The Arts and the Dollars
If there’s one thing I really hate about the Theatre, its the money. Or rather, the lack of money. Now, I tend to think of this sort of thing from the point of view of a creator of Theatre, but really, this is a problem that affects all of the arts. To be able to create art of any kind takes time, effort and talent. That’s very true. But making art takes money too.
Making theatre takes money. Sometimes, I don’t think that people really get that. When most people think of theatre, they think of big theatres like The Royal Alexandra, or the Canon Theatre, or any of those theatres that tend to show those huge big budget shows, like Wicked, or Chicago, or Spamalot, where the theatre-goers get all dressed up and go as much to be seen as to see the play. Its sometimes seen as elitist and overly financed - or if not overly financed…then a frivolous use of government funds. The point is, that the perception for the general public seems to be that there’s a glut of money pouring into theatre.
Naturally those of us who try to make theatre know better. There’s more to theatre than just paying for the theatre (though that is definately one of the prohibitive expenses). So, to run down: You need a place to rehearse (for several weeks). You need actors, a director and a stage manager. You need a crew (the theatre may have a head tech, but he or she is really there to make sure you don’t break anything, so you need your own crew to run the show). You need to advertise the show to get bums in the seats. But chances are, your advertisements won’t be enough (how many advertisements do you ignore in a day? I know I ignore a ton), so you will need a publicist to court the media and try to generate interest in newspapers, magazines, tv and radio (an article in the paper or mention on tv or the radio will at least help to get your ads noticed) and is one of the most effective tools for generating buzz. And of course, as mentioned previously, you need a theatre. Assume that the smallest theatre will run at somewhere between $2000-$5000 a week. A good publicist won’t come cheap (unless they are a good friend). Likely your rehearsal space will cost you $1000 a week. And that is without paying actors, director, stagemanager or crew (who in a fair world would be making at least $500 a week).
Yes, ideas are easy, but making those ideas a reality means finding money, and to do that you have a few limited options:
- You have a lot of money and can sink a ton into a production.
- You know some generous person who has a lot of money to sink into a production.
- You manage to get a government grant.
- You beg, borrow, steal and go deep into debt.
There are far more makers of theatre who end up doing the last option than there are those who are not.
Now, there are options for those who don’t have a lot of money. The Toronto Fringe Festival or Fringe Festivals in other cities (there are many) are one option. But even Fringing isn’t easy. The application gets more expensive every year - but let’s face it, the cost of producing the festival goes up each year so the price of participating has to go up too. One has to get through the lottery (the random draw that keeps things fair and makes Fringe so very unique and interesting), and if selected, your company gets to participate. This cuts down on the cost of production, so you won’t need to be paying for the theatre. But many of the other costs (publicity, rehearsal space, etc) still apply. You’ll still have to raise funds somehow. Fundraisers are difficult. Unless you have either an amazing idea that no one can resist (and if you do, could you call me, I need an amazing fund raising idea), or you need a famous person or well known band/artist to perform (or otherwise appear). Otherwise, you end up with a small group of your strongest supporters (who are likely family and friends) who are the ones that consistently show up at your fund raiser and give you some money. But although their faith in you is a wonderful thing, it starts to feel like picking the pockets of your friends after a while. So its not like you can just decide to “have a fundraiser”.
Some people dream of winning the lottery so that they can buy things: I dream of winning the lottery so that I can make the theatre I want to make.
I have ideas that I am developing, writing, and otherwise preparing. When the time comes the only thing that will stand between me and getting these projects on their feet is money.
Is there a particular reason for this post? Not really, just something I was thinking about on the way home: the difficulty in getting money together to do theatre.
BUT…If there’s someone out there who has a few thousand dollars that are lying around gathering dust, and wants to help realize some theatrical dreams, they should drop me a line!
