About democracy, community and communication

Just over a week ago, select staff at the Young Vic gathered and sat in a cosy circle to discuss how, as a company, they might be the most democratic company they could possibly be. Hours after this meeting an usher was fired via email after having worked for that company for three years.

The climate inside the building is intense. Subtle tells betray frustrations the staff would otherwise bury within themselves. Then they snap. Outbursts are common and it is no secret that every person in that office tiptoes around our Artistic Director in fear of being noticed - in fear of having to justify their position within the company and it is because of this fear that the usher was fired in the manner she was. One of the staff from the office articulated this in a very clear way: “I should never have to apologise to the artistic director or executive director, for something you have done, again” she said. This was a part of her message to the entire front of house team following what must have been a very difficult interrogation, (suddenly forced into the spotlight and having to explain something that was out of her personal control). She looked and sounded like a dog that had startled itself from barking for the first time.  It was clear that the ferocity and the sheer weight of the anger that had been passed onto her threatened to crush her completely. That then was passed down onto the next person – down the food chain – until the message finally reached us. What I imagine happened is that after receiving a clear order (perhaps: “Just fire her!”), in fear, they responded by facing the problem directly -‘what an embarrassment’- it needed to be resolved as quickly as possible. Without asking the usher for her side of the story, even giving a warning or asking her to come in to speak face to face – they fired her.

What most people there forget is that the usher they fired had been victim to one of these same outbursts. Months ago she had been alone and shouted at despite just doing the best she could in the situation she found herself. No one apologised to her for this. She left the building that night in tears and expressed her disappointment, saying “Do you think they see me as being useless?” Presently, with all of that behind us (with the exception of one person, who still felt the shame she felt that night; a shadow that covered the entire building) we received these messages from the top of Olympus with no sponge between us. Is it not a part of leading a team to know what to relay and what not to? Should you not articulate one person’s frustrations as a means for the team to build upon what they have been doing right? Unfortunately this does not happen.

It is also the case that not a single person in that building can take responsibility for their failures and, (in the case of the fired usher) apologise.

As I write this, an opposite force wills me to stop. I have worked at the Young Vic for years and it has been so many things to me. It has been the home to a second family. The Young Vic has inspired me, lead by someone who I look up to despite his flaws. It has acted as a sanctuary during the most difficult times I have had to live through. I will always love the Young Vic and I shall never forget the sense of family I feel when I am there and around these interesting, quirky and diverse people I have come to know.

It is with regret that I have to witness the Young Vic lose what made it so special. Days after the usher was fired, the entire box office team and all of the duty managers were made redundant (with no warning and with a tiny sum of money offered to them as a gesture of good will). It saddens me that middle management still have no idea how hard we all work, how passionately we all feel (a passion most of the staff in the office do not share). Following these redundancies four new positions will be made available. The role will require these four people to work as box office staff, duty managers and do stage door duties simultaneously. It is a blatant example of someone trying to squeeze every penny and failing to understand that despite us all having the lowest pay grades, we are as integral to the building and to the experience we give the audience as the actors, as the stage managers and the producers, even the artistic director (who recently gave a sermon about how he wants us to be an extension of himself, to welcome our audience in his place – in the way he would wish it was done).

It terrifies me that on the subject of the Young Vic and its staff, managers there compare us to the likes of the Royal Opera House and the National. We are the Young Vic. The FOH team is the most diverse team in the entire building. The ushers are passionate about learning and cultivating their ambitions (whether it is a creative one or not). We often talk about the culture of the building - the culture of the Young Vic and that is expressed only through us. The threat of this diminishing is drawing ever nearer and it does not bode well for any of us (but sends a very clear message. Messages. Messages. Messages) that they are advertising for new ushers to start in July.