Equity Vice President

Jean was re-elected as a Council member of the actors' and performers' union EQUITY in July 2008 and is now in her 9th consecutive term.  She has also been re-elected by the Council as a Vice President of the union. A post she has held since 2004.

Jean is also Chairman of BECS - the British Equity Collecting Society - separate organisation from Equity but set up by Equity in 1998 for the collecting of monies for UK audiovisual performers from collecting societies abroad.

She is presently involved as Chair of the Subsidised Repertory Working party, the New Advertising Media Working Party, the newly formed New Technology Working Party and the West End Negotiiatiions Working Party.

She chairs the Censorship Working Party whenever it is necessary and in November 2006 chaired a major Conference on Censorship at the National Theatre discussing the Freedom of Artistic Expression, a subject which is of concern to Equity and its members but also the industry at large.

As a chair of two theatre working parties and as a Councillor she is very much involved with the concerns Equity has at the recent handling of funding by the Arts Council England and the low minimum rates of pay in the West End.  She has attended two Parliamentary Receptions on funding arranged by the Performers’ Alliance.

As a member of the Federation of International Artists (FIA) equalities steering group she is involved in compiling data on the portrayal of women, with a special emphasis on the older woman with funding won from Europe.  It is hoped a research questionnaire will be filled in by performers in all the European acting unions.

Her message is loud and clear IF YOU WANT YOUR WORKING LIFE AND OPPORTUNITIES IMPROVED JOIN EQUITY AND ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE DECISIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE ON YOUR BEHALF. DON’T MOAN ABOUT THE WATER BEING COLD, STANDING ALONE ON THE EDGE, DIVE IN AND JOIN US!  IT’S MUCH WARMER IN THE SWIM TOGETHER AND WE HAVE A BIGGER VOICE TO CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE