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Photo: ANP
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An additional 19.5 million euros must be added annually for the performing arts, for producers, but also for festivals throughout the country. This is what the organization The United Performing Arts Festivals calculated, which hopes that the House of Representatives will come to the rescue. Subsidized festivals are affiliated with the interest club.
The cabinet has already presented support packages to alleviate the need caused by the corona crisis. According to De United Podiumkunstenfestival, that was “obviously great”, but that “does not, however, guarantee the structure in the long term.”
In order to keep the performing arts afloat in the various regions and to offer new companies a future at the same time, the club believes it is necessary to provide financial support to all the companies judged to be well-rated by the Performing Arts Fund. Now there is no money for certain companies that are nevertheless appreciated by the Fund, which has had less to spend. Especially in this corona crisis they have “no plan B”. To provide relief here, 15.8 million per year is needed, the organization calculated.
The Council for Culture, which advises on who should receive a direct subsidy from the government, assessed many more festivals as positive than the eight that can hope for a financial contribution from the national pot. Those eight also did not receive all the requested funding. With 1.7 million, a lot of suffering can be alleviated here.
Moreover, there should certainly be room for fifteen festivals in total. The association emphasizes that many people only become acquainted with performing arts at festivals. For the time being, another 2 million should be allocated to other festivals, although fifteen can never be served with them, says the interest group, which also understands that not everything is possible at the moment.
On Budget Day it becomes clear what the government will adopt from the cultural subsidy recommendations and in November the House of Representatives will meet about it. In addition to financing, there is also a lot of discussion about the system as it is now. Many think that it is due for renewal, including MPs.
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