http://66.225.205.104/JR20090612.mp3
These are tough times to be an arts group in Charlotte. Corporate boosters have scaled back their gifts. People's wallets are slimmer. The Arts and Science Council fell so short in its fundraising that it will give 30 percent less money in grants to nonprofits next year. The Charlotte Symphony already got the bad news. Hundreds of other arts groups in Charlotte will find out about their ASC grants in the coming weeks. WFAE's Julie Rose has this story on how music, dance and theater groups are holding up in the recession: There's different feeling at arts events in Charlotte this summer. . . a kind of desperation. Take the Charlotte Symphony. For years volunteers have combed the crowd at Pops in the Park unobtrusively offering an empty bucket for anyone willing to donate a few bucks. But when the Symphony learned its grant from the Arts and Science Council would be cut in half, it gave Pops volunteers like Stacy Marino some new instructions. "Ask for five dollars," says Marino, with a laugh. "Before it was just sort of give what you want. But you know it's going pretty well. Most people are giving without even asking, so." With that more aggressive approach the symphony collected four times its usual take for a Pops concert last Sunday. Right now, every arts group in Charlotte is turning to the only real trick for fundraising in tough times. "Asking more," says Ron Law, executive director of Theatre Charlotte. "You know, people won't give money to you unless you ask." About a quarter of Theatre Charlotte's budget comes from the Arts and Science Council and Law's been warned that grant will probably be smaller next year. The North Carolina Dance Theatre has heard the same thing. So has Actor's Theatre. The list of nonprofits that lean on the Arts and Science Council is pages long. . . so you can imagine a lot of people like Ron Law right now. . . crunching the numbers again. And again. Law says Theatre Charlotte's woes aren't all linked to the Arts and Science Council. The banks were big arts sponsors - and those grants are down of course. He's whittled 16 percent off next year's budget by reducing salaries and cutting back on things like exterminator and lawn service. But Law is reluctant to cancel shows or raise ticket prices. "What we have done is we've looked for shows that require smaller casts, not a lot of scenery and that sort of thing," says Law. "The biggest show we're doing is Seussical. The authors themselves urge in the intro to the script, 'less is more.' As for "less is more," it doesn't get less than staging a play outside, with only trees for a set. For four summers, Collaborative Arts has staged free Shakespeare plays on the Green Uptown. But these were the last words from Twelfth Night's Viola last weekend. "I'll be very honest to tell you, we want to be back next year for a fifth year, but I don't know if that will be possible," says Elise Wilkinson, a cofounder of Collaborative Arts and the actress who plays Viola. "We do not have the funding to do that. A few of us will be passing through the audience, if you can help us out please do so." The audience for that show was packed and the fact that it was free definitely helped. Then again, Carolyn and Mike McCarthy said, "We would have paid something. Yeah, we certainly would support it, um to continue it." Moments later, they had their chance when an actor in tights came by with his hat in hand. Pretty much every arts group in town is passing the hat right now. But the encouraging news is many are also seeing very strong ticket sales. The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is 11 weeks into sales for its new season and has already surpassed last year's total. Executive Director Tom Gabbard says people are still willing to pay for entertainment - but only if it's a sure thing. "Brands that are well known," explains Gabbard. "They know they're gonna have a good time. They know it's gonna be a good date night. You know, there's no uncertainty about that." Hence a line-up that includes Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and South Pacific. Even local theater companies without the Blumenthal's Broadway star power seem to be holding their own in sales. Season tickets for the edgier plays at Actor's Theatre are running 20 percent ahead of last year. Executive Director Dan Shoemaker says people seem to be buying them like a sort of entertainment insurance plan. Someone might lose a job or the economy might get worse, but, "They've already purchased their tickets so they can rest easy and go to the theater and have a good time," says Shoemaker. And like with any insurance, the more people who buy in to Charlotte's art scene, the better the chance it'll pay off down the line.