Finding the money

Performing Arts & Entertainment in Canada, Fall, 1996 by Judy Waytiuk

One fundraiser that remains unique to the Shaw is its annual Black Tie Boxing. Real boxing - real boxers, real black ties, real money, more than $ten million since its inception in the mid-80s.

Karpyshin recently surveyed Manitoba and Saskatchewan members of the Canadian Conference of the Arts and found five out of seven theatres responding to her queries now stage special fundraising events.

But there is another form of sponsorship where a theatre can stretch marketing dollars for maximum exposure and benefit. The Shaw is partnering, for example, with the wineries. It's obviously a good match for the Shaw, and packages make it easy for people to call one number to book a hotel, order theatre tickets, and tour a winery. The same principle applies in advertising...pooling money with partners, and advertising in the travel section rather than entertainment. Partners all receive more bang for their individual buck, and the community benefits through increased tourism. At the Shaw, located in a natural tourist destination, the percentage of audience that's American has inched up from 30 to 32 per cent.

The audience, all agree, is critical. And artistic sensitivities notwithstanding, a little of what some might call prostitution has become necessary. This year, PTE is doing My Fair Lady - a wild departure from its previous, established tradition of mounting only only new Canadian work. But, says Karpyshin, there was not the audience base to support a steady diet of Serious Stuff. "We had to re-assess focus. We've broadened the mandate."

Attendance at the frothy musical will support the PTE premieres of two new, Canadian dramas. And at MTC, the Keanu Reeves coup (for those who just returned to planet earth from a long trip away, Reeves played Hamlet last season), Bajon says the exposure did help the theatre's subscriptions. "A lot of people came from all over the world and bought subscription tickets. We've had a few people who had such a good time that they have come back. I think it just helped us move up instead of levelling off."

Keanu as Hamlet? Getchef wine samples with yet play? In the end, it's all about what you have to do to survive.

Judy Waytiuk is a Winnipeg freelance writer and radio journalist.