To replace musicians with a recording would be an outrageous act of cultural vandalism. This must not be allowed to happen. Photo credit: Shutterstock
Musicians in the Sinfonia will be taking action in Nottingham this week as part of their campaign to save their jobs and enable everyone to have access to live ballet that is genuinely live.
Sign the petition to show your support
MU members will be leafleting outside Nottingham Theatre Royal ahead of performances of Beauty and the Beast on Wednesday 4, Thursday 5, Friday 6 and Saturday 7 October. To join them in person, please contact MU Regional Organiser for Midlands Stephen Brown.
The Sinfonia will also be wearing white t-shirts instead of their usual concert dress during the performance.
An outrageous act of cultural vandalism in the North and across the UK
Northern Ballet is facing a real terms funding cut due to a combination of standstill funding since 2015, and record inflation in the biggest cost of living crisis in decades.
As a result, Northern Ballet is already scheduling less touring work.
Now, they are being forced to consider getting rid of their live orchestra for some touring productions and replacing the musicians with recorded music.
Unlike other Northern Ballet workers, musicians in the Sinfonia are not salaried. They are on freelance contracts and only get paid for the work they do. Some are already relying on food banks to survive.
To replace musicians with a recording would be an outrageous act of cultural vandalism. This must not be allowed to happen by Arts Council England, and the union calls on the Arts Council to get round the table and agree a sustainable funding package that keeps Northern Ballet live.
Read more in the BBC and Yorkshire Post.
Show your support
It is essential that Arts Council England and Northern Ballet agree a realistic funding solution that protects union jobs and enables everyone to have access to live ballet that is genuinely live.
Please sign the petition and leave a message of support for the musicians in Northern Ballet's orchestra
If you’re not sure what to say, take a look at some of the messages below, or head to the MU's Twitter feed for more: