WEEK 5: How the Performing Arts is Funded and Considering your Own Event

Funding

 

 

 

The Lottery

The National Lottery donates money to 12 independent organisations which have specialist knowledge of their sectors. All of these organisations have connections to the government and follow strict guidelines when it comes to independently deciding which applicants will be be successful and will receive The National Lotteries funding.

The National Lotteries Funding Programmes include:

• The Big Lottery Fund- aims to improve communities and the lives of people most in need with money raised from the National Lottery.
• The Heritage Lottery Fund- uses money from the National Lottery to support a huge variety of projects, involving the local, regional and national heritage of the UK.
• Sport England- invests in projects that help more people to play sport.
• UK Sport- tries to lead Olympic and Paralympic sport in the UK to World Class Success.
• Sport Northern Ireland- aims to promote a culture of lifelong enjoyment and success in sport, which they believe will create a more healthy, fair and prosperous society.
• Sport Wales- responsible for increasing participation and improving performance in sport in Wales.
• Sportscotland- help to develop sport and physical recreation in Scotland.
• The British Film Institute (BFI)- uses the National Lottery's funding to support UK film production, distribution, education and audience development.

They also have Arts Funding Programmes, these include:

• Arts Council England- develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences. They offer from £1,000 - £100,000 for The Arts, £500,000 - £5,000,000 in Large Capital Grants, from £100,000 - £499,999 in Small Capital Grants, from £0 - £125,000 for Digital Research and Development for the Arts, from £0- £10,000 for Strategic Touring and from £1,000 - £100,000 for Libraries.
• The Arts Council of Northern Ireland- a development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. They offer £500 - £10,000 in their Small Grant programme.
• Arts Council of Wales- help to make Wales more creative. They offer funding from £500 - £30,000 for individuals and from £250 - £100,000 for organisations.
• Creative Scotland- the national leader for Scotland’s Arts, Screen and Creative Industries. They offer funding from £10,001 - £2,000,000.

 

 

The Arts Council

 

Arts Council England invests in artistic and cultural experiences. They support activities in relation to the arts, museums and libraries. For example, they support theatre, digital art, reading, dance, music, literature and crafts. They feel that art and culture inspires people by bringing them together and helping individuals to learn more about themselves and the world around them.

Between March 2012 and April 2015 they aim to invest £1.4 billion of public money from government, and an estimated £1 billion from the National Lottery into arts and culture. Government funding comes from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and requirements are laid out in The Arts Council's funding agreement with them.

The types of projects they invest in are those that are important to communities across England. For example, they invest in arts centres such as Southbank Centre, which is a popular cultural destinations. The Arts Council's have helped Southbank Centre see a 48 per cent increase in visitors in the last 5 years and have contributed to the doubling of its income during that time to £23.7 million.

They also aid galleries like Nottingham Contemporary, which opened in 2010 after The Arts Council had invested in it. It contributed £8.7 million to the local economy in its first year. They also support Museums, such as The Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Shropshire, which is visited by around 70,000 school children each year. In addition, they help theatres and performance venues like Live Theatre in Newcastle.

The Arts Council funds programmes which aim to get children and young people involved with the arts. For example, 'In Harmony' is a national programme that attempts to inspire and transform the lives of children in poor communities, using the power of community-based orchestral music-making. The Arts Council's Creative Employment programme supports about 6,500 apprenticeships and paid internships across the arts and cultural industries.

 
The Foundation for Sport and the Arts

The FSA was set up in 1991 with money donated by Littlewoods and other football pools companies. The FSA made grants worth over £350 million. Numerous communities, organisations and individuals across The UK and Northern Ireland benefited from The FSA's major capital projects, training bursaries and other methods of aiding sports and The Arts. They aimed to in get more people to participate in sport and The Arts. They mainly targeted young people and those with more ability than resources.

Ther Trustees included knowledgeable people in their fields, such as Dame Janet Baker and Baroness McIntosh in The Arts, Sir Christopher Chataway in sport, and their chairman, Sir Tim Rice, in The Arts and Sport. Due to the fact that he was a Trustee form the beginning, their Honorary President was Lord Attenborough. The FSA closed at the end of March 2012, after The FSA's financial position was reviewed.


The BBC Performing Arts Fund

The BBC Performing Arts Fund looks for and supports individuals, community groups and organisations which, for reasons of lack of existing support or personal background/circumstance need grants, mentoring and advice. The Fund was set up in 2003, when it awarded over £4 million worth of grants and began mentoring and advising grant winners to help them to achieve their goals. Previous winners have gone on to produce a Mercury Prize winning album, perform at the Glastonbury Festival, appear on Later with Jools Holland and have had leading roles in the West End.

The BBC Performing Arts Fund is run by a high profile board of trustees. They are a registered charity, who are funded by a percentage of the money received from the voting lines of BBC entertainment programmes (such as The Voice, So You Think You Can Dance and Over the Rainbow). Each year they focus on a different art form- music, dance or theatre. 

In 2011 The Fund focused on dance. There were two grants available - one for community dance groups and the other for individuals. With these schemes they funded projects for all different dance styles e.g. bollywood, hip hop, street dance, ballet and contemporary.

In 2012 they focused on music. They aided around 900 individual musicians in purchasing instruments and equipment. They gave grants to over 140 community music groups for training and development including; community choirs, choral societies, drumming groups, brass bands, rock music workshops and youth orchestras. They also supported over 90 artists through their Urban Music scheme and their Music Fellowships.

In 2013 they focused on theatre. They aimed to support a wide range of theatre and helped community theatre groups and individual theatre-makers. They are the UK's biggest funder of musical theatre training in the charity sector and have supported 162 individuals. Their 2010 Young People's Musical Theatre scheme saw 52 youth theatre groups receive a grant from The Fund. Some of the people they helped train in musical theatre now work in West End shows like Mamma Mia, Wicked and The Lion King.


Drama UK

Drama UK was founded in 2012 after the Conference of Drama Schools and the National Council for Drama Training merged together. They provide a link between the theatre, media and broadcast industries and drama training providers in the UK. They aim to give a public voice to the theatre, media and broadcast sectors. They also help and advise drama students of all ages and try to give them access to the best drama training available.

Drama UK lobby The Government and key influences, so that they can fully understand the importance of good quality drama training to the UK’s economy and society. They offer career advice to those who are interested in drama and similar careers, by providing them with a route map to the training. In addition, they give advise on receiving funds for further education in The Arts Sector. They suggest the following options:

• UK Government Student Loans
• Dance and Drama Awards (DaDAs)
• Scholarships and Bursaries
• Full Cost or Independent Courses
• Career Development Loans
• Access to Learning Fund
• Students with Disabilities
• Other Sources of Funding

Backers

A Backer is an individual or an institution which supports someone or something financially. Backers usually expect a return for their money and so terms are agreed on their grounds. Backers might receive a percentage of the individual/companies' earnings. However, if they backed an unsuccessful project, they may receive no return.



Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is the idea of collecting small amounts of money from a large number of individuals or organisations in order to fund a project. The first recorded use of the word was in 2006, so it is a fairly new method of raising funds. Contributions can be made in person, in order to target local people who want to help their community. They can also be made online, in order to target more people who may be interested in helping the cause. Crowdfunding came from the older idea of crowdsourcing, which focused on helping individuals to reach a goal with the help of small contributions from many people.

