Equity and Live Performance Australia (LPA) are currently arranging the first meeting of the newly formed Live Performance Council (LPC), which is expected to take place in June.

The LPC was formed as result of Equity members’ Live Theatre Local Jobs campaign and Equity’s call for dialogue.

The LPC is a significant new Industry Forum and represents a new stage of collaboration between the industry’s peak employer and employee organisations.

The LPC will be chaired jointly by LPA and Equity presidents, and will provide a forum in which the parties can regularly discuss important strategic issues and challenges affecting the industry  - and identify ways to meet those challenges.

In a joint statement issued with Equity today, Live Performance Australia (LPA) has undertaken to assist any member or sector that wishes to enter into a sectoral or individual agreement on the use of overseas artists.  The parties also announced the formation of a live performance council.  This follows a meeting in late November between Equity president Simon Burke, LPA president Andrew Kay, LPA CEO Evelyn Richardson and Equity director Sue McCreadie.

More than 60 theatre casts have now passed a resolution showing their support for the Live Theatre, Local Jobs campaign. "Performers are committed to a collaborative approach to building the Australian live performance industry and resolving industry issues". The latest casts to pass resolutions are South Pacific, Becky Shaw, War Horse, Wild Surmise, Pompeii LA and Signs of Life. See the full resolution and casts who have signed up here.

Equity met with the major subsidised theatre companies on Friday November 8 to discuss a new agreement covering overseas artists. The discussions are proceeding well in an atmosphere of goodwill and we will reconvene in the next couple of weeks.

Equity has worked with the Dainty Group to secure 10 of the 12 roles for Australian performers on the upcoming Australian tour of the UK production I Dreamed A Dream, Susan Boyle the musical. The 10-week tour starts next May.

Several weeks ago LPA distributed a flyer to green rooms claiming that it was ‘business as usual’ and the floodgates had not opened. Now, acting for the producer of A Chorus Line, LPA has rammed through a UK import on the production and has since gone to ground, refusing to return emails or calls from Equity. All performers need to be aware of this issue. Please print off Equity’s flyer here and post it in your green room.