Theatre Group Dips Out, Again
The Age
Thursday December 13, 2007
RED Stitch is a successful theatre company - but it continually fails to get funding from Arts Victoria.
The company attracted more than 80,000 people to its seven shows this year, its most successful year since it began six years ago. But that was not enough to win a grant under the government's annual operations program."We put in a strong case and thought this time we would be accepted, but obviously competition is very stiff for funds from what is a very small pie," says Red Stitch's artistic director, David Whiteley.Arts Minister Lyn Kosky announced the winners in the $930,000 program earlier this month. They included Lucy Guerin Association ($60,000), Australia Pro Arts Orchestra ($50,000), Kage Physical Theatre ($45,000), Ranters Theatre ($45,000), Rawcus ($40,000), the Store Room ($40,000) and Balletlab ($40,000).Whiteley had hoped the inclusion of two new Australian works in next year's schedule would have improved Red Stitch's chances. "Red Stitch is a very successful business with the exception that we cannot pay our actors anything more than pocket money."It won two Green Room awards this year against competition from the Melbourne Theatre Company and Malthouse. The company has received $40,000 a year from the Myer Foundation for the past two years, but that expires in six months' time. -- ROBIN USHER
© 2007 The Age