 
Self Funding

There are various ways of raising money for a project by yourself. These methods may result in a smaller amount of funds, but they can also quite simple. Here are some examples of self Funding:

• Fundraising Events-  These are events which are set up to make a profit for a project. People who plan these events must decide what amount of money they plan to raise at the event. These events can range from fairs to bake sales. Money is earned by selling things such as toys, food, raffle tickets or coupons to go on rides.
• Ticket Sales- People can sell tickets to their own shows. The tickets can be at a price of their choosing, but they need to consider how much the potential audience will be willing to spend. They also need to consider their expenditures.
• Sponsorship- Individuals take part in a difficult challenge and in return their friends, family and/or colleagues sponsor them (promise they will give them a certain amount of money if the challenge is completed). This challenge could be anything from a 'sponsored silence' to climbing a mounting.
• Advertising- Advertising is a good way of promoting a project or event. By promoting an event people are more likely to receive more ticket sales. By advertising themselves to Backers, for example, they are more likely to be given funds. Examples of ways that people can advertise include advertising over the Internet (e.g. Facebook) or by use of posters/ flyers. 
• Bag-packing- Bag-packing is another example of how people can raise funds. They go to supermarkets, and with permission from the supermarkets, they can pack customers' shopping bags. The customers can then donate money to the cause.



Event Planning And Budgets

 

 

Event

 

My chosen event would be the performance of 'The Deadly Sins'. It would be an original production, so I would not be charged for Copyrighting. The show would be suitable for an audience of all ages and it would run on a Friday evening and a Saturday to boost income from ticket sales. It would be 1h and 30mins long, so that the audience would feel that they get a good value for their money and there would be a Q & A session in the Cafe', advertised to help promote the event.  

 

'The Deadly Sins' is the tale behind the seven deadly sins. It is a colourful fantasy with elements of comedy that takes an in debt look into the story that shaped the characters of Envy, Pride, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth and Greed. The seven of them, along with Fear and the lonely Jonathan must find the route of all sins in order to save The Valley of The Shadows and their own lives. Whoever finds the route of all sins first will become the ruler of The Valley. 



 

 

PROFIT AND LOSS

 

1.     Give as many examples of potential income as you can within your budget.

• 160 adult tickets + 80 child and OAP tickets= £1,360
• 80 adult tickets + 160 child and OAP tickets= £1,280
• 120 adult tickets + 120 child and OAP tickets= £1,320
• 0 adult tickets + 240 child and OAP tickets= £1,200
• 10 adult tickets + 230 child and OAP tickets= £1,210
• 20 adult tickets + 220 child and OAP tickets= £1,220
• 30 adult tickets + 210 child and OAP tickets= £1,230
• 40 adult tickets + 200 child and OAP tickets= £1,240
• 50 adult tickets + 190 child and OAP tickets= £1,250
• 60 adult tickets + 180 child and OAP tickets= £1,260
• 70 adult tickets + 170 child and OAP tickets= £1,270
• 80 adult tickets + 160 child and OAP tickets= £1,280
• 90 adult tickets + 150 child and OAP tickets= £1,290
• 100 adult tickets + 140 child and OAP tickets= £1,300
• 110 adult tickets + 130 child and OAP tickets= £1,310
• 130 adult tickets + 110 child and OAP tickets= £1,320
• 140 adult tickets + 100 child and OAP tickets= £1,340
• 150 adult tickets + 90 child and OAP tickets= £1,350
• 160 adult tickets + 80 child and OAP tickets= £1,360
• 170 adult tickets + 70 child and OAP tickets= £1,370
• 180 adult tickets + 60 child and OAP tickets= £1,380
• 190 adult tickets + 50 child and OAP tickets= £1,390
• 200 adult tickets + 40 child and OAP tickets= £1,400
• 210 adult tickets + 30 child and OAP tickets= £1,410
• 220 adult tickets + 20 child and OAP tickets= £1,420
• 230 adult tickets + 10 child and OAP tickets= £1,430
• 240 adult tickets + 0 child and OAP tickets= £1,440
 

 

2.     Establish how many seats you have within your venue.

There are 120 seats are available in The Wren Room amphitheatre style.

 

 

3.     How many nights will the show run for?

The show will run on a Friday evening and a Saturday morning. 

 

 

4.     How much would you like to charge per ticket?

 

I will charge £5 for Adults (over 12) and £3 for Children and OAPs.

 

 

 

5.     How many of these tickets will be subsidised (student, OAP, etc) and how did you come to this figure?

My estimate of subsidised ticket sales would be around 80 tickets. I came to this figure by considering the fact that when advertising the performance, I would mainly target a teenage audience. Since over 12s are considered adults in my budget, I would probably sell considerably more adult tickets. However, I would also advertise the event as a family show and I would encourage teenagers and adults to bring young children along. If young families come to see the show there is likely to be more than one child.  

 

 

6.     If you have a shortfall in your budget list the steps you would take to cover it?

 

1. I would look at what worked went wrong by analysing the things that worked well and those that didn't.
2. I would consider running the performance for one or more shows to earn more money. This way, a lot of the advertising would be taken care of by word of mouth of those who've seen the show and Facebook page comments/likes, for example. I would also consider running the show with a lower budget to increase profit.
3. If the reason that I had a shortfall was due to the show being unpopular, I would begin to think of other ways of raising money.
4. I would organise a cake sale or a jumble sale, where I would ask volunteers to donate cakes and unwanted items that I could sell. I would also sell the unwanted props and costumes that I bought for use in the show and things such as signed photographs of the characters.
 

7.     What factors can affect the income within your budget?

  

The sole factor that would effect the income in my budget is ticket sales. This is due to the fact that I would not receive any profits from the cafe' and there are no other factors involved. The amount of tickets sold could be the difference between making a huge profit or suffering a major loss.

 

8.     Look at the budget and establish how many of the items you have listed could be provided either in house or from other sources?

 

• Refreshments are served in The Wren Room's cafe'.
• The Wren room has it's own lighting desk and sound system, so I wouldn't need to hire any equipment form a Lighting/ Sound Hire Company.
• Additional costumes and props could be found in the college's costume cupboard.
• Lighting/ Sound technicians could be volunteers from The Da Vinci Studio School or other colleges.

 

 

 

Budget Sheet

 

 

	Income	Outgoings
Tickets (£6 Adults (over 12), £5 Children and OAPs)	£1,360
Costumes
Envy- Green body spray- (£2.86) Black dress (own) Black shoes (own)		£2.86
Pride- Violet waste coat- (£13.99) white short sleeved shirt (own) Black trousers (own) Black wellington boots (own)		£13.99
Wrath- Black vest (own) Black short sleeved shirt (own) Red trousers (own)
Lust- Light blue dress (own) White tights (own)
Jonathan- Green shirt (own) Black support braces- (£4.99) Black trousers (own) Black wellington boots (own)		£4.99
Gluttony- Orange dress- (£12.00) Black heels (own)		£12.00
Sloth- Dark blue dress (own) Black high heels (own)
Greed- White shirt (own) Black trousers (own) Black shoes (own)
Fear- Brown tattered dress- (£17.74)		£17.74
Props
Red Chair x2- (£2.85 each)		£5.90
Rubber Snakes (£1.75)		£1.75
Big brown book- (free from library)
Marketing/PublicityLetchworth library charges 20p per A2 paper coloured print-off. Posters 20p x 50= £10 Flyers 20p x 200= £40    I will also advertise the event over social media and create a trailer on youtube, which are both free methods of advertising.		£10 £40
Set The Wren Room provides a stage of 12 pieces 1m x 1m 30cm high
Performing Rights £50 per performance for 2 performances		£100
Hire of Venue The Wren Room, Letchworth Arts Centre, Letchworth- £24 per hour for 2 hours for 2 days.		£96
Staff Letchworth Arts Centre have their own Cafe' Manager who provides catering services. I will sell tickets at the door on the day of the event and I will ask for additional help form volunteers.
Lighting The Wren Room has a 16 channel lighting desk. Sound/ lighting technician from Promotivations- £175.00 per day for 2 days		£350
Refreshments Letchworth Arts Centre's café provides room for 40 seated people or 60 seated and standing people. There is an additional front room for 50 people seated or standing. They have bar facilities and a license to sell their own alcohol. Earnings go to Letchworth Arts Centre.
Total	+ £1,360	- £655.23
	Profit	£704.77