Creative Precarity: Improving Working Conditions for Canadian Theatre Designers

Creative Precarity: Improving Working Conditions for Canadian Theatre Designers

By Conor Moore

Executive Summary:
Employment in the creative industries is a growing sector of labour in Canada. The ability of this sector to deliver stable employment, and the extent of precarious working conditions, matters to creative workers and their communities. This report examines the working conditions of Canadian theatre designers, using interviews with designers currently working professionally in the field. While theatre designers are the focus of this report, the examination of precarious working conditions, and suggestions for improvement, may be relevant to other creative and cultural workers, especially those in non-standard employment relationships.

About the author:
Conor Moore (he/him) is a cultural worker and labour organizer based in Vancouver, on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. He completed his undergraduate degree at Queen's University in theatre, followed by an MFA in Theatre Design at UBC.  Recently, he completed an MA in Labour Studies and Sociology at SFU, studying the efforts of Canadian theatre designers to improve their working conditions. He is a board member of the Associated Designers of Canada Local 659, a core member of the Vancouver Design Forum, and a member of IATSE 118. He is a proud member of the Arts and Cultural Workers Union (IATSE B-778) and works for the ACWU facilitating bargaining of collective agreements. 

Read the full report.