Theatre North Carolina

NC Cultural Resources Announces $7.7 Million in Arts Funding

North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Secretary Linda A. Carlisle announced today $7.7 million in funding for arts programs and projects across North Carolina for the 2009–10 fiscal year during a press conference today at the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council.

The organizational grants and federal stimulus grants for the arts are designed to support arts organizations who contribute to the economic, educational and cultural vitality of local communities throughout the state.

As a result of the support from the North Carolina General Assembly, along with funds from National Endowment for the Arts and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the funding will be distributed through 342 grants to organizations, 16 artist fellowships, three documentary grants and three internships.

In announcing the grants, Carlisle underscored the importance of the arts to North Carolina's economy and education. N.C. Arts Council grants provide artists in schools, afterschool arts programs for at-risk youth, innovative outreach to encourage participation, community revitalization, programs for populations in need, grassroots arts funding to ensure that every citizen has access to quality arts experiences, as well as ongoing support and organizational development.

"Education is vital to the mission of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources," Carlisle said. "More than 13.6 million people participated in Arts Council funded projects in North Carolina last year. Children make up about a quarter of that total. The majority of all Arts Council grants have an educational component, and this year 16 percent were direct Arts in Education projects."

Secretary Carlisle was joined by Majority Leader Sen. Tony Rand, N.C. Arts Council Board Chair Bobby Kadis, N.C. Arts Council Deputy Director Nancy Trovillion and Executive Director of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County Deborah Martin Mintz.

VIEW THE COMPLETE LIST OF GRANTS AWARDED HERE!

In addition to state funds, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a federal stimulus program designed to aid in the economic recovery of our state and nation, provided $718,850 to preserve a total of 104 jobs that might otherwise have been eliminated due to the economy.

The Creative Workforce Grants range from $10,000 for smaller organizations to $25,000 for larger organizations and will support the preservation of critical jobs and artists' contracts. Local arts councils, statewide service organizations and organizations that currently receive General Support and Outreach grants from the Arts Council were eligible to apply.

Nancy Trovillion, deputy director of the N.C. Arts Council, said that the selection of the Creative Workforce Grant recipients was a very difficult process given the challenges that all arts organizations face during this economic downturn. "We had 79 requests from many of the state's top arts organizations but only enough money to fund 18," she says. "We had to turn down many worthy requests. We chose those organizations that made an urgent case that core positions would be lost without our funding.

Funds will support workers in the arts, ranging from gallery managers to an arts education coordinator.

The following is a list of organizations receiving Creative Workforce Grants:

• Arts & Science Council of Charlotte-Mecklenburg:
  $25,000 to support the position of program director.


• Caldwell Arts Council:
  $10,000 to support the positions of the executive director, administrative assistant and office assistant.


• Carolina Ballet in Raleigh:
  $25,000 to support 38 dancers' contracts.


• Chatham Arts Council:
  $10,000 to support the position of the executive director.


• DREAMS of Wilmington:
  $10,000 to the position of program planning and communications specialist.


• Durham Arts Council:
  $25,000 to support the position of creative arts in the public/private schools (CAPS) manager.


• Johnston County Arts Council:
  $10,000 to support the position of executive director.


• Kinston Arts Council, Inc. dba Community Council for the Arts:
  $10,000 to support of the position of program and exhibitions director.


• McColl Center for Visual Arts in Charlotte:
  $25,000 to support the position of director of education and research.


• Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee:
  $25,000 to support the position of the education director.


• Opera Carolina in Charlotte:
  $25,000 to support the positions of head of music preparation, music director and resident stage director.


• Pocosin Arts in Columbia:
  $10,000 to support the position of program coordinator.


• Salisbury-Rowan Symphony:
  $10,000 to support the positions of music director and executive director.


• St. Joseph's Historic Foundation in Durham:
  $20,000 to support the positions of facility manager, administrative assistant, gallery curator, site coordinator, outreach coordinator, marketing coordinator and volunteer coordinator.


• Stecoah Valley Arts, Crafts & Educational Center:
  $10,000 to support the positions of arts program director and arts gallery manager.


• Toe River Arts Council in Burnsville:
  $10,000 to support the position of gallery manager.


• Winston-Salem Symphony Association:
  $20,000 to support the position of assistant conductor/education director.


• YMI Cultural Center in Asheville:
  $10,000 to support the positions of arts education coordinator and administrative manager.

Two additional grants were funded by the Southern Arts Federation: the Asheville Symphony and Triad Stage for a combined amount of $54,750 to support a total of five full-time positions.

The grant money includes the seven North Carolina organizations that received support directly from the NEA totaling $325,000 through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

About the North Carolina Arts Council

The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina The Creative State where a robust arts industry produces a creative economy, vibrant communities, children prepared for the 21st century and lives filled with discovery and learning. The Arts Council accomplishes this in partnership with artists and arts organizations, other organizations that use the arts to make their communities stronger and North Carolinians—young and old—who enjoy and participate in the arts.

TWO IMPORTANT FRIDAY DEADLINES!

OK, if you work in theatre in North Carolina and you aren't a dues paying member of NCTC then you are missing out. NCTC is your voice and the only way to make sure that NCTC's voice is loud and clear is for you to become a member, especially in this time of decreased funding and tight budgets.

Also, you've just got to come to the NCTC Producing Theatre Gathering. I can't tell you how much fun you will have! The networking opportunties are amazing! The sessions are going to be amazing! Secretary of Cultural Resources Linda Carlisle will be there and she will be amazing.

Check out the details below...

NCTC Producing Theatre Gathering - Registration Closes July 31

Registration for the 2009 NCTC Producing Theatre Gathering closes at 5pm on Friday.  We hope you will join the more than 50 theatre artists and administrators that have already registered!  Click here for registration and more information.

 

The Fine Print - all registration forms must be received by 5pm on Friday, July 31.  Payments may be made online, submitted by mail, or at the door.  You may also choose to take advantage of our Register Now, Pay Later offer.  To do so, simply email your registration form to angelahays@nctc.org and tell me when you might be able to submit payment.  Any member may take advantage of this offer, provided that your membership dues are current and your gathering payment is received no later than April 1, 2010

NCTC Membership - Discount Rates End July 31

NCTC is offering a 10% discount on membership dues, if you renew and pay by 5pm on Friday.  (Memberships run from July 1 – June 30).  Please take this opportunity to renew your membership and continue your commitment to NCTC. 

Click here to renew your NCTC membership. In 2009-2010, we continue the programming that you know and love – the High School and Middle School Play Festivals, the Producing Theatre Gathering, the Fall Theatre Gathering with the SETC Screening Auditions and Unified College Auditions and Fair, and so on.  We will also continue to work closely with Arts NC to speak as the united voice for theatre advocacy in this state. Your membership dollars make up 25% of our annual income; but, beyond the dollars, your membership ensures that we can continue to harness the power of numbers. We can advocate with more strength; we can educate more young artists; and we can consider new ways to grow. NCTC is dedicated to improving and enhancing the environment for quality theatre in NC through service, leadership and advocacy and we can only continue this mission with your help. The Fine Print - to receive the 10% discount, your membership form and payment must be received by 5pm on Friday, July 31.

Update on the Rose: Statement of the Rose Family

STATEMENT OF THE ROSE FAMILY

We speak on behalf of over 50 living members of the Rose Family. The current Brandeis University administration intends to close the Edward and Bertha C. Rose Art Museum, and to sell the art works in its renowned collection.

We Object.

We urge the current university president and the trustees to restore the use, budget, staffing,and activities of the Rose Art Museum until a final decision is issued by a court.

The university is effectively closing the museum before the Attorney General or any court has ruled that closing is allowed. This is being accomplished not only by a premature announcement of closure, but also by withholding the Rose's own money---and cutting its staff, resources, and activities.

"Re‐purposing" the museum is closing by another name. It would not be the Rose. Any other understanding of the university's current plan is disinformation. The administration wants to control money given to the Rose for museum purposes, to sell precious works of art, and to close the museum.

We Object.

