The Economics of Festivals
On a cursory level, my opinion on theatre festivals would undoubtedly be positive. The Toronto Fringe which features over 150 shows with accessible tickets? Incredible. The Festival d’Avignon which brings together work from all over the world? Amazing.
Such festivals’ base concept of celebrating theatre and increasing the reach of stage productions is certainly positive, however the underlying purpose might not be. The main issue with festivals is also their means of existence; they are controlled by their economic needs. As Temple Hauptfleisch lays out in the diagram below, each festival “… has a variety of dynamic forces impinging on it, driving it, shaping the particular (or individual) events, and ultimately vying for supremacy and ownership of the festival as a whole” (Hauptfleisch, 43). The forces are often based around sponsorship, and patronage meaning that the festivals are influenced by more than just an unbiased creative desire.
Similarily, shows often depend on the amount of money they can put into advertising, as seen with the way both Toronto Fringe and Avignon Off Festival have papered their cities with posters. The Festival D’Avignon has a more streamlined look, with a singular logo and poster design advertising the entire festival, due in large part because the are funded by government and corporate groups (http://www.festival-avignon.com/en/partners) rather than being entirely dependent on patronage. However, this means the Festival D’Avignon, like many large festivals, is instead influenced by its large financiers and the programming and message can be affected by this. This can result in a disproportionate number of shows that are more likely to be profitable or popular. For example, “at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival in Scotland, government grants subsidize production that showcase facile versions of ‘national’ culture in order to promote cultural tourism” (McMahon, 3). Even though the Toronto Fringe works on a lottery system such that, supposedly, no economic or political influences determine the festival lineup, the “Best of Fringe” and “Patron’s Pick” both ensure that there is a pressure to create works that will gain popularity. Fringe shows will often try to steer clear of controversy -- almost two thirds of the 2017 Fringe Festival are comedy or dance shows (https://fringetoronto.com) -- while multicultural festivals will attract works that are visual so as to avoid deterring audience members with a language barrier (McMahon, 3). “Paradoxically, then, while international theatre festivals seek a utopian ideal of ‘bringing people together for cultural exchanges,’ the problems inherent in decontextualization, arts markets, and theatre productions that readily circulate actively work against that goal” (McMahon, 4).
This is not to say that festivals should be disbanded, on the contrary; I have experienced incredible shows that I would not have otherwise seen thanks to the festival d’Avignon, and Toronto Fringe provides amazing coverage and opportunity to an incredible number of artists. However, every cultural event can not just been seen for its positives, and one should remember the other forces at play that have lead these shows to exist.
Sources
Hauptfleisch, Temple. “Festivals as Eventifying Systems.” Festivalising!: Theatrical Events, Politics and Culture, edited by Temple Hauptfleisch et al, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007, 39-47.
“Funding Bodies.” Festival d’Avignon, 2017. http://www.festival-avignon.com/en/partners. Accessed 20 July 2017.
Knowels, Richard. Reading the Material Theatre, Cambridge University Press, 2004, 1-23.
McMahon, Christina. Recasting Transnationalism through Performance. 2014, Palgrave Macmillan, 1-34.
“Sponsorship: Companies and Foundations.” Festival d’Avignon, 2017. http://www.festival-avignon.com/en/sponsorship-and-partners.Accessed 13 July 2017.
Toronto Fringe.The Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival, 2017. https://fringetoronto.com. Accessed 13 July 2017.
