Download Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia

Asian Arts Theater
Research on the Actual Condition
of Performing Arts in Asia
Contents
Ⅰ. Purpose and Methodology of Research ·
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·1
1. Background and Purpose of Research ·
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·1
2. Subject of Research and Methodology ·
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Ⅱ. Current Situation of Performing Arts in Asia ·
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1. A few issues ·
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2. The Current Situations of Performing Arts of 12 Countries ·
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Ⅲ. Countries' States ·
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1. States in terms of Statistical point of view ·
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A. Performing Arts in Korea ·
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B. Statistics on Performing Arts in China ·
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·46
C. The Current Status of Performing Arts in Taiwan ·
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D. Singapore ·
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2. States in terms of Critical point of view ·
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E. An Analysis of the Performing Arts Environment in Japan ·
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F. The Current State of the Performing Arts in Malaysia ·
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G. Performing Arts Groups, Venues, Festival and Supporting
Organizations in Vietnam ·
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·147
H. The State of the Performing Arts in India ·
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I. Kingdom of Cambodia A General Overview of the Performing Arts ·
J. The Current State of Thailand's Performing Arts Scene ·
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K. Performing arts of Pakistan ·
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·245
L. The Performing Arts Scene in the Philippines ·
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·262
◆ Purpose and Methodology of Research
Ⅰ. Purpose and Methodology of Research
1. Background and Purpose of Research
A. Why Asia?
What does international exchange and interactions imply for culture and arts?
Throughout the human history, major culture and civilizations have evolved from not
only internal development of one's own culture but intercultural interaction for
reinventing selves, absorbing other cultures and eventually enriching one's own
inherited goodness, which actually means dialectical development. The Silk Road, for
instance, played a role of spreading different cultures, rather than just of trading
route. Traders downloaded their culture to unexplored cities and uploaded new
culture there, and spread it according to their traveling route. Now in the modern
times, the role of then‐traders is shouldered on artists.
For Korea, cultural exchanges have been largely concentrated on Europe, Japan
and North America. Meanwhile, even with Asian nations that share the common
cultural lineage, Korea has not seen vibrant cultural exchanges, and further, it has
shown little interest in cultures of different civilizations. Today, however, international
exchanges of performing arts get invigorated throughout more variety of cultures and
civilizations, including Asia and South America.
Unlike the Western World, Asia has such a long history and traditions thereby
presenting a variety of cultural diversity, which cannot be generalized into a single
definition. Together with its own artistic heritages and newly accepted modern
performing arts, Asia became the home to a number of new artistic possibilities.
Various performing arts forms of Asia have already made a significant impact on the
modern performing arts of the Western, gaining growing attention from the rest of
the world.
From the commercial perspective as well, Asia has greater potential as a promising
market than any other regions in the world, thanks to its population and ever‐
growing economy. Accordingly, the performing arts area is expected to witness
increasing international exchanges. Among others, Korea is a part of Asia. Shared
sentiment with other neighboring Asian countries will facilitate the transmission and
understanding of messages and implications of performing arts between Asian nations.
Korea Arts Management Service
1
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
B. Then, how much do we understand performing arts?
Unfortunately, we have not been fully knowledgeable about Asian performing arts.
'Diversity' defines Asia. Beyond the diversity of culture and arts, Asia has seen a
huge gap between different nations in terms of political and economic spectrum.
Under the circumstances, lack of understanding and information about each other
could lead to numerous trials and errors in the process of cultural and commercial
exchanges.
In Korea, the year 2004 celebrated the launch of a new project called 'Hub City of
Asian Culture' in pursuit of the cultural hub of this region. The National Asia Culture
Complex (NACC), which is the core facility for the project, is now under
construction, scheduled to be open in 2012. With espousal of incubating and
experimentalism, 'Asia Arts Theater', which will be housed in NACC, will function as
a producing theater in order to become a factory shop of Asia's performing arts,
while offering the venue where creative artists of Asia explore new artistic materials
and create Asian styled and future‐oriented performing arts through collaborative
works. To make this happen, even before the groundbreaking of the facility, multiple
researches and studies are in progress in order for the new art theater to be able to
serve its originally planned function.
<Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia> was conducted as
part of such efforts, and it aimed to holistically figure out the current situations of
performing arts in this region as the basis for the future in‐depth survey on specific
areas by themes. Therefore, we are looking forward to seeing follow‐up in‐depth
surveys by detailed categories and themes based on this research, and we also hope
this research report will give you a little insight to understanding of performing arts
work scenes of Asia where political and economic backgrounds are far apart from
countries to countries, contributing to future exchanges of performing arts.
2
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
◆ Purpose and Methodology of Research
2. Subject of Research and Methodology
A. Research Direction and Methodology
○ Research Map
Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Collecting pre-performed Statistics
Analysing indicators
Indexing
Commissioning report to
local expert
Analysing and reporting
Reporting
Understanding Current State of Asian Performing Arts
IF Previous Statistics: Statistical Analysing
IF Non Previous Statistics: Critical Analysing
Korea Arts Management Service
3
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
○ Research Overview
Taking a huge difference in political and economic spectrum and a wide variety of
cultures of this region into consideration, it is essential to first understand the holistic
background of different nations' performing arts before going into in‐depth surveys by
specific themes. Therefore, this year 2007 research touches upon the holistic situation
of performing arts in Asia.
As for methodology for the research, it seemed to be more reasonable to use
indirect survey methodology than direct survey methodology, which requires larger
cost and basic understanding on the local situations of each nation. Therefore, this
research was conducted using the indirect methodology based on the analysis of
other research papers and existing data so as to minimize possible trials and errors.
For this research, we contacted statistics agencies and arts policy bodies of each
country, checked out and collected necessary data if they have.
In this report, the current situations of performing arts of each country are
described based on the analysis of those collected data. Meanwhile, as for the
countries of which statistics are not available, we selected and asked local performing
arts experts to write the situations, but before asking them to do so, we suggested
them to include indicators that other research papers and data have and we would
refer to in their reports so as to maintain consistency throughout the entire research.
Like aforementioned, this report analyses data and its implications, and it also sums
up the reports contributed by overseas experts while identifying the trend and issues
of the performing arts community of each country.
○ Selection of Research Subject Countries
Out of 51 countries that are categorized into Asia, we surveyed 20 countries, which
Korea has often exchanged culture and arts with and sees greater possibility of such
exchanges in, while excluding countries which used to be a part of the Former
Soviet Union and the Western Asian countries in the research country list.
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Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
◆ Purpose and Methodology of Research
1
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10
Nepal
Taiwan
Laos
Malaysia
Mongolia
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Vietnam
Bhutan
Sri Lanka
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20
Singapore
India
Indonesia
Japan
China
Cambodia
Thailand
Pakistan
Philippine
Korea
○ Data Collection and Analysis
In order to collect performing arts‐relevant data or equally available information, we
checked if there are some statistical data on performing arts by contacting statistics
offices and culture‐related government bodies. In most cases, the data on performing
arts area was not within the range of data that they possess, and even in the case
of a few countries of which performing arts are at the industrialized stage, their
statistics offices have not directly conducted surveys on performing arts. Instead,
performing arts‐relevant bodies have been responsible for such surveys and statistics
offices have just registered the outcome. Meanwhile, the data we collected are as
follows:
Collected Statistical Data on Performing Arts
Country
Name of Data
Publisher
China
China Yearbook of Culture 2007
中國文化文物統計 2007
Editing Department of Chinese Ministry of
Culture's Department of Planning and Finance,
Beijing Library Publishing House
Taiwan
Research on the Performing Arts Industry
表演藝術産業調査硏究
Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs,
Taiwan Association of Performing Arts
Arts Statistics 2007
National Arts Council
Population Survey on the Arts
National Arts Council
Singapore
Vietnam
Korea
Statistics Yearbook of Vietnam 2006 ‐
Performing arts
2007 Research on the Actual Condition of
Performing Arts
General Statistics Office of Vietnam
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Korea Arts
Management Service
Korea Arts Management Service
5
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Major Contents of Each Statistical Data
Section
No. of
Companies
China
Taiwan
Singapore
Vietnam
China Yearbook of
Culture 2007
Research on the
Performing Arts
Industry
Arts Statistics 2007
Statistics Yearbook
of Vietnam
By Regions,
Genres
By Genres,
By Regions, Genres,
Characteristics of
Companies, the Year
Different
of Establishment
Companies
By Regions
The Number of
Performances by
Genres
By Regions
Situation of HR
By Regions, Genres
Rate of different
The Number of times
Genre Works
of performances
No. of Overseas
Performing
Arts
Performances
No. of
Companies Performances
No. of New
Performances
No. of Overseas
Performances
No. of New
Performances
Number of
Charged/Uncharged
Performances
Income
Structure
Income
and its
Income
and its
By Regions,
Genres
No. of Overseas
Performances
Number of
Charged/Uncharged
Performances
by Genres
Rate
by Sources
Rate
Performing
Venue
No. of
Performing By Regions
Venue
No. of Venues
No. of Seats
Audience
No. of
Audience
No. of Charged
Audience by
Genres and Ages
By Regions
Out of 5 countries of which statistical data are available, we excluded Vietnam in
the country list for analysis because the data from Vietnam were a simple collection
of numbers of performances and venues so that it is hard to holistically figure out
the current situations of performing arts. As for the rest four, based on the analysis
on collected data, this report describes the current situations of performing arts of
each country. The analysis was conducted by Seung Yup LEE, Professor of the
Korean
National
University
of
Arts
and
researcher
for
<SURVEY
ON
THE
PERFORMING ARTS 2007>(Korea Arts Management Service), which is the base data of
Korea for this research, so as to enhance consistency and efficiency of analysis.
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Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
◆ Purpose and Methodology of Research
○ Reports of Overseas Experts
To identify the current situations of performing arts of countries which don't
provide any data, we gave a commission to local performing arts experts of each
country for country reports. We asked them to write reports on <Performing Arts
Company>,
<Performing
Venue>,
<Performing
Arts
Festival>
and
<Supporting
Organization>, which are included in other collected data.
Overseas Experts for this Research
Country
Malaysia
Vietnam
India
Japan
Cambodia
Thailand
Pakistan
Philippine
Contributor
Zedeck Siew
Graham Sutcliffe
Anmol Vellani
Kimura Noriko
Soun Bun Rith
Pawit Mahasarinand
Faizaan Peerzada
Carmencita Bernardo
Organization/Position
kakiseni.com / Editor
British Council of Vietnam / Project Manager
India Foundation for The Arts(IFA) / President
Freelancer Performing Arts Ordinator
Amrita Performing Arts / Project Coordinator
Department of Theater, University of Chulalongkorn / Instructor
Rafi Peer Theater Workshop / Artistic Director
Philippine Culture Center / Arts and Culture Manager-Administrator
The mentioned in the above table are overseas experts commissioned for the base
data for this research.
With all the reasons aforementioned, we finally deal with a total of 12 countries
performing arts in this report.
Korea Arts Management Service
7
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Ⅱ. Current Situation of Performing Arts in Asia
1. A few issues
O Rift and Reconciliation between Traditional Arts and Foreign Arts
Most of Asian countries in common have experienced the rift between traditional
arts and transmitted arts from overseas. Like in Taiwan, traditional arts and modern
arts present a huge difference in the ways to be comprised and to be operated with
two reasons as follows.
First, except for only a few countries, many of Asian countries underwent the
colonial rule largely by western powers. When ruling and ruled countries don't share
any common cultural traditions, cultural conflicts between those two are unavoidable.
Second, in the post 19th century, the world arts form was dominated by western
performing arts. But, this doesn't mean that it is not true the world is now keeping
an eye on Asia. In other words, today, modernization of performing arts is likely to
be equated to westernization. When Asian countries introduce methodologies and
concepts of modern performing arts, it is quite a natural process that these new arts
forms don't easily agree with traditional values and existent methodologies of Asia.
However, such odds between two different art forms end up reconciling each
other sometimes. Like in India and Philippine, traditional arts could be a basis for
unprecedentedly new art forms. Most of Asian countries have seen such reconciliation
although it is still controversial if such type of reconciliation is desirable or not.
In many cases, with modernization, traditional arts have been replaced by modern
genres of western arts, which present strong nature. Even though the degree of
being altered varies from countries to countries, it is no doubt that the direction is
leaning toward strengthening of modernity.
O Gap
A number of countries are in Asia. The tables below show some familiar indicators
of each country. Economic figures in particular present significant differences among
countries, and the same differences are shown in social and cultural indicators as
well.
8
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
◆ Current Situation of Performing Arts in Asia
Major Economic Indicators
Country
Cambodia
China
India
Japan
Malaysia
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Korea
Unit
Population
14.20
1,311.80
1,109.81
127.76
26.11
159.00
86.26
4.48
22.88
63.44
84.11
48.42
Million
GDP
Per Capita GDP GDP Growth Rate
7.26
511
10.8
2,644.68
2,016
10.7
911.81
822
9.2
4,368.43
34,192
2.2
150.67
5,771
5.9
126.84
798
6.9
117.56
1,363
5.4
132.16
29,500
7.9
356.00
15,714
4.2
206.34
3,253
5.0
61.00
725
8.2
888.02
18,340
5.0
One billion US dollar
US dollar
%
Base Year: 2006, Source: World Bank/ www.worldbank.org
Social and Cultural Indicator
Country
Literacy Rate(2000‐
2004)
Cambodia
China
India
Japan
Malaysia
Pakistan
Philippines
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam
Korea
Unit
83.4
98.9
76.4
‐
97.2
65.1
95.1
99.5
‐
98
93.9
‐
%
Internet –accessible
Rate of Graduation
Rate of Elementary
against Entrance of Population per million
School Entrance
Elementary School(2004)
(2005)
(2006)
96.5
63.1
0.31
98.7
86
10.35
88.5
73
10.72
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‐
‐
99.2
96.4
54.23
67.2
69.7
7.64
92.9
74.9
5.48
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‐
43.62
97.1
‐
63.68
94.2
‐
13.07
86.6
86.8
17.21
99.8
99.1
72.75
%
%
Person
Source: "Basic Statistics 2008", Asian Development Bank
Further, the differences don't except performing arts area, especially in terms of in
infrastructure. Performing arts requires a physical venue to perform in. (Here in this
report, the definition of "good facilities and venues" are based on western
perspective.) With well‐established public performing venues, Japan, Korea and
Singapore are equipped with solid physical infrastructures. Except for those three
Korea Arts Management Service
9
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
countries, however, most of Asian countries lack properly designed spaces and
venues for performing arts.
Industrialization of performing arts is a separate issue, though. Genres with
commerciality vary depending on countries. That is to say, economic development
doesn't necessarily guarantee the industrialization of performing arts. In Korea,
musical has contributed to the industrialization of performing arts. Similarly, many
countries have seen the industrialization facilitated by music theater. Meanwhile,
traditional arts survive thanks to ticketed audiences in some cases.
O Role of Government
In general, modern governments' perspectives on culture and arts are divided into
the below three. This perspective can be distant between countries depending on
political systems; socialist government, for instance, has much more aggressive
viewpoint on performing arts than its counterparts of capitalism. However, the
perspectives cannot go beyond the below three category.
① Regulation or Indifference
② Accepting culture and arts as a part of social mechanism
③ Acknowledging the critical role of culture and arts in culture, social and
economic terms
Most of Asian governments have the position in the middle between ① and ②.
Position ② means government accepts culture and arts communities and supports
them. Typically problematic system of governments with position ① is censorship.
Censorship is not just confined to legal concept. Rather, it includes cultural, religious,
ideological, group consciousness censorships.
It is not to blame that governments of economically restricted countries are not
capable of fully supporting the culture and arts communities. The real problem, apart
from financial support issues, is lack of social recognition on the importance of
culture and arts. For example, majority of citizens in Singapore, which is most
advanced in the economic front, feel that arts are at far distant from their lives.
Undoubtedly, position ③ should be the best model. However, such a position as
well bears another dilemma, which is about the relation between the government and
market.
O Possibility of Collaboration
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Is the newly coined term, 'Asianity,' properly defined? It makes sense when
dividing Asia into regional and cultural blocs although such term doesn't work when
looking at the entire Asian region. Good examples are the Chinese culture‐influenced
bloc and the Islamic bloc. (Country itself is meaningless in talking about blocs) From
Korean perspective, Northeast Asia is a possible bloc.
So far, Asian countries have exchanged culture and arts with others in three
patterns by the broader meaning. First pattern is the exchanges with western
countries. It has been quite a long time since the culture and arts communities of
Europe and the Americas paid attention to Asia, and For Asia, globalization of the
culture and arts area has been considered more exchanges with such western world.
Second pattern is exchanges through immigrants' networks in the case of countries
where many are immigrated. With those networks, groups and peoples that share the
same
cultural
root
culturally
interact
and
communicate
beyond
geographical
limitations. Third pattern is exchanges with Asian countries or regions which have
something in common one another. Only recently, the third pattern of exchanges is
being actively discussed, and the discussion gets deeper and more concrete as Japan,
Korea and Singapore compete in declaring themselves as the cultural hub of Asia.
2. The Current Situations of Performing Arts of 12 Countries
O Vietnam
Vietnam is located between two mega‐sized civilizations: China and India. The
country also was once the battlefield of different civilizations from France, the U.S.
and Soviet Union sometime in the modern history. Such conflicts between civilizations
have made a great deal of impact on culture policies of Vietnam. Most recently, an
openness policy called 'Doi‐Moi' of the government has significantly changed the
performing arts landscape of Vietnam. Newly introduced arts added new values to
the affluent and various traditional arts which have defined the national identity of
Vietnam. The Doi‐Moi policy cut considerable portion of government subsidies for
arts. Still, most of arts and process of creating art works are thoroughly controlled by
the government and ownership and management rights for arts companies go to
either the central or provincial governments in general.
Among major traditional performing arts of Vietnam are Vietnam‐style musical called
'CHEO' , traditional opera of the middle part of Vietnam called 'TUONG' and
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emerging new form of opera in the southern part called 'CAI LUONG.' Those genres
of
arts
have
been
produced
mainly
by
independent
national
companies.
Contemporary theater appeared and grew, influenced out of the Former Soviet Union
in the middle of 20th century. Simply put, the method used in the Soviet theaters
took dominance largely in the northern part and even up until now, the influence
lasts.
As of 2006, there are 178 performing arts companies in total in Vietnam, out of
which 27 companies are run by the government. As for music and dance areas,
there are four symphony orchestras, two ballet companies, one opera company and
one 'Song and Dance' company while for theater, there are two national theater
companies.
Performing arts are staged mainly in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.
Key venues in those two cities are as follows: Hanoi Opera House, Hanoi Cultural
Friendship Palace, Nha Hat Tuoi Tre Children's Theater, Hanoi Children's Palace,
Workers' Theater and Hanoi Outdoor Theater are placed in Hanoi while in Ho Chi
Minh, there are Ho Chi Minh Opera House, Hoa Binh Theatre Ho Chi Minh City and
District 7 Stadium. In provinces, some venues like in Hue and Hai Phong are
equipped with basic facilities for performances.
O Philippine
Until its independence, Philippine had gone through the Spanish colonial rule for
over 300 years, which are enough time to converge Spanish culture and religion to
traditional culture of Spain. Such a process was repeated again during the period of
the U.S. colonial rule in the early 20th century. Today, two iconic words defining
creative industry in Philippine are 'exciting,' and 'challenging'. Among performing arts
forms, music is the most widely known, but theater and dance also secure the solid
pool of artists and appreciators.
Classical theaters in Philippine are mostly concentrated in Manila. The symbolic venue
there is the Cultural Center of the Philippine (CCP), which was designed for multi‐
purposes with large theaters, small theaters and experiment theaters. Folk Arts Theater
and MET as well are large‐scaled venues, but MET has been shut down over the last
decade. Data published by CCP in 1998 says there were a total of 62 venues outside of
Manila, so it is assumed that the number of venues increased by 70‐80% today.
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While the number of 'software area' like performing arts companies and performing
works has skyrocketed over the past two decades, 'hardware area' like physical
venues has failed to keeping up with the speed software area grows. In addition,
audience development is another big challenge in invigorating performing arts area.
Fierce competition cultures, accessibility, quality of performing arts and lack of
education are all obstacles to surmount, too.
O Pakistan
With the population of some 170 million, Pakistan is an Islamic nation. 'Kathak', a
traditional dance, is a legacy of Islamic culture inherited for 700 odd years. Theater
as well is indebted to traditional genres like 'Nautanki' and 'Parsi', and the puppetry
area also has a long tradition.
In the last 60 years the presence of theatre, dance, music and puppetry has mostly
been concentrated in the three main metropolises like Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore,
where there are performing arts companies, venues and festivals despite a weak
entertainment industry base. On top of that, Lahore is even named the cultural
capital of Pakistan.
The National Council of the Arts is a national institution and work in collaboration
with local arts councils run by provincial governments. However, these arts councils
have never had a decent cultural policy. Arts and culture of Pakistan, therefore, have
grown depending more on the support from non‐government organizations and
private sectors than on the government.
Over the last sixty odd years, theatre has flourished the most. In the city of
Lahore alone, about five to six plays are staged everyday, and these consist of the
so called commercial plays, adaptations of good western plays and while some plays
dealing with political and social issues. Puppetry underwent a dramatic change. Since
1975 traditional puppetry have been on a major decline; out of 400 serving families
only 12 families exist today. During the same period, the modern puppetry has
replaced its traditional form.
The key venues of Pakistan are as follows: Peer Cultural Complex named after the
forefather, Peer of the modern puppetry, Karachi Arts Council, which is the only
cultural space in Karachi, equipped with indoor and outdoor theaters and a huge
exhibition hall, Alhamra Arts Council with six exhibition venues, National Academy of
Performing Arts(NAPA) which is a professional education institution for performing
arts, and lastly, Ali Institute which is the most important venue for dancers.
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O Malaysia
Performing arts in Malaysia has enjoyed relatively much freedom from the
government's control although the reason actually comes from the government's
indifference on arts. However, it also doesn't mean that the performing arts area has
been fully free from the government's intervention and some conservative media
powers.
Recently, the musical area has shown such a remarkable growth in Malaysia, being
acclaimed as the art genre which stepped up the performing arts to the industrialized
stage. Currently, original musicals lead the area. Theater, dance and music also
formed their own base.
The Actors Studio (TAS) is one of the key performing arts organizations in
Malaysia. TAS opened the first private theater owned by itself and has provided
venues to the most vital performances in Kuala Lumpur. Some other key venues in
the country are the largest‐scaled public theater 'Istana Budaya' of Kuala Lumpur and
'Petronas
Dewan
Philharmonic'
housed
in
the
Twin
Tower.
Apart
from
the
aforementioned typical venues, alternative venues are emerging, too.
Lack of support from both the government and non‐government bodies has given
chronic headache to the performing arts community. In that the central government
support is either absent or biased, Malaysia shares the same difficulties with other
countries. Worse more, non‐governmental fund, including corporate sponsorship in
particular, is insufficient, too.
Censorship issue is one of the biggest challenges in the performing arts community
of Malaysia. To stage performances requires pre‐permission from local governments,
so along with problematic bureaucracy, the censorship has long been a big obstacle
for the performing arts area. Art education which should be open to children is a
key to success of audience mobilization. Although Pakistan has several issues as
above mentioned, the number of audience is on the steady rise as the population of
urban young generation is increasing. Plus, Internet, the modern communication tool
has contributed to enhancing public recognition and attention on performing arts.
O Japan
Performing arts of Japan can be broadly categorized into theater, dance, music and
traditional arts. As for theater, in 2006 alone, a total of 10,786 plays were staged
29,066 times, attracting 6,310,747 audiences in total, according to the survey to 265
member companies of the Japan Theater Arts Association. Out of them, 10,000 plays
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were self‐produced and presented. The theater area can be divided into new
plays(Theater Bungakuza), small‐sized theaters(Theatre Company Rinkogun, etc.),
'producing performances'(Komatsuza, etc.), commercial theatres(Takarazuka Revue,
etc.), musicals(Shiki Theare, etc.), children's theaters(Gekidan Kazenoko, etc.) and
local theaters(TPS ,etc.). By comparison, the dance area can be divided into modern
dance, contemporary dance, butoh and ballet.
When talking about music in Japan, it is usually about the western music.
According to a survey to 33 member symphony orchestras of Japan Federation of
Musicians, in 2006 alone, symphony orchestras performed 3,587 times in total,
mobilizing 3,708,824 audiences. Operas staged largely on the New National Theater
Tokyo were performed 455 times per year, attracting a total of 263,982 audiences.
Among operas on stage are quite a few amateur operas called 'Citizens' Opera.'
Among traditional arts are Kabuki, Noh/Kyogen, Bunraku, Japanese classical dance,
Hougaku, traditional instrument performance, traditional entertainment (repartee, etc.).
Out of them, Kabuki, Noh/Kyogen and Bunraku are run by the national institutions
of the genre.
There are two types of venues: public venues and private venues. The National
Theaters out of public venues are 6 in total nationwide and they serve venues
mainly for traditional arts. It is noteworthy that the national theaters have no arts
companies/groups attached to the national theaters. Local government‐run public
venues are approximately 3,300 in total throughout the nation, out of which member
venues/facilities of the Association of Public Theaters and Halls in Japan are 2,202.
Since 1980's, venues/facilities have significantly increased, and since 1990's, venues
with an emphasis on their own unique differentiation have increased. These public
venues are introducing the market principle, influenced by the revised act on local
government, which took effect in 2003.
Majority of private venues are concentrated in Tokyo. Their purpose and
characteristics vary; Large‐scaled venues like Takarazuka Grand Theater and the
theater attached to Shiki Theatre Company focus on commerciality while small
theaters are the venues mainly for new producers (budding writers).
Sponsorship and support sources come from various organizations like the central
government, local governments, private sector and Mecenat. Under the central
government are the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan Arts Council, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs(Japan Foundation), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication
(Japan Foundation of Regional Art‐Activities), and they fund the arts community in
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
different manners. Support from the private sector is given largely by non‐profit
cultural foundations of corporations, and Mecenat is led by Association for Corporate
Support of the Arts Japan which was formed in 1990.
O Taiwan
'Research
on
the
Performing
Arts
Industry(表演藝術産業調査硏究)'
which
was
conducted in 2005 is the basis of the Taiwan part of this research. A total of 266
performing arts companies were surveyed and out of them 9 are public and the rest
are private. Most of public companies works for music. The largest number of
performing arts companies is concentrated in traditional theater and music. Absolute
majority of the companies are located at the northern part of the country. As for the
age of the companies, 36% of them are younger than 10 years. However, there is a
big age difference from genre to genre. For example, more than half of class theater
companies are older than 26 years.
Employees for performing arts companies are mostly well‐educated, 60% of which
are college graduates. When excluding the classic theater area, the rate reaches even
70‐80%. Meanwhile, the pay level is not that high: employees paid less than
20,000NT$(equivalent to 700,000 won) account for almost 50%. In terms of
employees' age, half of them was turned out to be younger than 30. Accordingly,
employees with less than 10 year of career reach 74%. However, such statistics vary
by genres.
As of 2005, the number of times of performances was 11,827 and the number of
ticketed audiences was 1,118,019, while free admission performances far outnumber
both the number of times and audiences. Classic theater and music in particular have
large number of free performances and uncharged audiences.
In terms of financial status, most of performing arts companies experience a big
deficit. Income is around NT$1.78 billion, but expenditure reaches NT$2.11 billion,
recording NT$330 million of loss. As for the rate of income sources, performance fee
accounts for 25.66%, ticket sales for 18.43% and item sales and others for 7.56%
thereby self‐earned income reaching around 50%. In self‐raised income rate by genres,
contemporary comedy showed the highest rate.
For expenditure, service and operational cost excluding labor cost‐ and labor cost
take the largest portion of the total. Out of the service and operational cost,
accommodation/transportation, operational cost, technical support and cost for venue
take account for over 15% respectively.
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◆ Current Situation of Performing Arts in Asia
O China
The current situation of performing arts in China is described in 'China Year Book
on Culture 2007(中國文化文物統計年鑑).' This yearbook presents performances of the
year 2006 when the new 5 year economic plan of the Chinese government launched.
The yearbook was developed, guided with Deng Xiaoping's theory on Chinese
culture and vital thoughts of 'Three Representatives(三个代表指的是什么, DENG
XIAOPING).' According to the yearbook, cultural construction of each section is on
the way through all‐out reform.
The changes the yearbook mentions are as follows:
• A slight increase in the number of culture groups and their employees
• Continuous growth in the governmental financial support and cultural venue
constructions well in progress
• Invigorated creation of culture and arts works
• Improved public cultural service system
• Development of the culture industry
• Set‐up of market order in the culture and arts community
• Improved preservation of cultural heritages
• More exchanges with overseas groups
• Rearrangement of laws and institutions
• Conduct of creative work business and increase in arts vocational education
• Implementation of cultural system reform
Such changes in both hardware and software reflect increasing governmental
support, enhanced efficiency through rearrangement of law and institutions and
further improved industrial efficiency.
Performing arts companies in China are 2,866 in total and a total of 144,167 work
in the community. So far, 420,000 times of performances have been staged and 41
millions enjoyed those performances. In general, venues also serve for film screenings
and there are 1,839 venues in China. The total number of seats are 1,413,647 and
34,890 in total are employed for those venues. For both films and performing arts, a
total of some 65 millions visited the venues.
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
O Singapore
'Population Survey on the Arts'(2005) and '2006 Arts Statistics' are data showing the
current situation of performing arts in Singapore. 'Population Survey on the Arts'
conducted with 1,500 respondents says participation in arts has increased as a whole.
However, the survey also turned out that the general public feels art is something far
away from them although they fully understand the role of art.
2006 Arts Statistics, too, showed the number of times of performances increased
2.3 times over the last 10 years. Among others, free admission performances sharply
grew in number. Plus, the increase seen over the recent three years is bigger than
before. The total number of ticketed audiences is 1.3 million.
O Thailand
Thailand borders South China Sea and the west coast of Southern Thailand is in
the middle and Andaman Sea, a part of Indian Ocean, therefore, it is impossible for
Thailand to close herself off from foreign relations. As a result, foreign influences
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have played a major role in the evolution of Thai arts and culture throughout more
than seven centuries of history.
Since tourism welcomes approximately 10 million tourists a year, traditional dance,
music, and theatre performances have been regularly staged in restaurants and hotels
whose main target are foreign tourists, creating considerably stable jobs for
professional artists.
Government agencies support performing arts project‐by‐project, rather than year‐by‐
year in general. Key artists groups are as follows: for music, Bangkok Symphony
Orchestra and Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, both of which host concerts for the
western classic music, and Korphai Ensemble which is an independent musicians'
group; for dance, The Company for Performing Artists, Komon Lagoon, PK Lifework;
entertainment company 'DASS'; small sized group 'Grassroots Micromedia Project'; Hun
Lakhon Lek, which is a performing arts company for Thai traditional puppetry. Other
than those, there is a small sized performing arts company 'NUNi Productions', which
consists of overseas‐educated young artists.
Most performing arts venues in Thailand are multi‐purpose proscenium‐stage
auditoriums. There are venues like Thailand Cultural Centre, operated by Ministry of
Culture's Office of the National Culture Commission, private theater ''Patravadi Theatre'
and private‐run 600‐seat proscenium playhouse 'M Theatre.'
While a certain artistic performing arts event may not have received attention from
the mass media and the public, performing arts festivals have usually been much
hyped. Since 2002, Bangkok Theatre Network has organized the country's largest
showcase of contemporary theatre held in November. In addition, "la fête", or French
Cultural Festival, stands out as this month‐long event covers such a various disciplines
of arts and culture.
Performing arts companies and festival organizers receive more substantial support
from the government than individual event's producers, so they have to make sure
that their objectives fit those of the support providers. A newly founded agency
Office of Contemporary Art and Culture give more financial support to modern arts
activities. Nevertheless, the office's yearly budget is relatively small in comparison to
their traditional counterparts. Tourism Authority of Thailand financially supports large‐
scale events which would create good image for the country. Business companies
also support some performing arts, but most companies, however, do not take as
their social missions these support for performing arts.
Thai performing arts companies show well the interaction between "traditional" and
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
"modern"; "local", "foreign", and "glocal"; as well as "intercultural", "intracultural", and
"interdisciplinary". Also, the supporting organizations would have to adopt this notion
as well and at the same time, more audience need to be secured for many
performing arts groups, whose working trends are rather artistic than commercial.
O Cambodia
In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge (1975‐1979)‐exemplified social unrest has driven
performing arts to danger, but with the efforts to preserve its traditions and to
support
artists
as
well
as
young
artists
creative
involvement,
Cambodia
has
endeavored to rebuild the overall landscape of culture and arts.
As classical performing arts, Khmer classical dance 'Robam Boran,' male masked
dance 'Lakhaon Khaol', old traditional puppetry 'Sbek Thom' and female masked
dance, 'Lakhaon Pol Srei' are famous. These are all considered the most ancients
sacred art forms remaining from the Khmer Angkor civilizations.
There is the Department of Culture and Arts sponsored by the Ministry of Culture
and Fine Arts in 19 states and 3 cities. However, Key performing arts venues under
the current Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, such as the Royal University of Fine
Arts (RUFA), the Secondary School of Fine Arts (SSFA) and National Theater (NT),
remain demoralized and underfunded.
Therefore, it is noteworthy that the Cambodian Artists Project(CAP) has led
collaboration of numerous groups over the last 15 years. CAP is a working
partnership between Amrita Performing Arts, The Royal University of Fine Arts and
the Secondary School of Fine Arts and Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC),
and For the past three years, the program has made over sixty grants.
As for independent arts organizations, there are the Mentorship Program run by
Rockefeller/ Asian Cultural Council (ACC), Cambodia Artist Project and French Cultural
Center. Amrita Performing Arts in particular, which has been highly successful thanks
to regular sponsor from small private organizations, secured financial support from
the Rockefeller foundation as well as other sources on the project basis.
As a result, Amrita Performing Arts is the representative for Cambodia both in Arts
Network Asia(ANA) and World Dance Alliance(WDA). In addition, AMRITA is
partnering with Khmer Arts Academy(KAA), a public corporation to widen the role of
culture and art and Cambodian Living Arts(CLA) aiming to recover traditional art
forms.
Apart from the aforementioned groups, Apsara Arts Association (AAA) has offered
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◆ Current Situation of Performing Arts in Asia
children with family problems opportunities to learn and appreciate Khmer arts and
culture. Also, Sovanna Phum Art Association has raised the recognition on traditional
culture of Khmer at home and abroad. In addition, Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) has
used arts to help young refugees overcome the trauma of war. There is the French
Cultural Center sponsored by the French Embassy, and recently the government,
which came to recognize the value of intangible assets as well as tangibles, runs the
national program 'Living Human Treasure.'
In the meant time, there is no single good professional theatre venue in Phnom
Penh and in Cambodia as a whole. RUFA Auditorium is a very primitive space with
a capacity of 500 seats, and the newly constructed national theater is designed
unsuitable for performances. And For outdoor performance there are Apsara Arts
Association Auditorium, Sovanna Phum Theatre and Khmer Arts Academy Auditorium.
Also, there are Russian Cultural Center and French Cultural Center.
In the pre‐Khmer Rouge era, Cambodia used to be the nation enjoying the most
affluent theater appreciation culture among countries in the Northeastern Asia. With
the increasing technical resources, more complicated technology, art management
capability and fund‐raising ability are essential.
O India
With longer than 2,000 years of the performing arts history, India enjoys a
staggering array of performing arts forms. Every performing arts genre have been
staged with a wide variety of topics/materials and forms for various purposes.
As for theater, there are approximately 40,000 companies nationwide, which include
amateur theatre, professional repertory theatre, commercial theatre and alternative
theatre. Among professional theatre companies are two types of companies depending
on income sources: non‐profit theater companies funded by grants from the
government or private foundations and fees earned from performances abroad;
commercial professional theater largely by ticket sales.
There are primarily two types of dance performance groups in India: first, groups
housed and supported in and by dance academies and institutions; and second,
independent dance groups. Combining the two types of groups, a total of 2,000
dance groups exist. Music performance in India spans a gamut of forms such as
classical, folk, percussion ensembles, western classical music, rock, etc.
Puppetry in India takes both traditional and contemporary forms. Today, traditional
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forms are replaced by contemporary forms.
Only a handful of performance groups are privileged enough to have their own
spaces for rehearsals and performances
Theatres in India are mainly of the proscenium type, which encourages a specific
idiom of performance. There is also a great need for flexible performance spaces like
black boxes to accommodate the existing diversity in types of performances in India.
The Government of India supported the building of large auditoriums in the 1960s in
the capital cities of most states, but these are often to blame for their bureaucratic
management. Most of those venues are ill‐equipped without facilities necessary for
performances.
As the major supporter for artist groups in India, the Sangeet Natak Akademi
(SNA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, specifically supports
music, drama and dance. Their support is given to regional arts groups as well
through
regional
SNAs
and
department
of
culture
under
the
different
state
governments. Some other fund also comes from corporate sponsorship and non‐profit
culture foundation. As a vital tool for performing arts, festivals constitute a vast and
continuously growing area of activity in India. However, physical and institutional
infrastructure for festivals is well below the demand. Further, festivals are not run
efficiently. Many community forms of performance face extinction because of the
rapid erosion of the social contexts that nurtured them. Audiences for the performing
arts are small and shrinking further. Under such unfavorable circumstances, there is a
need for performing artists and arts companies to change themselves, and some of
them already started changing.
O Korea
'Survey on the Performing Arts' is the representative data for performing arts in
Korea. Following 2005, in 2007, the second survey was conducted. '2007 'Survey on
the Performing Arts' surveyed one‐year performing arts activities of 2006 in three
sections such as government bodies, performing arts companies and performing
venues/infrastructures. For administrative bodies pertaining to performing activities, 249
bodies all were surveyed while for venues/infrastructure and for performing arts
companies, sample surveys on selected groups were conducted.
As 2006, the government budget for performing arts is about 900 billion won in
total. Out of them, the central government fund accounts for 18.4%, and the rest of
grants was given by metropolitan governments and local governments. A total of
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2,014 in the government bodies work for performing arts support departments, out of
which 176 work in the central government and 221 in arts councils and cultural
foundations.
The selected groups for survey on performing venues were 637 and 847 in the
number of venues. Majority of them are located in the capital area. The total number
of seats is 426,018, which means 9 seats are available per 100 million people. The
average operational days of venues are 193 days per year with operational rate being
48.8%. Out of them, the operational rate of local arts center, which takes large
portion of public venues, is averaged at 43.8%, but by contrast, that of small(little)
theaters in Daehak‐ro, which are the majority of private venues, is 94.6%. On the
venue‐specific basis, 42,055 works are staged 123,294 times per year.
Out of them, number of performances, which are presented by venue, recorded
5,853 cases with the number of times of 53,396. And that means a total of 20,000
enjoyed the performances. A total of 15,751,855 are ticketed audiences, accounting
for 54.2% of the total audiences. The total income of venues reaches some 819.6
billion won while expenditure 800.5 billion won. The self‐funding rate is averaged at
57.2% with the rate of public venues being 36.3% and private venues 79.8% which
is far above public ones.
Although the self‐funding rate of arts center is even lower, recording only 18.9%,
the figure actually increased by 3.5% compared with in 2004. Employees for
performing venues were estimated at 9,371 in total.
Out of the total 2,385 selected groups for the survey on performing arts
companies, public and national companies account for 10.9%, and by genres, western
music companies takes the largest portion, registering 33.2%. The total number of
performances is 7,885; the number of times of performances is 52,939; and the
number of audiences is estimated at 11,677,416.
In the financial front, the total income is 475.6 billion won while expenditure
being 641.3 billion won, recording a huge deficit. The self‐funding rate is averaged at
60.6%. A total of 82,723 employees work in performing arts companies, which means
32 employees at the average are hired per company.
On the sales basis, the size of the Korean performing arts market is estimated at
692.5 billion won. For references, on the expenditure basis, it is calculated at 1
trillion and 441.8 billion won. It is most notable in the Korean performing arts
community that performing arts are being converted to software‐focused and they are
being more concentrated in the capital area. Korean performing arts area features
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concentration and being centered in major, capital area and metropolitan areas. Since
the mid‐1990's, This research also turned out that 'arts center Construction Project' has
been implemented in earnest and now it is almost at the final stage, and today more
attention are given to operational area.
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Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Ⅲ. Countries' States
1. States in terms of Statistical point of view
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
A. Performing Arts in Korea
'Survey on Performing Arts' is one of the most notable surveys on performing arts
in Korea. The survey was conducted in 2005 and 2007. '2007 Performing Arts Survey'
was conducted on administrative organizations, performing arts organizations, and
performing arts facilities about their performing arts related activities in 2006. A
complete enumeration on all 249 administrative organizations and sample surveys on
performing arts organizations and facilities were conducted.
1) Administrative Organizations for Performing Arts
O Budget for Culture
In 2006, the total budget for cultural sector from the central government and 248
local governments was around ￦5,440 billion. ￦2,880 billion of this amount were
apportioned for arts and around ￦904.6 billion were apportioned for performing arts.
The ￦904.6 billion budget for performing arts comprised of ￦166.6 billion from
the central government and ￦738 billion from local governments. Compared to the
budget in 2004, this figure was down ￦17.6 billion The central government budget
was cut by ￦28.9 billion while the local government budget was increased by ￦11.3
billion.
<Table 1> Comparison of 2004 and 2006 Budget for Culture
(unit: billion won)
Year
2004
Classification
TOTAL
For Culture
For Arts
For Performing Arts
Ministry of Culture
121,292.1
1,583.6
867.1
195.5
Local government
119,503.0
3,612.9
1,544.8
726.7
240,795.1
5,196.5
2,411.9
922.2
Culture Ministry
151,331.1
1,898.3
1,055.2
166.6
Local government
145,212.4
3,545.0
1,823.3
738.0
296,543.5
5,443.3
2,878.5
904.6
2004 Total
2006
2006 Total
* Sources: Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Cultural Policy Yearbook (2006)
* Budget for culture includes funds in addition to the government budget
* Budget for culture excludes the portion of Ministry of Culture and Tourism budget allocated
for sports
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
O Local Government Budget
In 2006, the local government budget for culture was ￦3,500 billion, 2.4% of the
total budget. ￦740 billion of this amount, 0.5% of the total budget, was allocated for
performing arts. The region which allocated the highest budget for culture was
Gyeonggi Province with ￦480 billion. Gyeonggi Province allocated ￦280 billion for
arts and ￦130 billion for performing arts.
Gwanjgu allocated the highest proportion of its total budget for culture (7.2%);
Gwangju (2.1%) and Jeonbuk (2.1%) allocated the highest proportion of their total
budgets for arts; and Incheon allocated the highest proportion of its total budget for
performing arts (1.0%).
Performing arts budget of local governments was spent on operation and
maintenance of the existing performing arts venues (￦230 billion, 31.1% of the total
performing arts budget), construction of new venues (￦170 billion, 23.3% of the
total), operation of performing arts companies (￦170 billion) and supporting
performing arts activities (￦78 billion).
<Table 2> Local Governments cultural budget in comparison with total budget
unit: thousand won (percentage)
Region
R
E
G
I
O
N
28
In total
Seoul
Busan
Daegu
Incheon
Gwangju
Daejeon
Ulsan
Gyeonggi
Gangwon
Chungbuk
Chungnam
Jeonbuk
Jeonnam
Gyeongbuk
Gyeongnam
Jeju
Number of
local
governments
248
26
17
9
11
6
6
6
32
19
13
17
15
23
24
21
3
Budget for Culture(Percentage of Total Budget)
Total Budget
For Culture
For Arts
For Performing Arts
145,212,359,326 3,544,969,823 (2.4) 1,823,266,468 (1.3) 737,993,434 (0.5)
21,975,744,118
291,112,038 (1.3) 260,539,055 (1.2) 97,480,907 (0.4)
8,232,420,069
81,966,262 (1.0)
62,060,548 (0.8) 43,116,006 (0.5)
5,327,908,187
117,168,283 (2.2)
93,759,903 (1.8) 34,113,822 (0.6)
6,109,441,629
131,094,566 (2.1)
94,363,567 (1.5) 60,794,942 (1.0)
2,976,409,737
214,280,265 (7.2)
62,322,378 (2.1) 24,268,739 (0.8)
3,305,197,895
63,982,659 (1.9)
56,251,194 (1.7) 29,851,485 (0.9)
2,394,543,916
42,356,633 (1.8)
31,605,862 (1.3) 18,523,921 (0.8)
27,674,429,362
480,149,545 (1.7) 277,076,107 (1.0) 133,981,159 (0.5)
8,663,415,200
271,598,940 (3.1)
79,394,861 (0.9) 31,807,901 (0.4)
5,443,166,303
115,162,145 (2.1)
66,875,525 (1.2) 22,254,129 (0.4)
8,624,901,257
182,966,586 (2.1) 105,727,592 (1.2) 31,438,631 (0.4)
7,598,441,212
264,111,242 (3.5) 159,422,568 (2.1) 39,483,509 (0.5)
10,974,877,436
422,513,124 (3.8) 166,275,907 (1.5) 23,976,092 (0.2)
10,414,226,593
445,682,957 (4.3) 150,554,602 (1.4) 64,000,162 (0.6)
11,961,505,244
381,528,806 (3.2) 135,106,271 (1.1) 67,672,319 (0.6)
3,535,731,168
39,295,772 (1.1)
21,930,528 (0.6) 15,229,710 (0.4)
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
O Detailed Government Performing Arts Budget
In 2006, the central government budget for performing arts was ￦166.6 billion.