We, the Rose Family, protest the plundering of the Rose Art Museum and its collection. Ed and Bertha Rose not only funded the planning and construction of the museum, but also set up three funds, separate from the Brandeis endowment, to perpetuate the Museum: the Rose Maintenance Fund, the Rose Museum Endowment Fund, and the Rose Endowed Purchase Fund. The existence and mission of the Rose benefit art, culture and education---locally and worldwide. The Rose offers students and the public a prized modern and contemporary art collection.

The art has been put on the auction block. The museum has been put on the chopping block.

We Object.

We seek:

1. Immediate renewal of contracts with the Museum Director and all his staff. Those salaries are paid from dedicated funds donated to or raised by the Museum---not from the general budget of Brandeis.

2. Authorization for the Director to prepare and install the next exhibit, to open when the Hans Hofmann exhibit comes down in May. Otherwise, the walls will be bare and there will be no exhibitions. Brandeis will have effectively closed the Rose Art Museum.

3. A promise that Brandeis will not sell any art belonging to the Rose.

4. A commitment that Brandeis will honor the donors' intentions that there be a public art
museum at Brandeis, and the Rose is that museum.

The museum is not for closing; the art is not for sale.

NEA Stimulus Funding Now Accessible

The National Endowment for the Arts will provide one-time grants for projects that focus on preserving jobs in the arts to eligible not-for-profits including: arts organizations, local arts agencies, statewide assemblies of local arts agencies, arts service organizations, units of state or local government, and a wide range of other organizations that can help advance the goals of the NEA and this program. All applicants must be previous NEA award recipients from the past four years see "Applicant Eligibility" for more information). In addition, organizations are limited to receiving NEA American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds through only one source. Sources include the Arts Endowment directly, or through an entity eligible to subgrant NEA funds including a state arts agency, a regional arts organization of state arts agencies, or a designated local arts agency that is eligible to subgrant or regrant funds.

For more information on how to apply, please visit: http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/recovery/index.html. The deadline for application is April 2, 2009.

Snapshot Shows That Theatres Are Taking Action

Theatre Communications Group has, very wisely, been doing "Snapshot Surveys" of its member theatres. Real Clear Arts, an ArtsJournal blog breaks it down for us and mentions some really interesting trends in the industry.

The first set not only indicates danger -- little surprise there -- but also shows just how quickly the world has changed for theater in the last six to eight months. 

Last September, of the 241 members who completed the survey, 41.5% reported a surplus, while 36.5% said they had ended their most recent season in the red. The rest broke even. Subscriptions and single-ticket sales were growing.

By January, only 11% of respondents expected a surplus at season's end, while 58% expected to be in the red. Subscriptions, fall and holiday ticket sales and year-end donations had all dropped unexpectedly, and 77% said they were "reprojecting" their expenses for the year.

To cope, two-thirds or more said they were communicating more, using technology and social networking, and revising their planning processes. Better yet, 44% said they were sharing services with other organizations, and 38% said they were narrowing their programs to focus on their core mission.

Read the rest...

If I Ran The NEA...

The Los Angeles Times asked a variety of artists and celebrities what they would do if they were the new chief of the National Endowment for the Arts. I've posted a few below. Make sure your read the rest and the many comments on this article! Unfortunately, Ann Coulter is one of the people they asked. Feel free to skip over her nonsense.

What would you do if you ran the NEA?

Edward Albee

Here is my proposal for a correction on the procedures of the National Endowment for the Arts.

At present, 90% of the money given to the NEA does not go to creative artists -- it goes to institutions and buildings; a kind of "Edifice Complex." Maybe 10% of it goes to the people who do the work that fills these buildings. This is a preposterous distortion of values. Not only should 90% of the money go to creative artists who, if need be, would be perfectly happy to work outdoors, but it should be creative artists who are making the choices as to which creative artists should be given these awards.

I have testified several times before congressional committees in Washington -- especially during my membership on the board of the New York State Council on the Arts -- and I have been continually shocked at the suspicion and hostility displayed by some members of the Congress to makers of the creative act. Maybe if they were writers, composers and visual artists themselves, things would be better.

