Hardly running a slave trade, is it? Paying actors the minimum you need to is being a businessman.
The power of Equity is no longer what it was. Producers will use non equity on occasions to save money by paying below so called 'Equity rates' and there are areas of the business were Equity certainly does not have power. Bill always paid Equity minimum but usually further up the cast list...in other words major supporting actors would still be on minimum. For some of his shows he would use a chorus from local Amateur Operatic Societies...a friend of mine has appeared in the chorus of many of Bills musical shows at Manchester and Liverpool theatres. This cost cutting did one thing...it kept the theatres open, and gave provincial audiences the opportunity to see top London shows,admittedly sometimes budget versions, but short cuts on sets are necessary if a show is touring, and going to a different theatre every couple of weeks( I know...I've done it on a much smaller scale than Bill). Only if a show is installed in a theatre can you get the money back on equipment to have Mary Poppins fly into the theatre ceiling,or a chandelier crash onto the stage in Phantom,or a helicopter in Miss Saigon. Actors would rather work for minimum, some do all their working lives,than not work. And many actors very rarely get enough work to survive, and take part time jobs, or have a business. Sorry to turn GOT into Theatre World for a while, but it is important for people to know that Bill Kenwright,in his primary occupation, has been a great success. To keep it short...Bills mistake regarding Everton was that he treated it like something he understood....and Everton became another show....he looked for investors as if Everton was the next Phantom Of The Opera, hence the likes of Phil Green and Earl came on board,Bill sold them the Everton Dream as if he was selling investments in a show. And some shows fail...or need more and continued investment. So the people who invested in Bills shows began to realise that Everton wasn't a show, it was a football club,and they wanted out. So Bill had to find a different kind of investor....and that's another story, a story that ended with Farhad Moshiri...……..