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The Big Freelancer Survey

Drew Janine,
The Big Freelancer Survey
The official release of The Big Freelancer Survey came on 27 June and the evidence provides substantial reports of a declining support in the live entertainment industry. Unfortunately, after another tough year on freelancers, the title of the report has been named “Freelancers At Breaking Point”. The live entertainment industry is well known behind the scenes that this empire’s world-wide love is actually built on the breaking backs of those behind the curtains. This year’s report highlights once again that a massive change in the industry needs to happen for freelancers to continue working in an industry they love and dedicate their lives to.

In the financial year of 2022-23, over one third of freelancers reported average hourly earnings below the (UK) National Living Wage. Yet more than half of those who partook in the report were working 50 or more hours per week. For those who do not know, this is beyond the legal limit defined by the Working Time Directive. Oftentimes freelancers are forced to sign a waiver saying they understand they will be working beyond the legal limitation of hours and those who do not sign waivers receive responses from employers with a simple line saying they will not be hired.

The Big Freelancer Survey

The London living wage is currently set at £13.15 per hour. According to this year’s survey, 46.5% of freelancers in the United Kingdom earn less than the London living wage while 33.6% earn less than £9.50 per hour. This is an outrageous demand for work for less than liveable wages as freelancers are being required to work such long hours. As majority of freelancers are also in specialised positions such as audio, lighting, carpentry, and stage this wages reflect how these specialties in theatre and the live events industry are not being recognised as specialty fields at all. This furthers the mindset of everyone in the industry being replaceable when in fact the people in these specialties are what makes the shows everyone loves possible.

The Big Freelancer Survey

The report further highlights that freelancers were ‘underpaid, undervalued and under pressure’ from arts councils, organisations, politicians, and the funding bodies of the industry itself. Freelancers stated they feel ‘valued, respected and uplifted by their colleagues’ yet there is a clear lack of not only funding but support as well to continue these specialised careers within the industry. Significant funding cuts dramatically increased competition between freelancers in the past financial year adding to the mindset of someone will do the job for less pay. The report speculates that the funding model for the arts industry in the UK is unsustainable due to lack of employment opportunities and the direct effect on freelancers which make up over 50% of the workforce in the arts.

Over 1200 freelancers in the live entertainment industry took part in this year’s survey which included a mix of pre-coded and free text questions. The survey was designed and analysed by the survey team, in consultation and collaboration with the wider Freelancers Make Theatre Work community. Readers can read the full survey here.

Photo source: Freelancers Make Theatre Work Instagram Page

Drew Janine
Live Sound Engineer -EUROPE
Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive as working behind the scenes in theatre as a live sound engineer. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020 and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending time on tour across the North American continent and Europe. Drew’s favourite by far though has been the chance to work on Broadway and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry and hopes to inspire others to continue working in theatre.

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Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.

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Drew Janine

Janine has always been a part of music and performing. The first show that inspired her to go into theatre was the Velveteen Rabbit which she saw as a child, and Drew works to keep that magic alive as working behind the scenes in theatre as a live sound engineer. When Drew was accepted into an internship program for audio engineering at a recording studio, she jumped at the opportunity. That was at the start of 2020 and so much has happened since then, both in her career and in the world. Since then, Drew has taken several opportunities to work at recording studios, concerts, festivals, and even large theatres while spending time on tour across the North American continent and Europe. Drew’s favourite by far though has been the chance to work on Broadway and West End shows, as this was a dream come true. Drew is honoured to get to share these experiences from being inside the entertainment industry and hopes to inspire others to continue working in theatre.