Hello from Vancouver (near K'emk'emeláy),
My first CAEA contract was in 2015, and I have worked under the CTA,TYA, DOT, AMATEUR and ARTIST COLLECTIVE policies.
Ultimately, I want to listen to, and work to fulfil the needs of the CAEA membership. Wages have not kept up with inflation, have not seen the same increases that were demanded by other workers in the theatre industry, and at times, CAEA members are currently being paid less than the legal minimum wage.
In BC especially, the system has allowed a plethora of quasi-professional theatres to flourish, in which companies produce theatre that the public assumes is professional, by hiring a small number of equity artists under the DOT contract while not paying the rest of their cast.
A consequence of this system, is the lack of distinction in the public eye between community and professional theatre. Some theatres use this system to fund-raise for the rest of their season, and at other times CAEA members are supporting the unethical use of unpaid labour.
I want to fight for all equity artists, and all performers, and to ensure the system encourages opportunity and professional, artistic standards.
With love, passion, commitment and care,
Nick