when i moved to berlin in 2004 exactly on this weekend my rent was 75€ for my room. i got a job dancing at sage club on the bar for 80€ on a friday or saturday night for four 45 minute sets between 11 and 3 am. No show preparation required–lets say 1 hour of costume making and maybe hidden costs of time spent keeping a body in shape (this is important and real), but otherwise just show up and dance. I remember all the details because i counted and saved every euro i made.
now it is 2020 and my rent is 400 € for a room and the wages are less. when you consider prep time. when you consider time spent on technical aspects of live performance. When i work for one show at a major theater who desires to stay open but can only fill 1/4 of the seats because of regulations, has less budget for working bodies but enough of an incentive to get me there. though i spend close to 100 hours in preparation time, 12 hours in travel time, and 4 fours in stage time. my wage is less than what i earned at sage 16 years ago.
Venues are not THE PROBLEM, artists are not THE PROBLEM, bookers are not THE PROBLEM, promoters are not THE PROBLEM, even the funders are not THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER. There is A PROBLEM.
And my question is how are we going to stop pointing fingers but come together and figure out solutions for real bodies who are working. Im not saying anything new, we have all been talking about it. just putting out there.