Written Statement of
Theatre Communications Group
Submitted March 16, 2006 to
The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee
On the Importance of Increased Federal Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Laurie Baskin
Director of Government & Education Programs
Theatre Communications Group
520 Eighth Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY  10018
(212) 609-5900 ext. 228, lbaskin@tcg.org, www.tcg.org

Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the subcommittee, Theatre Communications Group - the National service organization for the American theatre - is grateful for this opportunity to submit testimony on behalf of our 432 not-for-profit member theatres across the country and the 32 million audience members that the theatre community serves.  We urge you to support an increased appropriation of $170 million for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Indeed, the entire not-for-profit arts industry stimulates the economy, creates jobs and attracts tourism dollars.  The not-for-profit arts generate $134 billion annually in economic activity, support 4.85 million jobs and return $10.5 billion in federal income taxes.  Art museums, exhibits and festivals combine with performances of theatre, dance, opera and music to draw tourists and their consumer dollars to communities nationwide.  Federal funding of the arts creates a significant return, generating many more dollars in matching funds for each federal dollar awarded, and is clearly an investment in the economic health of America.  In a difficult economy where corporate donations and foundation grants are diminished, and increased ticket prices would undermine efforts to broaden and diversify audiences, these federal funds simply cannot be replaced.  Maintaining the strength of the not-for-profit sector, along with the commercial sector, will be vital to restoring the economic health of our nation.

Our country's not-for-profit theatres develop innovative educational activities and outreach programs, providing millions of young people, including "at-risk" youth, with important skills for the future by expanding their creativity and developing problem-solving, reasoning and communication abilities -- preparing today's students to become tomorrow's citizens.  Our theatres present new works and serve as catalysts for economic growth in their local communities.  These theatres also nurture - and provide artistic homes for the development of - the current generation of acclaimed writers, actors, directors and designers working in regional theatre, on Broadway and in the film and television industries.  At the same time, theatres have become increasingly responsive to their communities, serving as healing forces in difficult times, and producing work that reflects and celebrates the strength of our nation's diversity.

Here are some examples of NEA funding impact:

From the NEA's Access to Artistic Excellence Program:

Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) in Montgomery, AL, received support from the NEA for the Southern Writers’ Project (SWP) production of Carlyle Brown’s Pure Confidence and the 2006 SWP Festival of New Plays.  During these events, ASF anticipates reaching over 6,600 audience members, 500 of which are expected to be youth under 18.  ASF and the Actors Theatre of Louisville jointly commissioned Carlyle Brown’s powerful tale of a slave jockey who races in an attempt to purchase his freedom.  The fourth annual Festival of New Plays is a whirlwind weekend of theatre, readings and panel discussions.  Following the same format as years past, the Festival offers an opportunity for the general public and theatre professionals to discuss new scripts and encourage playwrights. 

Empty Space Theatre in Seattle, WA, received a grant to support the commission and development of a new solo performance piece, Bust, written and performed by Lauren Weedman.  Bust is a semi-autobiographical work, developed in conjunction with Empty Space artistic director Allison Narver, built around Weedman’s experiences working as a volunteer advocate in a Southern California women’s jail while simultaneously pursuing a career in Hollywood.  The world premiere production of the work will be performed in the summer of 2006, and is expected to reach nearly 4,000 individuals, with special outreach and promotions being offered to women’s support groups and shelters. 

Boise Contemporary Theater in Boise, Idaho received $8,000 to launch its much anticipated play development program with an exciting new work, The Physics of Regret:Boise Stories.  Working with internationally recognized theatrical creator/director Michael Rohd, a group of BCT theatre artists, including BCT’s founder and artistic director Matthew Clark, will create an entirely new piece of theatre through artist-driven collaboration (improvisation, choreographic structures, research) and will engage a diverse cross-section of community members in a variety of activities. These activities will be planned and carried out in close partnership with community organizations, leaders, and individual citizens. This group of collaborators will work with Mr. Rohd over four development sessions and the rehearsal period, concluding with a series of performances. The Physics of Regret: Boise Stories will be performed in the spring of 2006 during BCT’s 2005-2006 Season, and will reach approximately 3,000 Idaho residents.

People’s Light and Theatre Company in Malvern, PA, has received support for an Adaptation Project that will connect great books for young readers with great playwrights, resulting in compelling scripts for their Family Discovery Series.  Each playwright will adapt a book that is widely read in schools and highly regarded by teachers, parents and pupils alike.  This project has enormous potential to connect with young audiences and develop scripts that will have future productions in theatres around the country.  Theatres desperately need to find high quality scripts to help develop future audiences; playwrights desperately need to find venues for their best work.  The NEA is helping them to address both of these challenges.  The Family Series serves nearly 18,000 young people and the arts education program reaches 35,000 students annually.

Triad Stage’s grant to support their production of Brother Wolf marks the first national grant awarded to this young Greensboro, NC theatre company. During the production of Brother Wolf, Triad Stage anticipates reaching 6,000 people, of which 1,000 will be students.  By creating an Appalachian play about their region, they will attract audiences from neighboring rural counties.  They will present four associated learning programs and a post-show Saturday concert series featuring nationally recognized roots musicians.

From the NEA's Challenge America Program:

Borderlands Theater in Tucson, AZ, received a grant to support the production of Conjunto, a new play about Japanese American and Mexican American farm workers during World War II, and La Sangre Llama, an Afro-Caribbean musical currently in development.  Borderlands is one of twelve founding theaters of the National New Play Network (NNPN), a community of theatres committed to supporting and highlighting new works.  Conjunto, featured at NNPN’s National New Play Day, will now receive a full production.  La Sangre Llama is the focal point of two workshops featuring guest artist and composer, Will Hammond.  Each two-day workshop is free of charge, and the first session is being held exclusively for students.

Horizon Theatre Company in Atlanta, GA, has received funding to support the New South Play Festival, concentrating on works by writers who live or have roots in the South and whose work focuses on the contemporary South.  The Festival gives playwrights the opportunity to workshop their plays over the course of one week, as well as the chance to see each new work produced with professional actors, directors and dramaturgs.  This year’s Festival will include works by Heidi Cline, Clark Taylor, Leigh Campbell-Taylor, Suehyla El-Attar and Janece Shaffer, and offers $5.00 tickets to the general public.

Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Louisville, KY received $10,000 to feature Shadow Sign Interpreters during performances of As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet in Louisville's inner city Central Park. Shadow sign-interpreted performances incorporate professional actor/shadow signers into the main action of the play.  Actor/shadow signers move about the stage “shadowing” the action of the play as they sign the ongoing dialogue.  This allows the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community to enjoy and understand the play in the most accessible way possible. Attendance during the four week summer season is expected to reach 15,000, including student groups from regional deaf/oral schools as well as Louisville's sizable deaf and hearing impaired community.

These are only a few examples of the kinds of extraordinary programs supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Indeed, the Endowment's Theater Program is able to fund only 40% of the applications it receives, so 60% of the theatres are turned away because there aren't sufficient funds. Theatre Communications Group urges you to support increased funding for FY07 for the NEA, so that more not-for-profit professional arts organizations can continue to educate and entertain audiences, train the next generation of artists, and generate local revenue nationwide.

The American public favors spending federal tax dollars in support of the arts.  Today, federal arts funding enjoys solid bipartisan support in the House and Senate.  Unfortunately, the NEA is funded at only $124 million in the present fiscal year (FY06); it has never recovered from a 40% budget cut in FY96 and its programs are seriously under-funded.  It has had only small incremental increases in the past six years. A total appropriation of $170 million for FY07 would represent an increase of $46 million, nearly restoring the agency to its 1990 level of $171 million, which was then equal to 69 cents per capita. In 2006, sixteen years later, the federal government spends only 41 cents per capita. If adjusted for inflation, this per capita spending cut would be even deeper.

Thank you for considering this request.