funding application time!

So, it has come to that wonderful time of the year when funding applications are looming and I was silly enough to put my hand up at the Upstart board meeting and along with a colleague say in our most valiant voices "Never fear! We shall be the funding acquisition officers for the year". Then it dawned on me... How do I pitch Shakespeare to an arts body like the DCA? I don't suppose it will suffice to say "Its shakespeare, do you need another reason?" and I don't suppose they are going to be interested in reading my thesis entitled "Shakespeare: of course he's relevant you DUMB ARSE". So how does one widdle down an answer to one of the most grandiose of academic questions, "Is Shakespeare still relevant and culturally significant?" to a nice neat one page? What's more important however is asking whether Shakespeare is actually worth funding at all? I mean sure it will deffinitely get bums on seats... even if you do reduce it down to a rediculous play school pantomime... but are we in here in WA able to say something worthwhile whilst interpreting the works of the Bard. It has all been done before, hasn't it? No one in W.A. could bring anything new to an old work... Could they? Look, i'm not going to carry on talking down to you or being snide with some self satisfying attempt at satire. The point of my argument is I have no clue how to market free shakespeare to a funding body like the DCA because I do not see scope within the prescriptors to make the production fit the category. Maybe i'm being unimaganitive or am just scared at trying to do this but I just can't find an angle to attack it from yet. Someone asked me why we did and are going to continue to do our shakespeare's for free and the answer is very simple. Audience exposure! I want new audiences in the theatre but you have to give them a reason to go and making it free is a damn good reason because they figure if they don't like it they haven't lost anything but if they do like it... Well there's the donation box at the end (which people were very generous in giving to after Taming of the Shrew) but also it is my hope that the audience will then come to see our other shows that are not for free. Why? Because they have had a free sample of theatre and now they want to try more! Then when that audience base is strong enough you can expand their horizons with something "artistic" and why can you do this because they trust the company! What I am essentially telling you is the secret that I hope will make upstart a resounding success in this town. In the end I want a company that is financially succesful, professional and still artistic and experimental. I believe it can be done and I can also tell you that in 10 or 15 years when we have achieved this there will still be a free production of Shakespeare at Woodlake amphitheatre, Ellenbrook. Yet, none of it will happen unless we can get some funding support... I hope you see gentle readers the catch 22 situation that not only we but the rest of Perth's artistic community is in. People will attend theatre they expect to enjoy and know something about (for example a shakespeare)they will not however take a risk on an unkown company (especially given the current financial state of affairs) with something they know nothing about or is unheard of, well at least not the majority of people. If they trust the brand name they're more likely to try something new from the same brand but without giving them what they want how do we grow the brand name to start with? And there I am again. I want to grow and build trust in the Upstart brand name but I cannot do it without putting on productions and I cannot put on productions without money and I will not get money to start with by taking the safe bet that I know will get bums on seats and grow the brand name. ARGH! I think I'm rambling. I hope to prove myself completely wrong by the way and get some support from DCA as I shall still be applying and I certainly won't be upset if I don't get it because I'll understand why but... yeah, I think you get me. Oh and if anyone disagrees I whole heartedly encourage you to let me know because quite frankly I'm sick of everyone (myself included) being so pessimistic (sp?)(I seem to have lost my spelling and grammar skills since leaving uni) about the theatre arts industry in WA (I think I just heard about fifty of you cry out "what f****ing theatre industry?). Righto /end ramble