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A 1945 Code of Ethics for Theatre Workers Surfaces
by Janet Thielke | August 11, 2009
Equity member Kathleen Freeman died of lung cancer in August, 2001 while she
was appearing on Broadway in her Tony-nominated role of Jeanette in The Full
Monty. Equity Councillor Jane A. Johnston, a longtime friend, was executrix
for Ms. Freeman’s estate. Among Ms. Freeman’s papers she discovered a yellowed
document containing A Code of Ethics for Theatre Workers. Ms. Freeman was a
daughter of a small time vaudevillian team and it was her childhood experience
of touring with her parents from which this Code of Ethics sprung, Ms. Johnston
writes. She also notes: “What is particularly interesting about this list of dos
and don’ts for the theatre is that it was written in 1945 when Kathleen was
establishing one of the first small theatres in Los Angeles and she was 24 years
old. I wish I had been told some of ‘the rules’ when I was a young actress
instead of having to pick them up as I went along.”
The theatre was the
Circle Players, and among its backers was Charlie Chaplin. That group
subsequently evolved into the Players’ Ring. Although there is no record that
either company used an Equity contract (they certainly pre-dated the 99-Seat
Code in Los Angeles), nevertheless, Ms. Johnston confirms that all the
participants were professionals.
Foreword to the Code
“A part of the great tradition of
the theatre is the code of ethics which belong to every worker in the theatre.
This code is not a superstition, nor a dogma, nor a ritual which is enforced by
tribunals; it is an attitude toward your vocation, your fellow workers, your
audiences and yourself. It is a kind of self-discipline which does not rob you
of your invaluable individualism.
“Those of you who have been in show
business know the full connotation of these precepts. Those of you who are new
to show business will soon learn. The Circle Players, since its founding in
1945, has always striven to stand for the finest in theatre, and it will
continue to do so. Therefore, it is with the sincere purpose of continued
dedication to the great traditions of the theatre that these items are here
presented.”
The “rules” follow:
1. I shall never miss a performance.
2. I shall play every performance
with energy, enthusiasm and to the best of my ability regardless of size of
audience, personal illness, bad weather, accident, or even death in my
family.
3. I shall forego all social activities which interfere with
rehearsals or any other scheduled work at the theatre, and I shall always be on
time.
4. I shall never make a curtain late by my failure to be ready on
time.
5. I shall never miss an entrance.
6. I shall never leave the
theatre building or the stage area until I have completed my performance, unless
I am specifically excused by the stage manager; curtain calls are a part of the
show.
7. I shall not let the comments of friends, relatives or critics change
any phase of my work without proper consultation; I shall not change lines,
business, lights, properties, settings or costumes or any phase of the
production without consultation with and permission of my director or producer
or their agents, and I shall inform all people concerned.
8. I shall forego
the gratification of my ego for the demands of the play.
9. I shall remember
my business is to create illusion; therefore, I shall not break the illusion by
appearing in costume and makeup off-stage or outside the theatre.
10. I shall
accept my director’s and producer’s advice and counsel in the spirit in which it
is given, for they can see the production as a whole and my work from the
front.
11. I shall never “put on an act” while viewing other artists’ work as
a member of an audience, nor shall I make caustic criticism from jealousy or for
the sake of being smart.
12. I shall respect the play and the playwright and,
remembering that “a work of art is not a work of art until it is finished,” I
shall not condemn a play while it is in rehearsal.
13. I shall not spread
rumor or gossip which is malicious and tends to reflect discredit on my show,
the theatre, or any personnel connected with them-either to people inside or
outside the group.
14. Since I respect the theatre in which I work, I shall
do my best to keep it looking clean, orderly and attractive regardless of
whether I am specifically assigned to such work or not.
15. I shall handle
stage properties and costumes with care for I know they are part of the tools of
my trade and are a vital part of the physical production.
16. I shall follow
rules of courtesy, deportment and common decency applicable in all walks of life
(and especially in a business in close contact with the public) when I am in the
theatre, and I shall observe the rules and regulations of any specific theatre
where I work.
17. I shall never lose my enthusiasm for theatre because of
disappointments.
In addition, the document continued:
“I understand that
membership in the Circle Theatre entitles me to the privilege of working, when I
am so assigned, in any of the phases of a production, including: props, lights,
sound, construction, house management, box office, publicity and stage
managing-as well as acting. I realize it is possible I may not be cast in a part
for many months, but I will not allow this to dampen my enthusiasm or desire to
work, since I realize without my willingness to do all other phases of theatre
work, there would be no theatre for me to act in.”
All members of the Circle
Theatre were required to sign this document. And they must have-because the
theatre, and the group into which it evolved, was successful for many years.