Supporting Creative Freelancers during the Pandemic
Freelancers are the backbone of the Arts and Culture industries in the UK. Many ALRA tutors, directors, designers, technicians, stage managers and specialists are freelancers. Freelancers have experienced serious financial hardship since March 2020 so we’ve gathered together some ways that you can support them to ensure that they make it through this difficult and inactive period, and that they will be there to create inspiring art and events for us when we are no longer living under the threat of this pandemic.
How you can help
Learn
Are you taking any classes that had to go online? Keep taking them! We at ALRA know only too well that online teaching can’t ever replace the experience of face-to-face learning. Our students and tutors are all Zoomed out… but if you take a part time class or want to learn a new skill, you can take up an online course with a freelancer to keep you active and creative, and it will support the industry too.
Champion
If you’ve had great service or experience with a freelancer, you could consider leaving them an excellent review on their website or social media account. A good review can help boost the exposure and potential income of an individual or small business and it costs you nothing.
Give
If you have a little spare and you’re looking for organisations and campaigns who are raising funds with merchandise sales, you could try these:
"We are 2 people who work in the West End who have decided to try and put our sudden free time to good use and raise some much needed money for these charities. The Theatre Support Fund+ have brought together the world famous artwork of 16 of the West Ends biggest musicals to create our 'The Show Must Go On!' campaign."
#WeMakeEvents is an international movement to highlight that the live events sector urgently needs support from local governments to survive the Covid-19 crisis. Our focus is to get Government initiatives to help the industry back to work while providing support until it can fully return to work: RESTART LIVE."
How ALRA is helping
Our resident team worked and continue to work above and beyond their remit in so many ways in the last couple of terms. This term, ALRA has kept on as many freelance tutors as possible and made it a priority to use them in the online provision. Many projects were cancelled as no rehearsals or performances could go ahead, so we invited the contracted freelancers to fulfil the hours online so that they didn’t lose the work. This also benefits our students as, by working with freelancers, they are still interacting and getting exposure to the industry they are training to join.
If you are an ALRA graduate working as a freelance professional, please get in touch so we can share out your project and support your excellent work!