No Bailout for the Arts?

Hey All,

It's been a long awhile. Life has been full with a new job, new challenges and a new project. Then there was the holidays. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things and realize I've been completely ignoring my theatre blog (I really haven't been blogging anywhere). I was going through my Reader today and found an interesting article on Broadway World about a Washington Post article (still following me?).

No Bailout for the Arts? by Michael Kaiser

He talks about how the donors are drying up because their personal portfolios have dwindled amidst economic crisis. Mr. Kaiser also calls for the government to not forget the arts organizations as they pass out the bailout money. A very noble sentiment, but at the same time I get this sinking feeling...

Don't get me wrong, I think it's horrible that the Baltimore Opera went under and that many arts organizations are struggling. But at the same time I can't help but compare them to all these huge companies that spend millions of dollars a year. It's hard to feel sad for theatres that have budgets I could only dream of. Yes, I believe that actors, directors and designers deserve a fair wage, but at the same time aren't there ways to cut back on the budgets? It's hard for me to sympathize when the show I'm currently working on has a budget of $500 and if we need more money we need to fundraise or finance it ourself.

I love beautiful big productions, but having limitations increases your creativity. Like in Watch we didn't have a budget to make sure I had all the equipment I needed to fulfill the playwright's wish of using video in the play. I had to come up with something different, I had to get creative. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. I know that this can come off as a little cold to my fellow artists, but I hope it is taken as a challenge to get creative. I look at these hard economic times as a chance to do things that as artists will take us to the next level. This is an opportunity to go farther. Don't let yourself fall short.