Around ￦25.8 billion were allocated to dance(￦5.3 billion), music(￦8.8 billion), and
theater(￦11.7 billion). Around ￦13.4 billion were allocated for art education and
￦78 billion for some other costs.
<Table 3> Central Government Budget for Performing Arts
(unit: million won)
Genre
Year 2004
Year 2006년
TOTAL
195,453
166,561
Dance
9,037
5,291
Music
13,494
8,830
Theater
9,269
11,654
Traditional Arts
57,707
49,372
Arts Education
16,992
13,385
Others
88,954
78,029
* Source: Compiled from "2006 Cultural Policy Report" provided by Ministry of Culture and
Tourism
* Figures include funds in addition to the government budget
* 2006 budget for 'Traditional Arts' is the sum of the operation cost of the National Center for
Korean Traditional Performing Arts and funds for traditional art
* 'Others' include construction cost of public culture and art centers and subsidies for national
performing arts venues and national performing arts companies.
O Administrative Workers in Culture
There are 6,058 administrative staff working in culture at the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism, local governments and cultural foundations. 2,014 of them−176 at the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 1,617 at local governments, and 221 at the Arts
Council Korea and cultural foundations−work in arts. The largest proportion(37.8%)
of the administrative staff at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the largest
proportion(30.9%) of the administrative staff at local governments work in arts.
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
<Table 4> Administrative Workers in Culture
Unit: people (%)
Classification
Total
Arts
All
6,058
465
5,225
368
2,014
176 (37.8) 1,617 (30.9) 221 (60.1) Ministry of Culture and
Tourism
Local governments
Arts Council Korea / Cultural
foundations
Tourism
1,300
70 (15.1) 1,230 (23.5) ‐　‐　Cultural
Industry
454
92 (19.8) 362 (6.9) ‐　‐　Cultural
Property
818
‐　‐　769 (14.7) 49 (13.3) Others
1,472
127 (27.3) 1,247
(23.9) 98 (26.6) * Administrative workers in cultural property are staff of Cultural Heritage Administration of
Korea and therefore are excluded from the staff total of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
O Performing Arts Festivals
In 2006, the total budget of performing arts festivals which received local
government subsidies was ￦26.8 million. Local governments subsidies constitutes the
highest proportion(61.2%, ￦16.4 million) of the budget. The total budget of the
festivals in metropolitan areas was ￦13.5 million, and the total budget of the
festivals in non-metropolitan areas was ￦13.3 million.
<Table 5> Overview of Performing Arts Festivals
Performing Arts
Number of local Performing Arts
Average of the
Festivals Recieving
governments
Festivals
public‐subsidized
Subsidies
All
248
88
62
0.3 Seoul
26
9
8
0.3
Busan
17
9
7
0.4
Daegu
9
6
6
0.7
Metropolitan
Incheon
11
3
3
0.3
areas
Gwangju
6
2
2
0.3 Daejeon
6
1
1
0.2
R
E
Ulsan
6
3
2
0.3
G
Gyeonggi
32
20
7
0.2
I
Gangwon
19
11
8
0.4
O
Chungbuk
13
2
2
0.2
N
Chungnam
17
4
4
0.2
Province
Jeonbuk
15
1
1
0.1
areas
Jeonnam
23
1
1
0.0
Gyeongbuk
24
3
2
0.1
Gyeongnam
21
12
7
0.3
Jeju
3
1
1
0.3
City/Province
16
30
30
1.9
Type of Region
Town
232
58
32
0.1
Region
30
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
<Table 6> Performing Arts Festival Budget in Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Areas
(Unit: thousand won)
Classification
All Regions
Proportion
Budget
(%)
Metropolitan Areas
Proportion
Budget
(%)
Non-Metropolitan Areas
Proportion
Budget
(%)
Total
26,876,309 100.0
13,553,802 100.0
13,322,507 100.0 Central Government Budget
4,050,000 15.1 2,720,000 20.1 1,330,000 10.0 National Fund
1,085,000 4.0 871,000 6.4 214,000 1.6 Local Government Budget
16,436,415 61.2 7,685,282 56.7 8,751,133 65.7 Regional Fund
996,000 3.7 24,000 0.2 972,000 7.3 Private Support
1,064,008 4.0 602,052 4.4 461,956 3.5 Revenue
3,244,886 12.1 1,651,468 12.2 1,593,418 12.0 2) Performing Arts Facilities
O Overview of Performing Arts Facilities
From this survey, we found out that there are 637 performing arts facilities(847
Venues: auditoriums/theaters) in Korea. 347 performing arts facilities(54.5% of the total)
are located in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi. Public facilities make up 47.9% and private
facilities make up 52.1%. The largest proportions of the facilities were established by
local governments (36.3%)1) in non-metropolitan areas and individuals (24.3%).
O Overview of Resident Performing Arts Companies
Of the 378 facilities which responded to the survey, 42.9% of them had performing
arts companies with offices and rehearsing spaces in their facilities. The average
number of performing arts companies in each facility is 2.5. The average number of
companies under exclusive contracts with each facility is 1.0. The average number of
resident companies in each facility is 0.7.
O Ticketing System of Performing Arts Facilities
11.5% of 342 facilities which responded to the survey had their own Internet
ticketing system. 21.3% of them hired ticketing companies, 15.4% of which provided
Internet reservation systems and 11.6% of which provided ticketing services at the
1) so called 'Local Culture and Arts Centers'
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
facilities.
O Capacity of Performing Arts Facilities
Through a complete enumeration and sampling survey, the capacity of 812
auditoriums is estimated at 426,018 seats in total. Each auditorium has the average
capacity of 524.7 seats. There are 85 large size auditoriums (10.5%), 373 medium
size auditoriums (45.9%), and 354 small size auditoriums (43.6%). The estimated
number of seats available for every 1,000 people is 9.0 nationally. The estimated
number is 20.1 in Jeju, 17.8 in Gangwon, 16.3 in Jeonbuk, and 12.4 in Seoul.
O Operating Status of Performing Arts Facilities
The total number of operating days of 637 performing art facilities and their 847
auditoriums/theaters was 163,491 days. Each facility operated 193 days on the
average. The average rate of operation of local culture and arts centers was 43.8%,
theaters in Daehangno was 94.6%, public auditoriums was 40.5%, and private
auditoriums was 58.9%. Among public auditoriums, culture and arts center in Jeju
marked the highest rate of operation at 68.0%. In private sector, the average rate of
operation of the theaters in Daehangno marked the highest at 94.6%.
O Performance Status of Performing Arts Facilities
Based on complete enumeration and sampling survey, the total number of
productions at performing arts facilities was estimated at 42,055 and the total number
of performances was estimated at 123,294. The number of production programs of
the facilities was estimated at 5,583 and the number of hired programs of the facility
was estimated at 36,202. The number of days of performance was 104,209 in total.
The number of days of performances of presented programs was estimated at 46,375
and number of days of performances of hired programs was estimated at 57,834.
<Table 7> Annual Performance Status of Performing Arts Facilities
Performing Arts facilities
In Total
Presented Program
Hired Program
A number of productions
42,055
5,853
36,202
Days of performance
104,209
46,375
57,834
Sessions of performance
123,294
53,396
69,898
32
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
O Audience Profile
In 2006, the total number of audience for performing arts was 29,046,227.
9,048,201 of the them attended presented programs and 19,998,026 attended hired
programs. The number of attendees with tickets was 15,751,855, 54.2% of the total.
<Table 8> Performing Arts Facilities and Audience Profiles
(unit : %)
Performing Arts facilities
Total attendances
Presented Program
Hired Program
Total
29,046,227 (100.0)
9,048,201 (100.0)
19,998,026 (100.0)
Ticket holders
15,751,855 (54.2)
3,393,075 (37.5)
12,358,780 (61.8)
Non-ticket holders
13,294,372 (45.8)
5,655,126 (62.5)
7,639,246 (38.2)
O Program Profile
An estimated 5,853 of productions at performing arts related facilities were
presented in a year. In this survey, 168 performing arts facilities responded for
presented program profile and revealed that the average number presented programs
was 7.8; the average number of days presenting their presented programs was 72.8;
the average number of performances of the presented programs was 83.8. The
number of productions in theater was 3.1(the highest ranked); classics was 2.2; dance
was 0.7, multi‐disciplinary arts was 0.5, and traditional music was 0.3.
<Table 9> Genre of production program
Year
2006
Genre's number of presented program (average number)
Total
Theater
Dance
Classics
Traditional Music
Multi‐arts
7.8
3.1
0.7
2.2
0.3
0.5
253 performing arts facilities responded for hired program profile and revealed that
an average number of hired program was 3.4; the average operating days of hired
program was 79.9; the average number of performances of hired program on was
89.0. The average number of performances of hired program in classics was 34.9
(the highest ranked); in theater was 9.0; in traditional music was 7.3.
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
<Table 10> Genre of hired program
A number of hired program (proportion to all)
Total
Total
Average (%)
Theater
36,202(100.0) 10,159(28.1)
34.1
Dance
Classics
Traditional Music
Multi‐Arts
3,106(8.6)
17,127(47.3)
3,228(8.9)
2,582(7.1)
6.0
34.9
7.3
7.1
9.0
* 'Total' indicates a number of hired programs in performing arts.
* 'Performing arts' include theater, musical, dance, ballet, classics, opera, traditional music and
multi‐disciplinary arts.
O Income and Expenditure of Performing Arts Facilities in 2006
In 2006, the annual income of performing arts facilities was estimated around
￦819.6 billion in total. The average income of a performing arts facility was 1.29
billion won based on the survey responses of 342 facilities. The proportion of annual
income comprised of revenue (59.2%); public funds (39.1%); and contributions and
donations (1.7%). For 2006, the annual expenditure of performing arts facilities was
estimated around ￦800.5 billion in total. The average expenditure of a performing
arts facility was ￦1.26 billion based on the survey response of 342 facilities. The
proportion of annual expenditure comprised of operating costs (74.2%), programming
expenses (25.6%), expenditure brought forward to next year (0.2%).
<Table 11> Annual Income and Expenditure of Performing Arts Facilities(2006)
(unit: thousand won, %)
Total Income
Proportion
Average
Total Income Income per
Revenue
Venue
Public
Funds
819,573,561 1,287,276
39.1
59.2
Total Expenditure
Proportion
Average
Expense
Total
Expenditure Programming Operating Brought
Expenditure
Donation
Per Venue Expense
Costs Forward to
Next Year
1.7
800,524,005 1,257,356
25.6
74.2
0.2
O Financial Independence of Performing Arts Facilities (2006)
Financial Independence (a ratio of operating income to gross expenditure) was
57.2% on the average. Financial independence of private facilities was 79.8% and that
of public facilities was 36.3%. The financial independence of for-profit corporations
was the highest at 89.0%. Among public facilities, the financial independence of
central government run facilities was the highest at 44.7%. The average financial
34
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
independence of local culture and arts centers, which are owned by local
governments was 18.9%, up 3.5% from 15.4% in 2004.
<Table 12> Financial Independence of Local Culture and Arts Centers
Region
Sector
Financial Independence (%)
In Total
18.9
Seoul
59.2
Busan
23.1
Daegu
21.9
Incheon
18.0
Gwangju
32.6
Daejeon
10.7
Ulsan
16.1
Gyeonggi
20.8
Gangwon
8.7
Chungbuk
5.7
Chungnam
7.4
Jeonbuk
10.5
Jeonnam
12.1
Gyeongbuk
7.1
Gyeongnam
18.9
Jeju
7.9
O Employees at Performing Arts Facility (2006)
Of the employees at 296 facilities responding to sampling survey, 43.2% was
administrative staff, 30.7% was technical staff, 12.1% was operating venue staff, 11.0%
was programming staff in performing arts, 3.0% was programming staff in other
genres.
Korea Arts Management Service
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
<Table 13> Organization of Performing Arts Facilities and Proportions of Full‐time Staff
Proportion of Full‐time
Number of Staff
(Persons: on average)
Staff
Proportion (%)
Total
100.0
14.7
78.5
Administrative Team
43.2
6.4
83.5
Performing Arts Programming Team
11.0
1.6
80.8
Venue Operation Team
12.1
1.8
53.7
Programming for other genres Team
3.0
0.4
76.3
Technical Team
30.7
4.5
80.5
The share of full‐time staff employed at performing arts facilities was 78.5%. The
proportion of full time staff in administrative teams was 83.5%, in performing arts
programming teams was 80.8%, in technical teams was 80.5%, in programming teams
for other genres was 76.3%, and in venue operation teams was 53.7%. On the
average, the number of people working at performing arts facilities was 14.7.
Classified by position, the number of administrative staff was the most at 6.4,
technical staff was 4.5, venue operating staff was 1.8, performing arts programming
staff was 1.8 and other genre programming staff was 0.4.
3 Performing Arts Companies
O Overview of Performing Arts Company
Among 2,385 performing arts companies registered in Korea, 53.8% were located
in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon. As classified by their legal status, the proportion of
national and public companies was 10.4% and that of private companies is 89.6%.
Among private companies, 73.7% of the organizations did not have legal status. As
classified by genre, classical music had the most companies at 33.2%; theater took up
21.8%;
traditional
Korean
music
19.3%;
dance
17.1%
and
multi‐disciplinary
performances 8.5%.
O Membership of Performing Arts Company
55.1% of 840 performing arts companies which responded to the survey had a
membership system and traditional music was the most active, making up 72.3%. The
number of memberships was around 700 on the average. Theaters had the largest
36
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
memberships, 1,302 on the average; classical music 884 people, multi‐disciplinary arts
587 people, traditional music 288 people, and dance 277 people. As to legal status,
national and public companies had more memberships (796 people on average) than
private companies (682 people). 33.1% of all members pay a regular membership fee
and companies in all genres−Traditional Music(35.4%), Classics (34.1%), Theater
(31.8%),
Dance
(31.1%).
53.8%−except
multi-disciplinary
arts(19.0%)
had
approximately 30% of members willing to pay their membership fees. 53.8% of all
companies had a patronage support system.
O Characteristics of Performing Arts Companies
30.2% of 2,385 performing arts companies in the survey were only for performing.
7.9% of the companies were only for producing and presenting. 35.3% of companies
perform, produce, and present. Among companies committed to performing and
producing, 45.0% worked in multi‐disciplinary arts; 39.5% worked in theater and
36.7% worked in traditional music. In comparison, as for classical music and dance,
each has 36.2% and 30.3% of companies work only in performing, respectively.
O Performance of Performing Arts Companies
It was estimated that performing arts companies put on 7,885 productions in 2006
and each company presented 3.3 productions on the average. The total number of
performance days for production programs was 30,424 and 12.7 days on the average.
There
were
52,939
performances
of
production
programs
in
2006
and
22.2
performances per day on the average.
<Table 14> Performances of Performing Arts Company
Year
Number of
Productions (Average)
Performance
Days(Average)
Performance
Sessions(Average)
Size of Audience
(Average)
Total
Total
Total
Total
2006
3.3
12.7
22.2
4,892
As to the number of productions by genre, classical music had the highest figure,
3.7 on average; multi‐disciplinary arts had 3.4; theater 3.3; traditional music 3.1 and
dance 2.8.
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
<Table 15> Production Stage by Genre
Number of Production Stage (on average)
Year
2006
Total
Theater
Dance
Classics
Traditional Music
Multi‐arts
3.3
3.3
2.8
3.7
3.1
3.4
Based on 597 performing arts companies which responded to the survey, audience
attendance at production programs was estimated at 11,677,416 and audience per
company was 4,892 on the average. The ratio of ticketed audiences attended
productions was 58.2%. Broken down by genre, ticketed audience for theater was
63.1%;
dance
59.8%;
classical
music 59.4%;
multi‐disciplinary
arts
50.4%
and
traditional music 42.7%. The production cost per company was 42 million on the
average, based on the response of 386 performing arts companies surveyed. As
classified by genre, multi‐disciplinary arts had the highest expenditure, around 52
million per company; classics had 49 million; theater and dance each 49 million won
and traditional music had 28 million.
The number of overseas productions per company was 1.1 based on a survey
of 118 performing arts companies. The average number of overseas performance days
per production was 3.0 and the average number of overseas performances per
production was 3.6. The highest proportion of overseas production, 37.7% was
collaboration with an overseas partner. The most frequently used access channel to
overseas is a related association or organization, used by 62.0% of companies who
performed overseas.
O Income and Expenditure of Performing Arts Companies (2006)
In 2006, the total income of performing arts companies was estimated at around
￦475.6 billion. The average income per company, based on a survey of 843
companies, was around ￦200 million. The income comprised of operating income
(43.6%), public funds (38.7%) and contributions/donations (17.7%). In 2006, the total
expenditure of performing arts companies was estimated at around ￦641.3 billion.
The average expenditure per company was around ￦270 million, based on a survey
of 843 companies. The expenditure comprised of programming expenses (60.8%),
administrative costs (38.4%) and expenditure brought forward to next year (0.8%).
38
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
<Table 16> Income/Expenditure of Performing Arts Company (FY 2006)
(Unit: won)
Income
Grand Total
Average
475,547,368
199,127
Proportion (%)
Operating Income
Public Funds
Donations
43.6
38.7
17.7
Expenditure (%)
Proportion
Grand Total
Average
Programming
Expenses
Administrative Cost
Expenditure brought forward to
next year
641,311,462
268,538
60.8
38.4
0.8
The average income of performing arts companies was ￦200 million. The average
income of classical music companies was the highest at ￦250 million, theater was
￦240 million; dance was ￦200 million; multi‐disciplinary arts was ￦160 million, and
traditional music was ￦90 million. When the average income is given the value of
1.0, theater, dance, and classical music companies earned above the average, and
traditional music and multi‐disciplinary arts companies earned below the average.
<Table 17> Performing Arts Company's average income by genre
(unit: thousand won)
Classification
Performing Arts Company (average income)
Classical music Traditional music Multi‐disciplinary Arts
All
Theater
Dance
Grand Income
199,127
243,522
195,526
248,096
86,842
164,414
Average
1.0
1.2
1.0
1.2
0.4
0.8
O Financial Independence of Performing Arts Companies (2006)
Financial Independence (a ratio of operating income to total expenditure) of
performing arts companies was 60.6% on the average. Private sector's financial
independence was 64.1%, higher than public sector at 33.1%. Financial independence
of traditional music companies was the highest at 60.9%. All genres indicated a 50‐
60% financial independence on the average−multi‐disciplinary arts (60.7%), classical
music (59.6%), theater (58.3%) and dance (55.0%).
Korea Arts Management Service
39
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
<Table 18> Financial Independence of Performing Arts Companies (2006)
Classification
Groups
FI (%)
All
717
60.6
Theater
163
58.3
Dance
126
55.0
Classical Music
229
59.6
Traditional Music
159
69.0
41
60.7
National & Public
79
33.1
Private
637
64.1
Genre
Multi‐Disciplinary
Legal Status
O Employees at Performing Arts Company
In 2006, the number of employees in performing arts companies including
performers and supporting staff was estimated at 82,723 persons. The average number
of employees per company, based on 1,700 companies responded to the survey, was
34.7. Through complete enumeration and sampling survey, the number of performers
employed by 2,385 companies was estimated at 76,226 and the average number of
performers in each company was estimated at 32.0. 17,739 (23.3%) of all artists were
resident members and 58,487 (76.7%) were non‐resident members of the companies.
The average numbers of resident members and non-resident members in each
company were 7.4 and 24.5 respectively. Classical music companies had the most
resident artists, 10.7 on the average; Multi‐disciplinary arts had 7.0; Dance had 6.1;
Theater had 5.7 and Traditional Music had 5.3. The Multi‐disciplinary arts had the
most non‐resident performers, 41.5 on average; Classical music had 28.3; Traditional
Music had 26.2; Dance had 21.7 and Theater had 13.8.
<Table 19> Artists in Performing Arts Company by genre
Genre
All
Number of Resident Artists Number of Non‐resident Aritsts
Average
Average
Average
Total
32.0
7.4
24.5
Theater
19.5
5.7
13.8
Dance
27.9
6.1
21.7
Classical music
39.0
10.7
28.3
Traditional Music
31.5
5.3
26.2
48.5
7.0
41.5
Multi‐disciplinary Arts
40
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
The staff of 1,700 performing arts companies which responded to the survey
comprised 52.0% of office staff, 30.8% of production staff and 17.2% of technical
staff. On the average, the number of the office staff was 1.4; production staff was
0.8 technical staff was 0.5. The proportion of full‐time staff was 62.6% in all
companies. 65.3% of office staff and 58.5% of technical staff were full‐time
employees. Classical music companies employed the most supporting staff, 30.4% of
all genres; theaters employed 26.4%, traditional music 21.1%; dance 13.8%; and multi‐
disciplinary arts 8.3%. In the average number of supporting staff, theater had the
most at 3.2; multi‐disciplinary arts 3.0, traditional music 2.9, classical music 2.5, and
dance 2.2. The highest ratio of staff employed full‐time was in classical music, with
67.5% of their total; theater 65.8%; dance 63.3%; multi‐disciplinary arts 56.1% and
traditional music 49.6%.
<Table 20> Staff Organization of Performing Arts Company and Full‐time Staff Employment
Classification
Proportion (%) Size of Staff (On Average) Ratio of Full‐time Staff (%)
All
Role
Genre
100.0 2.7
62.6
Office
52.0 1.4
65.3
Production
30.8 0.8
60.2
Technician
17.2 0.5
58.5
Theater
26.4 3.2
65.8
Dance
13.8 2.2
63.3
Classical Music
30.4 2.5
67.5
Traditional Music
21.1 2.9
49.6
8.3 3.0
56.1
Multi‐disciplinary
4) Analysis of Issues
O Size and Contribution of Performing Arts
Based on the revenues, the size of the performing arts market is estimated at
￦692.5 billion. (*revenues include tickets sales, non-performance income, and other
income.) However, the size of the performing arts market based on the expenditures
is estimated at ￦1.442 billion.
Korea Arts Management Service
41
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
<References : Different methods for measuring the size
of performing arts market>
(i) Venue (infrastructure) Income + Company Income
‐ sum of income from venues and performing arts companies excluding
financial support from public sources.
‐ reflects transactions in the performing arts market.
‐ venue income (￦482.5 billion) + company income (￦207.3 billion)
= ￦692.5 billion
(ii) Venue Expenditure + Company Expenditure
‐ sum of expenditures of venues and performing arts companies
‐ considering that expenditure exceeds income in performing arts market,
the expenditure can reflect the size of performing arts market.
‐ venue expenditure (￦800.5 billion) + company expenditure (￦641.3
billion) = ￦1,441.8 billion
(iii) Venue Expenditure + Company Expenditure + Public fund
‐ sum of expenditures of venues, expenditure of performing arts companies
and financial contribution from public funds. To prevent duplication,
the sum excludes income of venues and companies generated by the
public funds.
‐ It includes public expenditure, which is the largest amount of financial
resources in the performing arts market.
‐ It is a useful method to measure economic contribution of performing arts
to the whole industry market.
‐ public financial resources (￦904.6 billion) + outcomes of (ii) (￦1,441.8
billion) ‐ incomes of venues and companies generated by the public funds
(￦504.5 billion) = ￦1,841.9 billion
42
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
O Centralization
Major performing arts facilities and companies are concentrated in the capital area
of
Seoul,
Incheon,
and
Gyeonggi
and
other
major
metropolitan
areas.
The
concentration is evident in the income, attendances, and the number of productions
in these areas.
<Table 21> Proportion of major facilities and companies in total income
Facility
Average income (thousand won)
Index
Proportion (%)
All
1,287,276
1.0 100.0 Top 1%
25,142,920
19.5
21.5
Company
Average income (thousand won)
Index
Proportion(%)
All
199,127
1.0 100.0
Top 1%
4,305,929
21.6
21.7
<Table 22> Outcomes of performing arts facilities located in capital area and in
out‐of‐the‐capital areas
Classification
Total
Average
Proportion (%)
Total
Capital
Average
Proportion (%)
Total
Out‐of‐the‐
Average
Capital
Proportion (%)
All
Number of
Productions
(Estimate)
40,450 50 100.0 19,628 45 48.5 20,822 56 51.5 Number of
Performances
(Estimate)
118,574 146 100.0 69,818 160 58.9 48,756 130 41.1 Performance Days
(Estimate)
Size of Audience
(Estimate)
100,167 123 100.0 61,451 141 61.3 38,716 103 38.7 27,929,077 34,395 100.0 14,830,095 33,936 53.1 13,098,982 34,931 46.9 n=812
* The data was estimated from information of 812 performing arts venues.
<Table 23> Income of performing arts companies located in capital area and in
out‐of‐the‐capital areas
(thousand won)
Total Income
Total
Income (%)
Operating
Income
Operating
Income (%)
Programming
Income
Programming
Income (%)
All
167,864,014
100.0
73,188,710
100.0
52,842,249
100.0
Capital
143,600,106
85.5
70,528,045
96.4
50,568,727
95.7
24,263,908
14.5
2,660,665
3.6
2,273,522
4.3
Out‐of‐capital
Korea Arts Management Service
n=843
43
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
<Table 24> Income of Performing Arts Companies located in major cities and provinces
(unit: thousand won)
Total Income
Total
Income (%)
Operating
Income
Operating
Income (%)
Programming
Income
Programming
Income (%)
All
167,864,014 100.0 73,188,710 100.0 52,842,249 100.0 Major city
138,080,220
82.3 69,316,270
94.7 50,323,612
95.2 Province
29,783,794
17.7 10,126,490
5.3 7,230,314
4.8 n=843
O Construction of Performing Arts Facilities to Operation
The construction rate of performing arts infrastructure is decreasing. While
establishment of public theaters is rapidly decreasing, growth of private theaters is
escalating. Construction of public culture and arts centers which started in the mid
1990s is nearing its end.
60
56
50
45
35
40
35
30
26
19
20
10
1
1
1973
1981
1
0
(개) 1950
2
11
10
6
32
7
3
4
1986
전체
1991
공공
16
7
6
5
1996
2001
2006
민간
[Figure 1] Opening of performing arts facilities by year
Comparing local government performing arts budgets, construction costs for
infrastructure have been reduced. On the other hand, support for performing arts
activities, such as operating or programming of venues and performing arts
companies, has expanded. It is predicted that public theaters will be given more
financial support for operating and improvements. In case of construction budget,
Seoul takes up 50.9% and four major cities and provinces−Seoul, Incheon,
Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk−takes 81.8% of the total budget. The construction
budgets for these regions are vastly different from those of other regions where the
most of the public culture and arts center constructions are completed.
44
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Korea
<Table 25> Performing Arts Budget of Prefectures (2004, 2006)
(unit: thousand won, %)
2004(A)
Budget
amount
Total
variation(B‐A)
2006(B)
ratio (%)
amount
ratio (%)
ratio (%)
‐
726,661,859
100.0
296,135,201
40.8
172,030,274 23.3 166,890,709
23.0
229,675,360 31.1 62,784,651
8.1
121,577,581
16.7
168,446,671 22.8 46,869,090
6.1
48,289,135
6.6
78,026,192 10.6 29,737,057
4.0
69,979,001
9.6
61,073,811 8.3 △8,905,190
△1.3
For other purpose
22,336,832
3.1
26,142,545 3.5 3,805,713
0.4
Special accounts
1,453,400
0.2
2,598,581 0.4 1,145,181
0.2
Construction for Performing
arts facility
Operation for Performing
arts facility
Operation for Public
performing arts company
Subsidy for performing arts
activity
Subsidy for performing arts
festival
737,993,434 100.0 금액
공연시설 건립예산
공연시설 운영예산
공연단체 운영예산
공연예술축제 지원예산
기타예산
특별회계예산
100%
80%
11,331,575
△124,104,927 △17.5
공연예술활동 지원예산
0.2
0.4
3.1
3.5
9.6
8.3
6.6
10.6
16.7
22.8
60%
23.0
40%
20%
31.1
40.8
23.3
0%
2004년
2006년
[Figure 2] Distribution of performing arts budget (2004, 2005)
Korea Arts Management Service
45
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
B. Statistics on Performing Arts in China
The current situation of performing arts in China is described in 'China Yearbook
on Culture 2007(中國文化文物統計年鑑) 2007.' This yearbook presents performances of
the year 2006 when the new 5 year economic plan of the Chinese government
launched. The yearbook was developed, guided with Deng Xiaoping's theory on
Chinese culture and vital thoughts of 'Three Representatives.'2) According to the
yearbook, cultural construction of each section is on the way through all‐out reform.
The changes the yearbook mentions are as follows:
• A slight increase in the number of culture groups and their employees
• Continuous growth in the governmental financial support and cultural venue
constructions well in progress
• Invigorated creation of culture and arts works
• Improved public cultural service system
• Development of the culture industry
• Set‐up of market system in the culture and arts community
• Improved preservation of cultural heritages
• More exchanges with overseas groups
• Rearrangement of laws and management
• Conduct of creative work business and increase in arts vocational education
• Implementation of cultural system reform
Such changes in both hardware and software levels reflect increasing governmental
support, enhanced efficiency through rearrangement of law and institutions and
further improved industrial efficiency.
1) Performing Arts Companies
O Performing Arts Companies by Genres and Regions
As
of
the
end
of
2006,
the
number
of
nationwide
various
culture
groups/companies reaches 370,000 in total with the total 1.9million of employees. Out
of them, performing arts companies are 2,866 with 144,000 being employed.
Compared with previous year(2005), the number increased by 61 and 2,489
2) Deng Xiaoping, Theory and the important thought of 'Three Represents'
46
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ China
respectively. The number of performing arts companies in China had recorded over
3,000 by 1980's, but since then, it has been on decline gradually. However, recently,
the number again started peaking up. The trend by regions is as shown in the
below table 2):
Table 1) The Number of Performing Arts Companies/Groups by Genres
Year
Cultural
Theater, Opera, Dance
Song and
Propaganda,
Children's Drama,Song Dance, Light Music Band, Propaganda
Theater, and Dance
Chorus
Maneuver,
Music
Comedy
Drama
Wulanmugi3)
Classical
Theater
Beijing
Opera
Music,
Acrobatics,
Puppetry,
Leather
Shadow Show
Total
1985
103
204
***
18
517
2,167
181
308
3,317
1990
90
298
***
22
440
1,722
122
233
2,805
1995
89
45
261
19
425
1,634
116
209
2,682
2001
97
112
321
15
379
1,479
109
187
2,605
2002
87
109
343
15
383
1,472
111
178
2,587
2003
88
104
361
32
361
1,483
114
189
2,618
2004
140
92
347
28
313
1,544
110
173
2,759
2005
165
88
270
33
176
1,853
125
105
2,810
2006
143
109
380
34
330
1,505
93
194
2,866
Table 2) The Number of Performing Arts Companies/Groups by Region and year
Year
Total
National Level
Regional Level
Beijing
Tianjin
Hebei
Shanxi
Inner Mongolia
Liaoning
Jilin
Heilongjian
Shanghai
Jiangsu
Zhejiang
Anhui
Fujian
Jiangxi
1985
3, 317
19
3,298
23
25
181
175
148
120
99
122
44
147
126
126
104
105
1990
2,805
20
2,785
23
23
143
169
124
97
74
94
36
137
90
99
91
86
1995
2,682
18
2,664
22
19
138
162
118
89
68
92
31
136
83
92
91
81
2000
2,619
11
2,608
20
16
138
159
116
77
65
89
29
133
79
92
96
79
2003
2,601
10
2,591
20
15
133
158
113
74
65
86
65
127
77
93
94
78
2005
2,805
17
2,788
20
16
126
156
109
66
61
84
85
129
273
92
91
79
2006
2,866
16
2,850
18
16
135
158
108
66
60
84
97
127
245
89
92
78
3) a type of travelling folk performance troupe which spread Maoism to the countryside
Korea Arts Management Service
47
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Shandong
Henan
Hubei
Hunan
Guangdong
Guangxi
Hainan
Chongqing
Sichuan
Guizhou
Yunnan
Xizang
Shaanxi
Gansu
Qinghai
Ningxia
Xingang
158
264
118
115
171
117
***
***
207
33
156
29
139
97
18
25
106
119
231
108
91
130
115
22
***
155
33
137
25
119
85
14
20
95
118
216
105
89
134
117
23
***
140
30
134
25
117
78
14
15
87
118
205
100
90
138
118
21
38
98
28
129
26
118
76
14
15
88
120
199
98
86
144
117
28
32
89
26
121
27
116
74
14
14
88
117
199
99
91
139
118
22
29
84
26
135
27
113
76
12
23
91
118
199
114
93
138
118
73
36
81
24
126
26
112
75
12
14
118
When compared by regions, the number of times of performances presents a huge
difference. Performing arts companies under the Ministry of Culture of the Central
Government has no big difference from county level arts companies in terms of the
number of times of performances, but in terms of resources, there is a large gap
between those two different levels of companies; for the number of employees,
central level of companies is 10.4 times more than county level, for subsidiary
income 48.3 times, per capita income 6 times.
Table 3) Proportion of Performing arts companies under the Ministry of Culture
of the Central Government
National Level Provincial Level Country Level Township Level
Employees for Production
354
137.00
70
34
Number of times of performances per year
200.00
210.05
184.97
153.48
Rural Area(times)
11
47
77
115
Subsidiary Income(unit: 1,000 won)
19,414.33
7,552.58
2,329.84
402.77
Per Capita Subsidy Income(unit: 1,000 won)
54.89
55.21
33.38
11.99
Income from Production
11,984.67
1711.52
541.04
141.04
Per Capita Income (unit:1,000 won)
116.8
78.9
46.49
17.93
Per Capita Expenditure(unit: 1,000 won)
111.47
77.32
46.41
17.91
57.09
28.41
26.51
31.29
Self‐funding Rate(%)
48
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ China
O Situations of Performing Arts Companies
The current situation of the total 2,608 surveyed performing arts companies is
referred to the below table 4). These companies staged performances 420,000 times
and each company performed 167 times at the average. In terms of audiences, the
year 2006 recorded over 40 millions for the first time since 2003. However, the figure
is still far below 72million in 1985. In the mean time, total income, subsidiary income,
performance fee, expenditure and production cost have been on the steady rise.
Table 4) the number of performing arts groups/companies and their earning/expenditure
Year
No. of Performanc
The
Performanc es in Rural
Number of
No. of
es
Areas
Audience
(Unit:
Companies (Unit:
(Unit:
10,000
10,000
10,0000)
times)
times)
The Average
Income
Total Subsidiary
Cost for
Number of
Total
from
Performances Income
Expenditure Rehearsal/P Self‐funding
Performanc
(unit: Income(unit:
per
(unit: roduction(un
es (unit:
10,000
Performing 10,000
10,000 it: 10,000 rate(%)
10,000
won)
won)
won)
Companies
won)
won)
(Times)
1985
3,295
74
49
72,322
226
1990
2,788
49
32
51,012
1995
2,676
41
26
43,166
2001
2,590
42
24
2002
2,577
42
2003
2,601
2004
2005
2006
48,568
30,942
13,091
47,292
6,007
37.3
176
71,535
43,759
18,041
67,514
3,952
41.1
154
151,388 86,620
34,382 160,654
9,302
40.3
47,385
163
311,852 210,018 57,448 312,601 18,783
30.3
24
45,980
161
365,331 246,661 64,884 363,312 18,896
29.1
39
22
39,163
147
400,867 269,640 71,781 397,890 22,036
29.5
2,694
45
26
39,833
165
464,215 313,068 91,157 462,777 21,635
36.1
2,502
40
23
36.295
159
507,628 346,987 99,023 496,305 24,776
30.8
2,508
42
24
41,579
167
590,880 399,771 113,720 583,881 32,080
37.9
Korea Arts Management Service
49
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
O Employees for Performances
Staffing and performance outputs of the total surveyed 2,866 companies are
referred to the below table 5). As shown in the table, about 70% of companies are
state‐owned. Out of them, 16 companies with 144,167 employees in total are owned
by the central government.
Table 5) the number of performing arts groups/companies and their earning/expenditure
No. of
No. of
No. of
No. of
Performance performances of
No. of
New
Domestic
new
No.
of
No. of High‐level Middle‐level Production
No. of
in the Rural new production
Auxiliary
production Performance Performance
(unit: 1,000
Employees Employee Employee of this
Companies
Area and premiers this
and
Group
(unit: 1,000 (unit: 1,000 year (unit: 1,000
times)
year
times)
premiers
times)
times)
Total
2,866
2,303 144,167 16,623 36,058 2,643
1,488
493
474
287
71
By where to register
State‐owned
2,008
1,901 113,583 15,156 31,496 1,944
1,166
310
295
166
64
Group
460
345
17,417
810
3,290
266
112
99
98
71
3
Others
398
57
13,167
657
1,272
433
210
85
81
44
1
‐‐
By administrative districts
National Level
16
15
5,083
1,984
1,383
33
16
3
3
‐‐
Provincial Level
223
195
28,744 6,613
8,524
290
182
48
42
7
‐‐
Country, City Level
808
657
50,078 6,560 16,470
849
488
141
129
60
3
Township Level
1,819
1,436 60,262 1,466
1,471
802
300
291
216
59
1,300
420
405
244
70
377
188
73
69
41
1
‐‐
9,681
By Management Categories
Cultural Section
2,508
Others
358
2,291 132,432 15,877 34,952 2,266
12
11,735
746
1,106
By Genres
Companies for Theater,
Children's Theater, Comedy
Companies for Opera,
Dance, Song and Dance
Companies for Song and
Dance, Light Music
Companies for Music Band,
Chorus
Companies for Cultural
Maneuver, Cultural
Propaganda, Wulanmugi
theater Companies : out of
it, Beijing Opera
Companies for Music,
Acrobatics, Puppetry,
Leather Shadow Show
Multi‐Genre Arts Companies
50
143
117
8,485
1,843
2,263
189
131
15
15
3
109
86
11,096 2,102
3,278
208
131
15
14
3
‐‐
380
325
21,931 3,046
6,082
366
262
51
49
17
2
34
17
2,503
634
612
25
5
‐‐
‐‐
‐‐
‐‐
330
314
10,068
480
2,227
225
190
39
37
22
‐‐
1,505
93
1,190 71,459 6,430 16,599 1,387
86
1,490 1,631 2,401 103
563
34
264
10
260
9
198
3
58
‐‐
194
139
9,664
1,119
2,459
76
63
70
58
13
1
171
115
8,961
969
2,538
167
143
28
28
14
‐‐
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ China
O Comparison between Venues and Companies
The below table 6) refer to performing venues as well as performing arts
companies. According to it, the total number of employees is 179,112.
Table 6) the number of performing arts organization and employees
Culture Sector
Total
Total
State‐owned
No. of No. of High‐level Mid‐level No. of No. of High‐level Mid‐level No. of No. of High‐level Mid‐level
Org Employees Position Position Org. Employees Position Position Org. Employees Position Position
Total
4,705 179,112 17,385 39,350 4,232 165,313 16,562 38,055 3,555 141,819 15,189 33,708
一. Performing Arts
Companies
2,866 144,167 16,623 36,058 2,508 132,432 15,877 34,952 1,987 111,328 14,530 30,751
1. Theater, Children's Theater,
Comedy : out of it Children's
Theater
2. Opera, Dance Drama,
Song and Dance
3. Song and Dance, Light
Music
143
8,485 1,843 2,263
10
843
240
8
109 11,096 2,102 3,278
7,926 1,753 2,117
206
6,582 1,395 1,764
6
564
92
10,801 2,102 3,267
77
9,539 1,953 2,977
380 21,931 3,046 6,082
343
21,041 2,936 5,992
303
19,292 2,774 5,563
4. Music Band, Chorus
34
634
612
24
2,049
539
445
20
1,939
538
445
5. Cultural Maneuver, Cultural
Propaganda, Wulanmugi
330 10,068 480
2,227
327
9,090
250
1,851
310
8,560
226
1,717
1,505 71,459
6. theater Company
: out of it, Beijing Opera 93 7,490
7. Music, Circus, Rod Puppetry,
194 9,664
Leather Shadow Show
8. Multi‐Genre Arts
171 8,961
Companies
二. Performing
1,839 34,945
Venues/Facilities
1,712 31,805
1. Theater, Cinema : out of
them Theater for Children
95 1,887
2. Venue for Gag and Historical
14
121
Romantic Story‐telling, Circus
683
109
184
2,503
232
128
184
168
6,430 16,599 1,314 65,743 6,414 16,457 940
1,631 2,401 89 7,336 1,630 2,391 79
51,157 5,832 13,758
6,968 1,579 2,269
1,119 2,459
161
8,700 1,113 2,445
120
7,523 1,056 2,202
969
2,538
119
7,082
770
2,378
108
67,36
756
2,325
762
3,292 1,724 32,881
685
3,103 1,568 3,0491
659
2,957
720
73
3,102 1,642 30,736
254
94 1,859
651
73
2,974 1,504 28,732
254
74 1,433
635
69
2,849
229
2
2
12
106
2
2
7
86
2
1
3. Acrobatic, Circus
2
84
1
5
2
84
1
5
2
84
1
5
4. Concert Hall
22
563
11
32
13
386
9
24
13
331
8
18
48
1,580
16
81
30
1,296
15
79
26
1,079
11
69
41
792
12
70
25
273
7
19
16
179
2
15
5. Multi‐Genre Arts
6. Others
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
2) Performing Arts Facilities
O Ten‐One‐Five Plan (Five Years of Economic Plan from 2006 to 2010)
and Strengthening of Infrastructure
The year 2006 was the first year of implementing the "Ten‐One‐Five" Plan for
cultural development. During this year, the number of constructions of large‐scale
cultural facilities, which are worthy of more than 100 million won in China,
amounted to a total of 12 facilities, including a national museum, the second launch
of China Art Center, a national theater, the second launch of capital library,
SoBaekwha Art Center in Zhejiang Province, a local play grand theater in Fujian
Province, a museum in Shandong Province, a performance theater in Zhengzhou City,
Henan Province, a new library in Hubei Province, an entertainment center in
Guangdong Province, a library in Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, and a
museum in Yunnan Province. In 2006, construction works of six cultural facilities
with more than 100 million of investment won, were completed. Those facilities
included Beijing HaeJeong theater, Beijing Daeheung Building for Book, Film, and
Play, a library in Economy Technology Development District of Dalian City, LiaoNing
Province, a museum and an exhibition hall in Nanjing, Kiang su Province, an annex
building of a museum in Hangzou City, Kiang su Province, and a culture, art,
production base in Kunming.
O Outlook of Performance Hall
In China, there are a total of 1,839 auditoriums. Among these, 1,595 are state‐
owned. The total number of seat amounts to 1,413,647. In addition to performance,
films are also screened in auditoriums at the same time. The number of movie
screening reached five times more than the number of performances. With all 34,890
employees, 94,000 times of performance were conducted annually, which means
average 51 times of performance were done by each organization.
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Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ China
Table 7) Performing arts venues
No. of
Organization
(No.)
No. of
employee
(Person)
High‐Level
Position
(Person)
Mid‐Level
Position
(Person)
Sum of
No. of Art No. of Movie
No. of Seat No. of Screen performances Performance Screening
and Screening
(No.)
(No.)
(1,000 times) (1,000 times)
(1,000 times)
Total
1,839
34,890
761
3,286
1,413,647
2,324
585.0
94.0
463.0
Subsidiary
theaters of which
282
3,277
94
353
169,163
168
38.0
19.0
19.0
Mobile Theater
97
1,918
73
254
65,906
72
24.0
4.0
19.0
Classification by registration
State‐owned
1,595
31,049
682
3,019
1,244,857
2,066
526.0
72.0
432.0
Group
120
890
15
74
79,122
147
21.0
9.0
12.0
Others
124
2,951
64
193
89,668
111
36.0
13.0
21.0
Classification by management field
Cultural Field
1,724
32,826
684
3,097
1,327,066
2213
561.0
79.0
455.0
Other Fields
115
2,064
77
189
86,581
111
22.0
15.0
9.0
Classification based on subordinate relationship
National Level
5
87
6
10
2,962
149
‐‐
‐‐
‐‐
Provincial Level
136
4,369
149
358
125,027
154
136.0
14.0
116.0
629
13,496
241
1,403
440,056
565
285.0
34.0
229.0
1,069
16,938
365
1,515
845,602
456
163.0
39.0
118.0
Country, City
Level
Below County,
City Level
O Outlook of Performance Hall in the Cultural Field
The current status of performance hall in the cultural field is shown by Table 8.
