ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: July 12, 1999
Author/Local: A.Niwiniski/6007
RTS No: 00798

CC File No. 2055

CS&B: July 29, 1999

TO:	Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	1999/2000 Theatre Rental Grants

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council approve 11 rental grants for uses of the Civic Theatres in Fall 1999, within base levels and totalling $668,070 as listed in Table 1, source of funds to be the 1999 Theatre Rental Grants budget.

B. That Council approve, in principle, 11 rental grants for uses to the Civic Theatres in Spring 2000, within base levels and totalling $877,430 as listed in Table 1, subject to the 2000 Operating Budget Review process.

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, providing for seasonally based grants allocated in July of each year for the coming Fall (Sept. 1 to Dec. 31) and Spring (Jan. 1 to Aug. 31). Recommendations for the Spring areapproved in principle, subject to the Operating Budget Review for the applicable year.

Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

SUMMARY

Staff recommend $1,545,500 in grants to the 12 groups listed in Table 1. This includes 11 grants totalling $668,290 for Fall 1999, and 11 grants totalling $877,430 for Spring 2000, all within base levels, but including 9 holdover or special event uses: 6 for the Vancouver Symphony and 3 for the Playhouse Theatre Company, as detailed later in this report.

Table 1
1999/2000 Rental Grant Recommendations

Organization	$ Fall ‘99	$ Spring ‘00	$ Total	Recom. Uses	Base Levels
Academy of Music	7,600	20,900	28,500	(4)	(4)
Ballet B.C.	36,100	22,800	58,900	(9)	(9)
Coastal Jazz & Blues	0	7,600	7,600	(1)	(1)
Friends of Cham. Music	8,200	6,150	14,350	(7)	(7)
Music in the Morning.	5,700	0	5,700	(1)	(1)
Van. Bach Choir	26,600	30,400	57,000	(10)	(11)
Van. Chamber Choir	30,400	11,400	41,800	(7)	(9)
Van. Opera Assoc.	114,000	129,200	243,200	(42)	(48)
Van. Playhouse Co.	170,200	231,200	401,400	(225)	(234)
Van. Recital Society	10,870	15,800	26,670	(8)	(10)
Van. Symphony	252,700	401,980	654,680	(102)	(105)
Van. Youth Sym.	5,700	0	5,700	(1)	(1)
TOTAL	$668,290	$877,430	$1,545,500	417	440

PURPOSE

In accordance with the process City Council established in 1995, this report makes recommendations on Theatre Rental Grants for the 1999/2000 season.

BACKGROUND

On 25 February 1999, Council approved a Theatre Rental Grant budget of $1,484,035 for calendar year 1999, not including the $100,000 allocated in that budget for the Vancouver Symphony’s rental of office space in the Orpheum Theatre. On 25 March 1999, Council confirmed 10 theatre rental grants totalling $812,223, leaving an unallocated $671,812 in the budget. For the 1999/00 season, 12 applicants have requested rental grants totalling $1,632,310, including 12 uses over base levels, as summarized in Table 2, following.

Table 2
1999/2000 Theatre Rental Grant Requests

				Req.	Over
Academy of Music	7,600	20,900	28,500	(4)
Ballet B.C.	36,100	66,500	102,600	(17)	(8)
Coastal Jazz & Blues	0	7,600	7,600	(1)
Frnds. of Cham. Music	8,200	6,150	14,350	(7)
Music in the Morn.	5,700	0	5,700	(1)
Van. Bach Choir	26,600	30,400	57,000	(10)
Van. Chamber Choir	30,400	11,400	41,800	(7)
Van. Opera Assoc.	114,000	129,200	243,200	(42)
Van. Playhouse Co.	170,200	238,890	409,090	(229)
Van. Recital Society	10,870	15,800	26,670	(8)
Van. Symphony	252,700	436,180	688,880	(108)	(3)
Van. Youth Sym.	6,920	0	6,920	(2)	(1)
TOTAL	$669,290	$963,020	$1,632,310	436	12

DISCUSSION

As summarized in Table 1, and discussed in more detail following, staff recommend grants to 12 organizations totalling $1,545,500 for the 1999/2000 season, all within base levels.

Academy of Music

The Academy rents the Orpheum 4 times a year to present its student orchestral concerts. Its current base level covers these uses. Staff recommend approval of the Academy’s request for a grant of $28,500 towards 1 rental in the Fall and 3 in the Spring.

Ballet BC

Ballet BC has asked for a $102,600 grant to cover 17 uses of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 8 over its base level of 9. While 3 of these extra uses are for the Ballet’s own productions, the other 5 are for BBC’s presentation of BalletMet’s “Beauty and the Beast” on the Dance Alive! series in Spring 2000. It has not been the City’s policy to fund this type of use, except when the Vancouver Symphony has been involved and a joint application with the VSO has been made, within the VSO’s base level; this factor does not apply this year.

Given budget limitations, staff are not recommending any grants over base levels for the 1999/2000 season. In that context, staff recommend a grant of $58,900, covering the Ballet’s 9 base level uses (4 performance and 3 rehearsal/technical day uses in the Fall, and 3 performances in the Spring). Ballet BC also received an 1999 Operating grant of $80,000.

Coastal Jazz and Blues Society

The Society has asked for its base level of one rental of the Orpheum Theatre for the opening of its 15th annual International Jazz Festival, scheduled for 23 June 2000. Approval of this $7,600 grant request is recommended. The Society’s 1999 Operating grant was $10,000.

