliance members of AAPTLE include: Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), Association of Scenic Artists and Makers (ASAM), Association of Sound Designers (ASD), Backstage Niche, Costume in Theatre Entertainment and Arts (CITEA), Freelancers Make Theatre Work, i:Opera, Movement Directors’ Association (MDA), Personal Managers’Association (PMA), Production Managers’ Forum (PMF), Society of British Theatre Designers (SBTD), SCENE/CHANGE, Stage Directors UK (SDUK), The Sustainability in Production Alliance (SIPA), Stage Management Association (SMA), Stage Sight and Video Code.
Talking about the news of the campaign, Johanna Town and Dominic Bilkey, Chairs of the Association of Lighting Designersand the Association of Sound Designers respectively, said today, “It has been an extraordinarily tough year for theatre and live events professionals. The #NotHereAllYear campaign will celebrate the resilience and determination of theatre makers. It aims to highlight the fact that, although many of us have not worked for 12 months and counting, we want to get back to making theatre at the earliest opportunity. Our hope is that together we can collectively change the landscape for the better.”
As an organisation, AAPTLE support and campaign on a number of different issues that affect the theatre and live entertainment workforce and the industry more widely. It is currently focusing on issues such as Covid-19, Brexit, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, education and outreach, unions and lobbying, and the future of freelancers.
To find out more about AAPTLE and their work visit: https://aaptle.uk/