NT sets September date for Sunday shows

Published Wednesday 12 March 2008 at 12:25 by Alistair Smith

The National Theatre is on course for Sunday openings from September, following a landmark deal with technical crew that will pave the way for the South Bank venue to become a seven-day operation for the first time in its history.

It has been a long-professed ambition of NT artistic director Nicholas Hytner to add Sunday matinees to the company’s programme, but negotiations between the theatre and technical union Bectu have been prolonged and difficult, with the National having to repeatedly postpone its plans.

However, after years of negotiations, the two parties have finally come to an agreement for a completely revamped package for stage, lighting and sound technicians, which includes provision for Sunday working, as well as a significant increase to basic pay rates.

While there are still other departments for which discussions are ongoing, as well as separate deals to conclude with both Equity and the Musicians’ Union, the NT is now optimistic that agreements will be in place in time to launch Sunday openings within six months.

NT executive director Nick Starr told The Stage: “We’re working towards September for Sunday performances in the Olivier and Lyttelton. It would be a pilot season of four months. We are still deep in talks with Equity about actors. The issue there is as much to do with the logistics and how to make it work as smoothly as possible, rather than money. With the Musicians’ Union, musicians are more used to working on Sundays, so it is more about the money.”

He explained that the NT would soon be holding a meeting for actors who work at the theatre, where they could raise any questions they might have about Sunday working.

The National has been given an extra £150,000 by Arts Council England to implement Sunday openings in the coming year, but Starr said that the increased cost to the venue - in expenses such as extra wages - was likely to amount to as much as £300,000, depending on how successful the shows were at the box office.

However, he stressed that in future years he hoped it would become more affordable, in the same way that the NT’s Travelex £10 ticket scheme has.

He added: “This new deal is well worth all the time and work both sides have put into it. It leaves behind an anachronistic arrangement whereby long-serving, skilled technicians had to rely on hourly payments. In future, they will have salaries and security of earnings.

“Financially, the deal works by finding new efficiencies, allowing us to schedule staff more flexibly according to the production needs.”

Bectu supervisory official Willy Donaghy, who has led the negotiations on behalf of the union, agreed with Starr and said he felt the NT’s September target was achievable.

“I think we’re getting pretty close to tying everything up - I would say within the next few months,” he said. “I would say September is a realistic aim. Front of house and wigs and wardrobe are still to come. They are the big ones still to be sorted, but we’ve made significant progress on these over the last few weeks. It’s about money and time off. Sunday working is still voluntary [for existing staff], but

people get paid over and above and get an extra day off if they work it.”

The NT’s move to Sunday openings marks the latest in a growing trend of London theatres looking to open for an extra day over the weekend. Stomp, currently playing at the Ambassadors Theatre, became the first West End show to regularly perform two shows on a Sunday earlier this month.

The Lion King has played Sunday matinees since 2000, while the Donmar Warehouse is planning to open for the extra day during its West End season at the Wyndham’s later this year.