Canadian Conservatives and Arts Don't Mix

"Every budding dictatorship begins by muzzling the artists because they're a mouthy lot and they don't line up and salute very easily." -Margaret Atwood

     If Plato was alive, I am sure he never would have let Harper govern Canada. According to Plato, a suitable political leader is someone wise, who is 100% focused on the best interests of the country.
     Harper has, and is still failing in this respect.


What the conservative government has done for the Canadian arts:

• In 2008, the conservative government cut back $45 million in their budget for the arts and culture in Canada. 

• Censorship:  Again in 2008, the government tried to pass Bill C-10 through, that would allow the heritage minister to refuse tax credits to film and television productions that they considered unfit for the public (or contrary to messages that the government was trying to promote).

• In 2012, Bill C-427 was created. Its purpose was to allow artists to average their income over a specific period, in order to allow artists to make use of more tax savings. Artists on average make around $23,000 a year. That's for irregular hours, and doesn't include Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan, which artists aren't currently eligible for.

      Yet Harper is allowing decreases in taxes for major corporations. Figures.  Use all of the artists' money to keep the country running, while at the same time slowly squash the survival rate of artists, in an attempt to smother all the free-thinkers in this country.

     Did you know that in Canada, there are over 1.1 million jobs that are related to arts and culture? Canada's Gross Domestic Product is approximately $1.72 trillion; these jobs contribute to this on average $86 billion.



     We need artists. Artists give a country a sense of pride, and identity.  The arts educate their audiences. Performance and visual art are an integral part of us, touching the innermost parts of our soul. Life would be bland without art.

     People need to realize that Harper's pitting everyone against each other. He's pitting everyone against teachers, making them appear to be greedy. He's pitting everyone against artists. Our ears and eyes are being filled with shallow pop music and television that has no (musical) depth and detrimental messages. He's pitting everyone against those who are the foundations of our society, those who encourage society's growth.


     People ask me why they should care about politics. Because politics controls your way of living. Really, to live a fulfilling life, I think it's really important to take charge of the quality of your life. If you let someone herd you into submission like every other citizen, then you're passing through life like a ghost. What really is the meaning of living then? 

Theatre culture in kw

     There are cities in Ontario that have little to no theatre companies. Kitchener-Waterloo is not one of them. We are really lucky to have a community bubbling with so much talent. Down below, I've listened as a community, our strengths, weaknesses, and how to improve.

Our strengths:

• A plenitude of theatre companies
• No shortage of talented actors
• KW is incredibly full of creative, adventurous ideas

Asphalt Jungle Shorts 2012 - the audience watching a performance in Uptown Waterloo

    If you look really really carefully, there's always art happening in KW. Asphalt Jungle Shorts is an extremely creative production that performs every fall. It involves performing short plays in different outdoor and indoor locations in KW - all in one night. They were even thinking of having people stand on the rooftops in Kitchener and singing, to create the sensation of music washing over the city. Now how more creative can you get? The theatre company running that, Flush Ink Productions, also sends writers into creepy locations overnight, and they have until morning, on their own, to write a short play that is performed a week later in a performance called Unhinged.

     Our government also has paid positions where people work to strengthen the arts community in KW.

Our weaknesses:

• Artists aren't supporting each other enough
• We aren't making the general population take us seriously
• Not enough rehearsal space
• Not enough opportunities to audition for/see Shakespeare productions

    Unfortunately, the arts are still weakening from lack of funding (what's new?). Lost and Found Theatre, the only professional theatre company in the middle of KW, is severely struggling, The Clay and Glass Gallery and KW Symphony almost went bankrupt, and we've lost Theatre & Company.
     Not to mention losing the Kaufman Arts Studio. The Kaufman Arts Studio was started by Rachel Behling and her daughter, Bronte, a few years ago. They renovated an old building right by Charles Street Terminal into a cosy theatre, with a front sitting room full of bookcases and lots of tea. This small theatre provided all types of artists with an inexpensive place to gather together, and it really helped unite the whole arts community in KW. If it weren't for the Kaufman Studio, I myself probably wouldn't have found a chance to try community theatre, and theatre wouldn't have been a part of my life like it is now. This wonderful space was closed down in December 2012.

....Which brings me to my next point. There is a severe lack of rehearsal space in KW. The Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts has a rehearsal hall that costs $800 per day to rent. That's just not feasible when that alone is your revenue from ticket sales, and you're rehearsing from 2 weeks to 4 months, depending on the how.
    
    Most theatre companies anywhere either don't charge the actor, or they even pay the actor, but not in KW. Some youth theatre groups are charging kids $400 just to be in a production. This is a problem. Youth need to be able to gain the experience without having to pay an exorbitant amount of money. 


How to improve:

• We need to increase advertising, and better promote our art to the general public
• We need to band together as one huge, supportive arts community

     Art to many people is listening to mainstream music on the radio, or turning on the tv. We need to compete better with these forms of expression.  In order to thrive, actors and artists in KW need to band together as a collective group, in order to make resources and advice available to everyone, as well as have affordable rehearsal spaces for theatre groups to collaborate and rehearse. There needs to be a give and take with both theatre companies and the general public; if you guys support us and come see our shows, we'll generate the revenue and enthusiasm to build up our arts culture. We need to convince KW that our art is worth seeing (which it is).
    

          Theatre offers inexpensive entertainment. It is a great conversation piece after going out on a date or with friends.  Build your cultured taste, and go support your local theatre companies by seeing their shows.

       Don't forget, almost all of these companies and theatres have a fan page and/or a group on Facebook that will give you updates about shows coming up.  Facebook is usually more updated than their actual websites anyway.
Where to find productions to watch or audition for:
Musical Theatre:
Believe Musical Theatre Productions: http://www.believetheatre.com/
New Hamburg Community Players: http://thecommunityplayers.com/
KW Musical Productions: http://www.kwmp.ca/
Drayton Entertainment:  https://www.draytonentertainment.com/Online/default.asp
Singer's Theatre: http://thesingerstheatre.ca

If you're new to theatre, start here:
KW Youth Theatre: http://kwyouththeatre.com/
Growing in the Arts: http://www.growinginthearts.com/
JM Drama Youth Ensemble: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JM-Drama-Youth-Ensemble/142774295769093?fref=ts


If you have experience in theatre, look at these (as well as all the other companies):
Flush Ink Productions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlushInk/?ref=ts&fref=ts
Standard Deviation Theatre: http://standarddeviationtheatre.wordpress.com/
KW Little Theatre: http://kwlt.org/index.php
Lost and Found Theatre: https://www.facebook.com/LostAndFoundTheatre
Lightning Banjo Productions: https://www.facebook.com/lightningbanjo

Places to see theatre for an affordable price (usually $10-$15):

The MT Space: http://www.mtspace.ca/venues/courtyard-bonnie-stuart-studio-space
Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts: http://kwsymphony.ca/conradcentre/
The Registry Theatre: http://www.registrytheatre.com/

Other centers for the arts:
The Button Factory: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Button-Factory-Waterloo-Community-Arts-Centre/139968309387419?fref=ts
Clay and Glass Gallery: http://www.theclayandglass.ca/
Waterloo Potter's Workshop: http://www.waterloopotters.ca/
Homer Watson Gallery: http://www.homerwatson.on.ca/
Chrysalids Theatre: https://www.facebook.com/TheChrysalids
Multicultural Cinema Club: http://www.theworkingcentre.org/multicultural-cinema-club/171

and much more....I haven't even covered music schools.

Images: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10150860997777231&type=1

    Thanks to Alex and Anne Marie for their insight.