Thursday 17th December 2015 - Perfroming Arts Companies

Spotlight
http://www.spotlight.com/ (17/12/15)

Spotlight was first founded in 1927 and is a UK casting resource with contacts in the industry. Currently on Spotlight there is over 60,000 performers including actors and actresses, child performers, presenters, singers and dancers. It is thought to be the best way to market yourself as a performer for professional film and television as well as stage. There are thousands of production companies, advertising agencies, independent casing directors and broadcasters that use spotlight as their casting resource. Some clients include the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 as well as smaller production companies and individual casting directors.  

If you join as a performer you will receive a web page including your acting cv, photos and video clips that is available to casting agents working in the industry. Daily job updates that may be suitable for you to audition for, as well as career advice that includes one-to-one advice on CV's and career development.

Equity
https://www.equity.org.uk/about-us/what-do-we-do/ (17/12/15)

Equity is the UK trade union for professional performers and practitioners, the organisation is well-known and respected nationally and internationally for the work they do. There Is a full time team of staff who offer advice and representation, they deal with issues raised by people working in all areas of the performing arts industry from those working on a major feature film to those working in children's theatre or theatre in education. They were first set up in 1930 by a group of west end performers, it focuses on fair payments and fees for artists, health and safety and members pension and insurance schemes. In 1967 they incorporated the variety artistes federation. They are the only trade union to represent all different types of artists, they are not politically affiliated and therefore they do not make payments to any political party, however they are affiliated to the Trade Union Congress.

Arts Council
http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/  (19/10/15)

Arts Council Britain was set up in the 1940s, however in 1994 it was divided to make arts council England, Scottish arts council and arts council Wales. Arts council England develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that may influence the public's lives. They support activities including the arts, museums, theatre, digital arts, dance, music and literature. They invest money from the government and national lottery, between 2015 and 2018 they plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money and £700 million from the national lottery to help develop these experiences for as many people as possible.
You can apply for funding through the official website, one example of this is to apply for a Ambition for excellence fund. This is a rolling programme that finishes in 2017, the total fund is £35.2 million and the maximum grant is between £100,000 and £750.000. The priority areas are developing talent and engaging audiences on a national scale.  The fund aims to realise the significant growth of international arts especially outside of London. It aims to develop talent and leadership in strong cultural places and create the highest quality of new work. It supported the creation of work for international event for example the 2012 London Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. Applicants can apply for a grant and applications will be received in two stages - (an expression of interest followed by an invitation to apply). Organisations that are eligible to submit an expression of interest are those who are national portfolio organisations, museums that wish to hold arts projects and those that are primarily focused on creating, producing and presenting the arts in England.

The Stage
https://www.thestage.co.uk/ (17/12/15)

The Stage Media Company Limited serves to provide news for the UK performing arts and entertainment industry, it was first set up in 1880 and is owned by the family of one of the founders. The articles are published online and printed every Thursday. The stage provides information from across all aspects of the performing arts industry from advice to help performers, directors and casting agents to reviews on shows on and off the West End. There are also jobs listed on The Stage from auditions for different types of theatre, to back stage and behind the scenes jobs, there is also front of house and marketing and finance jobs. As well as this there is also information about training institutions, this is helpful for younger performers who are interesting in studying performing arts at a higher education level.

Dance UK
http://www.nationaldrama.org.uk/ (17/12/15)

This organisation was founded in 1982 by a group of dance professionals, the central idea is to face big issues in the dance sector of the performing arts industry. It aims to promote longer, more sustainable dance careers and improves the conditions as to which dance is created and performed. Dance UK promotes the importance of dance and the needs of dancers in more cultural industries. This organisation has over 1000 individual members, these members consist of dancers, teachers, students and choreographers as well as dance medics. As well as this it also has over 230 corporate members that include some of the countries leading dance companies, vocational colleges and theatres. These include the Royl Ballet Company and Sadlers Wells. Dance UK has developed a healthier dance programme that promotes a dancers health and well-being.

How do all of these organisations work together?

It is important for all of these organisations to work together for example all of the performers on Spotlight will need Equity if they work professionally. This is because Equity is a trade union and therefore protects its members, if a performer is a member they will be protected from issues they may face within the industry. This is also a similar idea for Dance UK as this organisation protects its members from problems and issues that they may face when working. Another example of this would be all of the arts organisations that are helped and funded by the  Arts Council may be featured on The Stage, this is because this the centre of all news and information in the performing arts industry.