Skip to main content

Public Theater and Community Development in Detroit

 In 2017, the arts – including performance arts, museums, fine arts schools, motion pictures, photography, and more – contributed $877.8 billion to the nation’s total gross domestic product (GDP). Of that amount, performing arts companies accounted for $14 billion to the United States economy. These figures represent the significant economic value of the performing arts, which includes theater. Theater also provides an important escape from the world while teaching life lessons. Although most people think New York City is the primary home of the American theater industry, theater can be a tool for development in communities all around the country.

Public theater, which can span from regional to community theater, offers accessible means to theater performances while providing opportunities to engage the local community in events and programming. Furthermore, theater can stimulate economies through investing, ticket sales, and job creation. However, theaters face substantial operational challenges due to budgetary constraints, stage space, and access to theatrical works.

Although job creation accounts for an important portion of the financial contributions of the industry, job sustainability and wage equity can be a challenge for small theaters.[1] The securing of theater space can also impose a financial burden on a smaller theater company. One example is the Detroit Public Theater (DPT), which opened in 2015 without its own theater to call home. It took DPT seven years to open its own black box theater, but prior to that DPT had to secure $200,000 in funding and use space in the Max M. Fisher Music Center. Although the new location adds economic pressure to the company, it also creates a space for the company to maintain a relationship with the community throughout the year regardless of when they have performances.

One of the most valuable tools that public theaters have to develop a predominant role in a community is job creation. Once a permanent location has been established, a company needs employees to help execute the overall mission. Public theaters, like DPT, can also use employment to create opportunities for artists to advance their talents. As it establishes formal programming and jobs, public theater companies should always remember that a goal of a public theater is to encourage community engagement and contribute jobs in an industry that is historically expensive and inaccessible.

 Theater and Employment

The National Governors Association has recognized that creative industries “provide direct economic benefits to states and communities,” and one of these benefits is the creation of jobs.[2] The sheer quantity of available jobs in theater makes it an exciting industry to seek opportunities. Even though there might be a high number of jobs available, public theater companies might not be able to afford to pay competitive, stable wages. If a company cannot afford these wages, then certain people might be prohibited from entering the workforce. Accordingly, it is important to evaluate the implications of employment in nonprofit theater and offer creative solutions.

The lack of protection for theater employees has created inequities in the industry where some wealthy producers take advantage of cast and crew members. Members of a production can be forced to spend grueling hours working without receiving sufficient compensation, even with federal labor and employment standards in place.[3] Despite the industry practices, public theater should be a driving force for change to show that productions can be executed without forcing the cast and crew to risk their financial stability for the sake of the production. One way that public theaters can try to find this balance is through residency programs.

 The Residency Program

Theaters can create opportunities through residency programs in which artists are given full access to the spaces and resources of a theater to produce work or practice their skills for a defined period. These programs are not typically full-time employment positions. Instead, a theater will bring the artist on board as an independent entity, while providing full access to the theater’s resources. DPT, for example, launched a residency and partnership program for the 2022-23 season. This kind of program is an effort to give local Detroit artists an opportunity to engage with the company and establish a community of artists with resources to explore their work.[4] The fully subsidized DPT residency provides artists with access to resources in a theater that are otherwise difficult to obtain, including a stage, equipment, and staff.[5]

Hosting residency programs can be costly and impose a financial burden on public theaters. Immediately upon obtaining its own space, DPT established a residency program to support only one fully subsidized artist with a term of up to thirty-five hours over five days. This limited time shows the types of restrictions that nonprofit theaters face because of the financial constraints of the theater industry. As theaters like DPT consider how to execute more substantive residency programs and create longer term employment opportunities, it is vital for them to consider how to access diverse funding to secure financial stability. Otherwise, these programs are not feasible for public theaters to sustain on their own.

As public theaters consider how to create jobs that provide financial stability while allowing creatives to work on their craft, theater companies should keep in mind that they have an obligation to both produce high quality productions but also be a resource for the surrounding community. Jobs are one resource that companies have to stimulate economic growth in communities, and public theaters should be looking for ways to provide job security to artists.

By: Jacqueline Diggs 

[1] Shelley Attadgie, Combating the Actor’s Sacrifice: How to Amend Federal Labor Law to Influence the Labor Practices of Theaters and Incentivize Actors to Fight for Their Rights, 40 Cardozo L. Rev. 1045, 1046-47 (2019). http://cardozolawreview.com/actors-sacrifice-amend-labor-law/

[2] National Governors Association, Arts & the Economy, Using Arts and Culture to Stimulate State Economic Development, https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Redevelopment/0901arts_economy_nga.pdf

[3] Shelley Attadgie, Combating the Actor’s Sacrifice: How to Amend Federal Labor Law to Influence the Labor Practices of Theaters and Incentivize Actors to Fight for Their Rights, 40 Cardozo L. Rev. 1045, 1046-47 (2019). http://cardozolawreview.com/actors-sacrifice-amend-labor-law/

[5] Id.

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

A Breakdown of Fair Use

Is your small business trying to spruce up your website by adding some new pictures? Want to raise money for your nonprofit by hosting a community movie night? Trying to update your marketing materials with a brand-new promotional video with cool background music? If so, you could be opening yourself up to potential copyright lawsuits and should read up on the doctrine of fair use! An important aspect of starting a small business or nonprofit is exposure, and as organizations work to market themselves and increase awareness of their goals and activities in the communities they serve, they could open themselves up to legal danger. Litigation is expensive, and the cost can be especially devastating to small businesses and nonprofits. In all promotional or informational materials (including brochures, flyers, websites, etc.), organizations need to be sure that they are legally protected from copyright infringement claims.   What is Fair Use? Fair use is a legal doctrine that per...
Read more

The Bankruptcy Code and Black Business Owners: An Overview on the Racial Disparities that Exist in Bankruptcy Proceedings

"sisyphus paradox."   by   percipio symphony   is licensed under   CC BY 2.0   In a recent podcast for Bloomberg Law, University of Texas at Austin School law professor Mechele Dickerson discussed how the Bankruptcy Code favors white debtors over Black or Latino ones in various ways. [i]   Interviewer : “Is there a racist element in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code?” Professor Dickerson : “Intentional? No. But if you look at the way the Code is structured for human beings that file for bankruptcy, there are clear biases and it so happens that these biases favor a certain profile which I have called in the past an ideal debtor…” [ii]   This is a reality that has not gotten much attention in legal and business communities. Although there have been dozens of studies that have found Black debtors file for bankruptcy disproportionately more than other racial groups (yet get less permanent relief) there has been no definitive answer presented as to why. [iii] ...
Read more

Pursuing Microfinancing as a Small Business in Michigan

  Do you need access to proper funding to get your business off the ground? Small business owners can secure funding via loans from traditional financial institutions; however, microfinancing is another option that could be the right choice for your business. While the term “microfinance” might evoke images of rural women’s collectives in developing countries, microlending is a real option for small business owners throughout Michigan and has a long and storied history in the United States. Sometimes, a business just does not qualify for a traditional loan because it is too new or too small. In that case, microfinance can help you access the funding you need to continue your business operations. What are Microloans? Microloans are typically offered in amounts up to $50,000 and provide funding to underserved entrepreneurs, such as women, veterans, and entrepreneurs of color. They are available through certain nonprofit, community-based organizations that are experienced in lendi...
Read more