Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

FROM:

Director, Office of Cultural Affairs

SUBJECT:

Vancouver Summer Festival Society Rental Grant Request

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGERS' COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

As detailed in the Financial Implications section, Festival Vancouver ’s request for a theatre rental grant does not qualify for either the Vancouver Foundation’s Baxter Fund, or the City’s own Theatre Rental grant program, and is therefore being addressed through the “Other” grants category. Council established the “Other” Grants category to provide funding for grant requests which do not meet the criteria for the City’s other grant programs, including Cultural grants.

- 2-

PURPOSE

This report presents the Director of Cultural Affairs’ recommendation for a one-time grant of $63,875 in response to a special request from the Vancouver Summer Festival for a $77,015 grant to offset the theatre rental costs of its uses of the Orpheum and Vancouver Playhouse theatre this summer, source of funds to be the “Other” Grants category.

BACKGROUND

Vancouver Summer Festival Society has applied for a $77,015 theatre rental grant toward 44 uses of the Civic Theatres during its “Festival Vancouver” in July and August 2000, as detailed in Table 1.

Table 1

 

Type of Use

Uses by Venue

Total

 

21 performance uses:

3 Orpheum; 18 Playhouse

$54,600

 

15 rehearsal uses:

11 Orpheum; 4 Playhouse

$13,140

 

8 technical day uses:

8 Playhouse

$9,275

     

$77,015

From July 28 to August 13, 2000, Festival Vancouver will present 90 concerts of classical, jazz and “world” music featuring outstanding local, national and international performers (the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Bali’s Tedung Agung Ubud gamelan and dance ensemble, the National Youth Orchestra, and Vancouver’s Standing Wave Ensemble, to name a few). The Festival will be presented in nine venues, including Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens, Christ Church Cathedral, Chan Centre, Vancouver Playhouse and Orpheum Theatre.

While a significant part of the Festival’s $3.2 million budget is projected to come from the box office, the Festival has also secured considerable government funding (notably a $425,000 Canada Millennium grant and $50,000 from B.C. 2000), and $950,250 in private sector support. The Chan Centre Foundation has donated $20,000, and the Chan Centre itself is providing $50,000 in rental subsidies.

From the City, the Festival has sought the theatre rental grant discussed in this report, as well as Project funding. In 1999 the City granted Festival Vancouver a $4,000 Project grant for

- 3 -

its initial development stage. This year, staff are recommending a second Project grant of $3,500, which will be addressed as part of the regular grants process.

DISCUSSION

Given its musical diversity, and range of performers, Festival Vancouver’s programming is designed to appeal to a variety of local audiences, including youth and members of different cultural communities. The 17-day event can also create the artistic interest and critical mass of activity that can attract cultural tourism, especially from neighbouring provinces and states.

With five of its nine venues located in the city’s centre, the Festival is expected to have economic spinoffs for downtown businesses. It will provide direct benefits for the Civic Theatres, bringing in new activity during the summer, when the theatres have often been dark, especially in recent years. Since this inactivity has a direct impact on the City’s budget, a theatre rental grant to the Vancouver Festival should be a good investment, generating parking, concession, and ticket surcharge revenues. Staff note that after the Festival, its organizers plan to review its long-term feasibility as a biennial event.

As indicated earlier in this report, the Festival will bring at least $500,000 in funding from senior levels of government into Vancouver, including funds for the creation of a new Canadian opera by local composer Leslie Uyeda and local playwright Tom Cone. Decisions on a number of public and private sector funding requests are still pending, and Festival organizers continue to fund-raise. A commitment of support from the City would assist with these efforts.

The Director of Cultural Affairs recommends that Council approve a one-time theatre rental grant of $63,875 towards the Festival’s rental costs for its 21 performance uses in both theatres, and the 8 technical day uses in the Playhouse, as detailed in Table 2, later in this report. This recommendation is based on the consideration that, in the context of budget constraints, the Festival’s rehearsal use requests (which are for additional rehearsal hours on performance days) are not the highest priority. On the other hand, the technical days are for the operas “Orfeo” and “Game Misconduct”, challenging programs that require considerable preparation time.

- 4 -

Table 2

 

Requested

Recommended

 

21 performance uses ($54,600)

21 performance uses ($54,600)

 

15 rehearsal uses ($13,140)

0 rehearsal uses

 

8 technical day uses ($9,275)

8 technical day uses ($9,275)

Total:

44 uses ($77,015)

29 uses ($63,875)

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The Directors of Budgets and Cultural Affairs note that this ad hoc rental grant request cannot be addressed by either of the existing rental grant programs. The Vancouver Foundation’s Baxter Fund, which the City administers, has an annual budget of $30,000, and is designed to help Vancouver’s smaller performing groups (between six and eight a year) to access the Civic Theatres. The City’s own Theatre Rental Grants budget is based on the City’s commitment to assist the 12 regular users of the Civic Theatres that Council has approved for a minimum number of annual “base level” rental uses. The grants are approved in late July of each year for the following fall/spring performing arts season.

The source of funds for the grant to Festival Vancouver is appropriately the “Other” Grants category, for which Council approved a budget ceiling of $450,000 on February 17, 2000. It should be noted, that on February 15, 2000 Council instructed staff to report back on operating budget reductions totalling $7.5 million or 2%. The final outcome of this Budget Management exercise is not yet known; however a pro rata share of this reduction applied to “Other” grants budget could result in a reduction to the grant ceiling of approximately $9,000. Approval of Recommendation A would leave an unallocated balance of $386,125 in the “Other” category pending the outcome of the Budget Management exercise.

CONCLUSION

To address the Vancouver Summer Festival Society’s request for a theatre rental grant, staff are presenting a recommendation for a one-time grant of $63,875, which, like other rental grants, would apply only to actual rental fees, not to taxes, surcharges, cancellation fees, or any other additional costs. Approval of this request, together with the two Project grants mentioned earlier, would bring the City’s total contribution to $71,375.

*****

cs000316.htm

Comments or questions? You can send us email.
[City Homepage] [Get In Touch]

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver