Members ARE the union. Every single one of us IS the union, and the only way we set up surveys, make rate cards, have a social media presence, negotiate, etc. is when members give a little of their time.
The Theatre Freelancers Committee is made up of volunteers working for free, and though the seven of us are doing our best, seven people have limited capacity - WE NEED YOU.
It's not always clear what it means to get involved with your branch, so let's break it down:
Members - every one of you is a member. You've been allocated by Bectu to the Theatre Freelancers Branch based on info you gave about your employment. Click here to find out about all the benefits of being a Bectu member.
All Members Meetings - All Members Meetings happen regularly (every two months) and are an opportunity to find out what the branch has been working on and are a chance for members to have their voices heard - they are a great opportunity to let us know if there's anything you'd us to be working on together.
AGM - Once a year we hold an Annual General Meeting - these are open to all members of the branch, and we discuss the work that has been done in the year, priorities for the coming year, and elect/re-elect Officers.
Reps - A Rep is a member who is interested in learning more about the union structure and how we work. To become a rep, you let your Chair or a Secretary know you're interested, then we'll speak with our Official and get you signed up for Reps 1 Training - a 3.5 hour online training where you meet other members, learn about union structure, and learn how to support your fellow members in making sure their voices are heard within the work we do. There's a Reps 1 Training specifically for Freelancers scheduled on 28th November 2026 - please let us know if you'd like to attend. If you can’t make that date, take a look at our 2027 Freelancers Reps Training Dates here.
Social Media Reps - Branches can have more than one Social Media Rep - it can be helpful to have a few, so each person doesn't have to take on too much. Social Media Reps each would post original (Instagram) reels or posts a handful of times a year, and post stories a couple of times a week.
The Committee - The Branch Committee meets once a month and keeps branch work on track - discussing what's being worked on, planning the Branch's path and actions for the future. There are currently seven Committee members. It's incredibly important for us to have a range of voices in the Committee. Diversity of roles, of scale of theatre, of gender, race, etc. in the Committee ensures our work takes everyone into account. We generally expect members joining the Committee to be happy to train as Reps in the following few months after joining (or be Reps already).
Officers - Within the Committee, some members are Officers. These include Chair, Meetings Secretaries and Minutes Secretaries. We and many other branches have split the 'Secretary' role into Meetings Secretaries and Minutes Secretaries so that each role has less to take on. All Officer roles can be shared - where roles are shared (as with Abi and Joseph as Co-Chairs), the workload becomes much more manageable.
We're aware it's difficult to give time for free, but truly, the way the union works best is when a lot of people give a small amount of their time.
Working Groups - Where particular work is being done by the branch, Working Groups bring together groups of members who meet regularly to: write a document, decide on strategy and campaigns, or work together toward a specific common goal. This could include a 'Rate Cards' Working Group, a 'Working With Other Organisations' Working Group, an 'Improving Accessibility' Working Group - if you have an idea for a Working Group, you can let us know - we want to empower our members to engage with areas they care about!
Networks - We have a huge range of people within our branch, and it can be helpful to make more specific networks for people with shared experiences to meet, talk, and learn from each other. This could include having a network for disabled theatre freelancers, a network for theatre freelancers working on fringe-scale shows, a network for freelance assistant designers, and many more. As with working groups, if you have an idea for a network you'd like to exist within our branch, you can let us know! Networks generally exist as WhatsApp groups, and/or regular meetings.
We would love more of our members to be involved with our work. At the moment we'd particularly like you to let us know if you'd be interested in:
Doing Reps 1 Training and becoming a Rep (upcoming Freelancer Rep training is on 28th Nov - get in touch to book).
Joining the Theatre Freelancers Branch Committee.
Becoming one of our Meetings Secretaries or Minutes Secretaries.
Helping us with Social Media as one of our Social Media Reps.
But also let us know if you'd like to do something else or have any questions - we'd love to hear from you if you have ideas!