OK. This is coming a bit belatedly, however I really wanted to clarify my thoughts before jumping into the debate about the arts funding decision made related to the SummerWorks Festival in Toronto.
Initially, I am outraged; the idea that Heritage Canada would coincidentally stop funding the festival, one it has generously supported for five years running, the year following a production which reportedly outraged Prime Minister Harper as a play "glorifying" terrorism is a bit of a pill to swallow. Given the need for control that Mr Harper has demonstrated in so many other areas of his leadership, I find it impossible to believe that he played no role in the decision not to fund the festival.
Secondly, I am fuming at the suggestion from Finance Minister Jim Flaherty that artists should not "rely on" funding from government. Sure! At the very core I agree; I wish nothing more than the ability for artists to create new and challenging works, and pay for them with ticket prices. To avoid reliance on donation, sponsorship, and grants would be a whole new realm of artistic freedom. The reality of the matter is that this is next to impossible. Even with funding, it is tough for theatre companies to make ends meet when you add up the costs of space (if you are lucky enough to own your own...or goodness knows, renting!), paying the performers for rehearsal and show times, designers, directors, set and costume construction, stagehands...the list goes on. If a company were to try to actually turn a profit solely from ticket sales, prices would skyrocket! And this is just considering non-equity performers and non-union houses. Once you factor in using an IATSE house or a cast of CAEA performers the cost of production further increases.
But this isn't anything new, nothing we didn't know before. . .
Alas, here is the challenge I pose to the government; pay fair price to the performers who you trot out on display as soon as there are foreign dignitaries, a party of some kind (Canada Day anyone?) or a reason to celebrate. Think of the extravaganza recently put together in Ottawa for Wills & Kate's visit to Canada; normally Canada Day on the Hill is quite a Fete, but this year really outshone previous efforts. Ask yourself....did the Government of Canada really pay a fair contracted price to each and every performer who stepped on that stage? I mean sure, each had an honourarium, and the "priviledge" of performing for Royalty. Great! But what was their contract? Did they get a fair, equity approved wage for the rehearsal time and performance call time? I am making an educated assumption that they did not; my sister travelled as a teen to perform in Ottawa for Canada Day. My parents paid for her travel and accomodations, and the choir she was with got an honourarium that worked out to mere dollars per performer. I doubt much has changed.
So Dear Mr Flaherty and Mr Harper; if you want to start telling artists that they shouldn't depend on grants, put your money where your mouth is and pay them fair wage for the work they do for you.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON July 15th - make this part of your fringe plans!!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116820701745179
A group of Winnipeg theatre artists and companies will be banding together to present a one-time only reading of Catherine Frid’s play HOMEGROWN at the Gas Station Theatre on July 15th at 3:00PM.
Doors open at 2:30PM. Admission is by donation. Proceeds to SummerWorks Theatre Festival.
Participants include: Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg Jewish Theatre, Shakespeare in the Ruins, the Gas Station Theatre and Theatre Projects Manitoba.
Winnipeg theatre companies are adding their voices to a national show of support for the SummerWorks Theatre Festival who recently lost their funding from Canadian Heritage. The Festival was criticized by the PMO last year for programming Frid’s play which explores issues in the Canadian justice system around the Toronto 18 terrorism case.
Without reading or seeing the play, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “We are extremely disappointed that public money is being used to fund plays that glorify terrorism.” A year later, three weeks before opening the Festival, Heritage informed the festival they would no longer receive funding. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty followed up the SummerWorks announcement with this statement:
“One thing I’d say, and maybe it’s different than it used to be, is we actually don’t believe in festivals and cultural institutions assuming that year after year after year they’ll receive government funding. They ought not assume entitlement to grants … no organization should assume in their budgeting that every year the government of Canada is going to give them grants because there’s lots of competition, lots of other festivals, and there are new ideas that come along. So it’s a good idea for everyone to stay on their toes and not make that assumption.”
Award winning Canadian playwright Michael Healy has led a call to arms for companies who receive federal funding to speak out, speak together and dialogue with the public about the role of theatre and art to explore difficult issues in our community without fear of reprisal.
“This act of naked contempt, described by the Finance Minister essentially as a coincidence, should send a chill through any arts organization currently receiving money from the federal government. In my opinion, the government needs to be shown that this kind of baseless, petty and unconscionable intervention will not
get a free pass from the nation's cultural institutions. After all, if it happens to SummerWorks, it could happen to any other company.”
In an unprecedented show of support, theatre companies across Canada have begun working collaboratively to host simultaneous staged readings of HOMEGROWN by Catherine Frid.
COMPANIES INVOLVED:http://www.thewreckingball.ca/
DONATE TO SUMMERWORKS: http://www.summerworks.ca/2011/donate.php
OPEN LETTER FROM MICHAEL HEALY: http://thewreckingball.ca/blog/375/a-message-to-artistic-directors-of-canadian-theatres
PRESS: http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/07/07/homegrown-to-have-staged-readings-across-the-country-in-support-of-summerworks/