A new Government of Canada funded program is aiming to help support the arts in Western Canada, and get audiences back in front of live theatre and music performances.
The Prairie Live Arts campaign is a collation effort between 13 arts organizations from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrariesCan), and The Show and Tell Agency.
The half-million dollar effort is cross-promoting the artistic productions and musical performances of the organizations—including those of Theatre Calgary, Vertigo Theatre, Calgary Opera, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra—through a single arts portal website, and through multi-channel print, television, and online advertising.
“We’re seeing good audiences at the Calgary Philharmonic, but I know many colleagues across the prairies aren’t seeing a strong enough audience growth since the lock-downs and the pandemic. So, this is really intended to stimulate that, and get people coming back to live arts,” said Marc Stevens, CEO of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Stevens, along with his counterparts Larry Desrochers, General Director and CEO for Manitoba Opera, and Heather Ervin, Director of Development and Community Engagement for the Globe Theatre in Regina, have been acting as the principal spokespersons for the new campaign.
Stevens said the benefits extended beyond the immediate economic benefit of supporting the arts, which is the primary reason that PrairiesCan got involved in the campaign.
Downtown rejuvenation, retention of critical arts infrastructure, employment of Canadians in the arts, and ripple effects that lead to community improvement were all cited as reasons for the Prairie Live Arts campaign.
“This isn’t just about getting back to pre-pandemic levels. Of course, we would love to go way beyond that. Costs are rising, the funding, even from government, continues to present challenges, and we need to continue all of our efforts to to attract new audiences and really be part of our communities here and serve as many people as possible,” he said.
“There’s always more folks that we can reach. We always want to sell more tickets. We always want to be presenting what we do to more and more people across our communities.”
Other benefits for the “large tree” organizations like the Calgary Philharmonic, was that the central employment that they provide for artists and artistic staff helps to provide for the entire ecosystem of the arts, he said.
“A good example recently with The Play That Goes Wrong that Theatre Calgary was presenting. It was coming down to us from Edmonton, where the Citadel had been presenting it, and it was moving across to Winnipeg, where the Manitoba Theater Company was presenting it next. So, that’s a wonderful collaboration on a project that couldn’t have been done by any individual company,” Stevens said.
“It’s the same again, to use our Calgary example, the Calgary Philharmonic plays for the Calgary Opera, and we very much rely on each other in that way. We play for the Nutcracker for Alberta Ballet. It’s the same in other cities where the orchestra is working closely with those other organizations.”
Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, Dan Vandal, said that the government funding was helping to rebuild the performing arts sector in multiple communities.
“Arts and culture organizations enrich our lives, create jobs, boost tourism and support local businesses. Encouraging customers to return and rediscover the vibrant performing arts scene across the Prairies helps benefit entire communities.”
The Prairie Live Arts campaign is set to run until early December, and can be viewed online at explorelivearts.ca.