Noah Wyle

If I were NEA chief, I would hope to remember this: While the "nonprofit" arts industry enriches the cultural aspects of our society, we are not a charity. We are businesses that give fantastic return on invested dollars. In 2005, we had 2.6 million full-time employees. We expended $63.1 billion and generated $6.3 billion in local and state taxes. Our work generated an additional $103 billion for local merchants and their communities (sustaining 3.1 million jobs and over $16 billion in local, state and federal taxes). I would tell everyone I meet to invest in us. We give great economic stimulus to every community where we work.

Kate Burton

If I ran the NEA I would look carefully at the truly deserving arts organizations out there that serve their communities the most effectively. I would also consider giving grants to individual artists who have contributed startling new work to encourage them. In these desperate economic times, the arts are more essential than ever before. Of the six plays I have acted in in the last 12 months, five of them have been at not-for-profit theaters in five different cities and towns. From New York City to the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts to Sag Harbor on Long Island to Los Angeles to Boston, these theaters have all contributed to the rich cultural life of the community. Judging by the responses of the audiences, the power of art helps us weather these hard times.

Bill Maher

If I ran the NEA? I'd abolish it. I'd be the Gorbachev of federal arts endowing and destroy my own job as the head of it. Artists are so self-important -- art is basic to human nature, it will always be produced and does not need the government's help. The NEA is a perfect example of Mission Creep: The government's job is to protect you, from external enemies and internal criminals, and to maintain roads, schools, and a social safety net. Art is far afield, and in no danger of going away without government money or guidance.

Job Swap?

What if artists and Wall Street executives switched jobs? Probably a lot of bad art. Nevertheless, I like the concept!

A friend passed along this fantastic proposal. I think it might work!

A Proposed Job Swap To Save American Capitalism
from the Community Arts Network

By Liz Lerman

Do Wall Street executives deserve big bonuses during hard times? Does increased arts funding have a place in an economic stimulus package? I’ll leave it to others to debate these controversies. Meanwhile I’d like to make a modest proposal to solve some of our economic problems: Let’s do a job swap. We’ll put the corporate executives to work as artists while the artists run Wall Street.

Since their first task will be getting economic markets back on solid footing, I’m convinced that artists have the perfect resumès for their new jobs. Here’s why:

1. Artists work ridiculous hours for no pay. And most of the artists I know will keep working until they get the job done right.
2. Artists do not need fancy offices. In fact, they usually work in the worst part of town … until that part of town becomes fancy because the artists are there. Then they have to move because they haven’t paid themselves enough to afford the new rent.
3. Artists throw everything they earn back into the store – which is why they haven’t paid themselves enough. (I will admit that there was one time I didn’t do this. When I was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship back in 2002, I decided to open my first retirement account. I put the money in “very safe” stock market investments. I would have been better off putting it into my next dance.)
4. Artists do not need financial incentives. Artists do the work they do because they love it. Or because they believe in it. Or because they think it is a social necessity for our communities. Or because they know when people make poems or pictures or dances, our best human spirits emerge.
5. Artists do not expect to get anything if they do a bad job. Except maybe a bad review.
6. No artist gets a bonus because there is never enough money at the end of a project.
7. Artists keep very tight budgets. They know how to spend the same penny over and over (not by cooking the books, but by pinching, recycling, borrowing, bartering and plowing their economy-airline frequent-flyer miles back into the next project.)
8. Artists have a rightful reputation for fresh ideas combined with a capacity for self-evaluation that borders on recrimination.
9. Artists play well with others, having evolved highly efficient collaborative techniques in the service of their visions. But they are also very independent, delivering great things even when they work alone.

Meanwhile, in their new capacities as painters, poets, cellists and choreographers, our Wall Street executives might be experiencing a combination of culture shock therapy and ethical boot camp. Artistic practice may force them to discover what they really believe in, because the combination of introspection, discipline and craft that fuels an artist’s work (oh, and it is work) puts people in a very demanding state of truth. Doing what artists do every day, some might find themselves in overcrowded classrooms, excited to share their practices to help young people discover that they actually can learn. Others might be sparked to help communities solve problems by bridging differences through the unique power of their art forms. Those who have been lucky enough to get funded for their work will likely be staying up nights, filling out multiple forms to prove the exact use of the money they have been granted. All will find their moral compasses tested as they balance the demanding loyalties of pursuing personal vision and creating value for an audience.

