Madam, – Pat Moylan's assertion ("Arts Council chief defends move to hire extras for free", April 25th) that it would be "very difficult" to get out-of-work actors to appear in the forthcoming production of The Shawshank Redemptionis nonsense. Any casting director worth their salt could produce a list of names in a heartbeat. Of course, all of those candidates would expect to be paid for their time, if not the Equity minimum, then at the very least the national minimum wage. Therein lies the rub. Ms Moylan is seeking to engage these extras for no pay.
While she may dispute the contention that the extras would be engaged in “work”, presumably they must be available for all technical rehearsals, costume fittings, not to mention each and every performance for a six-week run including matinées.
She further considers the role of the extras to “add bulk” to prison scenes. The real danger of not using trained actors for these roles is that lapses in concentration may derail entire scenes. Every detail that is present on a stage must have an inherent integrity essential to the telling of the story. Cutting corners to save costs is a risky approach.
Is it the case that Lane Productions did not adequately budget for the show’s production and running costs, and so now is faced with trying to shore up gaps in casting? This would be somewhat ironic considering Pat Moylan’s role as chairwoman of the Arts Council, a body which assesses the budgetary competence and artistic integrity of creative organisations, individuals and projects. – Yours, etc,