We Need Artists They Need You Too
i dread going to my hometown
my anxiety goes through the roof because
i can anticipate seeing a great deal of
people
who don’t know much about me yet always
ask without fail
what’s your major then i have to prepare
myself to see their face
visibly drop when i say that i am a
creative writing
and theater double major i admit
i’m dreading it more than ever because
this year
i have to tell them that my theater
department has been cut the worst part
is that i’m not alone
across the nation arts programs have
been on a steady decline since the 2008
recession
only expedited by the kovid 19 pandemic
since last march the arts community have
suffered an estimated
15.2 billion dollars in financial losses
leaving about 63 percent of professional
working artists unemployed
eleven months ago we were all locked
inside and the one thing we turned to
for comfort was
art it was movies television
books despite the comfort art brought us
over a worldwide lockdown
advocacy for the performing arts is
currently at an all-time low
high school seniors have had their last
concerts and musicals stolen from them
broadway once an overactive hub of
culture
is still shut down with no plans to
reopen until the fall of 2021
the upright citizens brigade comedy
studio that has existed since 1990
and produced such talents as tina fey
and amy poehler
has permanently closed its doors
if we truly believe that performing arts
are going to be waiting for us
once it’s safe to go out again then we
need to reform what arts advocacy
actually looks like at a national level
to maintain and protect the future of
the industry
picture this a government designated
ally
in a cabinet level position who serves
as an ambassador to arts and culture
in the united states theater critic
peter marks refers to this role as a
dr fauci for the arts an appointed
representative who protects arts and
their funding
but also works to ensure the future of
the
industry this position exists in slight
variation in 50 other countries
worldwide petitions are emerging online
asking that we implement this role into
joe biden’s cabinet
arts and culture contribute over 877
billion dollars to the united states
gross domestic product
congress wants to protect that revenue
in december of 2020 congress passed the
save our stages act a bill
that guarantees 15 billion dollars in
grants
will be allocated to live performance
venues to help with pandemic recovery
now artists are grateful for this bill
but they had to wait nine months for it
and will continue to wait for funding to
be dispersed
in fact the save our stages website that
got the movement off the ground
is still asking for donations to keep
venues afloat
as we wait for funding to roll out
officially
this massive amount of grant funding
needs to be in the safe hands
of a national advocate with industry
knowledge who can be trusted to allocate
those funds appropriately and
efficiently such a position can ensure
that funding for the arts doesn’t
disappear when kovid does
now the save our stages act will likely
allot most of its funding to
independently owned theaters
this means our national advocate will
need to take extra steps
to ensure that art is protected at a
local level especially when it comes to
art education
young people’s exposure to art should
not only be protected
but implemented into schools curriculums
typically school boards cut the theater
program
to reallocate those funds to core
subjects
in an effort to boost test scores
yet when those schools do offer a
theater program
their students outperform their peers
scoring an average of
65 and a half more points on the s.a.t
imagine if our national advocate
could implement a performing arts
requirement at every grade level
students would gain essential skills
such as
public speaking being quick on your feet
teamwork building confidence and oral
communication
skills that will serve them well in any
profession
members of local school boards should be
aware of the true importance of an arts
education for their constituency
we need young people to bring us into
the future rather than remaining stuck
in the past now let’s assume history
repeats itself
the bubonic plague in italy ultimately
led to the renaissance
but only the elite benefited as they
were the only ones who could afford to
view the creations of the renaissance
in a post-coveted world if only
upper-class individuals
can afford to support live theater and
live performances
that will lead to a spike in ticket
prices keeping even more people out of
the theater
how can we support and consume
entertainment
when we can’t even go see a movie let
alone a touring broadway
musical if we are televising live
sporting events with empty stands
where players are safe by adhering to
cdc guidelines
what is stopping broadway from doing the
same saturday night live
has taken a similar approach in their
46th
season our national advocate
could propose federal administrative
rules to encourage and require
licensing companies make scripts
available
for performance in a virtual platform if
broadway actors follow these same
health procedures we can film live
theatrical productions
made accessible to the general public
via streaming services
we saw the massive success of hamilton
on disney plus
with 2.7 million families and households
watching
the potential for streaming copyrighted
material at convenient times for an
audience offers
mainstream exposure to productions
and benefits artists when they need it
more than ever
the show will go on we shouldn’t have to
wait any longer
for a world in which artists are
recognized
and thanked for their efforts
thank you
you