The Musicians’ Union (BMU) is fighting to save the War Horse band and keep music live in theatres across the UK.
The National Theatre (NT) has attempted to terminate the contracts of the five members of the War Horse band engaged to perform in the West End production of the show which continues to run at the New London Theatre.
The NT removed the band from the show in March and replaced them with a recording, made outside of the UK, without the Union’s agreement.
This decision not only threatens the livelihoods of the individual musicians concerned but undermines the principle of live music in West End theatre. A live performance should be just that — live – and any move to replace the live music element of a show with a recording significantly devalues the theatrical experience.
Please sign the petition, follow @WeAreTheMU for updates and use #KeepMusicLive on twitter to spread the word.