Making performing arts available to all and why that’s important
Editorial by Tim Yerxa, Executive Director, Fredericton Playhouse Inc.
The part of my job that I’m most proud of – and that gives our whole team the most joy – is making live performances available to everyone in the community, no matter their circumstance.
Our vision at Fredericton Playhouse Inc. is a community strengthened by live performance. That’s important to us because we believe that performing arts gives people a sense of connectedness and allows for sharing of ideas, which leads to solving societal challenges. As our region evolves into a larger, more diverse, more internationally connected community, it’s essential that we provide cultural experiences that spark our imagination, creating new bridges of understanding and providing new perspectives on the world.
It all adds up to a better quality of life. And that’s important to provide for everyone in our community.
The community access programs that have been a staple at the Playhouse for many years have been doing just that. Thanks to our community-based business model and donors and sponsors who provide above-and-beyond funding, we offer many opportunities for free and reduced-price shows and reduce barriers for both patrons and artists alike.
Our Arts are for Everyone program offers complimentary tickets to performances so that everyone has the ability to access and experience the magical world of the performing arts. Over 800 tickets/year are distributed through many local community organizations, such as the Multicultural Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Fredericton Food Bank, Transition House and more.
Our School Field Trip program includes a matinée performance and backstage Playhouse tours designed to expose students to the magic of live, professional performing arts. The series offers 4-7 performances per year for students from kindergarten to Grade 12, including bus subsidies to help schools with the cost of transportation.
Our Spotlight Series and Kidstage Series offers numerous shows every season that are “pay-what-you-will”, and have introduced the arts to many individuals and families who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience it.
The InterMISSION Artist Residency Program, which allows professional artists the chance to work and hone their craft in our theatre space and with theatre professionals for free, helps them grow and thrive in a way they would not otherwise be able to. It helps local talent to fast-track their career and gives them a stage in their own backyard.
Now, at this critical growth period in our history, we aim to double or even triple the number of people we are able to serve through our community access programs. This kind of growth will require a civic footprint that offers a spectacular and innovative hub where people can come together cross-culturally to share experiences, express creativity, and connect with one another.
That space will be the new Performing Arts Centre – and it is where the magic will continue in a new and even greater way.
The impact that a venue such as this can make in our region – not only the Capital Region but all along our river valleys and beyond – is tremendous. It will give us a greater capacity to reduce barriers, financial and otherwise, to attending a live performance for a larger portion of the population. It will foster the growth of the local performing arts scene. And it will position us as an intelligent region attracting and retaining talent, contributing to the economy and enriching our culture and sense of connectedness.
This project – and the expansion of access programs within it – will be an important piece of the artistic, cultural, social and economic ecology of New Brunswick, both urban and rural. It will play a defining role in our future. I’m humbled and thrilled to be a part of it.
Join us in creating more magic! Support the Encore! campaign on the Performing Arts Centre website.