The job swap I propose might have a final payoff: With artists in charge of Wall Street, you might even see people donate to the cause because artists know how to inspire others to participate together, to work for something that matters, to build on the intangibles of the human experience, to make a difference.

Imagine that kind of Wall Street.

Bloomberg Reports Job Cuts, Lower Salaries for US Theatres

From Bloomberg.com

Cheap Seats, Staff Cuts Are on Tap for U.S. Nonprofit Theaters

U.S. nonprofit theaters are cutting staff and expanding discounts as they anticipate disappointing ticket sales and fundraising, according to a new survey by the Theatre Communications Group.

In a January survey of 210 member theaters, the group found 77 percent are “reprojecting” expenses for the coming year. Theaters with a budget of at least $10 million are cutting spending by an average of $750,000.

More than half of those who completed the “snapshot survey” online expect year-end deficits and “cash flow problems.”

The survey confirms that nonprofits are getting clobbered by a contracting economy and a Standard & Poor’s 500 stock Index that’s cratered 45 percent in nine months.

About 10 U.S. theater companies in the U.S. have shut down recently or announced they’re in dire straits. Among the largest was the American Musical Theatre of San Jose, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 23.

Most of the theaters predict that ticket sales and fundraising from individuals and corporations will fall short of initial projections. Nearly a third said they’ll substitute small-cast shows for larger ones. More than half plan new ticket discounting.

Lower Salaries

Theater salaries are headed lower, even though much of the non-unionized rank and file barely earn a stipend as is. (TCG won’t release salary statistics it collects.) According to the survey, 69 percent of theaters said they’re reducing or freezing salaries. And 48 percent will reduce administrative staff.

“Survival is about having strong organizations going into this,” said Christopher Shuff, director of management programs for New York-based TCG. “There was an economic downturn eight years ago and it wasn’t anything like this.”

To contact the writer on this story: Philip Boroff in New York at pboroff@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 20, 2009 00:00 EST

Arts in Crisis

Great Article in the Wall Street Journal about Michael Kaiser and the Kennedy Center's new initiative, Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative.

Arts Organizations on the Brink Are Turning to Him for Advice

"Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative," which Mr. Kaiser unveiled on Feb. 3, is essentially an online hotline (www.artsincrisis.org) for troubled groups. With the help of 12 Kennedy Center staffers, all of whom still have regular duties and responsibilities, and an as-yet-undetermined number of qualified arts managers (called "mentors") who can volunteer relevant expertise, Mr. Kaiser is confident solutions to most problems can be found.

"When there are economic challenges, the first things that staffs and boards cut are programming and marketing, and that's the worst thing you can do," he says. "You're guaranteeing yourself you'll have less revenue next year, and that's how sick organizations get really sick. That's why I'm so nervous right now and why I'm doing this."

Cutting budget is obviously necessary, "but where you cut is crucial," he continues. "I cut the free coffee for staff here. It saved us $30,000 a year. I've also cut back on staff travel, including my own. I've never met a budget I couldn't cut, in any organization, no matter how small. But if you start by cutting the programming, rather than everything in the back of the house, you're signing a warrant that everything will just get worse, worse, worse."

Another motive for Mr. Kaiser's initiative: As a national arts institution -- with a $20 million cash reserve, to boot -- the Kennedy Center has a responsibility to provide leadership and help to other arts organizations, Mr. Kaiser believes.

"We're very fortunate in that we have a very strong donor base and a strong audience base, so if everybody else is going to suffer, I and my staff need to pitch in as well," he says.

Read it all...

Magic Lives On

Loretta Greco, the artistic director of the financially struggling Magic Theater in San Francisco.

An interesting article about Magic Theatre's financial crisis in the NY Times.

THE day after Christmas, Loretta Greco went into her office at the Magic Theater here, sat down at the computer and started e-mailing everyone she knew, asking them to e-mail everyone they knew. Her plea was simple: Unless the Magic, which is famous for nurturing writers like Sam Shepard and Nilo Cruz and where Ms. Greco had been the artistic director since last April, could raise $350,000 in two weeks, it would have to cancel the rest of its season and possibly close its doors for good.