ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: March 12, 1996
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT: Grants Equal to Theatre Rent - Spring 1996 Update
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council confirm its previous approval of 11 rental
grants for uses of the Civic Theatres in Spring 1996,
including an adjustment to the Vancouver Symphony's grant,
for a total of $909,775, as listed in Table 1; source of
funds to be the 1996 Cultural Grants budget.
B. THAT Council cancel the 39 base level uses of the Vancouver
Playhouse allocated to Festival Concert Society, which is no
longer operating.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services submits A and B for
CONSIDERATION.
COUNCIL POLICY
In 1979 and again in 1983, City Council affirmed the principle that
Grants Equal to Theatre Rent are provided to cultural organizations
that use the Civic Theatres every year and have been assigned an
annual "base level" of theatre rental uses by Council.
Council approved the current process for Grants Equal to Rent on July
27, 1995. This provides 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 accordance with the process Council established last year, this is
the first of two annual reports on Grants Equal to Theatre Rent. It
recommends that Council confirm the rental grants for Spring 1996 that
it approved in principle on July 27, 1995, and notes that the
recommended amount has been decreased to reflect changes in activity.
DISCUSSION
On February 1, 1996, Council approved a Grants Equal to Theatre Rent
budget of $1,463,805 for the calendar year 1996. After reviewing the
12 rental grants that Council approved in principle last July for
Spring 1996, staff are recommending that 10 of these grants be
approved as originally allocated; that the Vancouver Symphony
Orchestra's grant be reduced to reflect a revised performance
schedule; and that the grant to Festival Concert Society be cancelled,
since the Society is no longer operating.
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
The change in the number of Orpheum uses the VSO needs for Spring 1996
represents a reduction by one matinee and two evening concerts, for a
total of $18,700. The revised rental grant would amount to $361,750,
as indicated in Table 1.
Festival Concert Society
Since July 1995, when Council approved an $18,700 rental grant to
Festival Concert Society for Spring 1996, the organization has ceased
operations. Grants Equal to Rent for Sunday Coffee Concerts in the
Vancouver Playhouse were the City's only support for the Society,
whose activities also included training, tour co-ordination, and
performances outside Vancouver.
In view of Festival Concert Society's demise, staff recommend the
formal cancelation of the society's 39 base level uses of the
Vancouver Playhouse.
CONCLUSION
As indicated in Table 1, following, approval of the 11 recommendations
would reduce the total rental grant allocation for Spring 1996 from
$947,175 to $909,775, leaving an unallocated balance of $554,030 in
the 1996 rental grants budget.
TABLE 1
Spring 1996 Grants Equal to Rent
Originally Final
Organization Approved Recommendation
Academy of Music $18,700 $18,700
Ballet B.C. 34,000 34,000
Coastal Jazz & Blues Society 6,800 6,800
Festival Concert Society 18,700 0
Friends of Chamber Music 9,375 9,375
Music in the Morning 1,875 1,875
Vancouver Bach Choir 19,700 19,700
Vancouver Chamber Choir 17,000 17,000
Vancouver Opera 164,225 164,225
Vancouver Playhouse Co. 257,125 257,125
Vancouver Recital Society 19,225 19,225
Vancouver Symphony 380,450 361,750
TOTAL $947,175 $909,775
Approval of the recommendations in this report will complete the
rental grant process for the 1995/96 season. The next report on
Grants Equal to Rent, which will review applicants' requests for
1996/97, is scheduled for July 1996, after Civic Theatres' new rental
rates have been set and applicants have completed their plans for the
season.
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