ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: March 25, 1999
Author/Local: A.Niwinski/6007
RTS No: 00586

CC File No. 2055

Council: April 13, 1999

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	1998/99 Theatre Rental Grants - Spring Update

RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council confirm its previous approval of rental grants to ten organizations for uses of the Civic Theatres in Spring 1999 in the amount of $812,223, which includes decreases in the grants to the Playhouse Theatre Company, Vancouver Opera, and Vancouver Symphony, as detailed in Table 1; source of funds to be the 1999 Theatre Rental Grants budget.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community services RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.

COUNCIL POLICY

In 1979 and again in 1983, City Council affirmed the principle that Theatre Rental Grants are available to cultural organizations that use the Civic Theatres on a regular basis and have been assigned an annual "base level" of theatre rent uses by Council.

Council approved the current process for Theatre Rental Grants on 27 July 1995. This provided for seasonally based grants allocated in July of each year for the coming Fall and Spring. However, since the City's budget is based on the calendar year, grants approved for the Spring (January 1 to August 31) have to be reconfirmed by Council in the following year, after the annual Cultural Grants budget is established.

Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

In keeping with the process Council established in 1995, this is the first of two annual reports on Theatre Rental Grants. It recommends confirmation of the Spring 1999 rental grants that Council approved in principle on 23 July 1998, with decreases in the grants to the Playhouse Theatre Company, Vancouver Opera, and Vancouver Symphony to reflect changes in their schedules this Spring.

DISCUSSION

On 23 July 1998, Council approved in principle rental grants totalling $827,145 to ten eligible organizations. Given budget uncertainties, no uses over base level were recommended or approved.

On 25 February 1999, Council approved a Theatre Rental Grants budget of $1,484,035 for calendar year 1999, not including the $100,000 allocated in that budget for the Vancouver Symphony Society's rental of office space in the Orpheum Theatre. After reviewing the ten rental grants for Spring 1999 that Council approved in principle last July, staff are recommending:

1) that grants to seven organizations, as listed in Table 1, be approved as originally allocated;

2) that grants to the Playhouse Theatre Company, Vancouver Opera, and Vancouver Symphony be reduced as indicated in Table 1, to reflect changes in actual theatre uses this Spring.

Approval of these recommendations would reduce the original grant allocations for Spring 1999 from $827,145 to $812,223, leaving an unallocated balance of $671,812 to address requests for Fall 1999.

Table 1

Spring 1999 Theatre Rental Grants

Organization	Originally Approved	Recommended Change	Final Recommendation
Academy of Music	$20,075	-	$20,075
Ballet B.C.	$25,550	-	$25,550
Coastal Jazz & Blues	$7,300	-	$7,300
Friends of Chamber Music	$9,875	-	$9,875
Van. Bach Choir	$21,200	-	$21,200
Van. Chamber Choir	$10,950	-	$10,950
Van. Opera Assoc.	$186,150	($7,300)	$178,850
Van. Playhouse Co.	$185,095	($2,960)	$182,135
Van. Recital Society	$11,250	-	$11,250
Van. Symphony	$349,700	($4,662)	$345,038
Total	$827,145	($14,922)	$812,223

CONCLUSION

Approval of the recommendations in this report will complete the Theatre Rental Grant process for the 1998/99 season. The next report on this grant category, which will review applicants' requests for 1999/2000, is scheduled for July 1999, after the Civic Theatre rental rates for the coming season have been established.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver