An evaluation of the transformation process in the performing arts councils in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The Performing Arts Councils (PACs) have been the primary recipients ofnational public funding for the performing arts, accounting for nearly half of thearts and culture budget of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science andTechnology (DACST). They had to be restructured in order to free publicresources for allocation to other disciplines and areas in need of redress. The fourPACs addressed in this study are The Playhouse Company (Durban), Artscape(Cape Town), PACOFS (Bloemfontein), and the Spoornet State Theatre(Pretoria). The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not the PACshad achieved the transformation goals as defined by DACST. The research wasapproached from a qualitative perspective to ensure that as much nuancedinformation as possible was collected within a limited timeframe and financialconstraints. Where necessary, as in analysis of staff and expenditure, quantitativeanalyses were undertaken.The study found that the process of converting PACs to playhouses had beeninconsistently implemented, although some of the PACs had come a long way intransforming themselves. Funding was obtained from government subsidies, NACfunding for specific projects, sponsorships, and other minor sources of incomesuch as box office sales. Traditional forms of the performing arts, specificallyopera and ballet, still accounted for a large portion of the total expenditure. PACshave had considerable difficulty in obtaining provincial and local governmentsupport, or adequate business sector support to make them viable as stand-aloneentities. None of the PACs has been able to secure sustainable funding on areliable basis to meet their requirements.DACST regards the implementation of a Community Arts Development (CAD)component and the establishment of the NAC as essential for an equitable artsdispensation in the country. CAD is meant to provide education andempowerment of people from previously disadvantaged communities, access toPAC venues and NAC funding, and awareness and outreach programmes. TheCAD component varies substantially from PAC to PAC.The White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage recognises that the future of artsand cultural expression lies in the development of new audiences and markets.Audience development and facilitating access to venues has been left to the PACs,with little effect in some cases.The transformation of the staff profile of PACs to reflect the demographics oftheir provinces has been achieved.As the resultsof the study show each PAC took it upon itself to transform itself inits own way. As a result, transformation by the various PACs was found notalways to be in line with the imperatives contained in the White Paper on Arts,Culture and Heritage (DACST, 1996).

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University