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Home My WebLink AboutCSD-09-024 - 2009/2010 Tier 2 Grant Request - Magnetic North Theatre Festival1 KiTC~~R Community Services Report To: community Services ornn~ittee Date of Meeting: ~ March 0, ~0~9 Submitted By: Pauline Wauston, general Manager, community Services prepared By: Ingrid Pregel, Manager, cultural Development ~ext~ 383 V~ard~s}Involved: NIA Date of Report: March 23, ~OOg Report Na.: LSD-a9-a~4 Subject: MAGNETIC NORTH THEATRE FESTIVAL GRANT REC~MIVIEIVDATION: That ~ grant of 4~,25D from the Tier ~ grants pawl in each of the ~0~~ and ~a~D budget years far Magnetic North Theatre festival be approved. BA K R~ U N D : ~n June 1~, ZOaB the pities of Kitchener and 1Naterloo announced their successful bid to host the Magnetic North Theatre Festival in June ~4~~. This highly acclaimed national festival of contemporary Canadian theatre in English will bring 10 days of theatre from across the country to the Kitchener-~JVateriao area in 2a~0. The festival will also feature industry events, panels and master classes, readings of new plays and celebrity speakers. I~Citchener Vlfaterloo was avuarded the festival following a competitive bidding process, which saw several cities from across the country throw their hat in the ring. The media release captured the fallowing comment from Ken Cameron, Magnetic North's artistic director "Kitchener-vllaterloo's bad knocked our sacks off: the city has demonstrated exceptional municipal support and a vibrant local theatrical scene. I#Ile're sa pleased they are hosting us in 2~ ~ a." The KIN Bid orrimittee, in preparing its bid far the ~0~ a Magnetic North Theatre Festival identified a potential local gavernrnent contribution of ~5a,a~a over a two year period -- prir~arily dash but also in-kind services. The remainder is expected to be raised through in~kind donations, grants, sponsorships and fundraising events, The 2~a,aa4 is anticipated to be a shared investment, as follov~rs: City of Kitchener 8~,~4~ pity of ~Illateriao 41,~~~ Region of 1Jllaterlaa ~ ~,Oaa The Local Advisory Committee for IUlagnetic Nar#h Theatre Festival submitted a grant application for the Tier 2 grants process. The Pear staff Review Committee far the Tier 2 grants process determined the request was outside the scope of Tier ~ grants and forwarded the request to the general Manager of Community services. Based on the balance of investments across the various types of services provided by Tier ~ organi~atians in previous years, and the recent lass of live theatre programming in the community through the closure of King street Theatre Centre, staff recommends allocating 41,0 from the Tier 1 grants pool in each of ~gOg and 2g~ g to the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. REPORT The municipalities of l~itchener and vVaterloa have identified support far the arts and the promotion of a creative community as being publio policy objectives. The Region of 1Naterfoo has also identified its role in .the arks and the pramctian of the creative community. The public policy objectives are based in the need far a creative culture far urban centres and for the economic and social benefits that flag from that creative culture, both in the chart and longer terms, Business leaders in the region have also endorsed the creative community through the Prosperity Council and its l asperity forurr~ in epternber ~aa8. . The Magnetic North Theatre Festival will have casts of approximately 1 ~l million. This amount includes bot#~ the necessary overhead casts of the corporation, artistic and related expenses, production expenses, and the specific casts associated with a host community. Approximately $~a~,00a needs to be raised at the IocaJ level to assist in the overall costs of the Festival, This figure includes the following estimates 1=aciiity costs - g0,gg0 Festival management - 4~,OOg • Production expenses - 1~~,~gg • Front of House ~ $~O,gaO • ympasium, workshops and similar activities - 88,Ogg These amounts represent largely the costs that will be incurred in the host community as part of the overall festival, although not an adollar-far-dollar basis. The K I~id Comrnittee, in preparing its bid for the ~0~ g IUlagnetic North Theatre Festival, identified a potential local government contribution of ~ba,0aa over a two year period - primarily cash but also in-kind services. The remainder i expected to be raised through in~kind donations, grants, sponsorships and fundraising events. The KVI~ Advisory Committee is of the view that a ,contribution of 2ba,a0a from. the municipal and regional governments is consistent with both other bast communities and with similar activities. overall, it represents a fair contribution to a festival that has the potential to be a catalytic event, The K Advisory Committee proposes that the ~~a,a00 be provided aver ~ budget years ~~gg9 and ~g~g} and that the Legion of IlVaterioo, City of Kitchener and City of vllaterloo share this investment. The City of llvaterloo has committed to 4~,~a over this two year time frame. Lased on approxir~ate