Friends of Chamber Music

This group, which has a season of 10 performances in the Playhouse Theatre, has applied for its base level of 7 uses, 4 in the Fall and 3 in the Spring. Staff recommend approval of this request, which amounts to $14,350.

Music in the Morning

The Society has requested a $5,700 grant to cover an afternoon rental in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on 7 October 1999 featuring “an afternoon of music and dance” with Ballet B.C. and the National Ballet. The Society has a base level of 1 use, usually applied to mornings, and staff recommend approval of the request. Music in the Morning also received a 1999 Operating grant of $6,500.
Vancouver Bach Choir

The Bach Choir has applied for a grant to cover 10 uses of the Orpheum (6 performances, 4 rehearsals). The request is within the Choir’s base level of 11 uses. Staff recommend a grant of $57,000 to cover the requested uses.

Vancouver Chamber Choir

The Chamber Choir has applied for its annual base level of 4 performance and 3 rehearsal uses of the Orpheum, including 2 performances of the “Messiah”, which the choir is due to present this year as part of a rotation with Vancouver Cantata Singers and Bach Choir. A grant of $41,800 is recommended to cover the 7 requested uses.

Vancouver Opera Association

For 1999/2000 the VOA has asked for a grant of $243,200 to cover 41 uses of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and 1 use in the Orpheum. Staff recommend approval of the request, which is within the Opera’s current base level of 48. The VOA received a 1999 Operating grant of $14,000 for its outreach and ensemble activities..

Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company

The Company has requested a grant of $409,090, representing 229 uses of the Playhouse Theatre. The request is within the Company’s base level of 234, but includes 7 uses tentatively booked for the possible holdover of a play in Spring 2000. While acknowledging the Company’s need for flexibility, the City’s policy has been to approve holdover uses that staff anticipate can be covered after all other base level uses are addressed in a given budget year.

Based on budgetary considerations, staff’s recommendation is for approval of 3 holdover uses in May 2000 amounting to $22 800, for a total rental grant of $401,400, covering 225 uses.

Vancouver Recital Society

The Society has a base level of 10 uses, and has applied for a $26,670 grant to cover 5 rental uses of the Playhouse Theatre and 3 uses of the Orpheum, including a joint presentation of tenor Bryn Terfel with the Vancouver Opera. Approval of the request is recommended. The Recital Society received a 1999 Operating grant of $10,000 for its annual Chamber Music Festival.

Vancouver Symphony

For its 1999/2000 season the VSO is asking for $688,880 to cover 108 uses of the Orpheum and Queen Elizabeth Theatres, 3 over the VSO’s base level of 105 uses. At this point, 9 of these requests are “to be confirmed” uses in the Fall and Spring for holdovers or special events, and 8 are rehearsals for performances at the Chan Centre (of which 5 are eligible for grants, in accordance with agreed-upon guidelines).

In the context of budgetary considerations and the guidelines for run-out rehearsal uses, staff recommend approval of 6 of the 9 “to be confirmed” uses, and the 5 eligible Chan rehearsal uses. The total recommendation for the VSO, therefore, amounts to $654,680, representing 102 uses (38 in the Fall, 64 in the Spring). The VSO received a 1999 Operating grant of $46,000.

Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra

VYSO, which has a base level of one use, has asked for a grant of $6,920 towards 1 performance and 1 rehearsal in Fall 1999. In keeping with other recommendations in this report, staff recommend a $5,700 grant within the applicant’s base level of 1 use.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The unallocated balance of $671,812 in the 1999 Theatre Rental Grants budget is sufficient to cover the eligible Fall 1999 uses recommended in this report without factoring in the budget increase Council approved in May 1999 to offset the cost of the Civic Theatre rental rate increase (approximately 4%). The existing budget is adequate because several applicants have shifted their performing seasons, scheduling fewer performances in the Fall and more in the Spring. Approval of the Fall uses (Recommendation A) will leave an unallocated balance of $3,742.

Staff estimate that an increase in next year’s Theatre Rental Grants budget will be needed to address eligible rental grant requests for Spring 2000 and the 2000/2001 season. A budget increase based on the cost of Civic Theatre rental rate increases for funded uses in the 1999/2000 season would amount to $59,975 or approximately 4%. A request for this increase will be presented in next year’s Cultural Grant budget ceiling report. The Spring 2000 grant allocations in this report (Recommendation B) are presented for Council’s approval in principle, subject to the 2000 Operating Budget Review process.

CONCLUSION

In keeping with the process approved by Council in 1995, this is the first of two reports on Theatre Rental Grants for the 1999/2000 season. The second will be presented early next year after the 2000 Cultural Grants budget is approved, and will seek Council reconfirmation of Recommendation B in this report.

Special Note:

In the coming year the new Vancouver Summer Festival Society is proposing to apply to the City for a theatre rental grant toward the costs of its “Festival Vancouver” events in two Civic Theatres. Festival Vancouver, featuring local and international musicians in over 90 concerts in ten venues 28 July to 13 August 2000. The Vancouver Symphony, Bach Choir, Chamber Choir and other Vancouver-based organizations will be performing in the festival.

The rental costs of the festival’s currently scheduled performances and rehearsals in the Orpheum and Vancouver Playhouse are estimated to be $77,300. Since the Theatre Rental Grants budget is only sufficient to provide for the approved base level uses of regular rental grant applicants, such a request from the Summer Festival Society will have to be considered outside the Theatre Rental Grant program.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver