Increase in 'wish headlines' in arts news around grant applications

The last opportunities for grant applications for 2013 and beyond closed today. Numerous mergers have been announced, new collaborations, high-profile relocations (Amsterdam in particular is emptying out). Many arts media now also carry news about those plans. News that is often presented as fact, while in almost all cases these are wishes. The applications are even less than ever harbingers of reality after Prinsjesdag 2012, when the cuts to art will become final. After all, even after positive opinions from Arts Advisory Councils, local authorities and funds, the final word is up to the chamber.

And: as much as we wish all those endangered art institutions a continued and golden future, and certainly a monument of innovation and art enjoyment like De Toneelschuur in Haarlem, these kinds of press releases are a bit remarkable. After all, how can you go on when additionally your entire budget has disappeared? So: how wishful is this mail?

DRAMA BARN CONTINUES AS PRODUCING AND PRESENTING THEATRE
Application for multi-year grant submitted to Performing Arts Fund

The Toneelschuur will remain a producing and presenting theatre of national significance beyond 2012 (when the structural state subsidy will end). In the future, De Toneelschuur will continue to contribute to theatre that matters and reaches a large audience. We work with directors who make stimulating and relevant theatre in various sections of the stage circuit: Erik Whien, Michiel de Regt, Paul Knieriem and Joost van Hezik. To make this ambition also financially possible, the Toneelschuur Productions foundation today submitted an application to the Performing Arts Fund for a multiannual activity subsidy 2013-2016.

So we asked Frans Lommerse, long-time director of the legendary Haarlem theatre and film house.

dodo:

What is your plan B?

Toneelschuur:

Plan A is that we have applied for 900,000 euros from the Fund. With that, we can continue to run as a full theatre and produce performances. that is less than the one-and-a-half million turnover we were previously running, but it can be done.

dodo:

And plan B? because the fund has only one-third of the budget it used to have for twice as many applicants. That worries us a bit.

Toneelschuur:

Plan B is that we go ahead regardless. In that case, the volume of what we can do only gets smaller. In any case, there is already money from the municipality of Haarlem, which is also contributing money to our productions for the first time in our existence. And beyond that, we are going to tap all the sources we can find further: funds, individuals, companies.

dodo:

But, what we wanted to be sure of: so the headline above the press release is true? The Toneelschuur is going ahead, no matter what?

Toneelschuur:

No matter what. although of course we hope that with more money and thus more productions and performances we can run than in the extremely minimal case.