In response to Marc Nykolyszyn’s comments (23/06/11) on encouraging private funding, it would, of course, be welcome if private companies wanted to invest more in the arts, but the reality is that such funding is a small percentage of overall funding, commercial theatre producers recognise that without publicly funded companies and productions many commercial shows would not exist, and we are in an economic crisis in which private business is actually cutting back on this sort of investment.

— Business investment in the Arts has declined since 2002, falling by 7% in 2007-8 and 6% in 2008/9.
— Overall private investment fell by 7% over the last year, reflecting the recession.
— In 2009, it only constituted 15% of total Arts funding, while public funding was 53% and earned income 32%.
— Private funding of Theatre specifically was down by £7.7m in 2008-9, a 16% drop, and represented only 7% of all Theatre funding (Arts and Business - Private Investment in Culture, 2008/9)

Also, it’s naive to think private funding brings ‘financial and artistic freedom’. Does anyone seriously think Enron or any number of modern and classical plays would be produced if we relied on private funders? Their investment can also be dropped in a trice without any public accountability.

Freedom and security for arts organisations will only come through core public funding, and arts and public service unions need to fight to defend and expand this. Changing government policy is rather more realistic than relying on the commitment to the arts of the sort of profit-led people who caused the crisis in the first place.

This might be of interest to your readers: http://www.wqxr.org/blogs/wqx-aria/2011/jul/02/arts-funding-and-apple-pie/

This is an incredibly important initiative - here in Canada we have been on the same slippery slope since our Mulroney joined Thatcher and Reagan in slashing the cultural fabric of our societies.

After living a full professional lifetime of this (1979 - present) I can say with certainty that the Canadian cultural landscape looks like a wasteland littered with the oil slick puddles of Lady Gaga wannabe's and reality TV 'stars' while careers in the arts have withered on the vine and young people have no idea what it was to live creatively and unmediated by a screen.

Sadly, the only way to make the Suits even remotely able to understand is by presenting them with the cool numbers - cash invested, return on investment etc. - so Carry On Crunching! We all need this data!

From the Canadian Front....

As good as I'm sure your intentions were in setting up this project I can't help but wonder how sitting around talking about our losses will help anything. I think it would be far more beneficial if this project could actually talk about ways we can adapt as an industry in this situation and gradually take funding out of the hands of the government. Explore methods to receive/encourage more private funding so organisations and individuals can have more financial and artistic freedom. And in the process secure a more stable long term future for the arts.


Reply from Lost Arts:
“We don’t disagree with you Marc - the Arts will have to get better at new ways of doing things, for example, making philanthropic giving much more effective for the Arts. However, this cannot be done overnight and there will need to be changes and incentives to really take advantage of this. The Arts already attract a lot of private funding – but as Arts Council England says, there is no firewall between the public funded arts and the private sector - the success of the commercial arts sector and the creative economy depends on both. Often it is only after Government funding has been granted and the organisation has had some level of success that additional private funding can be found.”

As one of the last three independent Scottish theatres surviving hand to mouth without any annual subsidy we are finding the current financial climate very difficult. We rely on other touring companies, funded commercial etc to augment our programme whilst struggling to support and present amateur local companies.

Touring shows are becoming thinner on the ground and with less to go round it is much more difficult to find a date that suits all parties. Cash flow has slowed to a crawl amongst smaller companies and we are in danger of not surviving at all with the loss of the equivalent of 6-8 full time jobs. This will also impact on our local community as our theatre represents the best chance of young people getting any experience on stage and getting them interested and excited about theatre in the future.

I wish your campaign through this website all the very best for the future for all the arts.

Colin Veitch
General Manager
Whitehall Theatre
Dundee