I've started to be a part of the Theatre Zooms™.

I feel heartened by the individuals who are giving thought and care to what we want for the future. I have a few reflections swimming around my mind, and maybe attempting to share will help crystallise them & connect w/ others.

As several others have articulated, it's hard for me to imagine real structural change without some form of Universal Basic Income. Otherwise, survival of an organisation always comes first, and art, care, community, humanity comes second, third, fourth, 43rd.

This is understandable and not a criticism of individuals within these organisations (mostly). It's what those individuals are forced into. Obviously it's not a black and white issue. But where can we at least be aware of this, admit it and push at the limits of it?

Or can/should we focus all our energy on campaigning for UBI?

I feel a sense of urgency from some - mainly (and understandably) those who are responsible for organisations and therefore others' livelihoods.

Sometimes this urgency feels like it's saying 'let's just secure money and support in the same old way we know how so that we can survive, and we'll explore radical change later once we're stable'. I understand this pull, and at the same time it feels like a slippery slope.

Personally I have been privileged and lucky enough to be able to slow down over the past few months in a way that doesn't feel panicky. That slowness has allowed new and valuable things to emerge without me pushing, solving or planning. It's a balance, obviously.

But we can remind each other that slowness can be valuable. Just because your timeline is two weeks doesn't mean mine has to be. When you ask me what I need as an independent artist/freelancer, sometimes my answer can be I need more time or I need you not to make a decision yet.

I know succinct language can be useful, but every time I hear/read the word 'task force' I want to run away & be done with it all. I know there will be reasons for that term. Maybe I should think about it more, but it produces a reaction in me that I don't like.

Trickle down economics hasn't worked anywhere before, so why does theatre largely still think it will work now (ie organisations get the money with the idea that it trickles down to artists)?

If artists' and creative's financial independence from organisations is everyone's priority, will that allow more agency? More mutual respect? Less hierarchy? More interesting, risky, radical work?

These are continued swimming reflections. I appreciate none of these issues are black and white. People's livelihoods are urgent and important. But so is artistic exploration, so is community, so is diversity of all kinds, so is respect.

This is long enough, but I plan to be a regular part of zoom conversations with independent artists convened by @maddydeliqette and with a group convened by @YardTheatre. Both are full of really wonderful, interesting, smart individuals.

Cross-pollination and transparency between conversations is a good thing, so my DMs are open x

I also want to say that these thoughts are not exclusively mine. They are on my mind because I have heard them articulated in different ways by others and they have bounced off my own thoughts over the last few days.