population ratios, the Festival's Local Advisory Committee is seeking B~,Oa aver two years from the City of Kitchener, ar 4~ ,~5g in each of ~0~ and 20~ g. The Committee will be seeking support from the Regional IUlunicipality of vvaterlao in the amount of ~ ~~,agg aver two years. It is tl~e catalytic potential that is important from a public policy perspective. In addition to the usual considerations, such as enhanced national exposure, improver~ent to audience development, tourism dollars and so forth, there are other potential benefits that justify the public participation, These benefits could include the follovwring; • Establishment of a festival management infrastructure that gill be independent of the two municipalities and region but which gill be in a position to provide ongoing, consistent festival management services to other festivals in Kitchener-vVaterloo, including Uptown Jazz, Kitchener Blues, Buskers and similar arts and culture festivals. The intention would be to develop are ongoing festival infrastructure that can contract for the delivery of the festival management services. This festival management services corporation would provide a level of planning and operational expertise, the lack of which has hampered the development of festivals in Kitchener-waterloo; • Infrastructure improvements to various venues and community organi~atians, such as The Registry Theatre, which will assist in longer term development of the creative carnmunity; • Development of other festivals and activities surrounding the June 20~ 0 Magnetic North Theatre Festival that will highlight the vibrancy of the I~w area and allow fora "Festival Year" -starting with the Impact Festival in September X009 and continuing through to ktoberfest in October ~a10. Principles: • Municipal funding cash and in-kind} will be primarily used for costs associated with the production and management of the festival at the local level; , • Festival management will be carried out by a corporate entity that will be a legacy project, liven the irnparkance of festival management to the success of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, senior staff of the Festival gill be involved in the hiring of locally- based individuals for the management of the Theatre Festival and measures will be in place to ensure that it is the priority; • Applications far funding far the remainder of the cash and in-kind contributions will be made to businesses and foundations that wi11 not conflict with the Theatre Festival's applications to anada council, Heritage Canada, and sa forth. The purpose is to ensure that there is coordination and to avoid competition for the same dollar. The Kw Advisory committee will, therefore, focus its funding requests to achieve longer term community objectives to ~i} lacally~based businesses and faundatians such as Kitchener vva#erloo community Foundation}, iii}where is a local decision-rr~aking process such as ~ntaria Trillium Foundation} or viii} different programs of national fenders; • K1N Advisory omn~ittee will establish or assist in the establishment of a festival management entity, and make application for funding assistance as a longer term project; • I Advisory Committee and Theatre Festival staff will coordinate and cooperate in efforts to attract new sponsors with a significant K11V base {such as Research in Motion, Manulife, unlife, M&M Meats} for the ~~~ D Festival who will continue to support the Theatre Festival aver a longer period; ~(w Advisory Corr~mittee will work with community and performing arts organizations in waterloo Region to develop infrastructure projects that could be focused on the Magnetic North Theatre Festival and other festivals during that period. The intention would be to use this opportunity to achieve other public policy and community objectives, such as completion of 1~C11VLT veneer improvements to The Registry Theatre, ICTC and CITE, and so Earth; ~ ~Cw Advisory Committee will work with new tourism corporation and other entities to coordinate the festival year and to maximize tourism and local ecanor~ic opportunities. ~~1~IUIUNICATIDhl: The Cities, the Region and tl~e University of vVaterlao have collaborated in submitting the successful bid to host Magnetic hlarth Theatre Festival. The business comaunity has been ~nvit~d to several receptions to participate in advance events for the Festival, and will be approached for sponsorships, in kind support and other contributions beginning in April ~aa, support from the Municipalities will play a key leadership rate in bringing commitments from these other partners. . FINANCIAL II~IIPLICATI~N: Tier 1 grants poo! for ~~~9 has already been approved by Council. subject to approval by Council, the X010 Tier 'i grants pool will be based an the ~QD9 pool end the 41,~~0 commitment would be carried forward. C~NCLUI~N: Audience development i a key need outlined in Culture Plan 11 Norkh Theatre Festival is known far the legacy it leaves behind existing audiences excited by world class theatre, by the community. Magnetic ~ bast communities; new and