Published today, the Sydney Morning Herald have gone just that bit too far in an article about musical theatre company Kookaburra.
Valerie Lawson, a journalist who has a reputation for taking no prisoners, published a follow up story to one which initially addressed the messy financial clean-up occurring after the cancellation of Floyd Collins. 
It was a good article that put the company on notice and ensured that the public was aware of the company's good intentions as well as the positive work being administered by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (read Union Bosses).
"The production company, Peter Cousens's Kookaburra: the National Musical Theatre Company," the 16 November article said, "is in negotiations with the creative team, with the actors and with the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance over fees still owing under the terms of various contracts."
Lawson, however, has now taken MEAA comments out of context in an article published on page 5 today entitled "Legal Action Warning on Actors' Pay".
In it she says, "the Actors Equity director of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance will take legal action on behalf of 10 performers if the national theatre company, Kookaburra, does not pay $30,000 of outstanding debt".
But this afternoon, Simon Whipp from the MEAA has sought to clarify its comments, saying that “today’s newspaper report was both premature and unhelpful in that we are presently engaged in amicable discussions with Kookaburra and are confident of reaching an arrangement to suit all parties.”
Whipp also stated that any legal action would only be "the logical last resort in the unlikely event of an agreement with the show’s producer, Kookaburra, not being reached by the end of the month."
Why did Lawson decide to take that extra step beyond a normal news article? What motives are behind her decision to rub Kookaburra's beak in it that little bit more?
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Just one step too far...
Posted by Nicholas Pickard at 3:48 pm
Labels: Arts Journalism, Media, Musical Theatre
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9 comments:
Simon Whipp sought to clarify!
thanks anonymous... need a job as a sub?
Damm shame people feel the need to criticise every time someone takes a bold step to try something new - sure we all make mistakes - but without trying something new we would be still be watching silent movies !
Kookaburra is exactly what we need in Australia - more power to them !
Who is this Journalist anyway and what has she ever done otehr than critique !
I endorse the above comments. It's a shame the public did not get behind the brave attempt to present something new in musical theatre. However for the Sydney Morning Herald to kick Kookaburra while they're down is cheap journalism, unworthy of a paper with their reputation. I don't even live in Sydney but I'll be buying tickets to their next production no matter what it is.
... if it's not axed months before it opens...
Just make sure you don't live too far away from your ticket outlet anon#2. It's always even more frustrating having to go back there again for a refund.
I support the company under a new artistic director. Most of the mistakes that are hurting the company have been made by him. It also doesn't instill confidence when the first show to be axed is one he is meant to be starring in . If he can't deliver on a show he has apparantently wanted to do for years, how is he meant to hold up season after season. I think Peter is an amazing producer
forming and selling this company has been an incredible feat but he is a BAD artistic director and manager.
As an enthusiatic subscriber to Kookaburra's inaugural season, I don't believe I am being overly critical to find fault with their series of bad management and artistic choices. I wrote them a feedback letter - for what I thought was bad treatment when they re-scheduled the opening night for Company without informing me - and was subsequently invited to have a coffee and a chat with the artistic director. I came away from that meeting convinced they would continue to make the same mistakes again and again. I was also asked to be less "hardnosed" about my expectations, yet was subsequently disappointed again with another major management failure when Floyd Collins was cancelled.
If this is the kind of "bold steps to try something new" which Anonymous 2 is suggesting we support, then I disagree. Enough is enough. And I could not believe the audacity to ask me to donate my ticket refund for Floyd Collins - effectively underwriting their failure to deliver anything worthwhile to me. This is one well-intentioned subscriber lost for good.
Well, I see the bottom line as this ... if Kookaburra plans a musical and subsequently has to cancel the production because of poor sales, then the question to ask is whether they really understand their market and audience. I know they like to think of themselves as "pioneering" and "pushing the envelope", but when they have no real success to speak of, their attitude just comes across as downright arrogant. Is is the public's fault for not understanding them or their intentions?
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