'A bit of a desperate time': As costs rise, professional theatre companies survive rather than thrive

As the lights drop and the chatter dulls, a spotlight illuminates a front-of-house manager standing centre stage. 

The audience listens as they're welcomed to the show, asked to turn off their cellphones and reminded that one way to ensure that professional theatre continues in Vancouver is to donate.

Fundraising from patrons has a long tradition in the arts. But now more than ever, professional theatre companies are becoming more vocal in soliciting donations. 

Audiences might see a video pitch before the show reminding them to donate or find actors in costume at the theatre's exit with a donation box in hand.

CBC News spoke with three professional theatre companies about the difficulty of producing theatre in Vancouver, as both the city and production costs become more expensive.

Box office revenue

"It's a bit of a desperate time, to be honest," says Katey Wright, the artistic producer of Patrick Street Productions, a company that produces professional musicals in both Vancouver and New Westminster, some with budgets north of $200,000.

She recalls seeing a professional production this year where the theatre company had three separate pitches to the audience during the span of one show.

"It kind of really shocked me," she says.

And she admits her own company has asked for donations during a pre-show speech.

She says most people don't realize that ticket sales don't come close to covering production costs. Box office revenue  makes up about 30 per cent of a production's budget with the rest from various levels of government and direct donations.

"We would absolutely not be able to do what we do [without that funding]," she says.

Neworld Theatre's artistic director Chelsea Haberlin agrees that ticket sales don't play a significant part.

"You can not put up a play with only presentation fees or ticket sales, it's completely impossible," she says.

Public funding falls behind

In the 1970s, there was a huge push toward public funding for the arts through programs like the Canada Council for the Arts, but Haberlin says that the funding doesn't always keep up with Vancouver's rising costs.

In her past six  years with Neworld, Haberlin says her company has seen very little, if any, increase from either the B.C. Art's Council or at the municipal level. And she says funding from the Canada Council for the Arts flatlined for a long period before a recent increase, an injection she says was vitally helpful.

And Wright agrees.

 "The degree of support that was available in the 1970s and '80s is absolutely gone," she says. "Costs continue to go up and funding doesn't."

It isn't all grim

One company that hasn't shied away from asking for public donations is arguably one of Canada's largest not-for-profit theatre companies. The Arts Club operates three theatres across the city and has more than 20 productions listed for its 2020 season.

Artistic Director Ashlie Corcoran says around 12.5 per cent of the company's overall budget comes from public donations.

 "I really do feel supported by [the audience]," she says.

She says that fundraising allows the Arts Club to subsidize its ticket prices, as well as to develop new plays and artists and education programs.

However, unlike most companies, she says a large portion of the operating budget is generated through box office revenue. A further eight  per cent comes from government funding. 

Is it sustainable?

Although many companies may only be surviving financially, the three women agree Vancouver's theatre scene is thriving artistically.

 "The best-kept secret about Vancouver is just how vibrant arts and culture are," says Corcoran.

And though it requires a constant fundraising hustle, Haberlin believes people will continue to create important theatre.

"It's on the back of workaholics that it remains sustainable," she laughs.