Performances were conducted 560,000 times, including 80,000 times of performance
art, and watched by 65 million audiences. The number of audience was greatly
decreased compared to 890 million people in 1990. This big difference between
audience numbers may stem from film screening with no significant change in
performance art. Apart from these changes, revenues or cost are consistently
increasing.
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Table 8) the number performances/screenings and earnings/expenditure
No. of
No. of
Sum of
No. of
Revenues from Revenues from Revenues from
Total
Performances Performance No. of Film No. of Audience
Revenues
Organ.
Year
financial support performance art movie screening Expenses
and screening
(10,000 times) (10,000 persons)
Art
(10,000 won)
(No.)
(10,000 times) (10,000 times)
1985 1,377
99
12
87
...
11,630
1,506
1,776
5,206
9,519
1990 1,995
302
9
209
89,157
43,491
2,865
3,375
16,560
37,402
1995 1,918
205
5
114
24,252
79,507
2,793
6,481
22,492
77,134
2001 1,840
115
7
58
19,422
83,431
13,112
11,601
11,632
89,815
2002 1,819
74
7
55
11,421
83,643
12,033
13,186
11,366
89,374
2003 1,900
56
7
43
8,087
103,274
15,703
21,425
9,398
104,384
2004 1,674
59
8
45
12,689
106,121
16,483
27,180
11,855
112,171
2005 1,759
58
7
45
8,430
113,760
19,145
35,668
16,119
103,125
2006 1,724
56
8
46
6,529
117,975
19,603
37,511
9,206
117,871
3) Government
The year 2006 was the first year of implementing the national "Ten‐One‐Five" plan.
The central government enhanced its input capacity for the development of cultural
industry. In terms of budget injection into the cultural field, budgets of both central
and local government rose sharply. National expenditures for cultural business were
15.803 billion won, rising 18.1% with 2.421 billion won of increase compared to the
year 2005. Average per capita cultural business expense in China increased from
10.23 won of last year to 11.91 won, rising 16.4%. The increasing cultural business
expense gave a big boost to the prosperity and development of cultural business.
Average cultural business expense per person (Average per capita financial
expenses, the same as the below) in 15 provinces, counties, and cities across the
country exceeded the national average level. (11.91 won) Among them, Shanghai city
had the highest average per capita cultural business expense, amounting to 48.56
won, followed by Beijing city with 40.36 won. Henan Province recorded the lowest
with only 4.27 won.
Taking a look at the regional situation, places with more than 100 million won of
financial expenses were 29 provinces, counties, and cities in 2006. Only Hanam and
Seojang Provinces didn't exceed 100 million won. In 2006, all of provinces, counties,
54
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ China
and cities increased their financial expenses at a different level compared to the year
2005. Jiangsu Province had the largest increase with 268 million won, followed by
Guangdong province with 241 million won, and Yunnan province with 175 million
won. Places reaching or exceeding the national average level (17%) were 17
provinces, autonomous districts, and cities under direct control of the central
government. The province showing the biggest increasing rate was Qinghai province,
reaching 46.2%. Next, Yunnan province secured the second place with 41.7%,
followed by Hanam province with 40.8%.
The year 2006 was epoch‐making period in that reform process of cultural system
was enhanced from the upper level with the implementation of the Plan. <Some
opinions on deepening of cultural system reform> was announced under the central
government and the state council of the People's Republic of China, and the working
meeting for national cultural system reform was held. Moreover, a training class for
cultural system reform was open spurring the whole reform process.
In general, an institution change of art performance organizations was regarded as
one of challenges facing cultural system reform process. It was newly tried under the
national cultural system reform meeting. For example, The Puppet Art Troupe of
China and China National Arcrobatic Troupe changed and overhauled their business
system while Jilin province revamped its cultural system by reorganizing Jilin city
singing and dancing company, Jilin province singing and dancing company, and Jilin
province Oriental Grand Theater, setting up a Jilin Singing and Dancing Theater Co.,
Ltd.
New systems and institutions brought about vitality and boost in the fields that
were willing to change their systems. And as time went by, the effect was on the
horizon. Since China Arts and Entertainment Group changed its system, it was
developed in a positive way by establishing a modern business system, completing
incorporated institution structure, and promoting cultural productivity. While it
successfully managed significant cultural activities of the nation, it also created its
own brand product, called <Travel of Time and Space> based on a joint venture
with Shanghai by implementing a variety of development and brand strategies. The
representative product reaped good fruits both in overseas and domestic markets.
At the end of 2006, <Travel of Time and Space>, a dreamy stage play of large
scale multimedia, was performed at 497 theaters, exceeding 50 million won with only
box office revenues. Besides, the number of audience for the play surpassed 400,000
people. After the system reform, Beijing Children Art completed its transition of
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
operation system, propped up by the strong trend of new system, and pushed ahead
to produce contents products. By doing so, it could overhaul outside resources and
revitalize its internal potential. It achieved a big take‐off in terms of the number of
direction and total revenue, becoming a genuine cultural company filled with vitality.
At the same time, it succeeded in brining good results in other system reform.
Terms that needs to be explained.
"Play list that are newly produced and performed this year": A traditional drama, a
play, an opera, a dance drama, a singing and dancing play, and a puppet show are
the ones that Leather Shadow Troupe newly produced and performed this year.
Music, martial arts, acrobatic feats, and miscellaneous gaming are not included.
"Play list created and first performed by the troupe": It shows the play list created
and first performed by the described troupe.
"No. of direction": It indicates that the number of local and overseas art
performance is calculated as the number of performance (presentation of a play)
"No. of local direction": It shows the number of local art performance, and
includes the number of performance bringing about revenues from ticket sale and
rental fee, the number of free performance that are conducted for the elderly,
children, and people living in rural areas and slums, and the number of participating
in open performance with no revenue such as a joint performance. Rehearsal
screening and the number of performance with no revenue based on performances of
domestic touring are not included.
The calculation of the number of performance considers one time of issuing or
selling ticket as one time of performance (or one time of art performance amounts to
the time of one time of theater performance in other regions.) Expenses are paid
according to time, and it is calculated based on general customs (about one to two
hours) such as a full day performance, evening or morning performance. The
calculation of the number of acrobatic feats such as Pingtan is based on the principle
which regards one to two hours of performance as one time. When it comes to a
one‐act play, music, martial arts, songs, miscellaneous gaming, a puppet show, and a
special performance of Leather Shadow Play, they are calculated every time on a
uniform basis, regardless of how many one‐act plays or programs are included.
"No. of performance in rural area": It indicates performances of all grads of
troupes conducted in agriculture, forestry, pastoral and fishery areas where are
considered as Hang (Administration unit in China). Apart from main provinces or
cities, performances done in these areas are calculated as agriculture performance.
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Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ China
"No. of performance of play list that first performed by the troupe": It shows the
total number of performance of play list which are performed for the first time of
the year by the troupe.
"No. of local audience": It shows the calculation of the number of audience which
is related to the number of performance. Expenses are paid according to time, and
the number of audience entering into the hall is calculated. Regardless of the point
they entered, and how long they stayed in, one audience is considered as one time.
"No. of audience watching the performance of the play list": It shows the total
number of audience watching the performance of the play list that are created and
first performed this year by the troupe.
"Production Cost of Rehearsal": It shows all costs during the rehearsal process paid
by an art performance organization, including costume, set, and equipment, etc.
"Directing Cost": It shows all expenses paid by an art performance organization
during the process of performance, including advertisement fee, location rental fee,
transportation fee, and director supporting fee.
"The total amount of payment for the performance of the play list": It shows the
total amount of payment for the performance of the play list that are created and
first performed this year by the troupe.
"No. of seat": It shows the real number of seats that are sold to audience at a
theater.
"Sum of the number of performance, sum of the number of audience": It shows
the number of performance generating revenues like art performance and movie
screening, and the number of audience.
"Art Performance Organization": It includes all kinds of specialized art performance
organizations that are engaged in professional cultural activities such as literature, art
performance, held by the cultural field. For instance, a theater company, a dialect
theater company, a farce troupe, a children troupe, an opera company, a dance
company, a singing and dancing company, a light music company, a band, a chorus,
a literary drama company, a cultural and artistic propaganda team that is set up in
the autonomous district of internal Mongol, a Beijing opera troupe, a Kunju troupe, a
local play company, an acrobatic feat troupe, a miscellaneous troupe, a circus troupe,
a puppet show troupe, and Leather Shadow Troupe are all comprehensive and
specialized
art
performance
organizations.
Theatrical
companies
showing
the
characteristics of commerce and art, or agriculture and art at the same time are not
included. All sorts of professional art performance organizations conform to average
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
statistics.
"Art Performance Hall (Theater)": It indicates the management of performance hall
equipped with seats, a stage, and lighting equipment. It includes a music hall, an
opera house, a dance hall, a play hall, a circus hall, and other art performance halls.
Art performance halls (theaters) are managed by every department in charge of
culture or the cultural field, and registered in industry and commerce, and tax field.
These are the business place where tickets are publicly sold. There are two kinds of
art performance places; the first kind is a movie theater that has an independent
financial system as a professional theater, a film and play theater that a farce can be
performed, and a theater possible to screen movies. It also includes a theater without
separate accounting for the public business because it belongs to the cultural
business field, and a rehearsal theater. The second kind is other art performance
places with independent accounting system, including a place where gag and joke
performance are conducted, an acrobatic feat hall, and a miscellaneous gaming place,
a circus hall, and a music hall, etc.
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Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
C. The Current Status of Performing Arts in Taiwan
1) Research
O Researcher
This report sums up the area of performing arts in Taiwan, based on the
document "Research on the Performing Arts Industry" commissioned by the Council
for Cultural Affairs. The actual survey was conducted by Taiwan Performing Arts
Alliance
O Subject of Survey
The subject of this survey is performing arts companies and organizations. Based
on the data from Department of Culture of each local government, we conducted a
survey on the activities of all performing arts companies as of 2003. We called a
total of 4,582 companies, of which 2,746 in total were not available to contact. We
visited 1,744 out of the companies we made a contact with. The survey revealed that
as of 2003, 655 companies recorded income from performing and ticket sales. For
this survey, we visited the 655 companies, some public companies, culture promotion
organizations and others, totaling 664, while focusing on their office space, degree of
digitalization, human resources, performing arts activities, financial status, etc. But, the
surveyed organizations were 266 in total out of the 664, and out of the 266, public
companies were 9; private‐run companies 257.
O Categorization by Genre
This survey categorizes performing arts into four: contemporary theater, classic
theater, dance and music, unlike some other surveys which divide the whole
performing arts area into three: theater, dance and music.
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Table 1) Category of the Performing Arts Industry
Contemporary
Theater
Stage Drama
Musical
Dance Drama
Theater
Children's theater
Puppetry
Classic Theater
Dance
Gezai Opera(歌仔劇)
Ching Chu (Peiking Opera)
Kunqu Opera
Puppetry‐Sack Drama
Puppetry‐Marionette Show
Puppetry‐Shadow Theater
Chinese Folk Art (Shou‐Chang‐Yi‐Shu
(Traditional Narrating and Singing Arts)
Nan‐Kuan Music(南管)
Pak‐Kuan Music
Hakka Opera
Gao‐Jia Opera(高甲劇)
Music
World Music
National Music‐National Classical Music
National Music‐Lam‐Kuan‐Pak‐Kuan Music(南北管)
National Music‐ Indigenous Tribal Music
National Music‐Local Folk Music and Theater
Tribal Dance Western Music‐Vocal Music
Contemporary Western Music‐String Music
Dance
Western Music‐Wind Music
Ballet
Western Music‐Opera
National Dance Western Music‐Keyboard Music
Western Music‐Chamber Music
Western Music‐Jazz
Western Music‐Percussion
Western Music‐Orchestral Music
Western Music‐Chorus
2) Overview on the Status of Performing Arts Companies
O By Genre
Out of the total 266 surveyed performing arts companies, classic theater and music
recorded the highest ratio. By types of performing, classic puppetry ranked 1st (18.4%),
followed by western music (17.7%), national music (13.9%) and contemporary theater
(10.9%).
Table 2) The Rate of Genre-Specific Companies
60
Genre
No.of Companies
Rate(%)
Contemporary theater
41
14.31
Classic Theater
94
35.34
Dance
44
16.54
Music
87
32.71
Total
266
100.00
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
Table 3) The Rate of Sub-genre-Specific Companies
No.of Companies
Rate(%)
Contemporary theater
Forms in Detail
29
10.9
Children's Drama
15
5.6
Contemporary Puppetry
5
1.9
Contemporary theater
3
1.1
Gezai Opera
22
8.3
Peiking Opera, Kunqu Opera
4
1.5
Classic Puppetry
49
18.4
Classic Theater
24
9
Tribal Dance
8
3
Contemporary Dance
22
8.3
Ballet
10
3.8
Folk Dance
11
4.1
Other Types of Dance
7
2.6
World Music
14
5.3
Folk Music
37
13.9
Western Music
47
17.7
Other Genres of Music
17
6.4
324
121.8
Total
O Public‐Private Rate of Performing Arts Companies
Out of 299 performing arts companies, public companies are 9, accounting for only
3.38%. Among them, music companies are 7, recording the highest number while
classic theater and dance companies are one respectively. And contemporary theater
has no public companies.
Table 4) The Rate of Public/Private Companies
Public/Private
No.of Companies
Rate (%)
Public
9
3.38
Private
257
96.82
Total
266
100.00
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
O Geographical Distribution of Performing Arts Companies
The absolute majority of companies are located in the northern area. While the
central and southern areas have companies in the same ratio while the eastern area
presented extremely low rate of companies. By genre, the gap between different
areas gets wider. In the northern area, companies of every genre presented higher
than the average ratio in number except for classic theater. In the case of
contemporary theater in particular, two third (66%) of its companies are concentrated
on the northern area. Meanwhile, quite high number of classic theater is located in
the central area; dance in the southern area.
Table 5) Geographical Distribution of Performing Arts Companies
Area
No. of Companies
Rate (%)
Northern Area
143
53.76
Central Area
59
22.18
Southern Area
58
21.80
Eastern Area
6
2.26
Total
266
100.00
Table 6) Geographical Distribution of Performing Arts Companies of Different Genre
Area
Northern Area
Central Area
Southern Area
Eastern Area
Total
Contemporary theater Classic Theater
27
65.85%
4
9.76%
8
19.51%
2
4.88%
41
100.00%
41
43.62%
37
39.36%
14
14.89%
2
2.13%
94
100.00%
Dance
Music
Total
26
59.09%
2
4.55%
15
34.09%
1
2.27%
44
100.00%
49
56.32%
16
18.39%
21
24.14%
1
1.15%
87
100.00%
143
53.76%
59
22.18%
58
21.80%
6
2.26%
266
100.00%
O Age of Performing Arts Companies
6‐10 year‐long performing arts companies take the largest portion of the whole,
while companies with longer than 31 years of history are 48. But, depending on
genre, the situations vary. As for contemporary theater and music, there are relatively
high number of young companies, and in contemporary theater, there's no longer‐
than 26 year‐old companies. Meanwhile, more than half of the companies for classic
theater are older than 26 years.
62
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
Table 7) The Age of Performing Arts Companies
Age
No. of Companies
Rate (%)
Shorter than 5 Years
37
13.91
60
22.56
52
19.55
29
10.90
24
9.02
16
6.02
Longer than 31 Years
48
18.05
Total
266
100.00
6‐10 Years
11‐15 Years
16‐20 Years
21‐25 Years
26‐30 Years
Table 8)The Age of Performing Arts Companies of Different Genre
Age
Contemporary theater Classic Theater
Dance
Music
Total
Shorter than 5 Years
4
9.76%
4
4.26%
7
15.91%
22
25.29%
37
13.91%
6‐10Years
17
41.46%
7
7.45%
18
40.91%
18
20.69%
60
22.56%
11‐15Years
10
24.39%
10
10.64%
9
20.45%
23
26.44%
52
19.55%
16‐20Years
8
19.51%
8
8.51%
3
6.82%
10
11.49%
29
10.90%
21‐25Years
2
4.88%
12
12.77%
3
6.82%
7
8.05%
24
9.02%
26‐30Years
0
0.00%
13
13.83%
2
4.55%
1
1.15%
16
6.02%
Longer than 31Years
0
0.00%
40
42.55%
2
4.55%
6
6.90%
48
18.05%
Total
41
100.00%
94
100.00%
44
100.00%
87
100.00%
266
100.00%
O Space
For performing arts companies, space means room for office work, practice and
performing. 43.98% of the total companies are equipped with office work spaces and
33.83 % with practice spaces. However, companies with their own performance
spaces reach only 9.02%. Meanwhile, 80% of office‐equipped companies use the
office space also for residential purpose. 61.36% for practice spaces and 30.43% for
performance spaces are also co‐used for residence. The reason seems to save rent
and operating cost especially in the case of small‐scaled companies.
Korea Arts Management Service
63
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Table 9)
Ownership
Co‐use for Not for
Residence Residence
92
23
80.00%
20.00%
Rent
Sponsor/Full‐
Deposit Lease
N/A for
Permanent
Space
No
Response
Total
80
30.08%
13
4.89%
31
11.65%
25
9.40%
266
100.00%
Office Work
117
43.98%
Practice
90
33.83%
54
61.35%
34
38.64%
88
33.08%
28
10.53%
35
13.16%
25
9.40%
266
100.00%
Performance
24
9.02%
7
30.43%
16
69.57%
8
3.01%
7
2.63%
202
75.94%
25
9.40%
266
100.00%
Total
231
28.95%
153
67.70%
73
32.30%
176
22.06%
48
6.02%
268
33.58%
75
9.40%
O Digitalization
55.64% of responding companies turned out to have their own website. While
companies for contemporary theater (70.73%), dance(70.45%) and music(65.52%) have
website, 61.7% of classic theater companies don't have website. Meanwhile, when it
comes to use of e‐commerce system, 29.7% of the total said 'yes.' 53.66% of
contemporary theater companies use e‐commerce, presenting significantly higher rate
than those of other genres.
Out of e‐commerce activities, online booking system ranks first in its usage with
67.4% responding 'yes.'
Table 10) Existence of Website
Website
No. of Companies
Rate (%)
Open
148
55.64
N/A
93
34.90
No Response
25
9.40
Total
266
100.00
Table 11) Use of E-commerce
64
Use of E‐commerce
No. of Companies
Rate (%)
Yes
79
29.70
No
142
53.38
No Response
45
16.92
Total
266
100.00
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
3) Human Resources of Performing Arts Companies
For survey on human resources of performing arts companies, employees' level of
education, remuneration, age and seniorities were questioned. Considering the nature
of performing arts, apart from regular employees, temporary positions are open
project by project thereby hiring employees whenever necessary. In general,
freelancers belonging to theaters are recruited, and these freelancers join plays of
other companies unless their scheduled performance is overlapped with newly offered
one.
In terms of remuneration area, reflecting the practice of performing arts field,
which pay employees in accordance with the number and times of performances they
are involved in, this survey uses the number of performance as the unit for required
number of employees and cost. Therefore, the remuneration area is divided into two:
regular pay and pay by number of performance. However, some of the companies
didn't respond to some questions: 27 companies didn't respond the question about
education level, 26 about age and 1 about seniority while 114 about regular pay.
Table 12) Human Resources of Preforming Arts of Different Genre
Contemporary
theater
Lower than Junior‐high 36
4.34%
High School Graduate 97 11.70%
College Graduate 637 76.84%
Education
Graduate Studies 52
6.27%
Doctorate
7
0.84%
Total
829 100.00%
Less than 20000 103 30.38%
20001‐30000 136 40.12%
30001‐40000
55 16.22%
40001‐50000
28
8.26%
Remuneration 50001‐60000
10
2.95%
60001‐70000
2
0.59%
70001‐80000
5
1.47%
More than 80001
0
0.00%
Total
339 100.00%
Younger than 20 33
4.06%
21‐25
168 20.66%
26‐30
310 38.13%
Age
31‐35
114 14.02%
36‐40
77
9.47%
Classic Theater
Dance
Music
Total
692
380
308
48
5
1433
261
138
69
22
17
0
0
0
507
142
105
175
183
48.29%
26.52%
21.49%
3.35%
0.35%
100.00%
51.48%
27.22%
13.61%
4.34%
3.35%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
100.00%
9.47%
7.00%
11.67%
12.21%
213
190
544
58
0
1005
261
90
43
24
14
14
2
8
456
282
159
237
104
21.19%
18.91%
54.13%
5.77%
0.00%
100.00%
57.24%
19.74%
9.43%
5.26%
3.07%
3.07%
0.44%
1.75%
100.00%
28.26%
15.93%
23.75%
10.42%
242
647
1,322
489
49
2,749
262
68
80
51
88
31
11
7
598
469
567
450
325
8.80%
23.54%
48.09%
17.79%
1.78%
100.00%
43.81%
11.37%
13.38%
8.53%
14.72%
5.18%
1.84%
1.17%
100.00%
16.93%
20.47%
16.25%
11.73%
1,183
1,314
2,811
647
61
6,016
887
432
247
125
129
47
18
15
1,900
926
999
1,172
726
19.66%
21.84%
46.73%
10.75%
1.01%
100.00%
46.68%
22.74%
13.00%
6.58%
6.79%
2.47%
0.95%
0.79%
100.00%
15.23%
16.43%
19.28%
11.94%
155
10.34%
81
8.12%
254
9.17%
567
9.33%
Korea Arts Management Service
65
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Seniority
41‐45
46‐50
51‐55
56‐60
Older than 61
Total
Shorter than 1Year
1‐3Years
4‐6Years
7‐9Years
10‐15Years
16‐20Years
Longer than 21Years
Total
49
17
5
5
35
813
126
337
219
103
44
21
6
856
6.03%
2.09%
0.62%
0.62%
4.31%
100.00%
14.72%
39.37%
25.58%
12.03%
5.14%
2.45%
0.70%
100.00%
228
131
165
56
159
1499
81
239
201
196
197
181
474
1569
15.21%
8.74%
11.01%
3.74%
10.61%
100.00%
5.16%
15.23%
12.81%
12.49%
12.56%
11.54%
30.21%
100.00%
36
19
26
21
33
998
111
330
330
115
93
20
12
1011
3.61%
1.90%
2.61%
2.10%
3.31%
100.00%
10.98%
32.64%
32.64%
11.37%
9.20%
1.98%
1.19%
100.00%
218
133
137
99
118
2,770
343
881
705
286
368
68
89
2,740
7.87%
4.80%
4.95%
3.57%
4.26%
100.00%
12.52%
32.15%
25.73%
10.44%
13.43%
2.48%
3.25%
100.00%
531
300
333
181
345
6,080
661
1,787
1,455
700
702
290
581
6,176
8.73%
4.93%
5.48%
2.98%
5.67%
100.00%
10.70%
28.93%
23.56%
11.33%
11.37%
4.70%
9.41%
100.00%
O Level of Education
Employees of performing arts companies show relatively high level of education
according
to
the
survey.
More
than
half(58.49%)
are
higher
than
college‐
educated(college graduation‐46.73%, higher than graduate education‐11.76%) while
41.5% are found to be lower than high school‐educated. Employees for contemporary
theater and music presented higher level of education than the average. College‐
educated employees for those two genres are 76.84% and 48.09% respectively while
high school‐educated are 11.7% and 23.54%. In the case of employees for dance
companies as well, college graduates take largest portion among others, recording
54.13% with lower than junior‐high graduates being 21.19%. By contrast, in the
classic theater area, lower than junior high educated reach highest rate(48.29%),
followed by high school graduates(26.52%). Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that female
employees are more educated than males in general.
Table 13) Education-level of Employees in Different Performing Arts Areas
Education
66
Lower than Junior‐high
Total
Rate(%)
1,183
19.66
High School Graduate
1,314
21.84
College Graduate
2,811
46.73
Graduate Studies
647
10.75
Doctorate
61
1.01
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
O Remuneration
As of 2005, in terms of permanent employees' average salary, less than 20,000
Yuan‐paid employees account for 46.68%; 20,001 ~30,000 22.74%; 30,001~40,000 13%.
Employees paid more than 40,000 per month are 17.58%. Employees for dance and
classic theater are similar in their regular pay level: the rate of less than 20,000 Yuan
ranks highest, recording 57.24% and 51.48% respectively. Fewer employees are shown
in higher bracket of remuneration. As for music as well, the rate of less than 20,000
records the highest (43.81%), yet, followed right by 50,001‐60,000 (14.72%), while in
the contemporary theater area, the rate of remuneration bracket between 20,001 and
30,000 the highest (40.12%) and less than 20,000 30.38%.
Table 14) Remuneration of Employees
Average Salary
Full‐time
Less than 20001 30001 40001 50001 60001 70001 More than
Total
20000 ~30000 ~40000 ~50000 ~60000 ~70000 ~80000 80001
28
59
33
15
13
5
7
5
165
M
16.97
35.76 20.00 9.09
7.88
3.03
4.24
3.03
100.00
F
71
17.88
162
40.81
87
21.91
44
11.08
14
3.53
10
2.52
6
1.51
3
0.76
397
100.00
M
28
59.57
9
19.15
5
10.64
1
2.13
4
8.51
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
47
100.00
F
85
84.16
13
12.87
3
2.97
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
101
100.00
M
68
31.05
42
19.18
48
21.92
22
10.05
24
10.96
12
5.48
3
1.37
0
0.00
219
100.00
F
101
27.75
84
23.08
47
12.91
37
10.16
72
19.78
17
4.67
1
0.27
5
1.37
364
100.00
M
186
89.00
23
11.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
209
100.00
F
249
91.54
23
8.46
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
272
100.00
M
14
31.82
9
20.45
11
25.00
4
9.09
1
2.27
2
4.55
1
2.27
2
4.55
44
100.00
F
6
31.58
5
26.32
4
21.05
2
10.53
1
5.26
1
5.26
0
0.00
0
0.00
19
100.00
M
29
72.50
2
5.00
9
22.50
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
40
100.00
F
22
95.65
1
4.35
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
23
100.00
887
46.68
432
22.74
247
13.00
125
6.58
129
6.79
47
2.47
18
0.95
15
0.79
1900
100.00
Administration
Dual
Position
Full‐time
Performance
Area
Dual
Position
Full‐time
Technical
Support
Dual
Position
Total
Korea Arts Management Service
67
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Performing arts companies have to input extra cost for extra staffing depending on
performances. As of 2005, a total of 376 employees are required for admin works,
taking 6.47% of the total; 3604(64.61%) for performing; 1598(28.65%) for technical
support.
Table 15)
Manpower
No.of Employees
Rate (%)
Technical Support
1,598
28.65
Performance Area
3,604
64.61
Administration
376
6.74
Table 16) The Number of Paid Employees
Contemporary
theater
Classic
Theater
Dance
Music
Total
Administration
127
5.50%
96
7.81%
47
8.22%
106
7.22%
376
6.74%
Performance Area
1,152
49.91%
876
71.28%
367
64.16%
1209
82.30%
3,604
64.61%
Technical Support
1,029
44.58%
257
20.91%
158
27.62%
154
10.48%
1,598
28.65%
Total
2,308
100.00%
1,229
100.00%
572
100.00%
1,469
100.00%
5,578
100.00%
Paid Position
As of 2005, the total remuneration calculated by performing companies reach
256,228,964 NT$. Out of it, employees in the administration area were paid
55,203,378 NT$ with a total of 376 times of performances, accounting for 21.54%,
while employees in the performing area 154,967,037 NT$(60.48%) with 3,604 times;
technicians 46,058,549 NT$(17.98%) with 1598 times.
Performing arts companies of all the four different genre were found that they pay
the most to employees in the performing area. Among them, recording the highest
rate, music companies pay 74.26% of the total labor cost to those in the performing
area, followed by classic theater (59.52%), contemporary theater (56.52%) and dance
(48.17%). Meanwhile, companies for contemporary theater and dance pay relatively
high
remuneration
to
technicians,
and
classic
theater
and
music pay
remuneration to those in administration than the rest of the two genres.
68
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
higher
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
Table 17) Year 2005 Rate of Remuneration of Different Genres
Administration
Year 2005
Remuneration by Performance Area
Different Genre
of Performing Technical Support
Arts Companies
Total
Contemporary
theater
15,859,913
16.21%
Classic
Theater
26,156,512
28.77%
Dance
Music
Total
3,261,000
18.72%
9,925,953
19.84%
55,203,378
21.54%
55,319,771
56.52%
54,102,898
59.52%
8,390,725
48.17%
37,153,643
74.26%
154,967,037
60.48%
26,688,874
27.27%
10,645,857
11.71%
5,768,305
33.11%
2,955,513
5.91%
46,058,549
17.98%
97,868,558
100.00%
90,905267
100.00%
17,420,030
100.00%
50,035,109
100.00%
256,228,964
100.00%
○ Age
In terms of the average age as of 2005, age bracketed between 26 and 30
accounts for 19.28%; 21 and 25 16.43%; younger than 20 15.23%, showing 50.91%
are younger than 30. Other than that, 31‐45 aged employees record 30% while older
than 46 19.06%.
Table 18)
Age
Older than 60
56‐60
51‐55
46‐50
41‐45
36‐40
31‐35
26‐30
21‐25
Older than 20
Total
No. of Employees
345
181
333
300
531
567
726
1,172
999
926
6,080
Rate (%)
5.67
2.98
5.48
4.93
8.73
9.33
11.94
19.28
16.43
15.23
100.00
As for contemporary theater, most of employees are between the age of 21 and 35
with the aged 26‐30 in particular taking the largest portion (38.13%). Meanwhile,
employees for classic theater companies are evenly aged with the aged 41‐45
showing a slightly higher rate of 15.21% yet all the rest around 10%. Dance
companies have younger than 30 year old employees the most while younger than
20 year‐olds are 28.26% of the highest rate, followed by 26‐30(23.75%). For music
companies, employees aged between 21 and 25 record the highest (20.47%) and the
older the lower the rate is.
Korea Arts Management Service
69
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Table 19) The Rate of Employees' Age in Different Genres
Age
Full‐time
Administration
Dual
Position
M
F
M
F
M
Unpaid
F
Full‐time
Performance
Area
Dual
Position
M
F
M
F
M
Unpaid
F
Full‐time
Technical
Support
Dual
Position
M
F
M
F
M
Unpaid
F
Total
Younger
than 20
1
0.57
4
1.16
20
12.90
16
9.14
1
1.22
15
14.71
26
5.98
23
4.73
193
15.59
386
24.97
61
17.78
125
29.76
8
7.34
0
0.00
19
7.98
16
13.68
5
10.64
7
18.92
926
15.23
21‐25 26‐30 31‐35 36‐40 41‐45 46‐50 51‐55 56‐60
8
4.55
37
10.72
18
11.61
30
17.14
13
15.85
10
9.80
42
9.66
50
10.29
213
17.21
315
20.38
92
26.82
80
19.05
7
6.42
7
24.14
28
11.76
25
21.37
14
29.79
10
27.03
999
16.43
33
18.75
100
28.99
14
9.03
35
20.00
16
19.51
18
17.65
86
19.77
129
26.54
202
16.32
308
19.92
52
15.16
47
11.19
23
21.10
4
13.79
60
25.21
35
29.91
6
12.77
4
10.81
1,172
19.28
26
14.77
73
21.16
21
13.55
18
10.29
11
13.41
14
13.73
47
10.80
84
17.28
123
9.94
147
9.51
43
12.54
34
8.10
19
17.43
6
20.69
39
16.39
15
12.82
5
10.64
1
2.70
726
11.94
29
16.48
53
15.36
19
12.26
17
9.71
4
4.88
3
2.94
47
10.80
76
15.64
89
7.19
79
5.11
36
10.50
41
9.76
23
21.10
4
13.79
32
13.45
9
7.69
1
2.13
5
13.51
567
9.33
19
10.80
35
10.14
17
10.97
17
9.71
9
10.98
18
17.65
56
12.87
49
10.08
140
11.31
62
4.01
19
5.54
19
4.52
21
19.27
5
17.24
30
12.61
6
5.13
5
10.64
4
10.81
531
8.73
22
12.50
20
5.80
14
9.03
7
4.00
6
7.32
8
7.84
49
11.26
40
8.23
36
2.91
47
3.04
11
3.21
18
4.29
5
4.59
2
6.90
7
2.94
3
2.56
4
8.51
1
2.70
300
4.93
11
6.25
12
3.48
16
10.32
16
9.14
10
12.20
7
6.86
34
7.82
16
3.29
69
5.57
90
5.82
5
1.46
18
4.29
2
1.83
1
3.45
17
7.14
4
3.42
2
4.26
3
8.11
333
5.48
14
7.95
5
1.45
7
4.52
13
7.43
2
2.44
5
4.90
18
4.14
12
2.47
22
1.78
60
3.88
2
0.58
17
4.05
0
0.00
0
0.00
0
0.00
2
1.71
0
0.00
2
5.41
181
2.98
Older
than 60
13
7.39
6
1.74
9
5.81
6
3.43
10
12.20
4
3.92
30
6.90
7
1.44
151
12.20
52
3.36
22
6.41
21
5.00
1
0.92
0
0.00
6
2.52
2
1.71
5
10.64
0
0.00
345
5.67
Total
176
100.00
345
100.00
155
100.00
175
100.00
82
100.00
102
100.00
435
100.00
486
100.00
1238
100.00
1,546
100.00
343
100.00
420
100.00
109
100.00
29
100.00
238
100.00
117
100.00
47
100.00
37
100.00
6,080
100.00
○ Seniorities
Taking a look at the seniorities of employees as of 2005, 28.93% of the total has
worked for 1‐3 years; 23.56% for 4‐6 years; 11.33% for 7‐9 years; 25.48% for longer
than 10 years, and employees with seniorities of less than 1 year account for 10.7%.
70
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
Table 20) The Rate of Seniorities
Seniorities
No. of Employees
Rate(%)
Longer than 20 Years
581
9.41
290
4.70
702
11.37
700
11.33
1455
23.56
1787
28.93
661
10.70
16‐20Years
10‐15Years
7‐9Years
4‐6Years
1‐3Years
Shorter than 1Year
As for contemporary theater companies, the rate of employees with work period of
1‐3 years record the highest (39.37%). Except for less than one year of seniorities, the
longer the work period the lower the rate of employees gets. In terms of classic
theater, unlike other genres of performing arts, employees with longer than 20 years of
work period take the largest portion (30.21%), while the rate between 1 and 20 years
of seniorities records 10‐15%. For dance, 1‐3 years and 4‐6 years of seniorities present
the highest rate (32.64% for both). In the case of music as well, 1‐3 years and 4‐6
years of seniorities showed relatively high rate: 32.15% and 25.73% respectively.
Table 21) Seniorities of Employees
Seniorities
Full‐time
Administration
Dual
Position
M
F
M
F
M
Unpaid
F
Full‐time
Performance
Area
Dual
Position
M
F
M
F
Shorter than
1Year
23
11.68%
85
20.33%
4
2.99%
26
12.81%
1
1.23%
9
8.26%
19
4.30%
36
6.37%
95
7.88%
121
8.77%
1‐3Years 4‐6Years 7‐9Years
35
17.77%
121
28.95%
22
16.42%
59
29.06%
23
28.40%
35
32.11%
64
14.48%
139
24.60%
407
33.78%
32
16.24%
69
16.51%
45
33.58%
66
32.51%
25
30.86%
35
32.11%
55
12.44%
132
23.36%
237
19.67%
10‐
Longer than
16‐
15Years 20Years 20Years
18
39
18
32
9.14% 19.80% 9.14%
16.24%
53
54
17
19
12.68% 12.92% 4.07%
4.55%
9
26
4
24
6.72% 19.40% 2.99%
17.91%
12
34
2
4
5.91% 16.75% 0.99%
1.97%
6
10
4
12
7.41% 12.35% 4.94%
14.81%
4
12
3
11
3.67% 11.01% 2.75%
10.09%
66
96
54
88
14.93% 21.72% 12.22% 19.91%
54
89
56
59
9.56% 15.75% 9.91%
10.44%
117
76
60
213
9.71% 6.31% 4.98%
17.68%
511
37.03%
353
25.58%
207
15.00%
93
6.74%
28
2.03%
67
4.86%
Total
197
100.00%
418
100.00%
134
100.00%
203
100.00%
81
100.00%
109
100.00%
442
100.00%
565
100.00%
1205
100.00%
1380
100.00%
Korea Arts Management Service
71
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
M
Unpaid
F
Full‐time
Technical
Support
Dual
Position
M
F
M
F
M
Unpaid
F
Total
69
17.47%
92
18.74%
12
11.88%
3
9.09
21
9.50
27
23.68%
7
14.29%
11
28.95%
661
10.70%
114
28.86%
115
23.42%
11
10.89%
9
27.27%
58
26.24%
37
32.46%
14
28.57%
13
34.21%
1787
28.93%
118
29.87%
151
30.75%
24
23.76%
10
30.30%
69
31.22%
19
16.67%
9
18.37%
6
15.79%
1455
23.56%
23
5.82%
49
9.98%
11
10.89%
2
6.06%
36
16.29%
18
15.79%
10
20.41%
5
13.16%
700
11.33%
57
14.43%
59
1202%
27
26.73%
5
15.15%
10
4.52%
8
7.02%
7
14.29%
0
0.00%
702
11.37%
6
1.52%
21
4.28%
6
5.94%
3
9.09%
7
3.17%
0
0.00%
0
0.00%
1
2.63%
290
4.70%
8
2.03%
4
0.81%
10
9.90%
1
3.03%
20
9.05%
5
4.39%
2
4.08%
2
5.26%
581
9.41%
395
100.00%
491
100.00%
101
100.00%
33
100.00%
221
100.00%
114
100.00%
49
100.00%
38
100.00%
6176
100.00%
4) Performing Activities
○ Newly Produced Performance
Out of the 191 surveyed performing arts companies, companies which produce
new works for the year 2005 are 70.08% while others without new productions are
74 (27.92%)
Table 22) The Rate of New Productions
New Production
No. of Companies
Rate (%)
Yes
191
72.08
No
74
27.92
Total
265
100.00
37 contemporary theater companies, 38 dance companies, 66 music companies and
50 classic theater companies were turned out to produce new art works, accounting
for 90.24%, 86.36%, 76.74% and 53.19% of the entire performing arts companies
respectively.
72
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
Table 23) The Rate of New Productions of Different Genres
New Production
Contemporary
theater
Classic Theater
Dance
Music
Total
Yes
37
90.24%
50
53.19%
38
86.36%
66
76.74%
191
72.08%
No
4
9.76%
44
46.81%
6
13.64%
20
23.26%
74
27.92%
Total
41
100.00%
94
100.00%
44
100.00%
86
100.00%
265
100.00%
Out of the surveyed companies, a total of 785 works were newly produced in
2005: 86 of contemporary theater (10.96%), 149 of classic theater (18.98%), 91of
dance (11.59%) and 459 of music (58.47%).
Table 24) The Rate of Number of New Productions Between Different Genres
Number of New Production
Rate (%)
Contemporary theater
86
10.96
Classic Theater
149
18.98
Dance
91
11.59
Music
459
58.47
Total
785
100.00
As of 2005, companies with overseas performance experiences are 59 in total,
accounting for 22.18% while others without such experiences are 207(77.82%).
Companies with over 10 times of overseas performance are in every four genre, but
the rate varies genre by genre: 34.09% for dance, 29.2% for contemporary theater,
21.84% for music and 13. 38% for classic theater.
Table 25) The Rate of Overseas Performances
Overseas Performance Experience
No. of Companies
Rate (%)
Yes
59
22.18
No
207
77.82
Total
266
100.00
Korea Arts Management Service
73
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
O Number of Times of Performance
Times of performances by the surveyed companies are 11,827 in total as of 2005.
Out of them, contemporary theater staged were 2,200, recording 18.6% of the total. As
for classic theater, the number of times of performance was 6,062 (51.26%), recording
the highest rate among the four genres. Dance and music were performed 1,609 times
and 1,965 times respectively with amounting to 13.6% and 16.54% each as well.
Among the surveyed, 124 companies have ever staged ticketed events at home 2,
472 times, of which 37.66% were contemporary theater, 38.67% classic theater,
38.67% dance and 16.67% music. Companies that held free‐of‐charge performances
were 236 in total and the number of times was 8,640: contemporary theater accounts
for 13.4%, classic theater 64.78%; dance 5.54%; music 16.24%.
Table 26) The Rate of the Number of Times of Performances
Total Times of Performances
Rate (%)
Contemporary theater
2,200
18.60
Classic Theater
6,062
51.26
Dance
1,609
13.60
Music
1,956
16.54
Total
11,827
100.00
Table 27) The Rate of Overseas Performances of Different Genres
Domestic/
Ticketed
Contemporary
theater
931
37.66%
Domestic/
Free Admission
1,161
13.44%
5,597
64.78%
479
5.54%
1,403
16.24%
8,640
100.00%
Domestic/
Ticketed Audience
507,726
45.41%
59,253
5.30%
267,381
23.92%
283,659
25.37%
1,118,019
100.00%
Domestic
Non‐Ticketed Audience
1,056,761
40.27%
678,342
25.85%
334,615
12.75%
554,624
21.13%
2,624,342
100.00%
Overseas
Ticketed
94
43.32%
19
8.76%
43
19.82%
61
28.11%
217
100.00%
Overseas
Free Admission
14
2.81%
273
54.82%
131
26.31%
80
16.06%
498
100.00%
Overseas
Ticketed Audience
55,266
30.05%
14,700
7.99%
94,333
51.29%
19,610
10.66%
183,909
100.00%
Overseas
Non‐Ticketed Audience
31,950
9.94%
86,050
26.77%
142,072
44.20%
61,380
19.09%
321,452
100.00%
Performance
74
Classic Theater
Dance
Music
Total
173
7.00%
956
38.67%
412
16.67%
2,472
100.00%
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
As of 2005, the total number of audience for ticketed domestic performances is
1,118,019 per year according to the survey. Among others, the number of audience
for contemporary take largest portion (45.41%) of the whole, followed by music
(25.37%) and
dance (23.92%). By comparison, classic theater is only 5.3%.
Meanwhile, the total number of audience for free domestic performances is 2,624,342
yearly with contemporary theater recording the highest rate of 40.27%, followed by
classic theater (25.85%), music(21.13%) and dance(12.57%).
O Financial Status of Performing Arts Companies
As of 2005, the total of annual income of the surveyed companies is 1,782,847,266 NT$,
while expenditure 2,116,772,806 NT$ and loss 333,925,540 NT$.
▪ Income
The income of performing arts companies are sourced by ticket sales, performance
fee, subsidy from Council for Cultural Affairs, subsidy from other government bodies
and National Culture and Arts Foundation, donor agencies, corporate and individual
sponsor, performance‐relevant item sales. Public companies are mostly funded by
government bodies, so this report distinguishes government budget for public
companies from government subsidy for private companies by categorizing the two
into different sources.
Considering the characteristic of public companies' income sources, government
budget source for public companies were separately categorized in the below table
for income source.
Table 28) Year 2005 Rate of Income Sources
Income Source
Rate (%)
Government Budget for Public Companies
19.42
Performance Items and Other Source
7.56
Donor Agencies, Corporate and Individual Sponsorship
8.21
National Culture and Arts Foundation Subsidy
3.17
Other Government Subsidy
6.80
Council for Cultural Affairs Subsidy
10.75
Performance Fee
25.66
Ticket Sales
18.43
Korea Arts Management Service
75
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Table 29) Year 2005 Income Sources (Source: sorted out for this research)
Income Source
Amount of Income (NT$)
Rate (%)
Ticket Sales
328,502,374
18.43
Performance Fee
457,529,941
25.66
Council for Cultural Affairs Subsidy
191,634,433
10.75
Other Government Subsidy
121,213,340
6.80
National Culture and Arts Foundation Subsidy
56,579,970
3.17
Donor Agencies, Corporate and Individual Sponsorship
146,331,860
8.21
Performance Items and Other Source
134,867,586
7.56
Government Budget for Public Companies
346,187,762
19.42
Total
1,782,847,266
100.00
Looking at the whole picture of income sources, performance fee records the
highest(25.66%)
followed
by
ticket
sales(18.43%),
Council
for
Cultural
Affairs
subsidy(10.75%), government subsidy(6.8%), National Culture and Arts Foundation
subsidy(3.17%) and donor agencies, corporate and individual sponsorship(8.21%)
while performance item sales and others reach 7.56%. Apart from the aforementioned,
government budget for public companies takes 19.42% of portion of the total
income.
Before going into the rate of each income source by performing arts genre, here is
the clarification for methodology to calculate the rate of income source: Among
income sources of public companies, government budget section takes large portion,
so if it is included in government fund section as part of government subsidy for
private companies, the rate might be miscalculated. Therefore, in this report, private
companies and entire industry of each genre are separately categorized, plus, the
'Government Budget for Public Companies' is independently sectioned.
When taking a look at the section for 'Private Companies', ticket sales is the
largest income source (42.08%), followed by performance fee(25.59%), while less
relying on government subsidy. The rate of Council for Cultural Affairs subsidy and
subsidies from government bodies are 8.82% and 4.95% respectively, and performance
‐related item sales and others reach 10.2%. As for classic theater companies,
performance fee is the largest income source (60%/66.36%) followed right by
subsidies from government bodies‐Council for Cultural Affairs(13.38%) and other
government bodies(9.31%).‐. Meanwhile, ticket sales account for only 4.5% of the
total income. In terms of dance companies, performance fee and ticket sales are
76
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
largely portioned, recording 22.84% and 18.93% respectively. The rate of Council for
Cultural Affairs' subsidy is 18.42%, while that of donor agencies, corporate and
individual sponsor is 18.05%. For music area, companies earn the largest portion of
income from performance fee(20.98%) followed by from donor agencies, corporate
and individual sponsor(16.8%), item sales(5.92%) and ticket sales(15.53%). Subsidies
from other government bodies and Council for Cultural Affairs subsidy account for
14.6% and 11.62% of the total income.
Table 30) Year 2005 Income Sources (Source: sorted out for this research)
Entire
Classic Theater Dance Company Music Company
Contemporary
Company (Private)
(Private)
(Private)
theater
Income Source
Ticket Sales
42.08%
4.50%
18.93%
15.53%
Performance Fee
25.59%
66.36%
22.84%
20.98%
Council for Cultural Affairs Subsidy
8.82%
13.38%
18.42%
11.62%
Other Government Subsidy
4.95%
9.31%
6.84%
14.60%
3.43%
1.43%
6.83%
4.55%
4.92%
2.91%
18.05%
16.80%
10.20%
2.11%
8.08%
15.92%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
National Culture and Arts
Foundation Subsidy
Donor Agencies, Corporate and
Individual Sponsorship
Performance
Items and Other Source
Government Budget for Public
Companies
Table 31) The Rate of Income Sources of Different Genres (unit: %)
Income Source
Theater
Contemporary Classic
Company(
theater
(Private)
Entire
Classic
Theater
Dance
Company
(Private)
Entire
Dance
Company
Music
Company
(Private)
Entire
Music
Company
Total
Ticket Sales
42.08%
4.50%
4.34%
18.93%
18.83%
15.53%
7.85%
18.43%
Performance Fee
Council for Cultural
Affairs Subsidy
Other Government
Subsidy
National Culture and Arts
Foundation Subsidy
Donor Agencies, Corporate
and Individual Sponsorship
Performance
Items and Other Source
Government Budget for
Public Companies
25.59%
66.36%
67.62%
22.84%
22.72%
20.98%
10.30%
25.66%
8.82%
13.38%
12.88%
18.42%
18.32%
11.62%
8.02%
10.75%
4.95%
9.31%
8.96%
6.84%
6.80%
14.60%
6.91%
6.69%
3.43%
1.43%
1.38%
6.83%
6.79%
4.55%
2.19%
3.17%
4.92%
2.91%
2.80%
18.05%
17.96%
16.80%
8.47%
8.21%
10.20%
2.11%
2.03%
8.08%
8.04%
15.92%
7.78%
7.56%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.53%
0.00%
48.48%
19.53%
Total
100.00%
99.47%
100.00%
51.52%
80.47%
100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Korea Arts Management Service
77
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
'When it comes to the sections of 'Entire Industry', as for the area of contemporary
theater, there's no different rate from the above mentioned since all of the surveyed
are private companies. Similarly, companies for classic theater and dance are almost
all private‐public companies are only one each‐, so there's no big differences in the
rates between 'Entire' and 'Private' sections. As for music companies, government
budget is the largest income source (48.48%) and performance fee is 10.3%. All the
rest of the sources don't even reach 10%.
▪ Expenditure
As of 2005, the total expenditure of the surveyed companies is 2,116,772,806NT$.
Music companies turned out to spend the most, recording 42.43% of the total,
followed by companies for contemporary theater (23.98%), dance (17.14%) and classic
theater (16.45%).
Table 32) Year 2005 Rate of Expenditures of Different Genres
Performing Arts Forms
Total Operational Cost
Rate(%)
Contemporary theater
507,562,560
23.98
Classic Theater
348,155,441
16.45
Dance
362,888,322
17.14
Music
898,166,483
42.43
Total
2,116,772,806
100.00
As for contemporary theater companies, service and operational cost takes largest
portion(52.41%) of their total expenditure, followed by labor cost(46.78%) while
expenditure for indirect tax records the lowest rate(0.82%).
Table 33) The Rate of Expenditure of Different Genres
Contemporary theater Classic Theater
Indirect Tax
Labor Cost
Service and
Operational Cost
Total
78
3,890,957
0.82%
223,090,807
46.78%
249,933,833
52.41%
476,915,597
100.00%
1,303,885
0.38%
206,192,182
60.25%
134,749,898
39.37%
342,245,965
100.00%
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Dance
Music
Total
1,412,419
0.48%
161,806,959
54.60%
133,133,056
44.92%
296,352,434
100.00%
579,892
0.07%
546,529,793
68.47%
251,151,385
31.46%
798,261,070
100.00%
7,187,153
0.38%
1,137,619,741
59.44%
768,968,172
40.18%
1,913,775,066
100.00%
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Taiwan
Expenditure rate of the labor cost is the highest(60.25%) in the classic theater area,
while service and operational cost is 39.37% and indirect tax 0.38%(the lowest). As
for dance companies, the expenditure rate of each section is similar to that of classic
theater: Labor cost 54.6%, service and operational cost 44.92%, indirect tax 0.48%.
Music companies as well spend the most(68.47%) in labor cost, while 31.46% in
service and operational cost and the least (0.07%) in indirect tax.
As of 2005, the service and operational cost of the surveyed companies include
cost for 9 sections: Performance Venue, Accommodation and Transportation Fare,
Operational Cost, Facilities, Professional Service, Technical Service, Design Service, PR
Activities,
Training/Education.
Out
of
the
9
sections,
the
expenditure
for
accommodation and transportation fare takes the largest portion, recording 23.21%,
while expenditure for operating, technical service and performance venue account for
17.99%, 17.46% and 15.62% respectively.
Meanwhile, the rate of facility, professional service, design service, PR activities and
training/education record 9.07%, 7.45%, 4.54%, 3.38% and 1.28% respectively.
Table 34) The Service and Operational Cost of Different Genres
Contemporary theater Classic Theater
Performance Venue
Accommodation,
Transportation Fare
Operational Cost
Facilities
Professional Service
Technical Service
Design Service
PR Activities
Training/Education
Total
40,665,741
16.27%
45,053,759
18.03%
37,419,480
14.97%
21,295,432
8.52%
21,764,120
8.71%
58,665,634
23.47%
11,400,565
4.56%
11,692,873
4.68%
1,976,229
0.79%
249,933,833
100.00%
18,823,206
13.97%
22,266,001
16.52%
33,847,263
25.12%
16,109,593
11.96%
7,525,881
5.59%
23,917,472
17.75%
5,513,645
4.09%
2,200,682
1.63%
4,546,155
3.37%
134,749,898
100.00%
Dance
Music
Total
22,404,041
16.83%
31,750,636
23.85%
13,540,119
10.17%
10,457,295
7.85%
15,370,611
11.55%
28,779,443
21.62%
4,384,057
3.29%
4,673,793
3.51%
1,773,061
1.33%
133,133,056
100.00%
38,206,495
15.21%
79,415,585
31.62%
53,515,510
21.31%
21,891,650
8.72%
12,627,782
5.03%
22,892,223
9.11%
13,621,637
5.42%
7,442,920
2.96%
1,537,583
0.61%
251,151,385
100.00%
120,099,482
15.62%
178,485,981
23.21%
138,322,372
17.99%
69,753,970
9.07%
57,288,394
7.45%
134,254,772
17.46%
34,919,904
4.54%
26,010,268
3.38%
9,833,029
1.28%
768,968,172
100.00%
Korea Arts Management Service
79
Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
D. Singapore
1) Arts Population Survey
a) Overview of Arts Population Survey
o Since 1996 the triennial population survey is conducted to understand trends in
'Attitudes towards Arts' and 'Attendance at arts events and participation in arts
activities'
o The 2005 Survey was conducted through personal interviews of 1,500 Singaporeans
and permanent residents aged 15 to 64 years old
o Survey was conducted on following categories
- Awareness and Attitude in Art
• Importance of Arts
• Interest in Arts
- Attendance at Art Events
• Trends
• Frequency
• Profile
• Motivation/Barriers
• Audience Segmentation
b) Result of the Survey
o Importance of Arts
- Six in 10 agree that arts and cultural activities:
• Enrich the quality of our lives (62%)
• Broaden the mind and encourage creativity (57%)
- About half feel that arts participation should be compulsory in schools (47%)
o Interest in Arts
- Almost all able to name or recognise arts and cultural activities in Singapore (95%)
- Four in 10 say they are interested(35%)
o Comfort
- Majority do NOT:
• Feel out of place in art gallery / museum / exhibition (75%)
• Think that Arts events are for people of middle and upper classes (78%)
80
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Statistical point of view ◆ Singapore
o Arts Attendance - Trends
- 1 in 3 in Singapore attended an arts event in the past year.(33%)
- The attendance has been increasing since the first survey in 1996(11%→33%)
- Most popular events were musicals, live pop concerts, classical music
(In 2002 most popular events were musicals, drama/plays, orchestral music)
- 55% have attended at least one arts event in the past.
- Average number of arts events/activities attended – 3
Age Profile of Attendees
15-19
20-34
left bar: Population / right bar: Attendee
35-49
50-64
(n=488)
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Occupational Profile of Attendees
Professionals, Managerial,
Exec & Tech
Clerical, Sales, Product ion
& Cleaners
Student
left bar: Population / right bar: Attendee
Housewife
(n=488)
o Motivations and Barriers
- Top 5 reasons why people attend arts/ cultural events/activities
• Accompany friend, relative, colleague, family member(37%)
• Like going to the type of event(35%)
• For relaxation(27%)
• See a specific performer or event(20%)
• Exposure to free events(17%)
- Top 5 barriers preventing people from attending arts/cultural events/activities
• Not interested in arts, cultural events/activities/programmes(53%)
• Too busy / no time(50%)
• Too expensive(13%)
• Don''t have anyone to go with(6%)
• No one to babysit young children(5%)
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o Audience Segmentation
Core
17%
•
•
•
•
Students
Singles
Professional
Higher
education
• Higher income
High Potential
18%
Potential
32%
• Younger (20-34) • Reflective of
• Females
population
• Higher
education
• Higher income
Challenging
33%
• Older (50-64)
• Housewives
• Lower
education
• Lower income
o Arts Stat-shot
- 33% : Attended at least 1 arts event in the past year
- 35% : Are self-motivated to attend the arts
- 49% : Are aged below 35 years
- 61% : Are Professionals, Mangers, and Executives or Students
- 62% : Agree that Arts enrich the quality of life
- 95% : Can recall / recognise arts and cultural activities
2) Statistical Round-up of the Arts in 2006
a) Overall Growth
o Over the period 1996-2006, performing arts activities more than doubled(230%),
notching a record high of 6,556 performances in 2006(up from 2,824 performances
in 1996).
o In visual arts, the total number of exhibitions rose 450%, twice as much as the
growth of performing arts activities, during the same period.
o This means that, on any day, visitors and residents in Singapore had 59 arts
activities(18 in performing arts and 41 in visual arts) to choose to engage in,
compared to just 17 activities, ten years ago.
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b) Performing Arts Activity
o In 2006, the number of ticketed performances and the number of non-ticketed
performances are about the same.
o The numbers of both ticketed and non-ticketed performances increased as the total
number of performances increased. The growth of non-ticketed performances had
been exceptionally strong. Since 2005, the number of non-ticketed performances
even outstripped ticketed performances.
o The number of productions has grown even stronger than the number of
performances, picking up momentum over the last three years. Average annual
growth had been a marginal 3% for 1996-2003; but this shot up to almost 30% for
2003-2006. In other words, not only did audiences in Singapore have more
performances to choose from, they also had a much wider spectrum of offerings to
whet their arts appetite. The growth also means that the average number of
performances per production had decreased over the period.
o Over the past decade (1996-2006), ticketed performances (representing the supply
of arts) growth kept pace with the rise in ticketed attendance (a proxy indicator of
the demand for the arts). Both grew by an average annual rate of about 6%.
o Ticketed performances drew in close to 1.3 million attendees in 2006. On average,
each ticketed performance attracted 425 attendees. key contributors to ticketed
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attendances in 2006 were foreign musicals such as Forbidden City: Portrait of an
Empress, Little Shop of Horrors, West Side Story and Grease the Musical.
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Ⅲ. Countries' States
2. States in terms of Critical point of view
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Critical point of view ◆ Japan
E. An Analysis of the Performing Arts Environment in Japan
Noriko Kimura, performing arts coordinator
1) Introduction
It is quite difficult to talk generally about Japan's performing arts as a whole,
because the era of diversification in genre, nature of groups, and trend in artistic
works that came after 1990s made it impossible for us to put them all together into
a single category. Another reason is that, although culture and arts, cultural facilities,
and culture and arts population seem to be concentrated entirely in the capital city
of Tokyo, they are in fact spread across each and every provinces and cities in
various forms.
So in this paper, I attempted to suggest the diversity in Japanese performing arts
today based on the data. In each chapter of creative groups, theaters, facilitators and
festivals, prominent groups and facilities are introduced and available website
addresses are annexed, which is expected to allow you to actually feel the trend if
you visit them.
I think the performing arts in Japan stand at a point where independence is
required. Policy and promotion of performing arts, as well as the fundraising system
and infrastructure that come with it started being established in the 70s and the 80s,
and entering the 1990s, the bubble economy brought the attention of the nation,
business and the public toward culture and arts. The "lost ten years"of compound
economic depression in Japan that had been triggered with the bursting economic
bubbles had a huge impact on the economic and creative aspects of the performing
arts. The direct fundraising for performing arts by the Ministry of Culture has been
somewhat on the increase, but culture and arts organizations that had once been
designated as special corporations4), such as Japan Arts Council and The Japan
Foundation, were shifted to an independent administrative institution5) that is no
4) Special corporations carry out projects which private companies have difficulty implementing due
to regulations or profitability. They are capable of fundraising through tax exemption and
investments and loans from the state treasury, but tend to be heavily dependent on the intention
of the government since special corporations need state permission in project planning and are
not allowed to easily withdraw themselves from unprofitable projects.
5) Independent administrative institution is a legal body designed to effectively and efficiently
implement businesses and projects that have to be carried out from the perspective of public
interest, such as stabilizing the people's livelihood, society and economy, but do not necessarily
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better than a private company. On top of it, the authorized manager system6) was
introduced in cultural facilities operated by local public groups, raising pessimism that
the state began to abandon the culture and arts as a whole. From the perspective of
cultural policy, the performing arts appear to have been cast to the hands of market
principle. There is no question that performing arts call for national financing.
However, I want to consider the current situation as a transition to transformation /
independence of performing arts. While independence is required to individual genre,
theater and group, I think a new creativity and more diversity can be generated by
pursuing individual characters, struggling to communicate with the audience and
exerting economic efforts.
There is one more thing I want to mention in terms of today's performing arts in
Japan, and that is local activities taking place in the performing arts. Compared with
Tokyo, it is true that local theaters and performing arts population in provinces fall
behind not only in numbers but also in quality. In recent years, however, an
increasing number of artists have been gradually using the public cultural facilities of
provincial cities as an extra performance stage along with those in Tokyo, and are
coming up with better achievements. Public cultural facility programs that had been
limited to presenting already-made stages (works) by inviting creative groups from
Tokyo are actively switching over to citizen-participating / citizen-creating programs.
Educational activities sponsored by the facilities, including workshops and outreach7),
as well as citizen-made stages (works) are promoted, making great contributions to
the understanding of performing arts, nurturing of talented artists and creation of
audiences. This is exactly the positive effect of introducing an authorized manager
need to be executed directly by the government itself, and those that are uncertain to be
implemented when entrusted to a private entity or those that are required to be exclusively
carried out by a single entity. It is modeled after agencies in England. Independent
administrative institutions are not granted with government guarantee in raising funds, and liable
to taxation.
6) Authorized manager system allows comprehensive transfer of the management and operation of
public facilities, which had been assigned only to local public groups or fringe organizations, to
other corporations and groups such as profit-making companies (stock companies) / foundations /
NPOs / civic groups. Local public groups can choose between introduction and direct operation
of this system, but either choice is considered as part of incorporation / privatization of a public
organization.
7) Outreach is widely used as meaning volunteering work in local communities and on-the-spot
service by public organizations. It has become more active recently in the field of local
autonomy, and there are workshops where residents think about the future of the community in
shaping streets, as well as studies and dialogues on local challenges. In case of cultural
facilities, they reach out to local schools for expression workshops.
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system into what had been controlled by the government. I believe this could
become a valuable asset for the Japanese performing arts in the future.
As you can see, composition / nurturing / protection and market principle, Tokyo
and provinces, and various circumstances and factors overlap and shape the current
performing arts in Japan.
2) Performing Arts Groups
a) Classification of Performing Arts Groups
Performing arts groups are largely divided into theater, dance, music, and
traditional arts groups. There are some groups that attempt all genre-inclusive
performances, yet generally performing arts groups belong to the following four
categories:
❑ Theater
The theater category can be classified further as follows: (However, recently there
are many cases where characteristics of these sub-categories are intermingled to an
extent that such classification has become meaningless.)
▪ Classification of major genres of Japanese theatrical drama
Modern
theater
Shingeki (new drama)
Theatrical performances by theatrical troupes influenced by Western
modern theater.
Small theater
Theatrical performances staged in small theaters
Producing
performance
Theatrical performances produced by producers and production
companies
Others
Experimental theater performances with elements of performance.
Commercial
Commercial plays featuring famous actors and TV stars.
theater
Musicals
Children's
Theater
Regional
theater
Overseas musicals, original musical performances
Theatrical performances for children.
Theatrical performances by amateur theater troupes in provincial regions.
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▪ Performances in 2006
Productions
Performance
days
Performances
Sessions
Audience
numbers
Total no. of performances
1,062
3,663
4,965
1,295,999
Local Tours
538
766
1,052
53,4734
Overseas Tours
49
73
157
5,346
Total no. of performances
8,966
11,121
23,611
4,588,459
Local performances
5,808
7,535
13,468
3,413,694
Overseas performances
76
142
204
29,610
Total no. of performances
218
419
490
426,289,
Local performances
125
142
152
327,690
Overseas performances
4
26
28
3,262
Total no. of performances
10,786
15.203
29,066
6,310,747
Local performances
6,471
8,613
14,672
4,276,118
Overseas performances
129
241
389
38,218
Based on one year
In-house
Productions
External
Productions
Sponsored
Productions
Total
* Source: Japan Theater Arts Association, Theater Yearbook 2007
Survey result of 265 groups among members of Japan Theater Arts Association
○ Shingeki (New Drama)
Shingeki is a theatrical genre that emerged from modern Western theater. Various
Shingeki troupes were founded successively since the 1930s. They led the trends of
modern theater at the heart of Japan's theatrical circles until the 1980s. However,
amid the diverse changes of today, its influence and power to attract audiences is
weaker than in the past, so efforts are being made to overcome such situation.
▪ Bungakuza | http://www.bungakuza.com
Founded in 1937, Bungakuza is one of the leading Shingeki theater companies in
Japan and performs works by Japanese playwrights representing the contemporary era.
Moreover, it promotes atelier plays employing young theatrical performers and operates
a theatrical research institute (60 researchers and full-time students and 40 trainees),
fostering theatrical actors. Currently, Bungakuza has a total of 190 members, comprising
150 in the acting department and 40 in the directing department, including technical
staffs. In 2008, the troupe plans to feature a total of seven works, including four
regular productions and three studio productions. Long-term plays are mainly standard
Japanese dramas and atelier plays mainly feature overseas experimental plays and
works by young Japanese playwrights. In addition, Bungakuza performs a large-scale
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family play every year. For most of the Shingeki companies, performing for just 7-10
days is not financially viable. Therefore, they trade off the deficit with regional tours
and allow their actors to appearing on TV broadcasts. Bungakuza also performs regular
plays in Tokyo, but, apart from this, it has formed a team exclusively for regional
performances among repertoire plays, offering theatrical tours throughout the year.
○ Shogekijo (Small Theater)
Shogekijo (Small Theater) refers to troupes that perform in little theaters. It was
called "underground theater" in the 1960s and thereafter "young theater" in the 1980s
and 1990s. It is a genre that was formed in reaction to Shingeki. Shogekijo is also
changing according to the current era and evolving tastes. In the late 1990s some
Shogekijo theater companies appeared, drawing audiences of some tens of thousands,
creating a new theatrical trend of the time, despite the fact that their name is "small
theater." They are also characterized by the fact that the director or the playwright
also serves as the president of theatrical companies.
▪ Rinkogun | http://www.alles.or.jp/~rinkogun
Theater company Rinkogun was founded in 1989 by Yoji Sakate, a playwright and
director. Rinkogun mainly performs works by Yoji Sakate, who is called a "socialist
playwright,"in a small theater called "The Suzunari." It also introduces controversial
Asian
and
Western
works
to
Japan
in
the
Umegaya
Box,
its
rehearsal
space-cum-studio. Currently, there are a total of 28 members in the theater company,
including 22 actors and six directing staffs and most of them make a living by
engaging in external performances and doing part-time jobs in addition to the
company's performances. As such, small theater company members frequently engage
in other activities to make a living, as it is difficult to make a living with only
theatrical performances as their performance periods are short. Moreover, small
theater companies mostly perform original works as it is commonplace for the
president of the small theater company also serves as a director and playwright.
Rinkogun is also such case in point.
○ Producing Performance
Producing performance refers to forming and operating teams for individual
performances, even though members belong to groups. The president of the group
may be the artist (playwright, director, or actor) or the coordinator, or the theater
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company president. Mainly, the president participates in producing, taking overall
charge of the performance. This is a form of performance which is the most
common in recent days.
▪ Komatsuza | http://www.komatsuza.co.jp
Komatsuza is a theater company founded in 1983 to produce plays by Hisashi
Inoue who is a playwright representing Japan. For every performance, the director is
chosen according to the type of work and the performance team is formed, including
a few coordinators.
Two to four works are performed yearly, including a new play and plays
performed previously.
▪ RUP Co., Ltd. | http://www.rup.co.jp
RUP is a performance coordinating company whose president is the coordinator. It
recruits theatrical actors from small theaters, such as Kouhei Tsuka, Kensuke
Yokouchi, Narushi Ikeda, Hironori Naito as directors or recruits directors working in
films and broadcasting such as Shunichi Okamura and Shikemichi Sugita, mainly to
produce original works. It produces a number of works that are artistic, yet at the
same time entertaining and commercial.
○ Others
In addition to the genres mentioned above, there are theater companies that make
new attempts and experiments in terms of style. However, they are smaller in
number compared to the 1960s and 1970s. This is attributable to the fact that, as
works with a strong sense of routineness and language called "quiet theater"emerged
successively in the late 1990s, theatrical plays are more inclined to return to literature
than theatrical style.
▪ Kaitaisha | http://www.kaitaisha.com
Founded in 1985, Gekidan Kaitaisha stages works closer to performance, rather
than theatrical plays, focusing on images, strong music, and physical aspects. It is
more active overseas than in Japan.
▪ Ishinha | http://www.ishinha.com
Ishinha is an Osaka-based theater company founded in 1970. Its fantastic,
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large-scale outdoor performances are more popular than indoor performances.
○ Commercial Theater
Commercial theater is a genre that mainly pursues commercial interest by casting
famous actors and stars or remaking popular fictions, cartoons, and films. However,
these days, the boundary between commercial theater and non-profit theater is
gradually becoming blurred.
▪ Takarazuka | http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp
Founded in 1914, Takarazuka is a theater troupe consisting solely of females. It is
composed of graduates and students of Takarazuka Music Institute, which opened in
1919. It mainly performs at the Takarazura Grand Theater and the Tokyo Takarazuka
Theater and also does provincial tours. Five teams named "Flower," "Moon," "Snow,"
"Star" and "Sky" perform in rotation.
▪ Shochiku | http://www.shochiku.co.jp
Shochiku Company Ltd. mainly produces and distributes films, yet it also performs
Kabuki and Shinpa theater. It directly operates Kabuki-za based in Ginza, Tokyoto
stage Kabuki, while operating a theater called Shinbashi Embujo to stage Shinpa
theater. Works casting famous female actors who star in TV broadcasts and films are
very popular among middle-aged women.
○ Musicals
There are less musical companies, compared to general theater companies.
Large-scale musicals are mainly planned by commercial theaters, rather than theater
companies. Original musicals are yet to be vitalized.
▪ Shiki | http://www.shiki.gr.jp
Founded in 1953, Shiki Theater Company is one of Japan's representative musical
companies. It stages extensive musicals from overseas licensed musicals to original
musicals. It has nine home theaters throughout Japan and the Society of Shiki, an
association of those who support the theater company, has 170,000 members. The
Shiki Theater Company has made concerted efforts to publicize musical culture in
Japan and at the same time has adopted new strategies by attempting to draw
audiences called the "Shiki Method,"establishing its own production system.
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▪ Ongakuza | http://www.ongakuza-musical.com
Founded in 1988, Ongakuza is a theater company specializing in musicals.
Producers and creative directors for scripts, directing, music, stage art, lighting, and
costume select works to be performed. Although it has own performers, casts are
selected through auditions for each show. It has produced 11 works to date and
performs them as its repertoire.
▪ Warabiza | http://www.warabi.jp
The theater company Warabiza is based in Akita-ken (prefecture) and performs
Japanese-style musicals with Japanese stories and music utilizing traditional musical
instruments. It operates its home theater in the Tazawako art village in Senboku-shi
(city), Akita-ken (prefecture) in which its headquarters are located. Besides performances
in the theater, Warabiza holds 1,200 performances throughout Japan annually.
○ Children's Theater
▪ Kazenoko | http://www.kazenoko.co.jp
Founded in 1950, Kazenoko is a theater company specializing in children's theater
that mainly stages original plays. It has seven chapter offices nationwide, including
one in Tokyo. Each chapter produces works suiting the locality and tours
surrounding regions. In Tokyo it has a research lab (fostering center), nurturing
performers specializing in children's theater.
▪ Opera Theater Konnyakuza | http://www.konnyakuza.com
The
Opera
Theater
Konnyakuza
was
founded
in
1972
with
the
aim
of
disseminating operas and promoting operas sung in the Japanese language. It stages
operetta style family theater and offers enjoyment of operas to children.
○ Regional Theater
Although theater companies operate in each province, they remain merely at
amateur levels. However, in recent years, works which are possible to be staged in
Tokyo are gradually being produced.
▪ TPS | http://www.h-paf.ne.jp
TPS is a theater company governed by the Hokkaido Performing Arts Foundation
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and is modeled on the Regional Theater of the USA. Based in Sapporo, the TPS is
engaged in creative activities and performs in different parts of Japan, including
Tokyo. Moreover, it operates a small theater called "Theater Zoo" and hosts
workshops with theatrical performers at home and abroad and holds invitational
performances.
▪ Kinoshita-Kabuki | http://kinoshita-kabuki.org
Kinoshita-Kabuki is an emerging theater company based in Kyoto. It performs
kabuki with new styles and interpretations. It is attracting attention concerning how it
will modernize kabuki in Kyoto, the treasure house of traditional Japanese culture.
❑ Dance
Modern Dance
Japan's modern dance is based on Western modern dance which is free and
individualistic. The first modern dance was performed in Japan in 1916 and modern
dance had been actively staged in the country since the latter half of the 1950s.
Contemporary
Dance
It is difficult to define contemporary dance. It can be referred to as a genre that
attempts avant-garde and cutting-edge expressions of the contemporary era.
Butoh
Butoh is a genre that was generated since the 1960s in reversion against dance that
tilted toward Western expression. It is a genre that peruses Japan's unique physicality
and expressions.
Ballet
The ballet education started from 1912 and since then, currently not only classical
ballet but also original ballet works have been staged.
Others
Jazz dance, Flamenco, etc.
○ Modern Dance
It is not easy to figure out precisely the numbers and groups involved in modern
dance. The Contemporary Dance Association of Japan currently has 2,663 members
and has eight chapter offices across the nation. The Contemporary Dance Association
of Japan hosts a modern dance festival once a year, in which works by 15
choreographers are performed annually.
○ Contemporary Dance
It is difficult to assess the contemporary dance population as dancers work more
individually rather than belonging to groups. In the 1990s, dancers who attempted
independent activities while learning modern dance and butoh, and the term
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"contemporary dance" started to be used to commonly refer to them. Thus, it is
considered that there is a difference between concepts of contemporary dance of the
West and those of Japan.
▪ Kimu Itoh / Kimu Itoh and Glorious Future (founded in 1995) |
http://kimitoh.com
▪ Tsuyoshi Shirai Tsuyoshi / Hatsujuo-to (founded in 2000) |
http://baneto.topolog.jp/cws
▪ Jo Kanamori/ Noism04 (founded in 2004) | http://www.jokanamori.com
▪ Saburo Teshigawara Saburo | http://www.st-karas.com
▪ Kota Yamazaki Kota | http://www.kotayamazaki.com
▪ Ryouhei Kondo Ryouhei / Condors (1996) | http://www.condors.jp
▪ Naoko Shirakawa Naoko / H.R.Chaos (founded in 1989) |
http://h-art-chaos.com
▪ Osamu Jareo Osamu + Misako Terada Misako SALVANILA |
http://www.salvanilla.com
▪ Pappa Tarahumara | http://www.pappa-tara.com
▪ Strange Kinoko Dance Co. (founded in 1993)
▪ Setsuko Yamada Setusko / Biwakei (founded in 1990) |
http://homepage3.nifty.com/setsuko-y-biwakei/
The groups and individuals mentioned above are dancers or part of dance groups
that are currently drawing attention in Japan. They perform one to three works
including new works annually and also engage in external choreography and
education (workshops). With the emergence of contemporary dance, changes have
been made in the performance system, which is the emergence of dance coordinators
who
not
only
gather
individual
dancers
and
dance
groups
and
coordinate
performances, but also offer management.
○ Butoh
Butoh dance originated from Tatsumi Hijikata, a dancer, called his own dance
"Ankoku Butoh (the utter darkness butoh)" in 1961. Although they who were called
the first generation of butoh were engaged in independent activities, it was in the
1980s when butoh received great attention, both in Japan and internationally. There
are not many dancers or dance groups who have succeeded in keeping the
characteristics of butoh intact and under operation and the number of dancers who
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engage in contemporary dance based on butoh has increased.
▪ Kazuo Ohno, Yoshito Ohno / Kazuo Ohno Dance Studio |
http://www.kazuoohnodancestudio.com
▪ Sankaijuku | www.sankaijuku.com
▪ Akaji Maro / Dairakudakan | http://www.dairakudakan.com
▪ Yukio Waguri / Kogensya | http://www.otsukimi.net/koz
▪ Akira Kasai / Tenshikan | http://tenshikan.blog.drecom.jp
○ Ballet
There are no ballet schools in Japan and instead private ballet studios foster ballet
dancers. Although there are many children attending ballet studios and classes, most
of them do not aim to become professional ballet dancers, so there are many
performances
which
are
closer
to
displays
rather
than
professional
ballet
performances.
▪ New National Theater Ballet
The New National Theater Ballet began with the opening of the New National
Theater Tokyo in 1997. Dancers and supporting staffs sign contracts with the New
National Theater Tokyo individually and perform 7-8 works annually. Moreover, it has
a ballet training center to foster young ballet dancers.
▪ Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo (founded in 1956)
▪ Kaitani Ballet (founded in 1938) | http://www.kaitani-ballet.com
▪ The Matsuyama Ballet (founded in 1948) | http://www.matsuyama-ballet.com
▪ Tani Momoko Ballet (founded in 1949) | http://www.tanimomoko-ballet.com
▪ Tokyo Ballet (founded in 1964) | http://www.thetokyoballet.com
▪ Star Dancers Ballet (founded in 1965) | http://www.sdballet.com
▪ Tokyo City Ballet (founded in 1968) | http://www.tokyocityballet.org
▪ Kobayahi Noriko Ballet Theater (founded in 1973)
▪ Inoue Ballet (founded in 1987) | http://www.inoueballet.net
▪ Tokyo Komaki Ballet (founded in 1987) | http://www.komakiballet.jp
▪ NBA Ballet (founded in 1993) | http://www.nbaballet.org
○ Others
The Jazz Dance Art Association of Japan and the Association Nipona De Flamenco
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are also registered with the National Dance Association of Japan, and are both very
active.
❑ Music
Orchestra
Musical instrument performance
Symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, etc.
Performance of various musical instruments, including piano, violin, and flute
Opera
Opera, Operetta
Vocal music
Soloist, chorus
Modern music
Artistic music with new trends
○ Orchestra
Orchestras are classified into symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, string
orchestras, ancient musical instrument orchestras, orchestras focusing on musicals, and
amateur orchestras.
Well-known orchestras in Japan include 37 symphony orchestras, 14 chamber
orchestras, two string orchestras, five ancient musical instrument orchestras, and seven
musical-focused orchestras.
▪ Performances staged in 2006
No. of independent project performances
No. of customary project performances
Regular performances
409
General performances
1,050
Special performances/ general public
358
Performances for youth
750
Special performances/ youth
330
Overseas performances
25
Special performances/ overseas
2
Opera/ballet performances
394
Special performances/ Others
74
Broadcasting/recording
94
Others
101
Total
2,414
Total
1,173
A total of 3,587 performances/ No. of persons in audience: 3,708,824
* Based on a survey conducted among 33 orchestra groups that are members of the Japan
Federation of Musicians
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▪ NHK Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1925) | http://www.nhkso.or.jp
The NHK Symphony Orchestra is a foundation under the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and its president is from the NHK Japan
Broadcasting Corporation. It receives financial support worth more than 1 billion yen
annually from the NHK, and the orchestra collaborates with the NKH's business by
starring in broadcasting programs. The NHK Symphony Orchestra performs three
programs a month, twice each at the NHK Hall and the Suntory Hall, and has a
total of 54 regular concerts per year. In addition, it also has tours across the country
and stages overseas performances. Currently, the orchestra has 120 members and
annually it holds an average of about 120 concerts.
▪ New Japan Philharmonic (founded in 1972) | http://www.njp.or.jp
The New Japan Philharmonic is a private orchestra established by Seiji Ozawa and
Naozumi Yamamoto, who are world-renowned conductors. It signed a franchise
contract with the Sumida Triphony Hall in 1974, performing at the Sumida Triphony
Hall twice a month, and once at the Suntory Hall. Moreover, the orchestra also has
performed Hayao Miyazaki animation music, popular among the public. Currently, it
has 98 members and it performs about 160 times a year on average.
▪ Sapporo Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1961) | http://www.sso.or.jp
The Sapporo Symphony Orchestra is operated by the Sapporo City and is the most
active among orchestras in regional cities. Based in the Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara,
it stages two regular concerts a month and also tours around Tokyo and Hokkaido.
Currently, the orchestra has 77 members and performs about 125 concerts per year
on average.
○ Opera
Although there are not many professional opera companies in Japan, opera is a
performing art genre unexpectedly popular among the general public and there are
frequent performances by amateur operas in the name of citizens' opera.
▪ Performances staged in 2006
No. of in-house performances
No. of external productions
Audience numbers
137
318
263,982
* A survey result conducted among groups that are orchestra members of the Japan Federation of Musicians.
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▪ New International Theater Tokyo | http://www.nntt.jac.go.jp
Since its opening in 1997, the New International Theater Tokyo has been staging
opera performances on a regular basis. However, it does not have a professional
opera troupe, only having a chorus group. It performs 8-10 works a year on average
and offers opera class for high school students and runs an opera research institute.
▪ Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation (founded in 1952) | http://www.nikikai.net
The Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation stages four opera productions, as well as
concerts and recitals a year. In addition to the Tokyo Nikikai, it has sister
organizations nationwide, including Kansai Nikikai, Hokkaido Nikikai, Nagoya Nikikai,
Chugoku Nikikai, and Shikoku Nikikai. It also runs an opera institute, offering
education.
❑ Traditional Art
Kabuki
Noh/Kyogen
Kabuki is Japan's traditional theater and is registered as an important intangible cultural
property.
It is scheduled to be registered as World Intangible Heritage in 2009.
Noh/Kyogen is Japan's traditional stage art and registered as an important intangible
cultural property.
It is scheduled to be registered as a World Intangible Heritage in 2009.
Bunraku
Bunraku is Japan's traditional property and is registered as an important intangible cultural
property.
It is scheduled to be registered as World Intangible Heritage in 2009.
Japanese
dance
In general, Japanese dance refers to independently performing the dance part in the
kabuki works or dance adding elements of kabuki and bunraku based on movements of
Noh.
It is said that currently, there are more than 200 schools of Japanese dance. Among
them, Hanayagi School, Fujima School, Wakayagi School, Nishikawa School and Bando
School are called the five largest schools.
Hougaku
Japanese traditional songs, sounds, as well as performing Japanese musical instruments.
Traditional
musical
instrument
performance
Performances using traditional Japanese musical instruments.
In particular, there are a number of drum performance teams across the nation and there
are many teams staging overseas performances.
Entertainment
Popular traditional art. It includes rakugo and folk tales.
○ Kabuki
Kabuki is called not by groups, but by the name of families of kabuki actors
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called by their "stage family name." There are currently 54 stage family names which
are handed down generation-by-generation. Kabuki is mainly performed at Kabukiza
(Tokyo), Osaka Shochikuza (Osaka), Minamiza (Kyoto), Misonoza (Nagoya), Hakataza
(Kyusyu), the National Theater (Tokyo) and Zenshin-za (Tokyo).
Among them, the largest kabukiza is the 1,866-seat kabuki theater operated by
Shochiku Co., Ltd. and the programs change every month. The Shochiku Co., Ltd.
has signed exclusive contracts with most of the kabuki performers, so it is in fact an
entity that moves the kabuki circle. Recent kabuki trends show that, in addition to
classical kabuki, kabuki is being diversified, ranging from Super Kabuki by Ennosuke
Ichikawa to kabuki works directed by modern directors such as Yukio Nanagawa,
Hideki Noda, and Kazumi Kushida.
○ Noh/ Kyogen
There are originally five schools of Noh, including Kanze-Ryu, Housho-Ryu,
Kongou-Ryu, Konparu-Ryu, and Kita-Ryu and performers and musicians belong to
these schools. However, today they perform transcending schools. Meanwhile, kyogen
schools include Okura-Ryu andIzumi-Ryu. Noh/ Kyogen performances are staged at
special stages designed exclusively for Nohcalled "Noh theater"which still remain in
different parts of Japan. In Tokyo, Noh/Kyogen performances are held at the National
Noh Theater and regular performances can be viewed at Noh theaters run by
different schools.
▪ Kanze-Ryu | http://www.kanze.net
▪ Housho-Ryu | http://www.hosho.or.jp
▪ Kongou-Ryu | http://www.kongou-net.com
▪ Kita-Ryu | http://www.kita-noh.com
○ Bunraku
Originally, Bunraku is the name of an old theater and today it refers to Japanese
traditional puppet theater. Currently, Bunraku is performed on a regular basis in the
National Bunraku Theater in Osaka.
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b) Overseas Exchange of Performing Groups
Overseas performances by performing groups are mostly for cultural exchange,
although there are some commercial-style performances, like overseas musical
performances. The most common overseas performance form is to participate in
various festivals. Among the types of financial support provided by the Agency for
Cultural Affairs of Japan, there is a program called "Two-Country Cultural Exchange,"
a program that identifies a different country for intensive cultural exchange for each
year and provides financial support. Thus, there are countries with which cultural
exchanges with Japan are increasing by the year. (In 2008, there are programs that
support
performing
art
exchange
with
Indonesia
in
commemoration
of
the
50thanniversary of establishing diplomatic ties and with Brazil in commemoration of
the 100th anniversary of Japanese migration to Brazil.) In addition, in the 1990s, joint
original work productions have been on the rise and performances staged at home
and abroad have been on the increase.
▪ Performances staged in 2006
Overseas performance Performances by overseas
by Japanese groups
groups in Japan
Genre
International joint
productions
Total
Theater
76
93
53
222
Ballet
4
20
27
51
Opera
2
17
24
43
Dance
83
79
55
217
Mixed performances
11
12
2
25
Entertainment
5
1
4
10
Total
181
222
165
568
* JapanCenter, Pacific Basin Arts Communication, Stage Art Exchange Yearbook 2006
c) Performance viewing groups
In Japan there are unique performance viewing groups. As cultural activities are
concentrated
in
Tokyo,
people
living
in
regions
tend
to
become
culturally
marginalized. Therefore, private viewing groups are organized by regions, inviting
performances in an organized manner.
Most of the groups recruit members and collect membership fees and establish
plans on a yearly basis to view performances. This is also of great help to theater
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companies and musicians, as this offers them opportunities to ensure financial stability
through tour performances and secure greater prospects for the performances.
In recent years, the number of members has been on the decline as greater
numbersof theater companies stage regional performances and society has become
increasingly individualistic. However, such performance viewing groups are still very
prominent in the stage art circle.
<Nationwide theater viewing groups>
There are 160 theater-viewing groups nationwide.
<Nationwide Kodomo NOP Theater Centers>
They are groups of children and parents who view children's theater. There are
600 such centers nationwide.
<National Ro-on Network >
This is an organization that appreciates music. There are 56 chapters across the
nation.
3) Theaters
a) Types and Characteristics of Theaters
Theaters in Japan are largely classified as follows:
National
theaters
Public
theaters
Private
theaters
Theaters operated by the state. There are currently six national theaters in Japan.
Theaters run by local governments and district offices.
There are 2,202 public theaters registered with the National Public Cultural Facilities Association.
Commercial Theaters that mainly stage works with strong commercial characteristics such as
theaters
musicals, kabuki, and takarazuka.
Small
Small-scale theaters that mainly stages works by young artists.
theaters
General
theaters
Specific
Specialized theaters
theaters
Traditional
theaters
Theaters that mainly stage general performances such as xinju(new drama) and
musical concerts.
Theaters that stage performances of specific genres, such as exclusive music
theater.
Theaters that only stage traditional arts.
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○ National Theaters
There are currently six national theaters and they have been generated focusing on
traditional arts, including kabuki, noh, and bunraku. It was in 1997 that the New
National Theater Tokyo staging modern stage art, such as theater, dance, and opera,
belatedly opened.
National Theater
Grand Theater-1,610 seats
Small Theater- 590 seats
National Engei Hall 300 seats
National Noh
Theater
National Bunraku
Theater
New National
Theater Tokyo
National Theater
Okinawa
Stages kabukiand bunraku, which are world
intangible heritage, as well as traditional dance and
music.
www.ntj.jac.go.jp/kokuritsu
Stages rakugo, traditional comical story, and
acrobatics.
www.ntj.jac.go.jp/engei
627 seats
Stages noh, world intangible heritage.
www.ntj.jac.go.jp/nou
Grand theater – 753seats
Small Theater-159 seats
Stages bunraku, world intangible heritage, as well as
traditional dance, music, and general art
performances.
www.ntj.jac.go.jp/bunraku
Opera Theater- 1,814seats
Medium Theater- 1,038 seats
Small Theater- 358~-458 seats
Stages opera, theater, ballet, and modern dance
performances.
www.nntt.jac.go.jp/
Grand Theater- 632seats
Small Theater- 255 seats
Stages Okinawa's traditional art and stage art of the
Asia-Pacific region.
www.nt-okinawa.or.jp
Each national theater stages specialized genres suiting its purpose.
The National Theater stages Japanese traditional dance and musical instrument
concerts with the focus placed on kabuki. The National Engei Hall stages popular
legitimate art such as rakugo (lone storyteller of tales) and general telling of comical
tales, while the National Noh Theater is a theater exclusive for noh/kyogen
performances with the stage style of noh.
Furthermore, the National Bunraku Theater mainly stages bunraku, traditional
Japanese puppet theater, while the National Theater Okinawa stages traditional dance
and music unique to Okinawa.
The New National Theater Tokyo is the sole theater that performs various modern
art, including theater, opera, ballet, and dance.
In addition to performances, national theaters have various purposes and functions,
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including
preservation
and
research
of
traditional
arts
and
fostering
artists
(artist-nurturing projects). They are not directly operated by the state, but operated by
independent
administrative
corporations,
including
the
Japan
Art
and
Culture
Promotion Association, New National Theater Operation Foundation, National Theater
Okinawa Foundation.
Another characteristic of national theaters is that they do not have troupes that
belong to them. The New National Theater does have a ballet troupe, yet
performances are planned by Art Department (planning and production) and artistic
directors.
○ Public Theaters
Public theaters are facilities operated by local governments, or municipalities, or
district offices, and there are approximately 3,300 public theaters across Japan. Among
them, there are 2,202 public theaters that are registered with the Association of
Public Theaters and Halls in Japan (www.zenkoubun.jp). (Public cultural facilities
refer to facilities for art and cultural projects, such as theater, dance, music and
films.)
The number of these facilities has increased sharply since the 1980s and they are
multi-purpose halls that are used not only for stage art performances such as theater
and music, but also for regional events, assemblies, and displays by amateur art
groups.
▪ Number of public theaters by scale
Large theaters
More than 1,000 seats
699
Medium theaters
500-999seats
1,066
Small theaters
Less than 499 seats
1,074
* Among the 2,202 registered theaters, theaters with more than two halls account for
approximately 30%. Database of the Association of Public Theaters and Halls in Japan.
Since the 1990s, public theaters with their distinct characteristics and artistic goals
have continuously appeared and they are still on the rise nowadays.
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▪ Sai-No-Kuni Saitama Arts Theater | http://www.saf.or.jp
Facilities
The theater has a main hall with 766 seats, a small hall with 266-346 seats, a concert
hall with 604 seats, an audio-visual hall with 150 seats. In addition, it has auxiliary
facilities, including theater and music rehearsal rooms and a stage art library.
It was opened in 1994 and offers large-scale performing art facilities; it has planned its
theater programs from the perspectives of long-term goals, rather than one-off events, thus
gaining a high reputation.
Characteristics
Since 2006, Yukio Ninagawa, a director representing Japan, has been the artistic director
and founded the Saitama Gold Theater, which drew attention by having all its members
aged over 55.
Programs
- Sainokuni Shakespeare series: 1998 ~
With artistic director Yukio Ninagawa, the theater plans to stage a total of 37
Shakespeare dramas over 13 years.
- Pianist 100 : 1997-2007
With music director Hiroko Nakamura (pianist), 10pianists were selected every year and
music concerts by 100 pianists were held for 10 years.
- Saitama Gold Theater : 2006~
Twenty performers aged 55 and over were recruited, regardless of their experience in
acting and 1,266 persons applied for the audition. After the 78-hour audition for 15
days, 48 persons were selected as members of the theater.
The first regular performance titled "Props on a Boat" commenced in 2007 and the
theater plans to present one production a year.
▪ Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center |
http://www.kitakyushu-performingartscenter.or.jp
Facilities
Grand hall: 1,269 seats, medium hall: 700 seats, small hall: 96~216 seats.
The large hall stages a variety of performances, ranging from music to dance and theater,
while the middle hall is basically a theater for theatrical plays. The small hall is used not
only to stage theater and dance performances, but also to present performances by
regional art groups.
Opened in 2003, the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center is located within a large
downtown shopping center, where citizens can have easy access to the theater.
The Arts Center is active in projects that invite and present theatrical plays and dance
performances that received attention in Tokyo, but also offers a number of programs for
Characteristics
local residents.
It is considered a successful regional public theater in terms of facility utilization, the
power to draw audiences, communication with local residents, and participation by
regional cultural and arts groups.
Programs
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- Invitational performances of theater, dance, and music, as well as special performances.
- Conducts art education dissemination projects to nurture local culture with local residents.
Visits schools and organizes workshops on expression.
- Theater production projects featuring local characteristics, cultures, issues, and speakers.
Organizes lectures called "drama creation studio" to produce theater for local residents.
- Theater and music workshop projects for local residents by utilizing theater facilities.
- Kitakyushu Pantomime Festival.
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Critical point of view ◆ Japan
▪ Shizuoka Performing Arts Center | http://www.spac.or.jp
Facilities
- Shizuoka Performing Arts Park
An open-air theater with 400 seats, an indoor theater with 100 seats, and a box theater.
Additionally, it has rehearsal rooms where dance performances are possible, a stage set
production storage room, and accommodation for training and exchanges.
- Shizuoka Arts Theater
A theater with 401 seats. Besides, there are rehearsal rooms, a costume production
room, a stage set and prop storage room
The Shizuoka Performing Arts Center runs the Shizuoka Performing Arts Park (opened in
1997) and the Shizuoka Arts Theater (opened in 1999) located in the Shizuoka Convention
Arts Center. It has a resident theater company called SPAC (Shizuoka Performing Arts
Characteristics Center) whose president is the Center's artistic director. As even national theaters do not
have any resident theater companies in Japan, this could be considered a major
distinguishing characteristic. In addition, the Center endows its artistic director with the
right to appoint personnel and execute budget for the first time as a local government.
Programs
- Original theater and dance performances for its staffs.
Performs eight productions a year, including new works and repertoire productions.
- Nurturing and educating talents
Organizes seminars and lectures on stage art, discloses theater and rehearsals, holds
SPAC Dance Festival, organizes workshops and productions in connection with high
school theater clubs, promoting the development of local culture.
- Invites world-renowned artists and hosts international art festivals.
Hosts "Shizuoka Spring Arts Festival" in which works by outstanding artists from home
and abroad are performed and "Fall Arts Festival" in which young theatrical performers
in Japan gather.
In recent years, independent programs by public theaters are becoming increasingly
diverse.
One approach is to adopt the artistic director system in which artists who are at
the forefront of Japan's stage arts circle, including Yukio Ninagawa (director) of the
Sai-No-kuni Saitama Arts Theater, Mansai Nomura (noh performer) of the Setagaya
Public Theater, Kazumi Kushida (director) of the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center,
Miyagi Satoshi of the Shizuoka Performing Arts Center, and Hideki Noda, who will
be appointed as artistic director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Arts Space next year, are
consolidating their roles, elevating artistic outcome and evaluation.
The other approach is where local residents and public theaters combine efforts to
stage a wide variety of regional arts activities, thereby contributing to local
communities and cultures. Programs featuring local characteristics offer the fragrance
of life to local residents, serving as the driving force behind regional revitalization.
Among regions that carry out such activities, there are many facilities that have been
generated by neighboring towns as they are too small. In this case, culture and arts
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Asian Arts Theater ◆ Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
heighten unity of the region and create a new regional culture.
Such diversification of independent programs may be attributable to partial
amendment of the Local Government Act that went into force in 2003. Until then,
organizations funded by local governments (such as foundations) or organizations
with a public nature took charge of the management and operation of public
facilities. With the amendment of the Act, however, private businesses, and NPO
corporations took over responsibility for managing and operating them. This is called
the "Designated Management System."It aims to respond to the ever-diversifying needs
of local residents in an efficient and effective manner, improve services and reduce
expenses. It could be considered that market principles have been introduced to
public organizations which were dubbed as having a "government agency mind set."
Public theaters were no exception. Whether they introduced the Designated
Management System or not, they were required to conduct internal reviews and were
obligated to evaluate their facilities and programs, so they had no choice but to seek
independent modus operandi.
For these reasons, large-scale theaters appointed famous artists as their artistic
directors to pursue art, whereas smaller theaters offer programs close to local
communities, attempting revitalization of their facilities and regions.
○ Private Theaters
▪ Classification of theaters in Tokyo
Commercial theaters (theater/musical)
22 theaters
Small theaters (less than 150 seats)
26 theaters
General theaters
47 theaters
Music concert theaters
12 theaters
Traditional art theaters
19 theaters
Public theaters
Possesses more than two facilities
25 theaters
Possesses one facility
11 theaters
A total of
162 theaters
* Refer to the 2007 PIA MAP.
Private
theaters
concentrated
in
are
Tokyo.
largely
The
divided
first
into
type
is
three
types,and
theaters
with
they
are
strong
mostly
commercial
characteristics, staging performances featuring famous stars or large-scale musicals. Its
examples
110
include
Takarazuka-shi
(city)'s
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Takarazuka
Grand
Theater
run
by
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Critical point of view ◆ Japan
Takarazuka, a takarazuka theater company; the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater home
theaters of theater company Shiki which mainly stages musicals (There are eight
home theaters nationwide); theaters operated by corporate investment, including
Bunkamura (or Tokyu Culture Village) with Theater Cocoon and Orchard Hall (Tokyu
Group), Parco Theater (Seibu Group), and Kabuki-za run by Shochiku Co., Ltd.,
Shinbashi Enbujyo, and Shinjuku Koma Theater run by Toho Co., Ltd.
These theaters have a higher ratio of independently planned performances, rather
than lending theaters, and mainly plan lavish performances, which include not only
musicals but also performances starring famous entertainers and actors, kabuki or
shinpa theater, and operas, and they are thus popular among the public.
Another characteristic is that their performance runs are long. In Japan theater
performances are usually last for between three days to two weeks, yet in many
cases these theater shows run for more than a month.
▪ Bunkamura | http://www.bunkamura.co.jp
Facilities
Theater Cocoon: 747 seats, Orchard Hall (exclusively for music concerts): 2,150 seats
Bunkamura is a multipurpose cultural complex with a department store, a theater, an
exhibition hall, and a film theater. It opened in 1989 and is managed by Tokyu Group.
The Theater Cocoonperforms a variety of performances, ranging from modern theater to
performances that reinterpret the traditional art of kabuki. Most performances are
independently planned by the theater.
As its first artistic director Kazumi Kushida sought musical theater, so it produces a
Characteristics number of works with strong musical theater elements. In many cases, unique and
luxurious works by Yukio Ninakawa and Hideki Noda who represent Japan's modern
theater are presented. In a nutshell, the theater has a commercial aspect, yet also presents
works with high artistic elements in succession.
The Orchard Hall is basically a theater for music concerts, yet when moveable sound
shutters are relocated, it can stage various performances, from operas, ballets and
musicals, to popular songs.
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▪ Parco Theater | http://www.parco-play.com
Facility
Medium theater with 458 seats
The Parco Theater located in the Shibuya Parco Part 1, a fashion building situated in the
heart of Shibuya, the street of young people, is managed by Seibu Group.
It opened as Seibu Theater in 1973 and was renamed asParco Theater in 1985. It mainly
presents well-made overseas plays and original plays by experienced playwrights popular
Characteristics among young generations.
The performance period for a single production is approximately 2-3 weeks and audiences
consist mostly of females in their 20s and 30s.
Comfortable performances with well-planned theatrical enjoyment rather than artistic
aspects are more popular.
▪ Teikoku Theater | http://www.tohostage.com
Facility
Grand theater with 1,897 seats
Thisis a theater run by Toho Co., Ltd. which produces and distributes films. The theater
opened in 1911.
Characteristics
It mainly presents large-scale musicals, theater and shinpatheater featuring famous actors
and stars and in many cases takarazuka troupes also perform at the theater.
Theaters that have opposite characteristics of commercial theaters are small theaters,
in which mainly new artists perform. Although they have inadequate facilities, with
80~150 seats, small theaters comprise the majority of private theaters.
Moreover, small theaters stage experimental works and performances with new
styles, acting as an incubator for future artists.
In the case of theater, performers generally become famous by first performing at
famous small theaters, which are called the gateway for new theater performers and
then advancing into larger theaters.
Small theater audiences are mostly people from in their teens to early 30s.
Small
theaters
occasionally
plan
small
theatrical
plays
independently, yet mostly are operated in the form of hall hiring.
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or
dance
festivals
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Critical point of view ◆ Japan
▪ The Suzunari | http://www.honda-geki.com/suzunari.html
Facility
Small theater with 230 seats
The Suzunari is located in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo where small theaters are concentrated. It
was opened in 1981, after renovating a small apartment. Kazuo Honda who operated this
theater opened small theaters in succession, including Honda Theater (1982, 386 seats),
Shimokitazawa Ekimae Theater (1984, 180 seats), Sotetsu Honda Theater (1988, 184 seats),
Off Off Theater (1993), Geki Theater and Rakuen Theater(2007), which have become
Characteristics
known as Honda Theater Group.
The Suzurani is a symbolic theater representing small theater plays and acts as a gateway
for young performers.
Theater companies, including Shinjuku Ryozanpaku, Rinkogun, Daisanbutai, and Asagaya
Spiders recently have become famous with The Suzunari as a base.
▪ Seika Theater | http://www.seikatheatre.net
Facility
Small theater with 200 seats
Seika Theater is a small theater operated by performers in Osaka and Osaka City.
Originally it was an elementary school building established in 1873, yet it was closed in
Characteristics 1995 and its gymnasium was renovated to become a small theater in 2004.
Theater companies in the neighborhood of Osaka perform here and it also offers theater
and dance lectures.
▪ Dance Box | http://www.db-dancebox.org
Facility
Small theater with 100~120 seats
Dance Box is Japan's only dance theater based in Osaka.
Characteristics Performances are presented through joint planning by dancers not only from Osaka but
also nationwide. It also organizes workshops to popularize modern dance.
Another type is theaters with general characteristics whose major business is for
hiring out their facilities.
These theaters also independently plan theater programs, yet as they experience
financial
difficulties
without
performances
through
hiring
halls,
the
ratio
of
performances through hiring halls is rather high. General performances refer to
performances with standard styles and content, although each work has individuality,
such as new drama and orthodox theater if theater is taken as an example. The
audience range is broad, from those in their 20s to those in their 60s to 70s. In
addition to theater, they also stage music concerts, musical instrument performances,
and dance performances, yet theater performances comprise the majority.
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▪ Kinokuniya Hall / Kinokuniya Southern Theater
Name
Kinokuniya Hall / Kinokuniya Southern Theater
Facility
Kinokuniya Hall with 418 seats, Kinokuniya Southern Theater with 468 seats.
The Kinokuniya Hall run by the Kinokuniya Bookstore opened in 1964 and is known as
a theater where theater companies, which have been performing in small theaters, wish
to perform the most when they advance into medium theaters.
Along with the Kinokuniya Southern Theater, opened in 1996, the Kinokuniya Hall
Characteristics features a number of performances, mainly by New Drama theaters.
There are no performances independently planned by the theater and most of the
performances are through hiring-out of halls.
It also runs the Kinokuniya Theater Awards, which have great status among Japan's
theater community.
▪ Benisan-Pit | http://www.tpt.co.jp
Facility
Small theater with 200 seats
Benisan-Pit was established by Benisan Co., Ltd., a textile company, by reconstructing a
factory site. It offers not only theater and studio spaces, but also office space for artists.
Theaters run by enterprises mostly have strong commercial aspects, yet Benisan-Pit
pursues experimental and artistic aspects.
The theater has a resident theater company called T.P.T (Theater Project Tokyo) and
Characteristics performances through hiring-out of halls are staged, mainly featuring performances by
T.P.T.
Another characteristic of this theater is that it has a number of joint collaborations with
foreign directors, dancers, and musical choreographers. At the time of its opening in
1993, David Leveaux, a British director, was invited as artistic director for T.P.T.,
producing attention-drawing and controversial works.
○ Specialized Theaters
Specialized theaters refer to those that stage only performances of specific genres.
In public theaters, what are called "multipurpose halls,"performances of all genres,
such as theater, music, and dance, are possible, yet it does not mean that they did
not have any inconveniences in the stage environment. Thus, as there have been
calls for theaters suiting each genre, specialized theaters started to come into being.
Traditional arts also require special spaces and facilities. In particular, noh requires
a unique stage structure and its spatiality has a strong impact on the work, thus noh
schools operate their own noh theaters and not only stage performances, but also
offer lectures.
These exclusive theaters are not many at present, yet are gradually on the rise.
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▪ Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara | http://www.kitara-sapporo.or.jp
Facility
Grand Theater with 2,008 seats, small theater with 453 seats
Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara is a hall exclusively for music concerts run by Sapporo City.
Boasting the best sounds and facilities in Japan, the Concert Hall opened in 1997 and
musicians from all around the world were invited to perform on this stage. At normal
times, it is mainly the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra that performs and sometimes it is
Characteristics
hired out to other music groups. In particular, it is famous for its pipe organ which was
manufactured for two years in France. In order to popularize the pipe organ sounds in
Japan, where pipe organists are rarely found, young pipe organists are invited for a year,
holding music concerts and offering lectures.
▪ Suntory Hall | http://www.suntory.co.jp/suntoryhall
Facility
Grand theater with 2,006 seats small theater with 384 seats
The Suntory Hall is run by Suntory Co., Ltd, a beverage company, and opened in 1986
as Tokyo's first music concert hall. During the half period a year, performances
independently planned by the theater are staged, and during the remaining half period
Characteristics
performances by lending halls are presented.
Moreover, the nation's leading orchestras, including the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and
the NHK Symphony Orchestra hold regular concerts in the Hall.
b) Sub-Conclusion
There are few data and statistics that have summarized all of Japan's theaters in a
comprehensive and detailed manner. In the case of Japan, culture policy first
originated in local governments. It was only after the 1970s that discussions on
culture policy were expanded on a national level. Although Japan attempted to
pursue culture policy with the pursuit of becoming a "cultural country" and "building
a state based on culture" in the post-World War Two era (after 1945), it had no
choice but to be satisfied only with "hosting art festivals," "reopening and
improvement of national museums," and "enactment of cultural property protection
acts" under social and economic conditions at that time.
The transition period arrived in the 1970s when the local government system
started after the high economic growth period (1955~1974). As society and the
economy entered a phase of stability, the desire of local residents for culture was
also heightened. Within the central government. stimulated by activities of local
government,
a
culture
policy
research
committee
was
launched,
presenting
comprehensive directions for promoting culture. Moreover, research committees and
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forums were organized within the Agency for Cultural Affairs, starting to formulate
various policies. It was from the late 1980s to the early 1990s (the "bubble-economy"
period) when full-fledged cultural administration began. The number of public
theaters constructed with local share tax (budget provided by the state to local public
agencies to guarantee necessary funding by correcting financial imbalances of local
public agencies) sharply increased, while regional projects by the Ministry of
Construction, the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries accelerated improvement
of regional cultural facilities and environment.
Owing to this background, there are a number of public theaters in Japan.
According to a survey conducted by the Japan Foundation of Regional Art-Activities,
there are currently 3,300 public theaters across Japan.
Although there are theaters with various forms in Tokyo and theaters are
concentrated in the city, it is not rare to find that artists produce works in regional
public theaters. It dimly shows the structure that "Tokyo is where to consume and
regional areas are where to create." It appears that it is necessary to pay attention to
the trends of public theaters, as it is highly likely that such roles by public theaters
will be expanded in the future.
4) Support for Performing Arts
a) Kinds of Support for Performing Arts
Japan's support for performing arts can be largely classified as follows: The total
budget for culture (the Agency for Cultural Affairs, local governments and corporate
Mecenat) peaked in 1993 at 1 trillion yen, yet has shown a gradual decline ever
since.
Government
State subsidies offered by government agencies, including the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Local governments Subsidies offered by local governments
Private sector
Mecenat
Subsidies created by companies through establishment of foundations
Subsidies created through Mecenat projects
❑ Government Subsidies
Subsidies offered by government agencies, including the Agency for Cultural Affairs,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
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The Agency for
Cultural Affairs
http://www.bunka.go.jp
Supports creative artistic activities as well as art groups, international exchange and
arts festivals.
Areas: Theater, dance, music, opera, films, etc.
Japan Arts Council
http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp
Japan Arts Fund was established with government-funding of50 billion yen and
private contributions of 10 billion yen.
Areas: Theater, dance, music, opera, etc.
The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
Japan Foundation | http://www.jpf.go.jp
An international exchange foundation on cultural and arts exchange, Japanese
language education, and research into Japan.
The Japan Foundation was established in 1972, funded by the government and the
private sector, yet it became an independent administrative foundation fully funded
by the government in 2003.
Areas: Theater, dance, music, traditional arts, etc.
Japan Foundation of Regional Art-Activities | http://www.jafra.or.jp
The Ministry of
Offers support for the development of regional cultures and arts. It was established
Internal Affairs
and Communications in 1994 and is funded by local governments nationwide.
Areas: Theater, dance, music, traditional arts, etc.
○ The Agency for Cultural Affairs
▪ Budget Execution Details for 2008 by the Agency for Cultural Affairs,
Based on Its Goals
(Unit: 1 million yen)
Goal Category Amount Ratio
Detailed Objectives
"Culture and Arts Creation Plan"
Focused support for creation, establishment of arts bases,
support for international exchanges, etc.
Promotion of
Culture and
Arts
Protection of
Cultural
Properties
"Emitting Charm of Japanese Culture" Plan
39,570 38.9% Promoting international cultural exchange focusing on
people-to-people exchanges
1.3%
Promoting performing arts
5,498
5.4%
Improving and operating national arts museums
16,325 16.0%
Disseminating traditional arts
Preserving national treasures and important cultural
properties
9,623
59,548 58.5% Preserving and utilizing historical sites
Refurbishment of a national cultural property organization
Total
2,637
16,454 16.2%
1,293
Emitting Charm of Japanese Culture Plan
Others
Amount Ratio
9.5%
11,480 11.3%
26,323 25.9%
871
0.8%
11,251 11.0%
2.6%
101,755 100%
* Reference: The Ministry for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology-Japan Agency for
Cultural Affairs budgets for 2008 / 101,755 million yen
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▪ Main details
(Unit: 1 million yen)
Description
Amount
Implementing the "Building a Nation Based on Culture and Arts" project
20,613
• Culture and Arts Creation Plan
① Offer focused support for top-level performing art performances and traditional arts
② Implement plans to promote Japanese films/videos
③ Foster new artists and art management talents
④ Implement cultural and arts experience activities for children
18,448
(7,919)
(2,050)
(2,197)
(6,282)
• <Emitting Charm of Japanese Culture Plan>
2,165
① Implement plans to invigorate regional cultural strengths
② Transmitting Japanese culture- promoting international cultural exchanges
③ Promoting protection and transmission of contents
(1,570)
(493)
(102)
Succeeding cultural properties and promoting international cooperation
• Preservation, improvement, and utilization of cultural properties
• Promoting international cooperation on cultural properties
Solidifying culture and arts hubs
37,332
37,332
313
38,485
▪ Major support projects by the Agency for Cultural Affairs
- Promoting performing arts
- Providing focused support for art creative activities (support for theaters and
theater groups)
- Providing support for hosting international performing arts festivals
- International exchanges of outstanding quality arts
- Providing support for fostering talents of art groups
○ Japan Arts Council/ Japan Arts Fund
▪ No. of Applications and No. of Supports Provided (2001-2006)
(Unit: 1 million yen)
2001
2002
2003
No. of cases
No. of cases
No. of cases
No. of
No. of
No. of
of support Amount
of support Amount
of support Amount
applications
applications
applications
provided
provided
provided
Music
90
31
284
88
28
248
87
25
217
Dance
52
31
153
60
30
111
57
24
97
Theater
186
75
411
199
63
385
210
51
278
Total
328
137
848
347
121
743
354
100
592
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2004
2005
2006
No. of cases
No. of cases
No. of No. of cases
No. of
No. of
of support Amount
of support Amount
application of support Amount
application
applications
provided
provided
provided
s
Music
111
24
209
80
20
199
113
15
154
Dance
60
23
108
46
20
110
59
20
80
Theater
230
41
277
211
43
286
254
38
229
Total
401
81
594
337
84
595
426
73
463
▪ Major support projects by Japan Arts Fund
- Creating/ disseminating modern performing arts
- Disclosing traditional arts
- Creating pioneering experimental arts
- Promoting international exchange of arts
- Supporting activities by cultural groups, including amateur groups
○ The Japan Foundation
▪ Support for overseas and domestic performances
Numbers of overseas performances by domestic groups
2005
2006
2007
2008
Music
69
27
31
24
Theater
33
17
13
14
Dance
25
12
6
11
Others
15
12
5
8
Total
142
68
55
57
Numbers of domestic performances by overseas groups
2005
2006
2007
2008
Music
2
6
6
5
Theater
5
3
3
2
Dance
5
1
2
3
Others
1
1
1
0
Total
13
11
12
10
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▪ Major projects by the Japan Foundation
- Creating overseas performances for performing arts exchanges
- Creating domestic performances for performing arts
- Performing Arts Japan (USA)
- Performing Arts Japan (Europe)
○ Japan Foundation of Regional Art-Activities
▪ Financial support for arts and culture projects
(Unit: No. of cases)
Support for creative activities Support for facility invigoration Support for training planning
2004
279
6
8
2005
303
12
3
2006
321
15
8
2007
297
17
7
▪ Financial support for international exchanges
(Unit: No. of cases)
Support for implementing internationalization projects
Support for overseas exchanges
2004
11
26
2005
17
26
2006
30
8
2007
10
4
▪ Major support projects by the Japan Foundation of Regional Art-Activities
- Providing support for regional culture and arts activities
- Promoting international exchanges of regional culture and arts
- Preserving regional traditional arts
❑ Regional Subsidies
Regions also have subsidy systems for regional culture and art groups. There are
two types of regional subsidies – one is of local governments directly offering
support through their culture and art budgets, and the other is offering support by
public interest organizations, such as foundations.
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▪ No. of organizations offering support in regions
Hokkaido
12
Tokai
13
Touhoku
10
Kinki
19
Kanto
17
Chugoku/Shikoku
17
Shinetsu/Hokuriku
4
Kyusyu/Okinawa
11
Total: 103
* Source: Website | http://fringe.jp
❑ Private Subsidies
Foundations established by enterprises with an aim of social contribution are
providing support for various areas – ranging from culture and arts, sports and
education, to literature. Among them, organizations that are active in offering support
for culture and arts are as follows:
(Since the collapse of the "bubble economy," from the late 1980s to the early
1990s, the scale of support has been decreased.)
▪ The Seison Foundation (established in 1987) | http://www.saison.or.jp
Areas: Modern theater, modern dance, music, literature, research and training, etc.
Support projects: Offers support for improving the environment for creative
activities,
support
for
artistic
creative
activities,
and
support
for
international
exchanges.
Support details for 2008
A total of 43 cases / 76,750,000 yen
37 cases for theater and dance / 63,150,000 yen
Other 6 cases / 13,600,000 yen
Direct support for artists (continuous support for 2-3 years)
14 cases
32,000,000
Support for groups or projects that offer support for artistic activities
16 cases
13,500,000
Support for international projects (more than 2 years)
6 cases
16,500,000
Support for international exchange programs
4 cases
13,150,000
Special support (festivals, etc.)
3 cases
1,600,000
▪ Asahi Beer Art Foundation (established in 1989) |
http://www.asahibeer.co.jp
Areas: Modern theater, modern dance, music, fine arts, etc.
Support projects: Offers support for artistic creative activities and for international
exchanges
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▪ The Regional Culture Award Tax Accountants Fund (established in 1991) |
http://www.zenzeikyo.com/cata.html
Areas: Modern theater, modern dance, music, traditional arts, research, etc.
Support projects: Offer support for artistic creative activities and fostering talents
▪ Mitsubish UFJ Trust Foundation for the Arts (established in 1987)
Areas: Music, opera
Support projects: Offer support for performances
Support details
(Unit:
10,000
2003
2004
2005
2006
No. of support cases
60
70
71
67
Support amount
4,870
4,900
4,960
4,660
yen)
▪ Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Foundation for Regional Culture (established in 1989)
Areas: Regional music, theater, traditional arts, fine arts
Support projects: Offer support for performances
Support details
(Unit: 10,000 yen)
2003
2004
2005
2006
No. of support cases
51
49
50
48
Support amount
2,000
2,000
1,970
2,030
▪ Asahi Shimbun Culture Foundation
Areas: Music and fine arts
Support projects: Offer support for projects and international exchanges
▪ The Kao Foundation of Arts and Sciences (established in 1991) |
http://www.kao-foundation.or.jp
Areas: Music and fine arts
Support projects: Offer support for projects and international exchanges
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▪ The Nomura Cultural Foundation (established in 1990) | http://www.nomuraholdings.com
Areas: Music, opera and fine arts
Offer support for projects and international exchanges
▪ TOYOTA Motor Corporation CSR activities
The company has been granting the TOYOTA Choreography Award since 2001,
contributing to fostering young choreographers. Although it does not offer direct
support, it awards prize-money for stage productions to prize winners.
❑ Kigyo Mecenat Kyogikai (Mecenat) Activities
The Association for Corporate Support of the Arts, Japan (http://www.mecenat.or.jp),
or Kigyo Mecenat Kyogikai (KMK)was founded in 1990 and has initiated the Arts
Project Assistance Approval Program. This provides corporations based in Japan with
tax-deductible advantages when submitting donations to cultural and arts groups. It
also disseminates KMK activities and conducts surveys.
▪ Trends of No. of contributions and total amounts by corporations and groups
Year
No. of contributions
Total contribution amount (unit: 10,000 yen)
2000
47,288
695
2001
48,882
761
2002
45,641
717
2003
33,554
694
2004
56,305
1,064
2005
66,758
1,216
2006
62,571
1,033
2007
62,719
1,053
▪ Fields of arts and culture and arts receiving contributions by corporations
and groups
Field
Music
Fine arts
Theater
Dance
Films
Combined
Others
No. of cases
486
166
43
17
156
132
53
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▪ Trends of No. of contributions and total amounts by individuals
Year
No. of contributions
Total contribution amount (unit: 10,000 yen)
2000
169
6,717
2001
173
6,041
2002
191
6,288
2003
506
8,759
2004
533
9,644
2005
506
6,793
2006
468
49,661
2007
448
48,720
▪ Fields of arts and culture receiving contributions by individuals
Field
Music
Fine Arts
Theater
Dance
Films
Combined
Others
No.of cases
261
41
32
12
26
52
24
* A survey report on private contributions for cultural and arts activities conducted by The Association
for Corporate Support of the Arts, Japan
5) Performing Arts Festivals
a) Current Status of Performing Arts Festivals
Large-scale festivals inviting overseas groups were held between the 1980s and the
mid-1990s.
However,
in
recent
years,
festivals
have
been
scaled-down
and
participatory festivals by local residents have instead been on the increase. This is
attributable to the fact that amid overall reductions in culture budgets, funding has
been diminishing, and in many cases local governments are involved in festivals and
thus pursue resident-participatory festivals for funding.
❑ Theater
○ Domestic Theater Festivals
▪ Shimokitazawa Theater Festival / February every year
This is a theater festival held in Shimokotazawa, Tokyo, where small theaters are
clustered. Here, one can view promising next-generation theater companies.
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▪ Komaba Agora Theater Summit / January-February, August-September
every year | http://www.komaba-agora.com
The Summit is divided into a winter summit held in January-February and a
summer summit held in August-September. Young theater companies in Tokyo and
regional-based theater companies featuring high-quality works perform in harmony. It
offers a good opportunity for regional theater companies to perform in Tokyo. In
some cases it invites groups from Korea and France that have exchanges with youth
groups of theater companies based in the Kobama Agora Theater.
▪ Kitakyusyu Theater Festival / October-November every year |
http://www.kitakyushu-performingartscenter.or.jp/engekisai
This is a festival in which theater companies based in the Kyushu region
participate. It has been held since 1993. The theater festival is largely divided into a
free
participation
category
and
a
competition
category
featuring
invitational
performances from Tokyo. During the same period, the Pantomime Festival is also
held.
▪ Sapporo Arts Stage / November-December every year |
http://www.s-artstage.com
This is a comprehensive festival, ranging from theater to music and fine arts. For
the theater area, eight theater companies based in Sapporo perform their own
productions in a competition. Starting from last year, the festival has specially invited
Korean theater companies by signing an exchange agreement with the Seoul Theater
Association and Seoul Theater Festival. During the same period, Sapporo Opera
Festival is also held, where opera theater companies based in Hokkaido perform
small-scale opera performances.
○ Theater festivals inviting overseas groups
▪ Tokyo International Arts Festival / February-March every year |
http://tif.anj.or.jp
This is an international arts festival held since 1988. Only theater performances
were staged until 2001, yet starting from 2002, the festival has become a festival of
various genres, also featuring dance and performances.
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▪ Spring Arts Festival Shizuoka / May-June every year |
http://www.spac.or.jp
This is an arts festival sponsored by Shizuoka Performing Arts Center. Theater
plays and dance performances invited from overseas are performed. Artistic director
of the Shizuoka Performing Arts Center selects works and world-renowned artists are
invited to the festival.
▪ Alice Festival / August-December every year | http://www.tinyalice.net
This is a theater festival held at a small theater called Tiny Alice. It not only
invites up-and-coming theater companies in Japan, but also theater companies from
Korea, China, and Taiwan.
▪ Toga Festival / August every year | http://www1.tst.ne.jp/togapk
The Toga Festival is an international theater festival held for the first time in Japan
in 1982. Although its scale has diminished in recent years, it is the most well-known
festival among Japanese theater festivals. A number of visitors visit the festival –
despite inconvenient access, as it is held in the countryside.
○ Children's Theater
▪ Kijimuna Festa / July every year | http://www.kijimuna.org
The Kijimuna Festa is an arts festival in which performances are staged in 11
locations, including a theater in Okinawa. More than 40 programs – mainly children's
plays and family plays are featured, of which half of them are overseas invited
works.
▪ Iida Puppet Festa / August every year | http://www.kijimuna.org
The Iida Puppet Festival features street performances – mainly domestic and
international puppet plays in 100 locations of downtown Iida, as well as such events
as workshops.
○ Music
▪ Pacific Music Festival (PMF) / July every year | http://www.pmf.or.jp
The PMF is an international educational music festival initiated by Leonard
Bernstein in 1990. It is held with Sapporo City at the center and is dubbed as one
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of the world's three largest educational music festivals, along with the Tanglewood
Music Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
▪ Tokyo Opera-No-mori / March-April | http://www.tokyo-opera-nomori.com
The Tokyo Opera-No-mori has been held since 2005 in such facilities as the Tokyo
Culture Hall, located in the Ueno Park in Tokyo, National Museum, National Museum
of Arts, and National Science Museum. It stages not only opera, orchestra, and
chamber music performances, but also small music concerts and talks shows in arts
museums and general museums.
▪ Osaka International Festival / April-June | http://www.osaka-festival.com
With music as its theme, the Osaka International Festival presents music concerts,
ballet and music theaters and marks 50th anniversary this year.
▪ Kirishima International Music Festival / July-August every year |
http://www.jesc-music.org
The Kirishima International Music Festival is an educational music festival jointly
sponsored by the Japan Music Foundation (JESC), a public-interest foundation under
the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the
Kagoshima Culture Promotion Foundation. It has been held since 1980.
○ Dance
▪ Modern Dance Festival
This is a festival hosted by the Modern Dance Association.
▪ Ballet Festival
This is a festival hosted by the Ballet Association, mainly featuring original ballet
performances.
▪ Young Ballet Festival
This is a festival hosted by the Ballet Association, staging performances by young
dancers who have won international awards.
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▪ Yokohama Dance Collection R / February every year |
http://www.yokohama-dance-collection-r.jp
This annual event has a slightly different style from festivals. Entry applications are
received first and assessments are made, and then the performances are staged in a
competition style. A number of participants from Asian countries join this collection
as the winner of the first-prize is given an opportunity to study in France for six
months.
▪ New Osaka Dance Circus | http://www.db-dancebox.org
This is a festival involving dancers performing in Osaka. It is held at Dance Box,
a theater based in Osaka.
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F. The Current State of the Performing Arts in Malaysia
Zedeck Siew
Editor of kakiseni.com
1) Introduction
Malaysian performing arts practice, like its context, is an exercise in contradiction.
It is largely autonomous from government (due to bureaucratic apathy more than
anything else), but never free of intervention – either from the authorities themselves,
or from conservative censorious segments of the public. It has a very specialized
influence,
with
small
audience
penetration
–
even
though
it
is
strongly
community-based and engaged in the issues affecting Malaysian society. It is
frequently multidisciplinary and cross-pollinating, but nearly always divided along
linguistic and formal (theatre / dance / music) lines. The performing arts are often
discussed as a whole, united front – yet this is too much of a generalization to do
justice to what is, in the end, diverse and exciting artistic inquiry: a mish-mash of
practitioners pushing in all directions.
An overview of contemporary performing arts in Malaysia, this essay is one such
generalization – and, as such, is hardly comprehensive. It's primary objective is to
provide readers with an idea of what's going on in the geographic loci of the field:
West Malaysia's urban centres, specifically the Klang Valley. It is divided into four
broad sections: History provides a chronological account of the ebb and flow of
Malaysian performing arts from pre-Independence to the present day. Groups and
Organizations surveys notable performing arts collectives and organizations currently
active, as touches on the work of individual artists and performers where; it details
themes and tendencies in local performances, in an effort to divine what Malaysian
artists are conceptually and formally concerned about, and why. The third part,
Infrastructure and Support Systems, goes over exactly that -- audiences, spaces,
funding and grants, existing programmes and festivals – for a general sketch of the
circumstances in which work is performed. Lastly, Trends and Issues discusses
miscellaneous issues facing the arts community today, not already covered in the
previous sections.
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a) History
○ Pre-Independence
True to West Malaysia's history as a meeting point for exchange, the art-forms
considered to be part of the peninsula's indigenous cultural heritage have regional
foundations: from Kelantan and Terengganu's Wayang Kulit (Hindu-epic shadow
puppet theatre with Javanese roots), to Negeri Sembilan's Randai (martial arts-inflected
arena theatre of Minangkabau origin). Even so, most have since evolved their own
distinct, syncretic qualities – for example, the dance theatre Mak Yong, practiced
principally in Kelantan, maybe also be performed as ritual theatre part of the
shamanistic Main Puteri healing rites.
While these forms, like Mak Yong, had ritualistic or ceremonial duties, they were
nevertheless deeply seated in their communities, bringing together whole villages to
participate in the spectacle, and often for days on end: these performances, in their
traditional iterations, functioned more as fetes than discrete shows. (Less inclusive arts
existed, like the courtly Malay Gamelan of Pahang and Terengganu, but these tended
to be recent, more obvious imports.)
The influx of immigrants from China and the Indian subcontinent brought new
forms and methods of performance; classical Indian dance and Chinese percussion,
for example, continue to have their boundaries pushed today. More importantly,
immigration brought new cultural identities, adding to the existing cosmopolitanism of
Malayan society. In the late 1800s, Wayang Parsi arrived via traders to colonial
Penang; it evolved into Bangsawan, and by the 1930s this populist opera form was
the dominant source of entertainment. Kathy Rowland, in her profile of Bangsawan
star performer Rahman B (who ran a company called Rahman Star Opera), describes
the experience of Bangsawan thus:
"For a few cents a piece, you would have been treated to an evening of raucous
entertainment – didactic, moral plots taken from Malay myths, Chinese legends, Arab
tales, Shakespearian tragedies, interspersed with vaudeville, bawdy humour, the latest
Western hit songs, complemented by handsome warriors, seductive cabaret girls, shiny
costumes and special effects."
Unfortunately, such stage magic did not last. Bangsawan was the first truly
multicultural Malaysian performing arts form of the modern era.; it was also an end.
The Malay-Chinese-Indian race divides, a construction of the colonial project, had
solidified. The onset and aftermath of World War Two brought with it colonial
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administrations fearful of mass assembly; public performances were curtailed, and
Bangsawan declined. As for the shows that were staged it was clear that audience's
tastes had evolved; the 1940s and 50s, at the height of the anti-colonial movement,
saw the rise in popularity of Sandiwara, a theatre that dealt in nationalistic, historical
allegories that alluded to current concerns. Art was now in service to society.
By this time Western performing arts practices had arrived. The British had brought
Shakespeare; the Malayan Art Theatre Group was founded in 1950s, and would
remain a theatre club for expatriates for another decade. Yet the rising Malayan
middle class, bred in English-medium mission schools, began to see English-language
theatre as their own.
However, the largest influence on the practice of the performing arts prior to
Independence, as a whole, was technological. With the Shaw Brothers and Keris Film
Productions, the movies were here. As entertainment made the migration from the
stage to celluloid, the people went along; radio and cinema became the de facto
popular pastime. This loss of mass audiences is something from which the
performing arts have never quite recovered.
○ Post-Independence: 1960s – 1980s
Ironically, it was in the post-Independence era that the linguistic rifts in the
performing arts began to become apparent. The first performances of the MATG,
after Malaysians took over its leadership in the 1960s, were English-language texts –
by playwrights such as Edward Dorall, K Das and Lee Joo For – designed for
middle-class audiences. Elsewhere, new national institutions - the Ministry of Culture,
Youth and Sports, the Teacher's Training College, and the Dewan Bahasa dan
Pustaka (a Malay-language literary institution whose function is somewhat analogous
to France's Academie francaise) – worked in tandem with playwright-directors like
Noordin Hassan, Usman Awang and Zakaria Ariffin to push Malay-language theatre
forwards.
The race riots of May 13th, 1969, finally brought such fractures in Malaysian
society to light. This turning point in national history sparked some much-needed
hand-wringing from policy-makers. The National Cultural Policy of 1971 preceded the
National Cultural Congress, a seminal forum that attempted to officially define what it
meant to be Malaysian, in full awareness of its multicultural polity and the need for
inclusiveness. Artists, for their part, began to grapple with that question, fuelled by
the energy of a nascent academia.
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University hotbeds – such as the Performing Arts Faculty (founded in 1971) of
University Sains Malaysia, Penang; and LIDRA, the literary and dramatic society of
University Malaya – produced a wide variety of student and graduate practitioners
throughout the 1970s and 80s: Dinsman, Johan Jaafar, Kee Thuan Chye, Krishen Jit,
Marion D'Cruz and Anne James, among others. Tone Brulin's devised "Naga-naga
Dimana Kau? Naga-naga Siapa Kau?", staged in USM in 1974, was hailed by critic
Salleh ben Joned as "the first production of a modern Malaysian theatre."
Close by, people such as Syed Alwi, Rahim Razali and Faridah Merican also added
to this sense of agency and importance: non-Malay practitioners acquired renewed
interests in Malay forms; English- and Malay-language-aligned writers and performers
began collaborating. Experimentation flourished, as work reflected the need to
question and challenge norms – both in the national context, as well as within the
traditions of theatre, dance and music. Absurdism (Dinsman's "Ana", among others),
political and social satire (such as Kee Thuan Chye's "1984 Here and Now"),
unconventional stagings of ancient forms (Marion D'Cruz was the first non-Malay,
non-male Wayang Kulit dalang, or puppet master, in a landmark USM performance),
and unconventional spaces (creators left the proscenium and black box for shopping
malls, outdoor spaces – even, for a massive production of "Hamlet", in Penang's Fort
Cornwallis).
○ Issues: 1980s – 1990s
Government was not so heartening. The findings of the NCC were disappointing,
based as it was on the idea of Malay-Muslim primacy, instead of eschewing the racial
rubric altogether. By the 1980s, dissatisfaction had been voiced through the Chinese
Cultural Congress and the Indian Cultural Congress, but the very fact that they were
segregated merely confirmed the malaise of communal politics. (The tragedy of 1969
itself has served as a spectre by insidious political forces to discourage dissent, to the
effect of: "Don't raise sensitive issues or it will happen again!"). The arts were meant
to recognised such hegemonies, and funding and infrastructure from government
institutions were retooled accordingly. Practitioners themselves worked in separate
cliques: aside from some bilingualism, Malay-language and English-language practice
were still underdeveloped; the very fact that there exists very little documentation
about the performing arts practice of the Chinese and Indian ethnic communities is a
testament to their isolation.
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Worse, the Mahathir era brought with it an emphasis on economical growth;
cultural activity began to be evaluated by its potential to draw in tourists' dollars. For
the good of the GDP, the governmental arm that arbitrated national culture became
the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Tourism.
The 1980s also saw the rise of Islamic revivalism; in the performing arts, this
translated
into
the
intelligentsia
of
Malay-language
practise
re-evaluating
the
relationship between their beliefs and art-making – specifically, whether the trends in
performing arts (like Absurdist malay-language theatre) was nihilistic, godless, and
therefore contrary to Islam. Many practitioners stopped working altogether. Academic
Carmen Nge, in her survey of Malaysian theatre, writes that:
"A notable exception is Noordin Hassan, who continued to create plays – such as
1400 and Jangan Bunuh Rama-Rama – but with a more explicit Islamic and religious
thrust. Government-sponsored theatre took on the mantle of encouraging drama with
Islamic themes, hence the 1981 Prime Minister's Department-sponsored playwriting
competition on Islamic drama."
This religiosity also gave rise to a sense of moral outrage; conservative authorities
throughout the 1990s censored performances on the grounds of religious and moral
indecency: productions of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" and Tennessee
William's "A Street Car Named Desire", and Malaysian plays such as Dina Zaman's
"Pengganggur Terhormat" were among those who fought highly-publicized battles with
censors for containing un-Islamic themes; the state governments of Kelantan and
Terengganu, under the rule of PAS, the Malaysian Islamic Party, banned Mak Yong,
Main Puteri, and Wayang Kulit in 1991 for the fact that these forms had pre-Islamic
origins.
2) Groups and Organizations
○ Theatre
Malaysian performing arts practice is most exciting when engaged with its context.
It is in theatre that this is most apparent: socio-political commentary is no stranger to
the floorboards. Five Art Centre (founded by Krishen Jit, Marion D'Cruz and Chin
San Sooi)'s interrogations of Malaysian-ness and Instant Café Theatre (founded by Jo
Kukathas, Andrew Leci and Jit Murad and Zahim Albakri)'s scathing political satire
have entertained and challenged audiences; from Kee Thuan Chye's "We Could ****
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You Mr Birch" (1984), Shahimah Idris's "From Teluk Intan To Table Mountain"
(presented by KualiWorks), to Jit Murad's "Gold, Rain and Hailstones" (most recently
presented by Dramalab) and Ridzwan Othman's "Flies and Foreigners" (2004, Instant
Café Theatre), Malaysian plays have dealt with issues as diverse as the clash of East
and West, feminism, and the perception of migrant workers.
The 1990s and 2000s have brought to light a slew of younger theatre practitioners
working
in
all
languages:
emblematic
are
the
oeuvres
of
Nam
Ron
("matderihkolaperih", in 2003) and Loh Kok Man (of Pentas Project), which not only
have found new directions in text but also in its storytelling; Loh's "The Lost and
The Ecleptic" (2007), a non-naturalist, multidisciplinary piece about the experience of
alienation in Kuala Lumpur, featured non-speaking actors, a voice-over text, and a
mobile, transforming set. Fahmi Fadzil, in "A Chicken, A Communist and A C-Cup
Bra" (2005), told a personal story from the Emergency era through the process of
making chicken rice – and the audience was able to sample this dish as part of the
performance. Multilingual work is rife: Mark Teh's "Dua, Tiga Dalang Berlari" (2007),
about the clash between two rival Wayang Kulit masters, featured a text delivered in
Malay, Hokkien and English. The production of original texts has been helped along
by initiatives such as Instant Café Theatre's First Works programme, a workshop for
new playwrights. The Actors Studio and the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre
(KLPac) – both in encouraging (and subsidizing) the work of young up-and-comings,
both individual (such as fresh director Helena Foo, and young), and collective
(company The Oral Stage).
The staging of existing theatre texts happens quite frequently, but these tend to be
foreign works from the English-language canon. Adaptations to the local context
(KLPac's "Romi and Joolee dan Lain-lain", in 2005) and straight reproductions (Harold
Pinter's "Betrayal", directed by James Lee in 2007) happen frequently, to varying
degrees of critical acclaim. One theatre company, Gardner & Wife, almost exclusively
functions
by
bringing
in
foreign
English-language
pop-entertainment
theatre
productions.
Woefully under-represented today is theatre in the Indian languages. There is some
activity – S T Bala's Fenomena Seni Pentas staged "Sambanthan" in 2008, a large
production about a notable post-Independence political hero – but much of the work
(the majority of it is in Tamil) remains within the confine of its community.
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○ Dance
More hearteningly: Malaysia is internationally known for ground-breaking work in
Indian classical dance, particularly in the traditions of Odissi and Bharata Natyam.
Dominating this genre is Temple of Fine Arts(founded in 1981) and Sutra Dance
Theatre(1983) – the latter of which, started by renowned practitioner Ramli Ibrahim,
hosted "Stirring Odissi", a massive Odissi festival, just this year. These organisations
have produced a fine number of dancers and choreographers, such as January
Lowand Umesh Shetty. Shetty's work, in particular, belies the instinct for traditional
dance
practitioners
to
push
boundaries:
his
dance-and-music
work
"Inside
Out"(presented by Inner Space in 2004) infused classical Indian movement with
modern sensibilities.
Contemporary dance is no less exciting: pioneered by Marion D'Cruz and Dancers
("Urn Piece") in the 1980s and 1990s, D'Cruz's work currently continues to explore
the potential poetry in the movement in untrained, non-dancer performers. Among
other notable contemporary choreographers (these are frequently active performers
themselves) include Judimar Hernandez, Gan Chih Pei, Azizi Sulaiman, Zulkifli
Muhamad, Junainah Lojong, and Steve Goh. Contemporary dance's most exciting
coherent genre today is the Japanese form Butoh: represented by choreographers /
performers Lena Ang ("PINK!" in 2008, presented by Taro Ensemble), and Lee Swee
Keong ("Curse of the Forbidden Palace", 2007). Lee's company, nyoba Kan, organised
a Butoh festival this year.
While discrete dance companies exist – apart from Sutra and Temple of Fine Arts
are groups such as Kwang Tung Dance Troupe, Dua Space Dance Theatre and
Tandak Dance Theatre – the Malaysian dance scene is fairly fluid, and practitioners
tend to function as loose confederation of collaborating individuals. The MyDance
Alliance, registered in 2001 as the local arm of the World Dance Alliance – Asia
Pacific, functions as a society aimed at fostering community.
○ Music
There are several significant music organisations working in Malaysia. Many groups
perform in the framework of traditional genres, but most take the opportunity to
evolve their respective forms: Five Arts affiliate Rhythm in Bronze updates gamelan
with new compositions and unconventional stagecraft; the Temple of Fine Arts
ensemble of Jyotsna Prakash, Prakash Kandasamy and Kumar Karthigesu keep
classical Indian music fresh for new audiences; Dama Orchestra, while it offers
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nostalgia-tinged classical Chinese music and 1920s Shanghai songbooks, delivers its
concerts with theatrical aplomb. In her essay on contemporary music within the
Chinese community, ethnomusicologist Tan Sooi Beng recounts a trip to China made
by Hands Percussion Team (a shigu, or lion drum, ensemble that frequently engages
in multicultural crossovers, lead by Bernard Goh), and the surprise with which their
evolved method of performance was met:
"According to Bernard, the Chinese were excited - and, at the same time, "shocked
at our work," particularly at the different forms of crossover Hands' music features.
Their question: "How could you, a Chinese, create something like this?"
Western classical music is also fairly active: significant orchestras include the
National Symphony Orchestra, KLPac's Sinfonietta, and the PETRONAS-patroned
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. That last is a 105-person ensemble peopled by
both foreign and Malaysian nationals and currently conducted by Matthias Bamert;
since its inception in 1998, the orchestra has been an active proponent of both
canonical repertoire and cutting-edge composition – significantly, with its MPO Forum
series, of rising composers like Adeline Wong, Ahmad Muriz Che Ros and Chong
Kee Yong. In fact, Malaysia appears to be experiencing a renaissance in terms of
original music composition. Significant composers aside from those mentioned above
include Saidah Rastam, CH Loh, Yii Kah Hoe and Hardesh Singh.
There are a myriad of choirs working in the Klang Valley alone. Most are amateur,
but some groups – the Young KL Singers, the Philharmonic Society of Selangor, and
The Wicked Pitches, among others – offer polished concerts. There has been some
experimentation with the choral arts (a notable example was the Selangor Phil's
"Circlesongs", lead by composer Melvin Ho in 2007), with mixed results.
Outside the usual ambit of performing arts audiences is the independent music
scene. Malaysian singer-songwriters are fairly active: artists such as Pete Teo, Jerome
Kugan, Meor Aziddin Yusof and Mia Palencia perform songs that primarily explore
the poetry of urban living. Strongest in band culture is the punk /hardcore
subculture: an expression of young Malay urban rebellion, and centred around groups
like Carburetor Dung and Koffin Kanser. Also notable is the Chinese-language indie
scene, which comprise bands like Lang Mang and Nao and have significant
audiences. Most bands are classifiably pop, but the are some that pursue conceptual
inquiries:
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The
Maharajah
Commission
(post-rock
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compositions), to Ben's Bitches and Panda Head Curry! (irreverent satire). Malaysian
sound art springs from these sources; it is embodied in the Experimental Musicians
and Artists Co-operative Malaysia, and the work of Goh Lee Kwang.
○ Musical Theatre
The strongest development in the performing arts of the last three years is the rise
in popularity of musical theatre. Beginning with Saidah Rastam's "M! The Opera" and
Enfiniti Production's "Puteri Gunung Ledang – The Musical" (both in 2006), it is a
genre that has helped to elevate the performing arts as a legitimate industry. These
productions feature who's-who casts and creative teams; "Puteri Gunung Ledang", for
one, is the scene's first significant multi-million ringgit effort. (Most performances in
Malaysia are valued at around the tens of thousands of ringgit, due to lack of
funding.) These polished spectacles have attracted large audiences, and run for
several weeks (instead of less than a week, as is typical). Due to their popularity,
there have subsequently been a spate of musicals: Istana Budaya's "Putra – The
Musical", KLPac's "Tunku – The Musical", as well as Enfiniti's sophomore production,
"P Ramlee – The Musical", about Malaysian film and music legend P Ramlee.
○ Production Design
Lighting, sound, set and costume designers are artists in their own right. As these
make up a comparatively small set in Malaysia's community of practitioners, however,
flexibility is necessary; individuals like lighting designer Mac Chan, set designer Raja
Maliq, and costume designer Dominique Devorsine work across disciplines and
companies for the productions that require their input. Thankfully, this pool of
expertise is increasing, with additional names such as Ng Chor Guan (sound), Caecar
Chong (set), and Lim Ang Swee (lights) becoming more common.
○ Community Outreach
A fairly strong tendency in contemporary performing arts practice is the striving
towards more community outreach and engagement. The Taman Medan Community
Arts Project (Five Arts, in 2002) and Rhythm in Bronze's outreach programme in
Prima Selayang (2007) both targeted low-income communities with socio-economic
woes, in an attempt to coax these populations to express themselves – and therefore
come to terms with their unique issues. In Penang, a collective of practitioners
known as Arts Ed run Anak-anak Kota, a programme for school-age youth that
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introduces them to the heritage and history of Georgetown. Mark Teh brought his
play about communists, "Baling (membaling)" to sports centres and colleges in an
effort to connect a younger generation to alternate and forgotten histories.
Young people are also a priority in programmes geared towards performance
training and education. These began in earnest during the 1990s, with initiatives such
as Five Arts Centre's Teater Muda (begun by performing-arts-education advocate Janet
Pillai), and the Actors Studio's Academy, and aimed to foster interest in the
performing arts and discover new talent. Success may be gauged by continuity. For
example: former members of youth ensemble Akshen -- which Five Arts took under
their wing -- now comprises the company's second generation.
Most organisations now run such initiatives. The performances of children's theatre
companies such as The Jumping Jellybeans (run by Cinzia Ciaramicoli and Shantini
Venugopal) always have a participatory component. Dance practitioners such as Mew
Chang Tsing have spent years developing education regimens for young bodies; other
organisations, such as Temple of Fine Arts, began as entities in service to their
communities. The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra has a youth ensemble, the
Malaysian Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (under the baton of conductor Kevin Field);
KLPac's Sinfonietta (under the watch of Brian Tan), includes many under-20s talents.
○ Educational Institutions
Educational institutions continue to augment the performing arts in a major way.
The Akademi Seni Kebangsaan was founded, in 1994, as an institution dedicated to
the instruction of the performing arts, with a focus on the forms and techniques of
the region. Today, the academy (now known as Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan
Kebangsaan) produces stellar graduates – established practitioners like Adlin Aman
Ramlie
and
nascent
ones
like
Zamzuriah
Zahari
are
alumni
–
and
stellar
performances, in the form of student and graduating productions. Shows put on by
the ASWARA dance department, helmed by Joseph Gonzales, in particular, are
general as polished in form and content as any professional production.
Among other public institutions, USM Penang's Performing Arts Faculty continues to
do good work – but, by and large, private schools of tertiary level do more and
better. Such active in the performing arts include private college Sunway University
College's School of Performance + Media, and Kajang's Chinese-language-medium New
Era College.
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○ International Collaboration
International
collaborations
have
been
a
continuing
trend
in
performance,
particularly in theatre. A particularly fecund exchange has been occurring regionally;
this is in line with artists asking questions of identity in a larger framework: of Asia
– and Southeast Asia, in particular.
The Singaporean performing arts are the closest – and therefore the most frequent
– candidates for collaboration. Kuo Pao Kun and his Practice Performing Arts greatly
influenced Malaysian Chinese-language theatre in the early years; playwrights such as
Huzir Sulaiman and Charlene Rajendran currently live and work in the island nation.
The two countries continue to work together. Teater Ekamatra, a Singaporean
Malay-language theatre company, ran a series called "Projek Suitcase" in 2003, which
brought
together
Malaysian
and
Singaporean
writers;
they
continue
to
stage
productions in Kuala Lumpur. The Necessary Stage (also a Singaporean company)'s
most recent production in Malaysia, "Good People", featured a three-person cast, from
Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines respectively. The music for "Puteri Gunung
Ledang" was written by Singaporean composer Dick Lee. A prime example of the
conceptual and artistic pairing between Malaysia and Singapore was the Five Arts
Centre and Wild R!ce joint-effort, "Second Link", in 2005. Directed by Krishen Jit and
later by Ivan Heng, it was a dramatised anthology of Singaporean texts performed by
Malaysians, and vice-versa.
As the geographic net widens, foreign cultural agencies become more instrumental
in international exchanges; the British Council, Australian High Commission, Japan
Foundation, Goethe Institut and Alliance Francaise have funded productions, facilitated
connections, and flown in artists from their respective companies since the beginning
of their existences in Malaysia.
Other notable performances that were the result of international collaborations
include "Pulau Antara" (2001; with Japan), "Manchester United and the Malay Warrior"
(2002; with the UK), and "Know No Cure" (2007; with Australia).
3) Infrastructure and Support Systems
○ Performing Arts Centres
The Actors Studio, founded by Joe Hasham and Faridah Merican in 1989, is
arguably the Malaysian performing arts' most important institution. In 1995, they were
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the first theatre organisation to own a private venue; The Actors Studio Theatre and
The Actors Studio Box (a proscenium stage and black box, respectively, 150-person
capacity spaces located underneath Kuala Lumpur's historic Dataran Merdeka), became
the focal point of performance, playing host to some of the most important
productions in the city.
In 2003, these spaces were destroyed by floodwaters; the Actors Studio moved its
operations to The Actors Studio Bangsar, a 300-seater on the top floor of Bangsar
Shopping Centre. 2005 saw the opening of the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre,
with the Actors Studio as a founding partner, programmer and administrator. Today,
KLPac remains the Malaysian performing art's de facto heart. It houses Pentas 1 (a
500-seater auditorium theatre), Pentas 2 (a 200-seater black box), and numerous
studios, rehearsal spaces, café, resource centre, and pleasant environs. However, its
location – a within Sentul West, a high-end private urban renewal project – can
make it somewhat remote.
Other performing arts centres exist. The publicly-funded Istana Budaya, completed
in 2000, is Kuala Lumpur's largest venue, with its main stage able to accommodate
1500 audience-members; it has an attendant black box as well. Unfortunately, outright
rental is exorbitant, and internal programming is done under the authority of the
Ministry of Culture, Arts, Heritage and National Unity, so performances that are
non-Malay-centric, adventurous in form and content, and / or without personal
contacts with government may find difficulty securing the space.
The Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS, located in Kuala Lumpur's iconic Twin Towers
was designed for an orchestra in mind; it is home to the Malaysian Philharmonic
Orchestra, and also hosts the PETRONAS Performing Arts Group, an theatre ensemble
that showcases traditional Malay dance theatre forms.
Several alternatives have just surfaced. Central Market, a well-known tourist
attraction in the city centre, underwent renovation in recent years; it was reopened in
2007, and its Annexe, run by Pang Khee Teik, is now a bona fide hub for the arts.
While
primarily
equipped
for
visual
art
installations
and
exhibitions,
many
performances have been staged in its galleries; a dedicated 200-person-capacity theatre
is currently being furnished. The Annexe's central location means that its café is
constantly peopled by practitioners; and the Ricecooker Shop, a music store run by
Carburetor Dung's Joe Kidd is a magnet for the underground music scene.
Additionally, PJ Live Arts (located in a new shopping mall in the Petaling Jaya
municipality) will be an arts centre with theatres and offices for performing arts
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companies; it is set to be complete in 2009, with Dramalab's Zahim Albakri as artistic
advisor.
○ Other Spaces
The following is a list of some of the more notable performance spaces in Kuala
Lumpur. Black boxes are generally versatile, and adequately equipped; however, as
the prosceniums and amphitheatres are usually not designed for modern performance
in mind, some adjustment is sometimes required.
▪ Proscenium Stages:
· Panggung Bandaraya (350-seater)
· Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur Auditorium (600-seater)
· Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Auditorium (500-seater)
· Malaysian Tourism Centre Auditorium (400-seater)
· PJ Civic Centre (1000-seater)
▪ Amphitheatres:
· Malaysian Tourism Centre Amphitheatre (400-seater)
· Amphi-Sutra, Sutra Dance Theatre (200-seater)
▪ Black Boxes:
· Stor Teater, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (100-seater)
· Rooftop Theatre, Sunway University College (150-seater)
· Teater Eksperimental, ASWARA (250-seater)
· New Era College Black Box (100-seater)
· Malaysian Chinese Assembly Hall Theatre (200-seater)
Both the dance and theatre tend to share these spaces. Bands and individual
musicians
also
have
a
variety
of
nightspots
willing
to
accommodate
music
programmes; the most venerable among these is the jazz bar No Black Tie.
Additionally, since practitioners have either become – one, more and more
conscious of space in the conceptualisation of their performances; two, more
community-orientated – a growing number have taken to using unconventional
spaces: from classrooms to art galleries to sidewalks and beyond. Penang's Anak-anak
Kota (and, more recently, its "professional" counterpart Ombak-Ombak Studios) have
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been the most adventurous. In 2006 the collective performed an epic retelling of the
island's history on the ornate opera stage of the Khoo Kongsi, a Chinese clan-hall;
this year, they performed "Storm In A Box", a triple-bill, dance-theatre-music
performance, on a school field by the seafront.
○ Government Support
A major issue in the Malaysian context is public support for the performing arts –
or, rather, its lack.
Most institutions associated with what is now known as the Ministry of Culture,
Arts, Heritage and National Unity (readers should already detect whiffs of unsavoury
social engineering in that moniker), like the Istana Budaya, inherit the culture of
apathetic bureaucracy that is endemic within the Malaysian government system.
Appointed ministers serve their own party-political schema, rather than the serious
evaluation about culture; from the top down, little thinking appears to have gone
into the management of policy. (The Ministry's newest proposal is an "Arts Village"
in Kuala Lumpur, a mega-project with a multi-million-ringgit price tag and dubious
practical use, since there appears to have been no consultation with the arts
community at all.) The exercise of culture has never recovered from its pairing with
tourism; the mindset remains, and initiatives by the state and federal bodies continue
to push an economic agenda.
It is pretty clear, however, that the Ministry's direction continues to be a parochial
interpretation of the National Cultural Policy's prerogatives. When government funding
benefits get to artists, it tends to flow to Malay practitioners and / or performances
that purport ostensibly "Malay" culture and values – though only a very narrow
concept of Malay-Muslim that is championed; there is little space for self-examination,
beyond an affirmation of nationalism and pious-ness. Carmen Nge, in her survey of
Malaysian theatre, describes how these limitations stifle artistic inquiry:
"At Istana Budaya, for example, government support greatly minimizes the amount
of creative input among theatre practitioners because decisions about which play to
stage or even about who writes a particular play is often already pre-determined.
Individuals invited to participate often have to work within these constraints and have
little or no autonomy in the initial process of the creation of a theatrical piece."
Most practitioners are willing to grudgingly accept the existence of a quota – the
Ministry upholding the National Cultural Policy's racial prerogatives is deplorable, but
not surprising. Unfortunately, the bloated bureaucracy means that transparency in
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government is almost nonexistent; important information, such as how grants and
funds are allocated is unavailable.
Not everything is bleak, however. Institutions like ASWARA continue to function
well. Many spaces used for performance in Kuala Lumpur are municipal, and
therefore relatively affordable to rent. Outside the Klang Valley, state cultural offices
tend to be supportive of community-level performance, such as these exist.
○ Non-governmental Support
Because of the realities governing public support and the scene's small audience
pool, the performing arts are fairly lean. Many companies depend on corporate
funding – whether to help finance performances directly, sponsor space and
infrastructure (for example: real-estate developers YTL built the Kuala Lumpur
Performing Arts Centre), or to establish grants (such as media conglomerate ASTRO in
Five Arts' Krishen Jit ASTRO Fund, or high-end boutique Fashion Inc for The Central
Market Annexe's Grants For Grab). Other major corporate contributors include bank
HSBC and telecommunications service provider DiGi.
Sponsorship is only attractive to businesses, however, if they perceive an economic
benefit for their contributions. A significant factor that has hitherto prevented the
influx of the corporate ringgit into the performing arts is the difficulty for arts
organisations
–
non-governmental
and,
considering
organisations
in
the
Malaysian
general,
governments
nearly
everyone
wariness
else
–
to
towards
obtain
foundation status, which would allow prospective donors tax exemption, and permit
companies themselves to solicit funds from the public. Most performing arts
companies (if they are registered at all), function as private limited entities; among
the few exemptions are Ramli Ibrahim's Sutra Dance Theatre – but even that came
after a long, arduous process of lobbying.
Aside from funding by corporations, foreign cultural bodies such as the British
Council, Japan Foundation and Goethe Institut offer financial assistance in the form of
grants.
○ Performing Arts Festivals
Performing arts festivals, such as the National Theatre and Dance Festival of the
1970s and 1990s, were once landmark events, instrumental for popularising such art
to the public, as well as intensifying activity by disparate companies and collectives.
Such happenings are diminished today, largely confined to art-meets between the
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performing arts faculties of public institutions, but these – like Festival Teater Malaysia
(theatre) and Festival Seni Tari Malaysia (dance) – continue to motivate young student
practitioners. Others state-run festivals tend to be haphazard, even callous; the
idiosyncratic KL International Buskers' Festival 2006, for example, brought in foreign
acts but kept authentic Malaysian buskers off the streets, on account of these
performers not having permits.
Festivals organised privately are also sporadic, but the reason here is one of
limited means more than anything else. Some of these events are designed to be
one-time affairs, like Instant Café Theatre's Raise The Roof theatre festival in 2003;
others – like MyDance Alliance's My Dance Festival (2001 and 2005), Troubadours' KL
Sing Song (an annual singer-songwriter anthology), and lifestyle magazine KLue's KL
Urbanscapes (a street art festival in 2002, 2004 and 2008) – struggle to secure
resources; when they do happen, however, these events (and their component
performances) pull large crowds, so there is obvious demand. Perhaps the most
successful festival venture happens in East Malaysia; the Sarawak Rainforest World
Music Festival, in association with the Sarawak state government, is Malaysia most
internationally renowned festival.
4) Trends and Issues
The following are several additional issues that currently affect the Malaysian
performing arts community:
○ Censorship
In the Malaysian context, censorship of the arts – and the performing arts in
particular – is a perennial concern.
In the case of performances staged in Kuala Lumpur, a permit must be secured
from the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, or City Hall. Acquiring such a permit
requires the submission of the intended text (or summary, if the work is non-textual)
so that vetting may occur. The process itself is highly frustrating; due to bureaucratic
ennui, notice of approval or disapproval may arrive at the eleventh hour – often
when a production has already entered its final rehearsal stages.
Topics that the DBKL have found objectionable include politics (the content of
Instant Café Theatre's satirical revue "The 2nd First Annual Bolehwood Awards 2003 -
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The Director's Cut" resulted in City Hall refusing to issue any further performing
licenses to the theatre company, causing ICT to go dormant for the next three years)
and sexual (Paula Vogel's "Baltimore Waltz", directed by Rey Buono in 2002).
Performances have also been halted for reasons ranging from indecent costumes and
movement to themes apparently disrespectful to religious sensibilities.
The DBKL has also been known to act at the behest of complainant from the
public – though these have been consistently moral outrage based on ignorance. A
particular notable example was the 2002 Five Arts production of Eve Ensler's "The
Vagina Monologues", directed by Hariati Azizan, which had proceeded into an
extended run (due to overwhelming popular demand) before it was shut down by
City Hall, at the prompting of a letter-writer for out-of-state, who had merely read
about the performance in a national daily.
The DBKL's inconsistent vetting of performances, however, has allowed the
performing arts to devise strategies for "slipping through the cracks". Such strategies
include staging work as "workshop performances" that solicit donations at the door,
instead of an admission fee; this technicality sidesteps the permit regulation
altogether.
Still, while Malaysia's current political tumult makes it doubtful that the performing
arts will fall victim to moralising censors in the near future, awareness of past
suppression and current countermeasures will continue to be instructive.
○ Audiences and Building the Scene
The performing arts, not having the reach of more popular and easier propagated
mediums such as cinema, recorded music, or literature, has long remained a field
with niche appeal. Audiences, already small, are further fragmented along formal
(theatre-goers and dance enthusiasts may not be overlapping demographics, for
example) and communal / linguistic (due to limits to comprehension, or parochial
disinterest) delineations.
Tickets for performances average between RM20 (small-scale productions) to the
hundreds of ringgit (big musicals) – yet admission pricing appears to have
comparatively less influence on attendance. Lavish, highly-publicised shows, not
surprisingly, draw the largest crowds. The perceived prestige of a venue is also a
factor, since going to the theatre is viewed as a luxury pastime; a performance at
KLPac would be better attended than one at the Malaysian Tourism Centre, for
example. Yet another factor is perceived difficulty of the material: a conventionally
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staged theatre production would receive more audiences than a contemporary dance
performance.
A key to a wider performing arts practice – and a wider audience – is education:
instilling in the young an interest in artistic pursuits. While performing arts
organisations do their best to reach out, instruct, and disseminate information, the
crucial space in which such work should occur – the school classroom -- is largely
neglected. In fact, the Malaysian education system, with its emphasis on technical
and scientific disciplines, has become proverbial for its discouraging of the creative
arts. Obviously, better strategies must be devised.
Still, the consensus is that audience attendance is on the up-tick; there exists a
burgeoning urban youth demographic, sensitive to creative cultural activity. Coupled
with modern strategies of dissemination such as Internet networking mean that
attention to the performing arts is on the increase.
Sources:
"Theatre in Malaysia: The Current Situation", Carmen Nge
"The Bangsawan Hero", Kathy Rowland
"Bukan Budaya Kita", Kathy Rowland
"What Is My Culture?" Tan Sooi Beng
The Kakiseni Online Arts Directory
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G. Performing Arts Groups, Venues, Festival and
Supporting Organizations in Vietnam
Graham Sutcliffe
Senior Manager of British Council Vietnam
1) Introduction
Vietnam is situated on a fault line – not a geological fault line, but a line where
civilizations meet and have in the past inevitably clashed. Over the course of history
Vietnam has been the point where India met China, where Europe met Asia during
the French colonial period, and most recently when East truly met West as the USSR
supported the north of Vietnam and USA the south, leading ultimately to the clash of
civilizations in the guise of the Vietnam war.
Vietnam has throughout its history been an occupied country and a country at
war. It has only known peace for the last 30 years since the liberation of Saigon by
the communists in 1975. The Vietnamese have throughout their history been forced
to take sides and have not always agreed among themselves whose side they are on.
This has led to internal strife and even civil war.
○ Arts and Culture in Vietnam
Vietnam is situated right between Asia's two great civilizations and two great
cultures India and China with the influence of Confucianism especially visible in the
North and the Indian Hindu Kingdom of Champa in the South. There are also 54
ethnic minority tribes living in the mountainous region of the central and northern
highlands each with their own language, lifestyle, and cultural heritage. The majority
group is the Kinh, also called Viet and it is this group that make up 87% or the
population. The cultures and practices of these groups is important today as it is
often the traditions and culture of these groups which is presented as contributing to
the diversity of Vietnamese culture to the outside world. Folk dancing and traditional
music takes a lot from the heritage of the ethnic minority groups.
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○ North and South, Recent Historical Influences
After the Second World War, the French returned to Vietnam but were ousted by
Ho Chi Minh following the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Ho Chi Minh declared
Vietnam independent and the Geneva Conference of 1954 ended France's colonial
presence in Vietnam and temporarily partitioned the country into 2 states at the 17th
parallel. The Vietnamese were once again divided and the Americans, fearing that
this was just the beginning of a large-scale fall of Asian nations to communism, gave
military support to the South. In the North support came first from China and then
from the USSR. Eventually in 1975 the communists marched into Saigon, and the
country was united. Many South Vietnamese who had supported the Americans were
locked up for many years in so-called 'Re-education camps', and it was in this
period over the next 15 years that hundreds of thousands of south Vietnamese, the
so-called boat-people, fled their country hoping to find refuge in Europe or America.
However the Soviet Union not only supported North Vietnam on the military front,
but offered training and university education to thousands of young Vietnamese
students. The USSR, together with other countries in the Eastern bloc, (Hungary,
Bulgaria, East Germany, Rumania and Czechoslovakia) trained thousands of students
in many subject, including in the arts, and the students returned to Vietnam with
language skills and a Western training in ballet, instrumental performance skills and
pedagogy. These students are now the senior teachers in schools and universities all
around Vietnam.
Although as a generalization it is clear that North Vietnam has been heavily
influenced by the USSR and their systems, and the South influenced by the USA,
mainly through family connections as the 'boat people' settled overseas, the
demographic make up of Vietnam is much more complex. There have been waves
of migration between North and South through Vietnam's recent history, and as a
result there are large numbers of North Vietnamese living in the South and vice
versa. In particular after 1975 many officials form the North were sent to the south
to run the local authorities and the educational institutions.
This clash of civilisations has clearly influenced the Cultural policy of Vietnam
○ Cultural Policy
The origins of Vietnamese cultural policy can be traced back to the 'Outline for
the preservation and development of Vietnamese culture, drafted by Communist Party
General Secretary Truong Chinh and adopted by the Communist Party Central
Committee in 1943.
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This document contains five key points
(i) Culture is the spiritual foundation of society and a motivating force for
socio-economic development;
(ii) Vietnam's culture should be 'progressive and imbued with national identity'
Vietnam's culture is united and diversified;
(iii) The Party leads all the people in building and developing culture;
(iv) Culture is an ideological battleground and developing it is a long term
'revolutionary cause'.
The word culture here is used in is widest sense to mean all aspects of life which
contribute to the national identity, including artistic and aesthetic activity.
Key objectives of Vietnamese cultural policy relate primarily to raising level of
knowledge of the working classes in the field of culture, science and aesthetics, and
developing the cultural life of rural areas. It highlights the importance of nurturing
the rich and diverse cultural traditions of the 54 ethnic groups and promoting that
body of core values, ideology and culture, which characterise the Vietnamese national
identity.
The
policy
is
to
achieve
harmony
between
economic
and
cultural
development.
The ten years following the liberation of Saigon was a difficult period for Vietnam
and it is recognized that many mistakes on the economic front were made. This,
together with the war with Cambodia and an invasion by China meant that Vietnam
was hit with severe shortage of food and basic necessities, and some areas were
threatened with famine. And so in 1986 Vietnam opened its doors to the outside
world the country embarked on a policy of Doi moi, which means 'renovation' - the
Vietnamese version of 'Perestroika'. The aim was to transform the old state-run,
centralised economy into one led by free market forces.
In 1998 Decision 90/CP was enacted, reiterating the objectives of Truong Chinh's
original
document
and
providing
guidelines
for
strengthening
cultural
activity,
establishing the basis for a civilised way of life, advocating a return to traditional
values and strict adherence to the Communist Party Line on Literature and the Arts.
The
'Open
door
policy'
affected
people's
lives
radically
and
many
of
the
government's subsidies were abolished. In the arts though the State continued to
tightly control what was produced and performed and even today performing arts
venues are mostly owned and run by the Ministry of Culture or the local authorities.
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○ Traditional Arts
The return to traditional values meant that for the authorities and policy makers all
things traditional which contribute to the national identity must be positive, and
contemporary arts which so often focus on social criticism, must be a threat.
According to the Ministry, the national identity of the Vietnamese people is strongly
influenced by the richness and diversity of the traditional arts including:
- Traditional dancing
- Traditional folk songs
- Traditional Opera Cheo in the North, Tuong in the Centre of Vietnam and Cai
Luong in the South.
Vocal music has always been extremely strong in Vietnam and there is a strong
oral tradition of passing down the many folk melodies from one generation to
another. Each of the 54 ethnic minorities has its own songs based on rhythms,
harmonies and melodies indicative of that particular group. The songs all deal with
situations from every day life and tell a story, which is why to this day the ballad
type songs which tell of love, relationships, marriage, funerals, lullabies, and work
are still so popular and are even reflected in modern popular music.
Gradually instruments were added to accompany songs and the small groups which
originally played at funerals and weddings to ward off evil spirits or give thanks to
good ones gained in significance.
Instruments can be divided into various groups starting with different types of
non-tuned percussion instruments including drums using wood and skins of various
types, shapes and sizes; metal to form a whole wide range of gongs and cymbals;
then tuned percussion including bamboo, xylophones, stone xylophones and tuned
bronze gongs e.g. Klong Put; Then there are different types of wind instruments
made of bamboo and horn; and finally stringed instruments which are either plucked
of bowed. Many of the traditional instruments we see today in Vietnam in fact came
originally from China, e.g. the Dan Tranh, the Dan thap luc; Dan Ty Ba; Dan
Nguyet; Dan Nhi; but the one true Vietnamese traditional instrument is the
Monochord or Dan Bau, which means gourd and uses a dried gourd fruit as a
resonance chamber for the notes made by plucking the one string the pitch of which
can be altered by increasing the tension at one side by moving a hooked buffalo
horn spike.
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Cheo
The traditional singing, particularly popular among the Kinh majority people which
involved story telling and especially the call and response style of folk song led to
and influenced the development of Cheo. Cheo might also be called a form of
Vietnamese musical since it included many popular folk song melodies, and was
written in the popular language of the people who live around the Red River delta.
It was an art form that portrayed the lives of the ordinary people, farmers, students
and country girls, and featured stories from everyday day life. The authority figures
that appeared in the stories were always of low rank and often corrupt, and the
plots were often anti-establishment and satirical, focusing more on the moralistic
aspects of a good upbringing, and on traditional values such as duty, courage,
courtesy and devotion to one's family.
Cheo is popular to this day and is promoted by the government as contributing to
Vietnam's intangible cultural heritage. The classic Cheo plays are still performed and
new plays are being written based on modern themes. The art of Cheo is taught at
the Hanoi School of Drama and Cinema and in 1964 the National Cheo Theatre was
established to perform Cheo nationwide.
Tuong
Tuong has been in existence for nearly a thousand years but was performed in
the southern areas, or what is now the Centre of Vietnam, as a form of court
entertainment. The earliest known examples include folk songs from the Kingdom of
Champa, but the main period of development was during the 16th - 18th centuries.
The art form underwent significant changes in the 19th century under the Nguyen
kings and the strong influence of Cantonese opera is clearly evident, reaching its
peak during the reign of the Emperor Tu Duc in Hue.
Tuong continued to be performed in Qui Nhon, Da Nang and Saigon but its
popularity began to decrease after the Second World War. Nevertheless under the
communist regime, the art form was shown support and in 1959 the National Tuong
Theatre was established and a large number of new plays was written, focusing on
the struggle for national independence and reunification.
Cai Luong
The decline in popularity of Tuong was mainly due in the south to the rise of a
new art form popular in the Mekong Delta based on a type of amateur music
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making called Nhac Tai Tu. This together with the influence of French popular
comedy gave rise to what is called reformed theatre or Cai luong. Incorporating
many techniques of other genres including dance styles of the Follies Bergers in
Paris, and Chinese martial arts, Cai Luong appealed to the broad masses, and its
popularity grew alongside that of spoken drama. Although troupes have been set up
all around Vietnam and performances are heard in the many dialects of Vietnam, it is
the southern version based in Saigon which has remained the most successful. There
are still over 30 professional Cai luong toupes performing around Vietnam but the
leading companies are today the
1. Tran Huu Trang Theatre (Saigon)
2. The National Cai Luong Theatre in Hanoi
○ The Development of the Contemporary Performing Arts Scene
▪ Contemporary Theatre
The first national Theatre troupe was set up in 1945 even before the exit of the
French in 1954, but the first theatre association was set up in 1957 to develop this
area. The influence of the USSR was significant in the North at this time. Many
actors and theatre specialist were sent to the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc
countries for training, and Socialist Realist theatre and the principles of Stanislavsky
quickly became the predominant style of drama in Vietnam. In 1958 the National
Drama Company was established and Soviet specialists came to Vietnam to teach at
the Vietnam School of Stage Arts.
Patriotism became the predominant theme of new plays written in the period
leading up to reunification and in 1965 the first National Drama Festival was held
featuring a whole range of domestic patriotic plays by such writers as Long Chuong,
Dao Hong Cam, Xuan Trinh and many others. It was also during the war that a
number of mobile theatre troupes were sent out to the front line to perform for the
soldiers. In the South of Vietnam spoken drama was not popular and few new plays
were written, the audience preferring the ever popular Cai luong style of theatre.
In the 1980s after reunification drama became popular again in the north and a
number of important playwrights emerged, such as Nguyen Khac Phuc, and Ha Dinh
Can, but none as popular as Luu Quang Vu who wrote over 50 plays before his
sudden and premature death in 1988. His most famous play was The Spirit of
Truong Ba in the Butchers Skin which has been translated and is one of the few
Vietnamese plays to have achieved international acclaim, and been performed in
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translation overseas.
Training in the Eastern bloc countries continued during this time and on their
return a number of directors chose to settle in the south and develop the genre
there, laying many of the foundations for today's flourishing theatre scene in Ho Chi
Minh City. The boom in experimental theatre in Ho chi Minh City started with the
establishment of the Director's Club by a group of southern directors including Hai
De, Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc, Mai Tran and later the younger generation of Quoc
Thao, and Hong Van, Doan Khoa and Tran Ngoc Giau. The club met at the
experimental 200 seat studio theatre and home of the Ho Chi Minh City Stage
Association at 5B Vo Van Tan which became and remains the centre of experimental
drama in Ho Chi Minh City.
The scene in Ho Chi Minh City has flourished with many companies even
operating two venues, one for commercial purposes and the main stage for more
serious work.
In Hanoi there are three companies operating regular programmes, the Vietnam
Drama Theatre, the Hanoi Drama Company and the Youth Theatre. The established
playwrights such as Tat Dat, Ngoc Linh and Xuan Trinh are still popular in the
North but a new generation of writers has now sprung up: Phung Dung, Dang Tran
Trung and Le Quy Hien.
In the South Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc commands a leading position together with
Le Duy Hanh. The very latest trends are the new experimental physical theatre
productions by Tran Thi Kim Ngoc who, born in 1975, studied overseas, as well as
overseas Vietnamese Le Quy Duong who has returned to his home land from
Australia and has been experimenting with cross cultural productions.
▪ Popular Music
Popular style western music first came to Vietnam under the period of French
colonial rule. Whilst the French did little to train the Vietnamese in Western art
forms the Vietnamese themselves attempted to develop what they were hearing and
in the 1930s groups of Vietnamese musicians who were influenced by Western
harmony and western songwriting styles, got together to form their own groups.
They began by translating French songs into Vietnamese and then taking French
melodies and setting new Vietnamese words to the tunes. Influenced too by the New
Poetry Movement in Vietnam a new style of heavily romantic song emerged and the
style became known as the Nhac Tien Chien or Pre war Music (referring to the war
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of independence with the French). The songs were romantic in style but also
sentimental and melancholic and many examples remain popular to this day.
Composers of this period have mostly passed away but they remain household
names: Nguyen Van Thuong; To Vu, Nguyen Van Ty; Nguyen Dinh Phuc and Do
Nhuan, but the most famous is probably the composer of the Vietnamese national
anthem, Van Cao.
The musicians active during this period are those who set up the first Vietnamese
Musicians
League
which
was
the
predecessor
of
today's
Vietnam
Musicians'
Association.
It was after the French left and during the struggle for unification and
independence from the USA, that revolutionary songs became the staple diet of the
Vietnamese people. Hundreds of patriotic ballads were written and performed in the
North, and the composers of these are household names: Nguyen Xuan Khoat, Huy
Du, Hoang Viet, Hoang Hiep, Pham Tuyen; Xuan Hong and many others. In the
south the most famous songwriter of them all and most popular even today is Trinh
Cong Son (19392001) who wrote numerous anti-war songs some of which are still
banned by the authorities. His later style though focused on the romantic ballad and
nostalgic portrait of his home country and his songs are loved by Vietnamese
communities throughout the world.
Since Doi moi and the open door policy in the mid 80s, patriotic music and songs
have remained popular and a patriotic love of the mother land as well as the
sentimental balled are the main ingredients for popular music to this day.
2) Artist Groups and Works
Official statistics put the number of performing arts groups in 2006 at 178 with 27
being centrally managed. These statistics reflect a wide range of art forms and cover
groups in many different cities and towns in Vietnam. The main and most reputable
organizations are however mostly based in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and are
those funded by the state. In music and dance, Vietnam boasts 4 symphony
Orchestras, two ballet companies, one Opera Company, and one 'song and Dance'
Company. In drama there are two state run theatre companies and a number of
privately run companies concentrated in the South.
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○ Hanoi Based Organisations
▪ Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO)
The VNSO formed in 1959 is Vietnam's full time professional symphony orchestra,
based at its headquarters at 226 Cau Giay, in Hanoi, where it has a purpose-built
rehearsal studio, and numerous meeting rooms, which can double as rehearsal rooms
for small groups. It recently built a small stage in the rehearsal studio and the room
is now host to series of small scale concerts on site with an audience capacity of
around 150. The orchestra is a full symphony orchestra with 70 - 75 players with
extra musicians being invited as is required by the programme. The orchestra's
musicians are all from Vietnam salaries being much too low to attract overseas
players.
The Orchestra is known as the National symphony orchestra in English only as the
Word 'National' does not actually appear in the Vietnamese title, which translates as
'Vietnam Symphony Orchestra' only. This sometimes leads to domestic disputes about
which group is entitled to represent the state on official occasions or even travel
overseas as part of official exchange visits.
The VNSO has increased the number of performances it does over the last 10 15
years as guest conductors have brought is more and more opportunities for
sponsored concerts. Whilst ten years ago the musicians often had to supplement their
income through teaching or even other completely different types of work, they are
now usually rehearsing every day to prepare for two or more concerts every month.
The orchestra will usually allow for an average of ten rehearsals to prepare a new
programme. This number may be reduced if familiar works are included, or increased
for challenging repertoire.
Administration and Funding
The orchestra is run by its director, a former player in the orchestra, together with
two deputies. Funded by the state, which provided salaries for all permanent
members, numbering around 50, the orchestra usually performs with a larger group
of around 70 75 players, many of whom are not 'permanent members'. Permanent
members of the orchestra will draw a small salary every month and enjoy the
benefits of all civil servants including insurance and a pension. Those players who
are not permanent members receive only a fee for each rehearsal and performance.
The orchestra does not have a permanent conductor, but uses guest conductors,
sometimes
provided
by
the
sponsoring
organization.
It
does
however
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longstanding arrangements with a number of overseas conductors who perform with
the orchestra on a regular basis, but who themselves bring sponsorship for the
orchestra and money for the own fees. Vietnamese conductors are few and far
between there is only one conductor in Hanoi and one in HCMC working on a
regular basis.
Strategy
Officially the orchestra has a number of political duties and must perform at the
behest of the government, represented by the Ministry of Culture, - playing for
official visitors or giving concerts for important delegations, which have cultural
agreements with Vietnam, e.g. Russia. As part of its official mission statement it also
has the duty to promote Vietnamese classical music. The state provides funds
sufficient for approximately 6 such concerts per year. Besides this, the orchestra is
encouraged to look for external sources of revenue.
Programming
Additional sources of revenue come from sponsorship of concerts and from
external organisations such as companies (mostly foreign) or diplomatic missions, who
hire the orchestra for their functions. These organizations usually determine the
programming of such concerts, as often the organisation has a specific objective
promoting the music of a particular composer or of a particular country or group of
countries. Often cultural exchange is the notion to be promoted, so Vietnamese
works are programmed as part of the concert.
Generally speaking the programmes of the VNSO are regular Western style classical
concerts, with an overture, concerto and symphony. Sometimes the exchange element
of the concert is highlighted by inviting a soloist from the country in question to
perform the concerto with the orchestra, or a Vietnamese musician is invited who
has studied in that particular country.
Venues
Hanoi has only one quality performance venue and that is the Hanoi Opera House
- the main performance venue for the VNSO and the only venue where the acoustic
quality of the auditorium can be guaranteed. The audience capacity is 550. There are
a number of other smaller venues and the VNSO has performed chamber concerts in
the auditorium of the French Cultural Centre 'L'Espace', in its own rehearsal studio,
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and at Hong Ha theatre. All other venues are for special occasions and require
compromises. The Friendship Palace has an audience capacity of 1200 but the
acoustics of the hall which is not designed as a concert hall would normally require
amplification. Hotel ballrooms have also occasionally been used for special events,
but also usually have inferior acoustics and poor visibility for the audience.
Audiences
The VNSO has four main target groups:
1. The expat community resident in Hanoi
2. Tourists and overseas visitors
3. Domestic (Vietnamese) classical music lovers
4. Invited guests to events including government officials, corporate clients etc.
Standard classical repertoire is performed for the first target group which is by and
large a paying audience which enjoys a wide range of mostly Western classical music
. Tickets may also be bought by the second group of independent travelers, but the
orchestra also caters to tourist groups for whom a special Opera House experience is
on their agenda often combined with dinner in the historic Mirror room. The
audiences here are not necessarily music lovers and so programmes of popular
classics is usually offered.
The domestic market is interesting and there is a growing number of local
Vietnamese (often young) people who are very interested in and knowledgeable
about Western classical music. In some cases domestic music lovers will buy tickets,
but there are still many ways to obtain invitation tickets, which do not need to be
paid for.
The last group is a group which has to be offered or given tickets to concerts for
diplomatic reasons or to maintain good corporate relations with clients. In many
cases the invitees do not attend, often leaving seats empty, but in the best case
giving their tickets to friends or family members who will appreciate the experience.
▪ Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB)
The VNOB is the other main classical performing Arts organization in Hanoi and is
based at its headquarters at 11b Ngo Nui Truc. It is run by one director and one
deputy and is organized in very much the same way as the VNSO.
The VNOB though is dived into three distinct sections the orchestra, the ballet and
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the Chorus. All the members are Vietnamese as salaries are too low to attract
overseas artists. However the company operates in the same way as the VNSO and
receives a lot of support from sponsoring organizations and agencies, so the
company is able to operate as a fully professional Opera and Ballet Theatre.
▪ Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra
The Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra is presented and publicized as a professional
performing orchestra but is actually the orchestra of teachers and students of the
Hanoi Conservatory of Music. Whilst the standard is very high from a technical point
of view, and can rival that of the other professional groups in Hanoi, it does not
have the same performing experience and therefore does not have the same range of
repertoire or the same organizational infrastructure of the other groups. Nevertheless
sponsors and donors like working with students and educational institutions and so
the Conservatories are often chosen as partners in exchange projects particularly in
conjunction with master-classes by overseas artists
The Orchestra is frequently conducted by the only full time Vietnamese conductor
in Hanoi, who also teaches at the school, but there are also frequent guest
conductors.
Vietnamese students are of course extremely loyal to their teachers and mentors,
and they are also expected to be loyal. This makes it difficult for the Conservatory
to function in its true role as trainer of musicians for the outside world. A large
number of students graduate but remain at the Conservatory in a teaching role.
Occasionally teachers from the Hanoi Conservatory are sent to teach in other state-run
institutions, but in a very large number of cases, graduates remain at the
conservatory itself and therefore much of the work of the Conservatory does not
benefit the Performing Arts scene in Vietnam. Unfortunately too, many students study
for many years and the best and most talented often try to find further study
opportunities overseas. In many cases these students are successful, are offered well
paid jobs overseas and do not return to Vietnam.
▪ Vietnam Song and Dance Company
The Vietnamese Song and Dance Company was formed in 1951 and has three
main duties:
1. to research and document traditional music and dance
2. to train Vietnamese artists in traditional music and dance skills
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3. to present performances of traditional music at home and overseas
This is the group which the authorities most often turn to when choosing a
delegation to travel overseas as parts of any cultural exchange event. As such this
has become the face of the sort of contemporary Vietnamese Culture the government
seeks to promote. The company does not usually organize performances in its own
right but provides groups of singers and dancers for other programmes.
▪ National Song and Dance Light Music Theatre
The organisation was formed in 1985 as an offshoot to the Vietnam Song and
Dance Company but focusing on light, popular music. Although it does have a 400
seat theatre this is rarely used, except for rehearsal, by the company to organise
performances. The company instead operates by providing groups for other shows at
home and abroad.
○ Ho Chi Minh City Based Companies
Even though Ho Chi Minh City has a greater population than Hanoi, the City has
fewer classical arts organizations regularly organising public performances. On the
other hand the number of popular music shows featuring well-known singers from
the ballad and pop world is much greater than in Hanoi and these performances are
run successfully along commercial lines where ticketing and marketing has developed
to a much higher level than in the serious music business. This is true too for
theatre and drama which has a well-developed commercial scene for popular theatre,
and is performed nightly in a range of different venues where tickets are sold and
profits recorded.
▪ Ho Chi Minh City Symphony, Opera and Ballet Theatre
Whilst Hanoi has three distinct orchestras, each with its own personnel, Ho Chi
Minh City does not have enough musicians to form more than one orchestra. The
main professional group in Ho Chi Minh City is the HCMC Symphony and Ballet
Theatre which has an orchestra and ballet group performing monthly at the HCMC
Municipal Theatre. This regular series is usually a mixture of music and dance,
although performances of the orchestra and ballet together are rare. The organization
often uses singers from the HCMC Conservatory of Music but does not support an
independent chorus or its own opera group.
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The Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory does organise orchestral concerts under the
name of the Conservatory particularly with visiting artists and conductors but
musicians are for the most part the same as those in the City Symphony and Ballet
Theatre Orchestra. The orchestra, singers and dancers also sometimes travel out into
the Southern provinces and perform concerts of popular and local classics for
regional audiences.
○ Drama
▪ Vietnam Drama Company
The company was established in 1954 and its main mission is to support the
development of modern Vietnamese drama and an identity for Vietnamese modern
theatre. The company itself is based at its headquarters at No 1 Trang Tien behind
the Hanoi Opera House where there is a small studio theatre occasionally rented out
for small-scale performances (seating capacity 100) but mainly used as a rehearsal
space. The main performance venue of the company is the Cong Nhan Theatre a
few hundred metres along the street. This theatre is however now also in a state of
disrepair and will soon be renovated.
▪ Youth Theatre Company
The Youth Theatre is a company specialising in performances by this professional
theatre group, for young people, although the theatre can also be hired by youth
and other groups. The company has been in existence since 1978 and comprises two
performing drama groups, and one song and dance company which has recently also
taken an interest in physical theatre, and has performed a number of domestic
productions which rely less on the spoken word but more on a multi media
experience for their success. The have incorporated elements of dance, mime, song,
drama and even circus in the performances. The success has been varied mainly
because the performers are trained actors who are branching out into other areas of
the performing arts for which they were not originally trained. The willingness to
experiment must be applauded and their desire to expand the boundaries of
conventional theatre is commendable but attention must focus on quality and on the
need to remain truly professional in their standards.
The drama groups have produced a number of productions aimed at the youth
market, especially a series of comedy shows over recent years. The quality and
youthful vigour though has attracted the attention of a number of supporters,
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including external sponsors. The openness, professionalism of the management
structure and organisation, as well as the standard of stage equipment has led to the
staging of a number of international dramas in translation. Recent years have seen
productions in Vietnamese of Shakespeare, Ibsen, Moliere and Durrenmatt for
example.
○ Theatre Programming
Ho Chi Minh City has a strong tradition of popular theatre and there are a
number
of
independent
companies
who
organize
nightly
performances
of
contemporary drama and comedy. Companies in HCMC include the IDECAF Small
Stage Company; the Saigon Theatre on Pasteur street; the Small Stage Drama Theatre
at 5B Vo Van Tan which has become well known for its experimental productions;
the 135 Stage on Hai Ba Tung; the Phu Nhuan Stage Company, and the Hoa Binh
Mini Stage Company situated next to the large Hoa Binh Theatre on 3 thang 2
Street. In contrast Hanoi has only larger state run companies such as the Hanoi
Drama Theatre and companies performing traditional theatre. All of these companies
perform in Vietnamese and the vast majority of play produced are examples of
Vietnamese contemporary drama with the occasional translation of a classic from
overseas, especially Russia and France.
Drama companies are sometimes asked to perform the plays of well known
playwrights such as Shakespeare, Ibsen, Schiller, Brecht etc. In Vietnam permission
has to be granted for all public performances and whilst music concerts usually
present no restrictions, the spoken word is scrutinized to ensure nothing could be
interpreted as subversive in nature. The nature of contemporary drama however is
often socially critical and deals with a wide range of social and political problems,
and so is often rejected by the censors. Vietnamese audiences have seen very little
contemporary world drama, even by the most highly acclaimed writers - and instead
are limited to viewing the classics.
3) Programming - music
○ Programmes for the domestic market
There is a growing audience for Western classical music in Hanoi and a small
number of followers are willing now to spend money to purchase tickets for classical
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music concerts. Otherwise short performances of popular classics are often arranged
as
part
of
executives.
corporate
Programmes
entertainment
are
programmes
sometimes
tailored
for
to
company
the
employees
audience
but
and
purely
instrumental music without words is a difficult concept to grasp for the general
domestic public who are being introduced to classical music for the first time.
Orchestras must find opportunities to build audiences and one way to win people
over would be to include well known patriotic and revolutionary songs which have
been arranged for symphony orchestra. In HCMC and in the provinces the focus is
much more on performances of popular music featuring Vietnamese celebrity singers.
■ Programming Vietnamese Music
Concerts are sometime organized of contemporary Vietnamese classical music
written by such composers as Trong Bang, Do Hong Quan, Tran Trong Hung, Dang
Huu Phuc, Vinh Cat and others. The popularity of contemporary classical music is
limited and these concerts often serve more the purpose of demonstrating Vietnam's
capacity to produce such music than anything else.
Composers are often established figures at the Conservatories of music or from the
Musicians Associations. Very few opportunities are given to young up-and-coming
composers or to introduce work of an experimental nature e.g. multi media
performances.
■ Overseas artists
There are two commercial companies which organize performances annually by
world class artists in Vietnam. The Hennessy Concert series has brought such artists
as Rostropovitch, Barbara Bonney and Lang Lang to Vietnam. Concerts are usually for
invited guests only and serve to promote the company and its products. The Toyota
classics series brings small groups including sometimes orchestras to Vietnam. High
price tickets for these concerts are sold and so the audience is not only local, but
the purpose is to make a donation to charity.
■ Popular commercial Music
Only very rarely have overseas artists been invited or have organized performance
in Vietnam. The most successful and largest scale concert by an overseas artist in
recent years was an appearance by B Rain from Korea in 2007.
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○ Programmes for the overseas market
The Ministry of Culture does occasionally send groups of Vietnamese performing
artist to perform overseas. These trips are often in conjunction with official political
visits or are arranged as part of a cultural exchange programme. The Ministry is
careful to select groups, which present an image of Vietnam compatible with the
image the government wants to project and that is a Vietnam with a strong cultural
tradition and heritage. The Vietnam Song and Dance theatre specialises in putting
together such performances and is the company of choice for such missions. Fashion
shows have become a popular event for the overseas market too but designers who
focus almost exclusively on traditional designs particularly of the Vietnamese Long
Dress or Ao dai are usually chosen. Occasionally classical music groups are sent to
perform
Vietnamese
classical
works
or
to
demonstrate
cultural
exchange
by
performing symphonic works, songs or ballet of the host country as well as Vietnam.
○ Donor Funding
Many performances of classical or popular music, or concerts by overseas artists or
even drama in translation or in the original language, are sponsored by diplomatic
missions of a particular country, or by multi-national companies which have been
urged to sponsor by those missions. The purpose of such programmes is to
showcase works of art and performances by that particular country or to highlight
the work of a country's well-known composer or artist. The programmes are thus
determined
by
the
sponsoring
organization.
The
Vietnam
National
Symphony
Orchestra has for example performed many concerts featuring he music of one
particular country such as An evening of American Music; Beethoven Evening;
Norwegian Concert and many others.
There are two main target groups for such performances firstly the local
Vietnamese contacts of the sponsoring organization, but in some cases a diplomatic
mission is trying to impress the authorities and invites the diplomatic ex-pat
community along with a number of selected high ranking Vietnamese officials. The
content of such programmes can consist entirely of Western works or where an
element of cultural exchange is desired the programme may include some Vietnamese
classical works. Particularly popular is the inclusion of revolutionary of arrangements
of traditional songs in such a programme.
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○ Foreign artists and companies
In the entire 30 years since reunification only a handful of truly international artists
have appeared in Vietnam Partly mainly because there is no local commercial scene
and no organisations able to deliver productions to international standards, but partly
because the standard of living has prevented the public from being able to afford
high price tickets which would be necessary for such ventures. Standards of living
though have increased and these days it is about choice and what people choose to
spend their money on. Tickets are sold and profits reaped for sports events, and
lately high prices have been demanded for large-scale concerts of popular music by
well-known local singers. From a commercial point of view the time is now right for
concerts of well-known foreign popular artists to be organized in Vietnam, and even
the technical considerations and requirements could probably now be overcome.
However the legal and censorship restrictions in Vietnam are still a major factor for
artists wishing to perform commercially in Vietnam. As usual the detailed schedule
and programmes of all public performances have to be submitted for censorship to
the Ministry of Culture and vetted for subversive content, or content which depict
what are called social evils. Words of all songs have to be translated before vetting
and even costumes and outfits of performers have to be approved.
It is however still questionable whether artists and groups would consider including
Vietnam on foreign tours. Most concerts these days are organized to promote sales of
albums, and there is as yet no viable commercial market for CD or music sales in
Vietnam. The pirating of CDs and DVDs is so rampant that normal commercial sales
are impossible. There are no overseas record companies and no local organisations
selling foreign labels in Vietnam
The vast majority of foreign artists who come to Vietnam are thus those who
perform as part of cultural exchange programmes organized and funded by diplomatic
missions and cultural organizations such as the British Council, the Goethe Institute
or the Alliance Francaise, plus more recently a number of Asian cultural institutes
such as those from Japan and Korea.
○ Publicity and ticketing
One of the key areas for success in the creative industries and the Vietnamese
government's proclaimed goal of socialisation of the arts is the idea that the arts are
not something that is subsidized and provided for the public by the government, but
something which should be paid for and should be run like a business and make a
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profit. The arts in Vietnam are subsidized these days on a much lower level than
before, and so that artists would find it impossible these days to live from the state
arts subsidies alone. Arts groups have been encouraged to run their businesses on
more commercial lines and supplement their income form ticket sales.
Unfortunately the answer for many arts managers has been to try to replace state
subsidies with what is called sponsorship Arts organizations try to find money to
cover their costs rather than make a profit, and their managers still have what is
commonly called the donor mentality
Vietnam has for many years been classed as one of the poorest countries in the
world and has qualified for development aid. It has also been the recipient of aid
from countries such as the USA and the USSR which provided aid in return for
allegiance. The arts have never been viewed as an area which should be run as a
profit centre. Regular donations of aid mean there is little incentive to be more
business-like and there has been little or no training in arts and cultural management
or audience development. Risks are never taken and programmes and concerts only
run if costs are covered from the beginning. This means there is no incentive to sell
tickets and therefore little incentive to spend money on publicity and advertising.
This is further compounded by performing for invited audiences provided by donors.
○ International exchange
There are a number of Cultural Institutions based in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
whose mission it is mainly to showcase the arts of their own particular country and
to support cultural exchange between Vietnam and their Country. In some case this
role is taken by the relevant department of the Foreign Embassy which will often
have only a small cultural budget, or must bid for funds from their government
departments to organize small cultural events. In recent years Vietnam has seen small
programmes either by Vietnamese artists performing works of another country or by
invited artists performing individually or together with Vietnamese groups.
The Embassies of Norway, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Canada, the USA, the Czech
Republic, Austria, the European Union, China, Laos and Australia have all been
involved with such events, which usually number no more than one event per year.
Programmes have included concerts of music by the Vietnam National Symphony
Orchestra, sometimes with guest conductors or soloists, Films festivals, fashion shows,
Photography exhibitions, Circus performances, theatre plays in translation, and even
complete Operas performed by Vietnamese singers and musicians but with technical
help from overseas.
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Some countries have set up cultural institutes in Vietnam who take on the
responsibility for cultural exchange programmes. The UK has the British Council, the
French have L'Espace in Hanoi, and help to fun IDECAF in HCMC, Germany has set
up the Goethe Institute and there is also the Russian Cultural Institute, Japan has set
up the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Korean the Korean Cultural
Centre - all with their own dedicated premises. In addition there are a number of
foundations which support cultural exchange and the development of the arts in
Vietnam The Ford Foundation, The Swedish International Development Agency, The
Danish Cultural Fund, and others.
These are all popular sources of funding and support for local artists but in
contrast to many of the Embassy programmes most are interested in supporting the
development of the contemporary arts scene and follow strategies which involve
creating space and providing opportunities for young artists to interact and network
with each other, as well as giving them a voice. This support and encouragement is
welcome among the artists but often leads to conflict with the authorities who are
intensely suspicious of contemporary arts fearing its association with social or even
political criticism.
○ The Underground Scene
Despite the strict controls imposed by the authorities on what can be performed or
exhibited in public groups of young artists have managed to find outlets for their
work especially with the help of many of the international cultural organizations
which have strongly supported individual creativity and freedom of expression in
particular in the visual arts world in Vietnam but also in literature, film, theatre and
music. Following reunification in 1975 four hugely influential visual artists emerged
who laid the groundwork for a change of direction. Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Tu
Nghiem, Nguyen Sang and Duong Bich Lien are seen as the fathers of the modern
movement of individualism. They were followed by a younger generation of artists
which included Dai Minh Tri, Nguyen Trung, Do Son, Luong Xuan Doan, Le Huy
Tiep, and Phan thi Gia Huong.
The open door policy of 1986 brought with it a slight relaxing of the restrictions
and exposed artists in Vietnam to trends from overseas. There emerged the so called
Group of 5 young artists from Hanoi who are considered to be the pillars of the
modern movement today: Tran Luong, Hong Viet Dung, Pham Quang Vinh, Ha Tri
Hieu and Dang Xuan Hoa. Overseas travel and a new awareness overseas of
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contemporary Vietnamese art brought new international audiences and major growth
in the popularity of Vietnamese art. This success has inspired small groups of artists
to pursue their creativity ever since and there has been an active underground
movement of visual and performance artists based around Duc's stilt House in Hanoi.
Tran Luong is today considered to be the unofficial head of the underground
movement and organises exhibitions, residencies and tours overseas for a many artists
who are not recognized by the authorities and who would never get exposure
through the official channels.
Experimental art has seen an emerging interest in performance art and installation
and Truong Tan, Nguyen Van Cuong, Pham Ha Hai and Dao Anh Khanh, together
with Ly Hoang Ly and Do Xuan Trinh in the South have led the movement.
Experimental composer Vu Nhat Tan, who is one of the only musicians in Vietnam
to have worked extensively on improvisation, and sound exploration, has recently
joined forces with visual artists and dancers to produce Vietnam's first experimental
multi media exhibitions and performances combining music, film, dance, light and
sound.
The overseas Cultural Institutes have played a major role in providing not only
exhibition spaces for these artists but also credibility and to a certain extent, a safety
net by offering a degree of protection from the ever present cultural censors who
reject socially critical and abstract art.
4) Venues and Facilities Scale, facilities and management
○ Hanoi
▪ Hanoi Opera House
The Hanoi Opera House is a 'receiving theatre' a performing venue which is hired
by multiple organizations for a wide range of purposes. It is the city's Concert Hall,
Opera House, meeting hall, and corporate function venue.
The Opera House is managed by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism but
the venue is considered a national monument and as such running the venue as a
profit centre is not important. Unfortunately, through the guarantee of state subsidies,
there is little incentive to encourage business to develop and as a result the Opera
House does not exploit the business potential of the Opera House as a performing
venue. It has no stage lighting, no set building facilities, no costume hire, no stage
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make-up facilities, and most importantly minimal ticketing selling facilities and no
marketing or advertising department.
Every hiring company has to provide its own, or hire from external sources
lighting and stage equipment, sets and sound equipment if required. The Opera
House does have a Steinway concert Grand piano (three-quarter size) and two small
grand pianos available for hire; a full acoustic shell which can be erected around the
stage and is used for all concerts of symphonic and chamber music.
The stage is 9m×17m×17m (performing area) with a 1.5m forestage, a 9m×9m
proscenium opening, and an orchestra pit divided into two sections each of which
can be hydraulically lifted. The Opera House was renovated built by the French in
the first decade of the Twentieth century, and finished in 1911. It is based on the
design of the Paris Opera House. It was extensively renovated in 1997 and
improvements made to the stage equipment, although there is still no lighting and
sound system in the building.
It has a seating capacity of 550 divided into three areas: stalls, first balcony and
second balcony. The first floor areas is surrounded on three sides by rows of boxes
which can accommodate up to three seats.
▪ Friendship Palace Hanoi
This former Vietnam Soviet Friendship Palace was by the Soviet Union in 1985 as
a gift from the Council of Trade Unions in the Soviet Union. It is a multi-purpose
receiving theatre with a seating capacity of 1194 arranged over two levels, 756 on
the ground level and 436 on the balcony. It has a performing stage area of
14m×16m×20m. Two revolving stage areas are incorporated but these have not been
functional for many years. The theatre includes a basic lighting rig and a 96 channel
mixer and a basic sound system which is usually supplemented by external
equipment for large scale performances.
The Friendship Palace is a multi purpose theater but is primarily used for variety
shows using sound amplification, the natural acoustics being insufficient for classical
performances. The large public areas outside of the main auditorium and the large
outdoor space in front of the building and now extensively used for exhibitions and
small-scale trade fairs.
▪ Nha Hat Tuoi Tre Children's Theatre
This 650 seat theatre was built in 1990 and is one of the few venues in Hanoi
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which is home to a permanent company - the National Youth Theatre. The stage
area is 12m×8m×14m and the theatre boasts a relatively well equipped lighting rig
and sound system. The theatre is used regularly and is a popular venue with young
and old alike even though it's location is not ideal, difficult to find, hidden from
view, and does not provide adequate parking facilities.
▪ Hanoi Children's Palace
This is a dedicated 6 floor building used extensively for activities of the Hanoi
'Pioneer Youth' movement. It functions as a large Youth Club and organises a range
of activities throughout the day and evening for young people, including singing and
dancing and drama, martial arts and other sports. The complex also includes a 500
seat theater which is used primarily for youth activities such as music competitions,
drama performances by youth groups and groups specialising in young people's
theatre. The performing area measures 10m×9.8m×10m with a small orchestra pit
for around 20 people.
▪ Cong Nhan (Workers) Theatre
The Theatre situated in Trang Tien street of Hanoi is the main performing venue
of the Vietnam Drama company whose headquarters are situated the back of the
Opera House. The Cong Nhan Theatre was originally built as a cinema in 1959 and
is now badly in need of renovation. It has a seating capacity of nearly 700 and a
stage area of 11m×8m×14m, and 2.5m forestage.
Basic lighting and sound rigs are available, but major renovations are due to start
and will improve the venue considerably.
▪ Outdoor Venues Hanoi
Audiences in Hanoi are not used to formal outdoor performances except those
organized by local authorities to celebrate National patriotic festivals and public
holidays, when outdoor stages are set up on street corners and intersections, and
performances offered free of charge to the gathering crowds. Usually these are
concerts of popular revolutionary songs and audience come and go at will. The
square outside the Hanoi Opera House is often set up in this way with often quite
large crowds gathering on motorbikes outside the building to listen to the music.
Free concerts are often arranged on New Year's Eve and on the eve of Lunar New
Year
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▪ Water Park
The Hanoi Water Park has been set up as a more formal outdoor venue with a
permanent stage and cordoned off area with access allowed only for ticket holders.
This venue has become the venue of choice for pop, rock and hip hop festivals
which attract quite large crowds of 2-3000 people.
▪ My Dinh Sports Stadium
My Dinh is a new 25,000 seat sports stadium that was built for the South East
Asian Games and is now used for national football matches and has occasionally
hosted concerts. The popular singer My Tam organised her own one woman live
show in 2005 and attracted a crowd of more than 5,000 paying guests. The logistics
for such a concert are huge and costly and this type of show has not bee repeated
very often. A large scale international pop concert was planned to take place at My
Dinh and was to have been funded by the US, but was cancelled at the last minute
ostensibly because of logistical problems.
○ Venues Ho Chi Minh City
▪ Ho Chi Minh City Opera House
The Ho Chi Minh City Opera House or Municipal Theatre as it also known, was
built by the French in 1897, and was a very popular venue for international artists
during the French colonial period. It was closed during the second World War, but
reopened in 1946 with the return of the French. After the French left, the Theatre
was turned in the lower House of Parliament during the Ngo Dinh Diem regime, and
alterations were made to the interior and exterior. It was restored to its original
function after reunification in 1975 and was extensively renovated in 1995, which
included the installation of a modern lighting and sound system and improved
electrical stage equipment. The Stage measures 9m×15m×18m and it has a small 3
metre orchestra pit. The seating capacity is 560 over three levels.
The theatre is used for a variety of different purposes including drama, song and
dance corporate entertainment as well as classical ballet and orchestral concerts.
Nevertheless the theatre was essentially designed as a theatre style venue and not as
a concert hall. Unlike the Hanoi Opera House the forestage in front of the
proscenium, arch is only 1.5 metres wide. In Hanoi by contrast the orchestra pit can
be electrically raised to created a nearly 6 metre apron in front of the proscenium
arch, extending the stage into the auditorium itself. This improves acoustics
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dramatically and renders the Hanoi Opera House much more suitable as a concert
hall for orchestra and chamber music performances, than the theatre in Ho Chi Minh
City where the performers play behind the arch, meaning that even classical concerts
often require some sort of electrical amplification.
The Theatre is run by an organization belonging to the local authorities call Saigon
Concert, which should mean the theatre is much better placed to be run on
commercial lines, Saigon Concert having the authority to produce its own shows.
However this is another wasted opportunity and the Opera House predominantly
functions as a receiving theatre.
▪ Hoa Binh Theatre Ho Chi Minh City
Hoa Binh Theatre is Vietnam largest theatre. It was built by the Soviet Union and
opened in 1985. It specialises in large sale performance of popular music, fashion shows
and general variety performances. It boasts a large stage measuring 17.5m×24m×16m
with a revolving centre portion, with a built-in lighting and sound system. It has a 3
metre forestage and a small 2.5. metre orchestra pit. The auditorium holds 2300
people on two levels, and a small
▪ District 7 Stadium
The District 7 sports stadium was extensively renovated for the South East Asian
Games. It is now often used as a pop-concert venue
○ Smaller Venues in Hanoi
▪ Hong Ha Theatre
Hong Ha was built in 1954 and is run directly by the Ministry of Culture. Today
is specialises in the performance of traditional theatre, Tuong, but the venue can also
be hired for other small-scale performances, spoken drama and chamber concerts. It
has a seating capacity of nearly 400 and a stage measuring 8m×11.25m×10m, a
small orchestra pit and basic lighting and sound equipment.
▪ Golden Bell Theatre
The Golden Bell is a colonial style theatre situated in the old quarter and has
recently been renovated before becoming home to the Hanoi Cai Luong Theatre,
which performs on a weekly basic, but the theatre can be hired for other purposes.
It holds and audience of 250 a small 6m×10m×7.75m stage and only basic lighting
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and sound equipment.
○ Venues in Other Cities
▪ Hue
Hue has two performing venues, the Hue Cultural House with a seating capacity
of 1000 and the Hue Province Cultural Centre which can seat up to 1200 people.
Neither has air conditioning, and both were built as multi purpose auditoriums rather
than concert halls, and the acoustics are not suitable for classical concerts, unless
amplification is used. Both venues have basic lighting and sound equipment but the
venues are in need of refurbishment.
▪ Hai Phong : Hai Phong City Theatre
Hai Phong is the third of the French-built theatres in Vietnam after Hanoi And Ho
Chi Minh City It is smaller than the other two theatres with a seating capacity of
about 380. The stage area measures 8m×10m×10m and the theatre has a small
orchestra pit big enough for around 20 musicians. The theatre is in need of
renovation. The stage equipment is very basic and there is not lighting or sound
system installed, this must be hired in instead if required. The theatre is not
air-conditioned.
5) Performing Arts Festivals
▪ Hue Festival
The Hue festival was first organized in the year 2000 with extensive support for
France. It has been organized every two years since then and takes place in June. It
is classed as an international Festival in foreign artists perform. The festival is
organized into two sections locally called the on festival and the off festival which in
Europe would be known as the Main Festival and the Fringe events. The Main Hue
Festival takes places within the walls of the Citadel among the ruins of the old
imperial palace of the Nguyen emperors. Modern stages with state of the art lighting
and sound systems are erected between the ancient palaces which also serve as
venues for some events. The domestic offer has a strong traditional flavour and always
features local artists from Hue itself who specialize in Hue Music of the Royal Court as
well as local Hue folk singing and dancing. The opening ceremony is a grand occasion
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and features a selection of traditional artists performing in a large choreographed
spectacle. In recent years some of the countries leading choreographers and theatre
directors and most recently overseas Vietnamese directors have been invited to stage
the opening and other events during the festival. There have been a number of
important official side events which have now become regular features of the festival
including a large scale fashion show usually featuring variations on the traditional
Vietnamese Ao dai or long Dress; a sculpture retreat, and composers retreat.
International artists are encouraged to appear but the festival organisers rely once
again on these artists' international costs and fees being covered by donor
organizations such as the Cultural Organisations of France, Germany, the UK, China,
and many others. The organizations will pick the artists and the choice is often
determined by budget rather than artistic judgement. The festival has so far never
been themed but is usually an unrelated mixture of styles and arts forms. One trend
has though emerged in that the international contributions most often feature
contemporary artists whilst the domestic events are traditional and this in itself has
proved an interesting juxtaposition.
Tickets are sold to the main festival events inside the citadel. And tour groups are
organized to visit Hue during the festival. The Tickets allow entrance to the citadel
for the whole day and attendance at most of the events on that day.
The Fringe festival also attracts a lot of attention especially from domestic
audiences. During the Hue festival it seems that the entire Arts community of
Vietnam descends on Hue and often collaborates in exhibitions of painting,
installations and sculpture, especially along the banks of the Perfume River.
The festival has been a limited success. It does attract a degree of extra tourism
and has certainly enhanced the reputation of Hue as a forward looking Creative City
in the eyes of the foreign public. However a close look reveals major shortcomings
in the organizational and entrepreneurial skills of the festival organizers as well as
lack of artistic and creative vision. There has been no attempt to commercialise the
festival on a large scale. Whilst the foreign artists are given relative freedom with
regards to the content of their performance the domestic artists are strictly controlled
and censored as everywhere else in Vietnam before every performance. The
organization often trips over itself as a result of political infighting and because of
rivalries between the three organizing bodies whose individual responsibility is not
clear. There is no clear separation of powers between the Festival organising
committee, the local Peoples' committee of the City of Hue and the People's
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committee of the province of Thua Thien Hue.
Major cultural, artistic, creative and also commercial opportunities are wasted. The
festival is successful to a degree, but it could be so much more, if rivalry was set
aside and the festival was run by artists and not politicians.
▪ Other International Festivals
Other
International
festivals
which
take
place
in
Vietnam
are
a
so-called
International Film Festival, the European Union Film Festival, the European Union
Music Festival, the Experimental Theatre Festival and the International Festival of
Circus.
All of these so-called international festivals would not be classed as a festival in
other places as the organisers do not invite and fund groups to come to Vietnam to
take part and festival directors are not usually appointed. The use of the word
Festival for many such events has been criticised by the local press because there is
no competitive element with no prizes and no jury.
Such events are organized by Embassies and cultural institutes who are approached
to source and fund groups, works or films for the event. Participants or films for
example are included according to what is available and what is affordable rather
than according to any fixed artistic criteria.
For all these events the Ministry of Culture is a formal partner providing logistical
support and ensuring that authorization for the performances is given.
The Experimental theatre festival was first organized in 2002 and included in
addition to Vietnamese companies, works from China, Korea, Thailand and Japan.
The EU Music Festival, open only to member states of the European Union, started
life as the EU jazz festival but was expanded to include other music forms in the
hope of attracting larger audiences after it was realized that jazz has only limited
appeal in Vietnam.
The EU film festival regularly falls foul to the Vietnamese censors who insist on
vetting all submissions for unsuitable content. Restrictions on distribution and
performance rights also prevent tickets form being sold for the screenings and some
countries have problems accessing up-to-date film examples.
Besides these International style events a number of National festivals also take
place which do have a competitive element and prizes awarded
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▪ National Dance Festival
This was first held in 1994 and featured examples of both classical ballet and
traditional dance by a range of different companies form around Vietnam. The
festival aims to promote contemporary dance, but this is viewed from a Vietnamese
perspective and results have been various examples of Vietnamese traditional stories
depicted
using
modern
dance
techniques,
choreographed
by
Vietnamese
choreographers who are striving to find a unique Vietnamese style of modern dance.
The Legend of the Mother is one of the best known examples, choreographed by
Nguyen Cong Nhac to music by Nguyen Van Nam. In Ho Chi Minh City veteran
choreographer Viet Cuong has taken the traditional Vietnamese love story of Luc Van
Tien Kieu Nguyet Nga, and a second example is The Red Pearl both of which use
music by composer Ca Le Thuan.
Other national festivals include the National Music Festival which is a competition for
instrumental players who are mostly students from the Conservatories of Music. The
competition takes place every five years and each time focuses on different groups of
instruments. Similarly the Conservatories organize National Vocal Competitions for
students, and there is also a National Exhibition of Fine Art, a National Film Festival
for Vietnamese film only, and a National Drama Festival.
6) Supporting Organizations
Cultural policy in Vietnam is determined ultimately by the 150 member Central
Committee of the Vietnamese Communist party. The Central committee in turn elects
a Political board (politburo) of 15 members. Culture and ideology policy is
specifically dealt with by the Culture and Ideology Committee and the implementing
body for the Committee is the Ministry of Culture - until recently the Ministry of
Culture and Information, but now reorganized as the Ministry of Culture, Sport and
Tourism. The Ministry has the duty to offer advice to organizations and individuals,
and to draw up policy in accordance with Party doctrine.
To support the Ministry, each city has a provincial government office responsible
for municipal cultural affairs local departments called the So Van Hoa, which report
directly to the city's people's committee. The Hanoi So Van Hoa is responsible for
cultural matters in Hanoi and is directly responsible for the running of a number of
cultural venues.
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At the next level down each district within the cities runs a so called Cultural Centre
which organises events, performances exhibitions and clubs activities for the public.
In addition each arts sector supports an Association of Professional Artists called
the Hoi. There are five main associations: Ethnic Minorities' Association, Folk Arts
Association;
Stage
artists
Association;
Musicians'
Association
and
the
Dance
Association. There are branches of these associations in each province.
▪ Hanoi National Music Conservatory
There are two Conservatories of music in Vietnam, both set up by the French
during colonial times. However these institutions were built to train French citizens
and were not successful. Both were forced close after only a few years of operation.
The Hanoi Conservatory started life in 1927 as the French Far Eastern Conservatoire
but closed just three years later. The Music Conservatoire in Saigon opened in 1933
but also closed just a few years later.
The first truly Vietnamese School of Music opened in Hanoi in 1956 and was
conferred university status in 1982. It currently has over 1000 students and offers
courses from a seven year elementary and secondary education to a four year
undergraduate programme and a two year Masters course.
The Conservatory is divided into four main faculties: the Western instrumental
music faculty offering training in most Western instruments; the Traditional Music
Department offering instrumental training in a selection of the most popular
Vietnamese traditional instruments. Then there is the Vocal department, which trains
singers of all types from those wishing to enter the popular music business to those
who want operatic training. Finally there is the faculty of composition, conducting
and theory. Many of its best teachers are those trained in the former Soviet Union or
other European Eastern bloc countries such as Bulgaria, East Germany, Hungary,
Czechoslovakia and Poland.
The premises of the Hanoi Conservatory of Music have in recent years been
completely renovated or rebuilt and a new 500 seat hall is at this moment being
constructed to provide Hanoi with its first larger scale concert hall. Up to now the
students and visiting artists to the Conservatory have performed in the small 200 seat
hall or have had to move to the Hanoi Opera House in the city centre.
▪ HCMC Music Conservatory
The Conservatory in Ho Chi Minh City was established in 1956 as the Saigon
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National School of Music. A few years later it incorporated drama into its teaching
programme but the two departments were separated again after reunification in 1975.
It officially became the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music in 1981. The
building was extensively renovated n 1995 and a 400 seat concert hall incorporated,
becoming the only large-scale concert hall style venue in Vietnam.
The Conservatory offers a similar teaching programme to that of the Hanoi
Conservatory although on a smaller scale and with fewer students overall.
There are a number of other tertiary institutes which contribute significantly to
training many of Vietnam's performing artists. These include:
▪ Hanoi College of Arts
Offers diploma programmes in orchestral music, light music, keyboard, Theatre and
Dance, fine art and fashion, vocal and traditional music. Many students go on to
study at university level in other institutes after gaining the diploma here.
▪ Vietnam College of Dance
Trains both classical ballet and traditional dance, and is the usual training ground
for dancers who go on to work for the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB)
▪ Army College of Culture and Arts
Specialises in military instrumental and vocal music and dance, as well as
traditional culture
▪ Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema
Offers a 4 year degree programme in all aspects of modern or traditional Theatre.
The Film studies department also trains all aspect of film making, including the
technical aspects as well as performance
▪ Hanoi University of Culture
Offers a range of degree programmes in arts and cultural management, as well as
theoretical studies in mass culture, and museum and conservation studies, and
information and library studies.
▪ Hanoi University of Fine Art
This university started life in the French colonial era as the Indochina Schools of
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Fine Arts. It became the university of Fine art in 1981 and now offers undergraduate
and postgraduate degree programmes and has trained he majority of Vietnam's
leading artists.
▪ Hanoi University of Industrial Arts
This university also started life during the colonial era but became the university of
industrial arts in 1984. It now specializes in industrial design, applied graphic arts,
interior and exterior decoration and traditional fine art.
▪ Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts
This school started life under the French as the Bien Hoa school of Handicrafts
and, founded in 1903, has a long and important history. The college is an applied
fine arts school specializing in ceramics, bronze casting, and sculpture. In 2000 it
opened a new school of Fashion Design, and has gained a reputation as being one
of the country's leading fashion design training institutes. It also has an enviable
reputation for training graphic design as well as interior decoration and design.
▪ Hue University of Arts
The Hue University is also a colonial era institute. It now comprises five
departments: The Hue University of Arts; the Teacher Training college; College of
Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Medicine and the General university. The Arts
Faculty is the result of bringing together the Hue College of Fine Art and the Hue
National
School
of
Music
and
Dramatic
Arts.
It
now
offers
diploma
and
undergraduate courses and specializes in courses teaching the special Royal Court
Music of Hue
7) Conclusion
○ The past, present and future
In Socialist Vietnam, Art has historically been seen as Fine Art something which
must be aesthetically pleasing and a representation of the beauty of nature. Art
functions as a means to unwind after a hard day at work and should not be
controversial. To this was added the role of advancing the socialist cause and
strengthening the communist revolution through cultural activities, but above all art
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should nurture and develop the rich and diverse traditions which make up the
Vietnamese national identity.
The Open door policy gradually allowed Vietnamese artists to view art in a new
light and rethink its role in society. Vietnam has been exposed to the way art can
be used as a window on society and can expose society's strengths and weaknesses.
This can be unsettling and not a role the authorities have actively promoted. Rather
they have promoted the status quo and not only discouraged but even actively
prevented
the
arts
from
developing
and
experimenting,
and
associating
the
contemporary with negative social trends in the West. Art is there to build a
progressive Vietnamese cultural identity which promotes traditional values and a
civilized way of life according to Asian and socialist principles.
Nevertheless artists have been experimenting with new means of expression and
new ways to be creative. The government is also encouraging the socialization of the
arts which essentially means that the arts have to become self-sustaining and not
reliant on state subsidies. Unfortunately there has been no effective training in arts
and cultural management to enable this to happen. The situation for those who wish
to pursue the arts as a career has become increasingly difficult and there is little
hope to earn a decent living.
Until salaries and the incentives to go into the arts professionally are improved and
as long as the training in the creative industries is not catered for, the number of
professional artists will decrease. There are perhaps some signs that this is being
recognized and financial rewards are now higher than they have ever been, but still
not enough, and so it is increasingly difficult to attract students to take up arts as a
career. The number of students in the conservatories and performing arts training
institutions has increased but that has not yet translated into an increase in qualified
performers for the professional arts organizations around the country. The future of
the arts in Vietnam is very uncertain.
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H. The State of the Performing Arts in India
THEATRE INFRASTRUCTURE CELL,
INDIA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS
1) Introduction
The Natya Shastra, a classical Indian treatise on drama, dance, music and
stagecraft, was written between 200 BCE and 200 CE. This tells us that the
performing arts in India have a history that extends back in time by well over two
millennia. Indian performance is as varied as Indian cuisine, which as popular theory
has it changes every 50 kilometers. Equally diverse are the contexts of performance,
which range from religious, devotional, ritualistic and ceremonial to secular, political
and developmental. Performance in this country has served to educate, socialize,
entertain, celebrate, propitiate, exalt and bring about social change. It is done in
almost every conceivable location villages, small towns and big cities; and in formal
auditoriums, community centres, educational institutions, offices and the streets.
Every known genre of performance can be found in the country and these genres
take multiple forms. Puppetry, for instance, exists in traditional and contemporary
forms. Rod, string, glove, string-and-rod and shadow puppetry constitute the
traditional corpus of forms, while contemporary puppetry has drawn on forms and
techniques from here and abroad. Theatre in folk and contemporary forms is an
extremely widespread phenomenon in India. There is, however, only one form of
classical theatre, which survives in the southern state of Kerala. Contemporary theatre
is performed by amateurs, professionals and developmental and political activists. Its
motives can be purely aesthetic, commercial or ideological.
Dance can be found in folk, classical, modern and contemporary popular idioms.
Among the tribes and in villages, community or ensemble dancing prevails, often
rooted in seasonal festivities or rites of passage, such as birth, marriage and death.
Dance forms that have achieved a classical status largely take the form of solo
recitals. Modern solo or group dance draws on local movement traditions as well as
Western choreography. A few groups continue to perform modern Indian ballet,
which was developed by Uday Shankar in the 1930s, amalgamating Western ideas of
staging with Indian themes and dance techniques. There are also groups that draw
on the dance idiom of popular cinema and music videos.
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Music is represented by an even wider range of forms and its spread and density
across India is unrivalled by other genres of performance. There are two streams of
classical music Carnatic in the south and Hindustani in the north. Folk music is
found in urban and folk varieties, and is performed by individuals or groups. India
also has rich traditions of devotional music, like the bhajans (among the Hindus), the
gurbani kirtans (among the Sikhs) and the qawwalis (among the Muslims). There are
many pop, rock, fusion and film music bands, which draw on Western influences
and indigenous sources, and a few Western classical music orchestras. Music plays an
indispensable role in the other performing arts and it is at the core of countless
television programmes.
Performance art has made a beginning in India and it is not uncommon to see
work that combines genres or defies classification. There is now also growing
inclination among performers to use the digital media; to rely on improvisation,
collaboration and new points of reference such as current debates, personal
experiences and historical documents to create new work; and to look for new
settings and contexts for performance, which challenge and connect with audiences in
fresh ways.
Indian performance has been shaped by different circumstances of living and
streams of civilization. As Indian society is still predominantly religious and agrarian,
and has been so for millennia, it is not surprising that so many rural performances
are rooted in seasonal festivities or have religious significance. Examples are the
Bhangra, an energetic music and dance form from the Punjab, which marks the
advent of spring; the Garba, a ritual dance performed by women in Gujarat to
invoke the blessings of the goddess of fertility; and Theyyam from Kerala, an ancient
dance ritual invoking the spirits of deities and ancestors to fulfill human desires or
avoid hazards and perils.
The influence of Hinduismits mythology, caste system and forms of worship is
evident in performances even to this day. Traditional families of performers belong to
specific castes. The patronage of temples placed many performances within a strong
devotional context. Women who performed Sadir dance in south Indian temples were
ceremonially 'married' to the presiding deity and then dedicated their lives to
performing ritual and artistic duties in the temple. Some forms of music are said to
have evolved from Sanskrit temple chanting. Most folk and classical forms of
performance, moreover, tell stories drawn from Hindu oral epics, such as the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and other early literary sources.
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In the medieval period, the advent of Islamic rule under the Delhi Sultanate and
later the Mughal Empire over north India resulted in considerable cultural interchange
between Persian and Indian artists. Although north Indian classical dance and music
forms predate Islamic rule, they took a new shape and direction due to the
patronage they received in the courts of the new rulers. Khayal, the most widespread
form in which north Indian classical music is performed today, emerged under the
tutelage of Muslim kings. Classical music is most commonly played today on the sitar
and the sarod instruments that were introduced or modified under Mughal rule.
Kathak began to acquire its distinctive features when the dance reached the Mughal
court after the 15th century. Moving from the temple to the court, its focus shifted
from ritual to entertainment, from the religious to the aesthetic. Kathak dancers began
to dramatize Persian and Urdu poetry, not just Hindu mythological themes. Qawwali,
a form of Sufi devotional music, also came about through the confluence of Hindu
and Muslim ideas.
Colonialism exerted its own special influence on Indian performance. Naturalism in
contemporary Indian drama is one of its consequences. The Parsi theatre, which first
appeared in 1853, was also inspired by British stage productions that came to India. It
ushered in the conventions and techniques of realism, marking the transition from
stylized open-air presentations to a new urban drama. It employed local languages
(Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi), used the European-style proscenium with richly painted
backdrop curtains and trick stage effects, and depended on spectacle and melodrama to
create audience appeal. Although largely displaced by motion pictures in the 1930s,
Parsi theatre remains a vital component of the subcontinent's cultural heritage, significant
for its long-term impact on diverse regional theatrical styles and the popular cinema.8)
The many company natak groups that mushroomed in south India, for example, took
their cue from the Parsi theatre. The modern Indian dance ballet form was also a
product of artistic exchange between India and the West during colonial times.
Broadly speaking, British rule marked the beginnings of contemporary theatre in
India and changed the ways in which Indian classical music and dance were
patronized, staged and received, first in the cities founded under colonialism, and then
in the rest of India. Instead of at intimate gatherings, temples and courts, with
audiences seated on the ground, classical music and dance began to be performed in
proscenium theatres and use modern technology. Audiences were drawn mainly from
newly educated, urban middle-class professionals exposed to Western culture, who
8) Excerpted from http://www.vedamsbooks.com/no44842.htm
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established cultural organizations to support the classical arts. These developments
brought about a profound change in how classical performance is formatted and
presented. Needless to say, all forms of contemporary performance rely on conventions
of staging that India inherited through its contact with the West. There are forms of
traditional performance that continue to take place in village squares and temples, but
these too must adapt to modern stages when invited to tour or perform at festivals.
The movement to free the subcontinent from British rule generated nationalistic
discourses and sentiments that have also left their mark on the performing arts. The
rising sense of nationalism found expression in Agit-prop performances, revolutionary
plays and patriotic songs. Folk music also began to assume revolutionary overtones.
For instance, the Lavani, a form of folk music in north Karnataka, was used to
propagate revolutionary ideals as well as relay news about the freedom movement.
The nationalist movement and the Indian State since independence, moreover, have
cultivated the idea of national culture. During the last century, several dance forms
Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Mohiniattam among them were purged of their association
with the lower castes, regional histories and local identities, accorded a classical
status and reconstructed as expressions of a shared high culture and identity. Dressed
up as pure, transcendent art forms, tracing their ancestry to the Natya Shastra, they
were held up as powerful cultural symbols of nationalism. Indian institutions emerged
in colonial times to preserve, teach and provide public platforms for these
'classicized' forms of performance.
This nationalizing impulse also manifested itself in the 1980s, when the government
began supporting directors to develop stage productions based on folk performance
and ritual forms in their respective regions. Behind this aggressive promotion of the
'theatre of the roots', as it was called, lay the objective of inventing a 'genuinely'
Indian theatre, chasing away the 'unfortunate' spell that Western dramaturgy had cast
over it. This apparently indigenous theatre relied heavily on physical movement,
group composition and visual spectacle to secure recognition and acclaim outside the
regions in which it was produced.
The field of the performing arts in India is immense and enormously diverse, but
it is supported by relatively underdeveloped systems and infrastructure. As this report
will suggest, performance groups in this country endure in an environment that is
insensitive to their real needs. Apart from the many and growing festival platforms,
all other mechanisms and channels of promotion and support need to be renewed
and fortified.
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2) Performance Groups in India
In India, performing arts groups proliferate in cities, towns, villages and 'nukkads'
(street corners). They find their spaces to grow amid the harshest circumstances and
survive despite faulty or failing infrastructure and
lack
of
financial viability.
Performing arts groups include theatre companies, dance troupes, music troupes or
bands, puppetry groups and multi-disciplinary groups that combine a variety of art
forms in their performances. Groups may be commercial, professional or amateur,
registered or unregistered, a loose collective or a formal organization. They practice
diverse art forms spanning different genres and drawing from a huge number of
linguistic traditions.
a) THEATRE
There is a staggering array of theatre groups in India. Recent speculation about the
approximate number of groups in the country puts the figure at 40,000.9) Most
theatre groups create theatre and engage in activities like workshops and training that
might be related to the creation of their kind of theatre. Groups may be amateur,
professional repertory, commercial or alternative.
Amateur Theatre: Most of India's modern theatre is categorized as amateur. Those
who participate in it have little hope or expectation of making a living from it.
These groups are driven by various motivations, a love of theatre, the need to meet
people, and an urge to find stimulation outside the confines of their work lives.
Amateur theatre artists usually do theatre on a part-time basis or in the evenings after
work. They do not get paid. Sometimes their travel and other costs are covered but
not always. Often, groups raise just enough funds from corporate or other sponsors
to meet logistical and technical costs.
Amateur groups range in size and function and include groups that are totally
independent entities, those that are appendages of larger social organizations, and
those associated with colleges and other educational institutions. They may be
registered or unregistered. Typically, an amateur group has a leader (usually the
director) or a core team and a shifting group of peripheral members. The director is
often the guiding force and pivot around which the group revolves.
Many of the larger cities in India have a great number of amateur theatre groups.
9) As reported by Sudhanva Deshpande in 'Text and Drama' in Frontline, June 2006
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Kolkata, for example, has more than 3,000 registered amateur groups, including
Bahurupee, the Little Theatre Group and Nandikar.10) Mumbai has around 500
registered groups performing in a number of languages Marathi, Gujarati, English and
Hindi as well as Kannada, Sindhi, Bengali, Malayalam and Telugu. Well-known
amateur groups include Awishkar and Lalit in Marathi theatre; and The Company
Theatre and Working Title in English theatre.
Alternative Theatre: Amateur theatre groups typically struggle to mount a production
because of the expenses involved. Hall costs are often prohibitive and technical
infrastructure like stage scenery and lighting are also expensive to construct or rent.
In the 1960s, alternative theatre emerged as a revolt against these limitations and also
for ideological reasons. Alternative theatre groups spurn the complex and costly
infrastructural needs as well as the middle-class nature of commercial and amateur
theatre groups. They pursue a form of ensemble theatre created by common folk
and addressing their concerns. They use open spaces or unfinished halls with no
lighting equipment, and simple costumes and properties. Some examples are Badal
Sircar's Satabdi and Probir Guha's Alternative Living Theatre in West Bengal.
Street theatre is predominantly left-wing open-air theatre and may be driven by
political, developmental or economic considerations. Some street theatre groups have
come into existence during times of political upheaval. Others address developmental
issues and are often supported by NGOs. A third type performs in the streets to
reach audiences without incurring infrastructural costs. In north India, street theatre
was pioneered by Jana Natya Manch (Janam, formed in 1973) and in south India by
Samudaya (formed in 1975 with many units all over Karnataka). Janam logged about
7,000 performances of 58 street plays untill October 2002 and many of these have
been extensively translated or adapted, including in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Samudaya's Belchi (about a real-life massacre of members of the most oppressed
caste, Dalits, in Bihar) was performed about 2,500 times.
Professional Theatre: There are few professional repertory theatre companies in
India. Their financial viability does not derive from the box office, since audiences
are limited and ticket prices low. They survive on grants from the government or
private foundations and on fees earned from performances abroad. Some of them
also earn income by conducting training courses and workshops or renting the
infrastructure they have created to other organizations.
10) The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre, James R. Brandon and Martin Banham, Cambridge,
University Press, p. 75
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Ratan Thiyam's Chorus Repertory Theatre in Manipur (formed in 1976), Veenapani
Chawla's
Adishakti
in
Auroville
(formed
in
1981),
and
N.
Muthuswamy's
Koothu-p-pattarai in Chennai (formed in 1977) are some companies that have won
international recognition and managed to survive. Ninasam in Heggodu is a travelling
repertory company that sustains itself by taking its productions on extensive tours
through the state of Karnataka. The activities of some independent companies, such as
Bansi Kaul's Rang Vidushak in Bhopal, have shrunk as outside support has dried up.
There are a few repertory theatres supported by the state. For example, the
National School of Drama's Repertory Company in New Delhi was set up in 1964
with support from the central government. It performs all over the nation and
abroad, and has its own Annual Repertory Company Summer Festival. In 1986, the
Rangayana repertory company was established in Mysore by the government of
Karnataka and, in 1992, the Rangmell Repertory Company was set up by the
government of Goa at the Kala Academy in Panjim. A few repertory groups are
attached to schools or departments of theatre in different universities, such as the
Calicut University Little Theatre at the School of Drama and Fine Arts, University of
Calicut.
Folk theatre such as Therukoothu in Tamil Nadu, Yakshagana in Karnataka and
Tamasha in Maharashtra boasts a much larger constellation of professional groups.
They typically survive in small towns or villages with support from local communities
or cultural organizations. Folk theatre also receives encouragement from state and
central governments, which give awards and fellowships and sponsor performances.
Commercial Theatre: Commercial theatre thrives in such states as West Bengal (in
the east), Maharashtra (in the west) and Kerala (in the south). Since it relies on
box-office receipts, such theatre gives attention to entertainment values and appeals to
popular tastes. Melodrama, farce, bedroom comedies and adaptations of successful
Broadway plays comprise the staple fare of commercial theatre. Touring company
natak groups, which first emerged due to the cultural influence of British rule, form
another branch of commercial theatre and still survive in some pockets. Common
folk are drawn to their productions, which emphasize total entertainments heady
combination of spectacle, melodrama, music and dance.
Since, however, the term 'commercial' has pejorative connotations, most groups
prefer to be called 'professional' rather than 'commercial'. As a result, the term
'professional' is used variously to describe both amateur groups that approach their
work in a 'professional' manner and commercial theatre groups those that make a
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living from theatre.
Kolkata has a great deal of commercial theatre activity but financial viability
demands that a lot of the work has to be taken on extensive tours through West
Bengal. Commercial theatre in Marathi, Gujarati and English also has a huge
following in Mumbai and theatre people are paid well by middle class standards.
According to an informal estimate, some 600,000 people pay to watch commercial
theatre in Gujarati every year in Mumbai. For Marathi, the figure would be higher.
Commercial productions usually follow a Mumbai run with a tour of Europe, Africa
or America financed by Indian communities and organizations in those places.11)
b) DANCE
There are primarily two types of dance performance groups in India. Firstly, there
are dance academies and institutions that house and support performance groups.
The Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, founded by Bharatanatyam exponent Rukmini
Devi Arundale in 1936, is one of the most important dance academies in the
country. One of the wings of the Foundation is the Kalakshetra Repertory Company,
which performs ballets based on Bharatanatyam all over the world. The Darpana
Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad in Gujarat started as a dance academy
and today engages with the arts in multiple ways through performance and teaching,
development communication and software production. The core of the Academy is
the Darpana Performing Group, a group of multidisciplinary artists who perform using
dance, music, theatre, the martial arts and other related forms.
Arangham Trust, founded by Bharatanatyam dancer Anita Ratnam in 1992, is a
dance-based cultural foundation in Chennai that organizes collaborations, workshops,
seminars and cultural outreach activities to promote the performing and visual arts.
The Arangham Dance Theatre comprises a team of young, professional dancers from
around Chennai, who work with Anita Ratnam to create full-length classical and
contemporary dance theatre productions, cross-cultural experimentations and exclusive
programmes for corporations, NGOs as well as for young audiences. The Nrityagram
Dance Village in Karnataka was founded by Odissi dancer Protima Bedi in 1990 and
functions in the gurukul tradition, which involves students and the guru or teacher
living in proximity. Nrityagram also houses its own Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, a
group of dancers who draw on Odissi for their brand of contemporary dance.
11) As reported by Anna Bahney in 'THEATER; The Spotlight Is on Modern Theater in Bombay'
in The New York Times, 9 January, 2000
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Secondly, there are purely performance groups. The training they offer is often
restricted to preparing apprentice dancers to perform in their own specific type of
choreographed work. Examples are the Daksha Sheth Dance Company and Samudra,
both based in Kerala, which seek to create a bridge between contemporary dance
and traditional movement forms. Then there are groups working in the eclectic
modern Indian ballet tradition developed by Uday Shankar, such as the Mamata
Shankar Ballet Troupe in Kolkata, the Bhoomika Dance Company in New Delhi and
the Ranga Sri Little Ballet Troupe in Bhopal. Many smaller companies are now being
formed by young dancers with an interest in applying their training in classical
idioms to contemporary group choreography. Two such groups in Bangalore are the
Shiri
Dance
Company
and
Nritarutya.
Another
recent
phenomenon
is
the
mushrooming of popular dance groups that perform and teach 'film dance', derived
from the dance idiom found in Indian cinema and music videos.
Unless they have attracted international attention, these independent dance groups
struggle to survive. Sources of income variously include performance and teaching
fees, grants and corporate sponsorships. The groups are constantly striving to tap
diverse sources of funding so that they can keep performing. Narthaki, a directory of
classical Indian dances published by the Arangham Trust, lists over two thousand
dance academies and dance performance groups.
c) MUSIC
Music performance in India spans a gamut of forms such as classical, folk,
devotional, natya sangeet (drama music), light film music, rock and pop.
Classical Music: Strictly speaking, performance groups do not exist for the two
streams of Indian classical music Carnatic and Hindustani. In a classical music recital, a
lead musician, and sometimes two ('jugalbandis'), will sing or play with accompanying
musicians, including students. However, this group is not fixed or stable, as the
accompanying musicians may vary from one concert to another. Classical music
concerts and festivals are hosted and promoted by a wide range of organizations,
including government agencies, teaching academies and independent cultural bodies.
Folk Music: Folk music, which is performed individually or by groups, exists across
the length and breadth of India. Folk music originates in the rural heartlands and
musicians perform at village functions such as weddings, engagements, and births.
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The state of Rajasthan, for example, has a particularly strong tradition of folk music.
In these community-based forms, groups of musicians perform together. At one time,
musicians were tied to patron families and performed musical services for them, but
they now perform mainly on the concert stage, both in India and abroad. The
changes in the nature of support and in the local contexts of learning and
performing have resulted in a shrinking of the number of groups that perform
regularly as well as of their repertoire. Movies and pop music have also weakened
the hold of folk music. There are some local cultural organizations in Rajasthan,
however, that promote folk music groups in various ways arranging performances,
organizing teaching sessions for the younger generation and introducing instruments
and music techniques that are not native to the tradition, but enable the musicians to
perform in new and diverse contexts. The government, too, bestows folk musicians
with awards and fellowships and supports their performances.
Despite the narrowing base of folk music, there are folk musicians who have
successfully adapted to the new environment and become well known, like Swarn
Noora (Sufiyana Qalam), Manoj Tiwari (Bhojpuri music), Urmila Srivastava (Kajri) and
Shyam Lal Begana (Biraha). They perform along with their troupes at folk concerts
and informal gatherings, often in cities. They have also released CDs to popularize
their music.
Percussion Ensembles: An important example of folk and classical music is Kerala's
percussion ensembles. 'Melam' or 'Panchavadyam' are styles which are performed
during temple festivals or 'poorams'. These ensembles may include as many as 150
artists playing together in a performance that lasts three or four hours. The logistical
and financial difficulties of keeping such large groups together are many and they
have been struggling to survive in recent times because of the lack of patronage. But
it is still a big industry in this southern state. One district in central Kerala has
60,000
residents,
2,000
of
whom
are
professional
temple
musicians.12)
The
panchavadyam troupe under the tutelage of Peringode High School in Palakkad
district of Kerala is one of the oldest and has been around for more than 25 year
s.13) Mattannur Sankarankutty's group Mattannur Panchavadyam Sangam is probably
the most renowned.
12) As reported by Aditya Chakroborty in 'The discos just go da-la-la' in The Guardian, 13 June,
2008
13) As reported in 'They drum their way to success' in The Hindu, 12 May, 2000
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Western Classical Music: Western classical music has largely been considered a
hobby rather than a profession in India. Many of the groups consist of people who
play in their free time. For example, the Bombay Chamber Orchestra has 65 people,
including school children, college students and working people, who devote time to
it every Sunday morning. They organize four or five concerts every year. The
Mumbai-based Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) is an exception because it is run
like a professional orchestra. The musicians are paid and they attend music classes
five days a week. Besides playing orchestral and chamber music concerts, the SOI
serves as an accompanying orchestra for soloists, ballets, operas and musicals.
Rock Music: Rock and pop music has recently come of age in India and rock/pop
concerts by indigenous groups are becoming popular. Indian rock music is performed
in many languages, such as English, Hindi and Bengali. It often incorporates
elements of both Indian music and mainstream rock music and the songs have lyrics
that are topical and of local socio-political relevance. Most bands start by playing at
college festivals and then move on to rock festivals. As they rise in popularity, they
get opportunities to perform the curtain-raiser act at concerts featuring international
rock bands. Only a few, such as Indian Ocean, Indus Creed and Parikrama, do
regular concerts on their own. Recording companies, both new and established, are
now interested in marketing the music of local rock bands. Rock music bands are
burgeoning in north-east India, especially in Shillong, which has dozens of schools
and colleges. Other major cities also have a good number of local rock bands.
d) PUPPETRY
Puppetry in India takes both traditional and contemporary forms. While the world
of traditional glove, rod, string and shadow puppetry is shrinking, contemporary
forms of puppetry are growing in popularity.
Traditional
Puppetry:
Traditional
puppetry
groups
perform
stories
from
the
Mahabharata, Ramayana, Purana texts and other early literary sources. At one time,
kings used puppetry to narrate tales of their own heroism as well as to convey royal
edicts and instructions to the common man. Traditional groups have been declining
in number because of the popularity and penetration of cinema and television,
because they no longer enjoy royal patronage and because local communities are
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now less interested in supporting puppetry performances. However, some cultural
organizations, like Natanakairali in Kerala, are working to revive traditional puppetry
through teaching and performance. Also, the government supports traditional puppetry
shows and training and educational programmes.
Contemporary Puppetry: On the other hand, professional contemporary puppetry,
which draws on forms and techniques from here and abroad, is an expanding field
of activity. Unlike traditional puppetry, contemporary groups are located in the cities
and make extensive use of modern stagecraft. Some of the important groups are
Dadi Padumjee's Ishara Puppet Theatre and Anurupa Roy's Kat-Katha in New Delhi,
the Darpana Puppet Troupe in Ahmedabad, Suresh Dutta's Calcutta Puppet Theatre,
and Prakash Garud's Puppet House in Dharwad, Karnataka.
Contemporary puppetry is quite popular in India and most groups are able to
draw on various sources of support to continue their work. They organize shows for
schools, are invited to perform in local, national and international festivals, make
puppet-centred films, produce television programmes, and participate in NGO-led
developmental
and
education
programmes.
Some
are
housed
within
larger,
well-endowed arts institutions. In recent times, contemporary Indian puppeteers have
moved beyond a child-centred approach to create productions for adult audiences,
collaborate with dance and theatre groups, and incorporate elements from the other
performing arts in their work.
3) Infrastructure and Support
While the performing arts in India constitute a vast and varied universe, the
physical and institutional infrastructure to support, promote and fund this domain of
the arts is thoroughly inadequate and often ineffectual.
a) PERFORMANCE AND REHEARSAL SPACES
Only a handful of performance groups are privileged enough to have their own
spaces for rehearsals and performances. The majority of the groups have to perform
in rented auditoriums, which with management and programming of these privately
owned auditoriums, moreover, commercial imperatives nearly always trump artistic
requirements. Some theatres are not available for technical and dress rehearsals;
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others do not allow enough time for the setting up of a performance.
State governments as well as the central government have built a number of
auditoriums. The Government of India supported the building of large auditoriums
dedicated to the memory of Rabindranath Tagore in the 1960s in the capital cities of
most states. Although these public halls are cheaper to rent, they are ill-equipped,
poorly maintained and bureaucratically managed. Another disadvantage is that private
bookings can be cancelled at the very last minute if any government department
requisitions the hall for a public function.
Theatres in India are mainly of the proscenium type, which encourages a specific
idiom of performance. While some alternative theatre spaces have been built in India,
they are too few and far between. There is also a great need for flexible
performance spaces to accommodate the existing diversity in types of performances in
India. The Black Box at the Kala Academy in Goa is one of the few theatres in the
country that has been built to enable groups to configure the performing area and
audience seating in whatever manner that works for their performance.
Most schools, colleges, universities and institutes of professional education have
'multi-purpose halls', which are used for seminars, film screenings and student
performances. With a few exceptions, they are reserved for internal use and most of
them are in any case unsuitable for the kind of productions done by amateur and
professional groups. Small auditoriums are available for outside use in the cultural
centres set up by foreign governments, such as the Alliance Franaise, the Max
Mueller Bhavan and the British Council, which have a presence in all major cites of
the country. These spaces, however, are of variable quality and offer limited facilities.
The Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai and the Ranga Shankara in Bangalore are among
the rare performing spaces that have been custom-built for the theatre. They are also
rare in understanding the importance of programming and outreach work to build a
vibrant culture for the performing arts. Unlike other venues, they have become a
regular meeting point for artists, critics and the interested public.
In view of the dire state of performance infrastructure in the country, some
performing arts groups such as Adishakti (Auroville), Chorus Repertory Theatre
(Imphal, Manipur), and Natanakairali (Irinjalakuda, Kerala)have set up spaces for
themselves which are more suited to their performance practice. Most groups,
however, do not have the ability or resources to follow their example. Instead, some
of them have begun to look at performing in alternative spaces, like libraries, public
parks and art galleries.
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Musicians and music groups, despite making fewer demands on performance
spaces, are not well served by them either. Very frequently they have to suffer
theatres with poor acoustics and crude sound amplification systems. Indian classical
music (as well as dance) thrives on intimacy and interaction with audiences, which
modern auditoriums are not able to provide.
For obvious reasons, however, musicians have less need for space to conduct
rehearsals, workshops and classes than do theatre and dance groups. Spaces to
prepare and train for dance and theatre performances are difficult to find, although
the demand for them is vast and keeps growing throughout urban India. The few
spaces that are available are either ill-equipped lacking toilets or drinking water, for
example or too expensive to rent by most performance groups.
b) PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN SKILLS
Most auditoriums do not come equipped with the requisite technology for
performance. An inadequate number of lights, primitive dimmer boards and poor
sound equipment are some of the problems. By and large, performance groups that
need to use these auditoriums do not possess the necessary equipment themselves.
The high cost of hiring technical equipment compels most groups to make do with
what the auditoriums can provide. As a result, stage productions in India are notable
for their failure to use performance technology optimally or even efficiently.
There are many companies that hire out lights and sound equipment throughout
the country. There are also Indian manufacturers of stage lights and sound systems,
although the equipment they sell is of inconsistent quality. With the entry of
international brands, however, sophisticated lighting equipment is now widely
available, at least in urban India. But given the meagre circumstances of performance,
the use of scanners, moving heads and programmable boards on the stage is rising
very slowly.
Not many people in India have the know-how that goes into fashioning the
physical look of a performance. Only a few institutions, like the National School of
Drama in New Delhi and the Bharatendu Natak Academy in Lucknow, offer
specialization in such technical aspects as lights, sound, sets, costumes and make-up.
Trained designers, however, find it difficult to survive by working in the performing
arts and eventually migrate to corporate events, cinema and television. Many talented
designers, moreover, are unable to access and use superior stage technology
effectively, not only because of the prohibitive cost of hiring it, but also because
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most manuals for sound and lighting equipment as well as the operating software are
in English.
c) FUNDING
While the performing arts in India receive support from (1) corporations, (2) the
government, (3) developmental organizations, (4) bilateral agencies, and (5) trusts and
foundations, the quantum of funding available is inadequate to meet the needs and
challenges in this sector, often difficult to access, or fails to address the real issues
and problems in the field.
○ Corporations
Corporations in India do not see it as their social responsibility to assist the arts.
Instead the corporate sector draws on marketing budgets to sponsor performances.
Image-conscious companies, viewing arts support as a brand promotion strategy, are
naturally inclined to restrict their sponsorship to highly visible, influential, safe,
celebrity-led
and
'respectable'
performances.
In
sponsoring
these
performances,
moreover, their primary interest is in reaching audiences that their products target.
They do not generally support the rural performing arts or contemporary theatre in
the various regional languages, for example. Performing arts festivals find it easier to
attract corporate sponsorship because these attract audiences and media attention, but
even
here,
companies
favour
or
demand
the
inclusion
of
performances
by
well-known, popular or celebrated artists and groups. In a rare departure from
prevalent corporate practice, two theatre centres, one in Mumbai and one in
Bangalore, have received multi-year support for operating and programme costs,
although the corporations concerned are now withdrawing their support and there is
no evidence that other companies are inclined to provide assistance of a similar
nature.
Recent trends point to declining corporate interest in sponsoring stand-alone
performances, unless these take the form of mass entertainment and fill stadiums.
Marketing budgets are increasingly being reserved to support sporting events and
television programmes that have a mass following. Some niche brands still favour
support for smaller performances, but mainly as exclusive events for their valued
clients. Other companies have shown growing interest in larger, glitzy contemporary
dance performances to mark special occasions, like the announcement of a joint
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venture, the annual gathering of employees or the visit of an international business
delegation. Dance groups are paid sizeable sums of money for creating customized
performances for such celebratory corporate events.14)
○ Government
The central and state governments support the performing arts in myriad ways.
The Ministry of Culture of the Government of India, for example, provides funding
for infrastructure building, travel, awards, scholarships and fellowships. The Sangeet
Natak Akademi (SNA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, was set
up in 1953 specifically to support music, drama and dance. The SNA provides
fellowships, makes salary and production grants to performing arts groups and travel
and research grants to individual artists, promotes young talent in different ways,
gives awards to eminent artists, supports playwrights in various regional languages,
and organizes performances and festivals, both nationally and regionally. It also
supports publications, seminars and workshops. SNA has special grants for inter-state
artist exchange programmes within India and an Indo-Foreign cultural initiative which
funds exchange between Indian and foreign artists. The different state governments
also have regional SNAs and departments of culture that pursue a pattern of funding
for the performing arts
similar to
the
central government,
although
not as
wide-ranging.
Another autonomous body of the central government, the Indian Council for
Cultural Relations (ICCR), supports artists to perform at various international festivals
and artists from other countries to perform in India. ICCR also offers fellowships and
grants for students from other countries to study the arts and specifically the
performing arts in India. Seven zonal cultural centres across the country, supported
by the central government, also have funds to promote the performing arts among
other art forms within their respective zones.
The State's support for the performing arts, however, is often unrealistic and
inefficient. The largest chunk of public funding for the arts goes towards supporting
the state machinery that has been created to support the arts. Building grants and
salary grants function with impractical norms and ceilings that are disconnected from
ground
realities.
And
it
is
common
knowledge
that
political
influence
and
bureaucratic caprice play a key role in determining who gets awards and fellowships
14) As reported by Anita Ratnam in 'Dancers Bank on Corporates' in the Deccan Chronicle, 8
July, 2008
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from the government.
○ Bilateral Agencies
The number of bilateral agencies is increasing in India. Some are supported by
foreign governments (for example, the British Council, the Indo-Korean Cultural and
Information Centre and the Max Mueller Bhavan) and others by foreign private funds
(for example, Pro Helvetica of Switzerland and the Swedish Council).
A few of these agencies, in particular those that have branches in many Indian
cities, do not generally fund performance-related projects in India but encourage
performing art groups to use their facilities to hold performances, workshops,
meetings and seminars. Occasionally, they also support artists from their respective
countries to work with performing artists and groups in India.
The bilateral agencies that provide some form of funding support focus on
cross-cultural initiatives. Funds may be provided for Indian performing artists to travel
to the bilateral agency's country of origin for the purpose of developing new work,
either on their own or in collaboration with other artists. Support may also be
provided for workshops and dialogues with an intercultural emphasis.
○ Foundations and Trusts
There are a few international and national foundations that provide grants in the
field of the performing arts in India. The Japan Foundation, with its interest in
promoting dialogue across Asian countries, has given Indian performing artists grants
to undertake study tours and research in Japan and to develop productions
collaboratively with Japanese artists. It has also supported workshops in India that
promote dialogue and exchange between performing artists from India and other
Asian countries. The Dutch non-governmental organization, Hivos, has funded
performing arts institutions to strengthen pedagogy and conduct outreach programmes.
Although the Ford Foundation's interest in the performing arts has declined in recent
years, it made grants in the 1980s and 1990s to establish documentation centres for
theatre and folk performance, develop new methods for teaching the classical
performing arts, and enable selected theatre groups to achieve financial stability and
artistic autonomy.
Among Indian foundations, the group of trusts established by members of the Tata
industrial family has made the largest investment in the performing arts field. They
have, for example, established the National Centre for the Performing Arts in
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Mumbai, supported performing artists to undertake arts education programmes, funded
the
building
of
curriculum
and
teaching
capacity
in
a
university
centre
of
performance, helped strengthen the infrastructure for teaching and practice in certain
performing arts institutions, and supported the creation of a forum for theatre artists.
The Tata trusts have recently established a Theatre Infrastructure Cell (TIC) in
association with India Foundation for the Arts. TIC's key objectives are to support
model projects that demonstrate various imaginative approaches to the creation of
theatre infrastructure and build and disseminate knowledge about best practices in
this area.
India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), established in 1993 and based in Bangalore, is
the only independent grant-making agency in India focused exclusively on the arts.
Its various programmes are nationwide in scope and, in the performing arts, provide
support for research and new creativity. IFA has also made grants to strengthen
education in and through the performing arts.
Some educational foundations provide scholarships for study, research or training
abroad, which are also available to performing artists and playwrights. The Inlaks
Foundation, the Paul Foundation and the Charles Wallace India Trust are three such
foundations from which performing artists can avail of scholarships for such purposes.
○ Developmental Organizations
Many NGOs, and the donor agencies that fund them, support the performing arts
from a developmental perspective. Thus theatre and shadow puppetry groups will be
supported to create performances that communicate anti-dowry, family planning or
civic messages to target audiences. Performing art groups accept such assignments,
since these augment their meagre income. At the same time, such work often diverts
them from their core concerns and erodes their relationship to their own practice.
d) EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Performing arts training is offered by a large number of university departments and
centres, and government-supported or privately managed academies.
In the mainstream educational system, more than 80 universities have included
drama, dance and music as subjects in the undergraduate syllabus. Many universities
have set up separate departments and faculties, which teach one or more of the
performing arts, including at the postgraduate level. Undergraduate education in the
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performing arts, which gives more emphasis to training performers than to scholarship
and criticism, suffers from shortage of staff and insufficient infrastructure and
resources. There are also universities specializing in the fine arts and music, such as
Indira Kala Sangit Viswavidyalaya (Khairagarh, Madhya Pradesh) and Rabindra Bharati
University
(Kolkata).
Some
independent
teaching
academies
are
affiliated
to
universities, like the Nalanda Dance Research Centre in Mumbai, which offers
graduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees recognized by the University of Mumbai.
At
the
school
level,
the
performing
arts
have
hitherto
been
treated
as
extracurricular activity, though recent national education policy formulations have
emphasized the importance of including the arts, both visual and performing, as
compulsory subjects in the school curriculum. As a result, the National Council of
Educational Research and Training, which assists and advises government in the
implementation of state policies for education, is devising curriculum for all stages of
school education in the visual arts, theatre, music and dance. The Centre for Cultural
Resources and Training (CCRT) is another important institution set up by the central
government to strengthen the link between culture and education at the school level.
Headquartered in New Delhi, with two regional centres in Udaipur and Hyderabad,
CCRT offers a variety of training programmes to in-service teachers with an overall
focus on formulating methodologies to incorporate an arts component in curriculum
teaching.
The Government of India has created autonomous academies for the performing
arts. The Sangeet Natak Akademi runs two dance teaching institutions the Jawaharlal
Nehru Manipur Dance Akademi in Imphal, Manipur, and the Kathak Kendra in New
Delhi. The National School of Drama, New Delhi, functioning under the Ministry of
Culture, offers a three-year certificate course in the Dramatic Arts, with specialization
available in direction, acting and stagecraft. Kalakshetra, a major teaching institution
for classical dance and music in Chennai, which was once independent, now
functions under the aegis of the central government. Some state governments have
followed the Centre's example and set up theatre academies, like the Bharatendu
Academy of Dramatic Arts in Uttar Pradesh and the Rangayana in Karnataka. The
government of Goa's Kala Academy has faculties to teach dance, drama, and Indian
and Western music.
There are a huge number of independent academies that teach the classical
performing arts. These can be large institutions with many branches (like the
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, which teaches Hindustani classical music) or very small
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ones, functioning under the overall guidance of a single guru or teacher (like the
Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts in Chennai). They may focus on providing
a home for the pursuit of traditional modes of teaching (such as the ITC-Sangeet
Research Academy in Kolkata, which specializes in north Indian classical music) or
they may emphasize the development of modern teaching methodologies (such as
Brhaddhvani in Chennai, which focuses on south Indian classical music).
There are fewer institutions engaged in the teaching of the folk performing arts
and they are mostly located in the smaller towns. The Yakshagana Kalakendra in
Upudi offers a full-time integrated course in Yakshagana, a folk theatre form of
coastal Karnataka. Similarly, the Kattaikkuttu Kalai Valarchi Munnetra Sangam, based
in
Kanchipuram,
teaches
the
folk
theatre
form
of
Kattaikkuttu
(also
called
Therukoothu) from Tamil Nadu.
Private teaching institutions for the contemporary performing arts are the fewest in
number. Notable among them are the Attakkalari Centre for the Movement Arts in
Bangalore and the Ninasam Theatre Institute located in the village of Heggodu, which
offers a 10-month certificate course for students drawn from small towns and villages
in Karnataka. In the independent sector, most training in modern dance, theatre and
music is acquired informally or through short-term courses or workshops offered by
performing arts groups or cultural organizations. Unfortunately, people with formal
training in contemporary performance, particularly theatre, are quickly drawn away to
cinema and television because of the lack of opportunities for earning a livelihood in
the performing arts.
e) RESEARCH, DOCUMENTATION AND PUBLICATION
Documentation centres that support scholarship and practice in the performing arts
are particularly numerous in classical music and folk performance.
The archives of the ITC-Sangeet Research Academy (Kolkata), the Samvaad
Foundation (Mumbai) and Sampradaya (Chennai), for example, are especially useful
for
aspiring
classical
musicians.
The
Archives
and
Research
Centre
for
Ethnomusicology in New Delhi, a repository of the field recordings and notes
generated by researchers of folk and classical music, is an outstanding resource for
scholars. All the stations of All India Radio across the country have vast collections
of historical recordings of classical music, as do organizations that have hosted music
festivals for many decades. While these recordings are not accessible to the public,
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they are gradually being released on CDs.
There are resource centres of regional folk art and performance in many states that
address the needs of scholars as well as performers. They undertake audio-visual
documentation, bring out publications, hold workshops and seminars, and conduct
outreach programmes among folk art communities. Some give awards to folk
performers, represent their interests to government and arrange performances for them
at festivals. Among the notable regional centres are the Regional Resource Centre for
Folk Performing Arts in Udupi, Karnataka; the Folklore Resources and Research
Centre, which is attached to the Department of Folklore, St Xavier's College,
Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu; and Rupayan Sansthan in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The most
important non-profit organization in this area, however, is the National Folklore
Support Centre (NFSC) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, which is dedicated to the promotion
of
folklore
nationwide
through
research,
publication,
archival
and
teaching
programmes. NFSC also provides a range of platforms for the dissemination of the
folk arts.
Government agencies, such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) and the Indira
Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, also have significant documentation of music,
dance and drama on various media. The SNA collection, however, is poorly
preserved and catalogued, and bureaucratic procedures make it very difficult to
access.
Archives specializing in dance and theatre (traditional or contemporary) are thin on
the ground. The only large and significant material collection of classical dance and
modern Indian ballet is the Mohan Khokar Dance Archives of India, which
researchers can access by contacting Ashish Khokar in Bangalore. There are two
important repositories of diverse materials relating to contemporary theatre the Natya
Shodh Sansthan (NSS) in Kolkata and the Natarang Pratishthan (NP) in New Delhi.
Because of their respective locations, NSS has a stronger focus on theatre in West
Bengal, while NP gives superior coverage to theatre in Hindi. Unfortunately, the
Theatre Development Centre at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in
Mumbai is no longer operational and its research, archival documentation and video
recordings of theatre practices in western India are not currently available for public
use.
Performing arts scholarship, criticism and publishing is a weak area in India. With
a few exceptions, mainstream newspapers and magazines in English, unlike the
regional language print media, do not give space for serious writing on the
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performing arts. The Oxford University Press (India) and Seagull Books are the only
English-language publishers of well-researched books on the performing arts and
translations of Indian plays into English. Although limited in number, there are some
important journals however. These include the quarterly Natarang, in Hindi and on
Hindi theatre, published by Natarang Pratishthan; the monthly Sruti on classical south
Indian music and dance; the biannual Theatre India (in English) and the quarterly
Rang Prasang (in Hindi) on theatre, published by the National School of Drama;
Attendance, a year-book on dance brought out by the Mohan Khokar Dance Archives
of India; and the annual Indian Folklore Research Journal, published by the NFSC.
The biannual ArtConnect, published by India Foundation for the Arts, also carries
serious articles on the performing arts.
f) FESTIVALS
Performing arts festivals constitute a vast and continuously growing area of activity
in India. Many government bodies and state-supported agencies run festivals; so do
many cultural organizations, often with the help of corporate sponsorship and/or
government assistance. Festivals offer performing artists and groups opportunities to
showcase
their
work,
often
in
places
outside
their
area
of
operation,
see
performances and forge connections with artists from other regions, and earn some
money.
In the public sector, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in partnership
with state governments, sponsors a number of annual classical dance festivals at
various tourist destinations, especially historical temples. These include the Konark
Festival in Orissa, the Natyanjali Festival in Tamil Nadu, and the Khajuraho Festival in
Madhya Pradesh. Autonomous bodies, established and supported by the Ministry of
Culture, also organize festivals. The Sangeet Natak Akademi conducts national and
regional festivals of folk and classical dance and music, and folk and modern theatre,
including puppetry. The National School of Drama organizes the Bharat Rang
Mahotsav, the largest annual festival of contemporary theatre in India. State
governments, too, in partnership with local cultural organizations, support festivals,
though they place greater emphasis on the folk arts of the region. The Government
of Karnataka, however, also supports the Bengaluru Habba, a large city festival in
Bangalore, which features folk, classical, and contemporary theatre, dance and music.
In the private sector, festivals of classical music and classical dance are the most
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numerous. At any one point in time, a number of such festivals will be taking place
in different cities and towns. The larger among these festivals have been running for
several decades. For example, the Dover Lane Music Conference in Kolkata and the
Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav in Pune, Maharashtra, have both been in
existence since 1952. The Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan has been taking place in
Jalandhar, Punjab, since 1875. But by far the biggest festival event in the country,
which is devoted to south Indian classical music and dance, takes place over nearly
two winter months in Chennai. Called the Chennai Music and Dance Festival, it
actually comprises a constellation of festivals that run simultaneously, each hosted by
a different cultural organization, at venues ranging from auditoriums and temple
premises to heritage bungalows.
By comparison, there are only a handful of independently promoted festivals
devoted to contemporary theatre. Important among them are the Prithvi Theatre
Festival in Mumbai, the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival in Bangalore and the
Nandikar National Theatre Festival in Kolkata. A festival of plays nominated for the
Mahindra Awards in Theatre Excellence is also held every year. Neither the
government nor the private sector has considered it important to support a festival of
contemporary dance.
Four recent developments are worth noting. The first is the emergence of multi-arts
festivals, such as the Bengaluru Habba in Bangalore, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in
Mumbai, and The Other Festival (now renamed The Park's New Festival) in Chennai,
which showcases alternative and experimental work in music, dance and theatre from
India and elsewhere. Secondly, festivals are beginning to function from multiple sites,
not only in cities, but also across cities and towns. A portion of the Prithvi Theatre
Festival was presented as part of the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival in 2004. A
Satellite Festival of the Delhi-based Bharat Rang Mahotsav was seen in Mumbai this
year. In 2007, the Bengaluru Habba began in Bangalore and then moved to small
towns in Karnataka. Originating in Mumbai, Thespo, the only youth theatre festival in
India, has grown into a three-city event. Thirdly, media houses and industrial groups
have started 'owning' festivals and presenting them under their name. Two examples
are The Hindu Metro Plus Theatre Festival and The Park's New Festival, both in
Chennai. The fourth development is the growth of festivals jointly supported by
governments and corporations.
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g) OTHER SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS
There is a miscellany of other organizations that are supportive of the performing
arts in different ways. Multi-art complexes and performing arts centres, built by the
government
and
by
independent
trusts,
house
diverse
venues
for
staging
performances. The National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, built by the
Tata trusts, has four auditoriums of various audience capacities and technical
infrastructure, including a small 100-seater recording auditorium and an experimental
theatre that affords performing groups a degree of elasticity to configure the space
for performance and the placement of the audience. The Kala Academy, set up by
the government of Goa, also has four auditoriums of varying sizes, one of which is
a flexible black box and two are open-air theatres. It also offers rehearsal space and
lighting and sound equipment for rent at modest rates. The India Habitat Centre in
New Delhi, a non-profit initiative, has created very popular indoor and outdoor
performance venues.
Networks and associations of performing artists or groups are notable by their
absence. Only two examples come to mind. One is the India Theatre Forum, which
was set up by the Prithvi Theatre in 2006. The Forum, which is convened twice a
year in different places, provides a major opportunity for theatre artists, administrators
and scholars to reflect and deliberate on various issues in their chosen field of work.
An important focus of the Forum is to discuss and document the various conditions
under which theatre survives in India and explore different models of economic
sustainability for theatre institutions. The second is the Youth Association for Classical
Music in Chennai, which aims to promote classical music amongst young people. It
organizes debates and competitions, brings out a newsletter and provides platforms to
showcase promising south Indian classical musicians.
Two other organizations that work with the young are the Society for Promotion
of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC-MACAY) and Toto Funds
the Arts (TFA). Headquartered in New Delhi, with many chapters around the country,
SPIC-MACAY's mandate is to reconnect school and college students to their
performance heritage. This is done through holding lecture-demonstrations, concerts
and festivals in educational campuses, and providing scholarships to young people to
gain exposure to the performing arts in a traditional setting. TFA, on the other hand,
focuses on the contemporary arts. Established in Bangalore in 2004, it nurtures young
urban, yet-to-be-recognized talent through support for awards, performances, readings
and workshops.
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4) Emerging Trends
○ National and International Exposure
There is increased circulation of performances within India because of a more
vibrant festival culture. Indian performing arts have also become more prominent on
the global stage, with artists gaining access to a number of opportunities for
participation in foreign festivals and international collaborative projects. Some of these
opportunities may be attributed to the dramatic upswing in India's economic fortunes,
which has produced widespread international interest in promoting partnerships with
Indian
arts
groups
and
showing
how
India
expresses
itself
in
visuals
and
performance.
The growing Indian diaspora is also a source of foreign assignments for Indian
performers. To foster belonging and strengthen a sense of cultural identity, many
cultural bodies in foreign countries invite Indian performing artists, particularly
classical dancers and musicians, to give performances, lecture-demonstrations and
workshops. Some diaspora organizations, such as the Bengal Cultural Association and
the Maharashtra Mandal, contribute to the promotion of more specific performance
forms from their respective linguistic regions. Sometimes, such events are encouraged
and promoted by foreign governments as part of their immigrant assimilation policy.
The Indian government has also been making a concerted effort to highlight Indian
art forms at international forums to build the country's reputation as a premier
tourism destination.
As a result, incomes have risen modestly, and in some cases sharply, for a
significant number of performing artists and groups, who are now also more exposed
to new audiences, new thinking and new trends in the field. This is likely to lead to
greater hybridity, a weakening of regional distinctiveness and more rapid changes in
idiom and content in the performing arts.
○ Performance Art
Performance art which blurs the line between performance, installation and visual
art has struggled to establish a presence in a country where traditional performance
offers much to discover, but the genre seems to be emerging in recent times. This
year, the Khoj International Artists' Association in New Delhi, hosted a six-day, first
of its kind, International Performance Art Festival called Khoj Live '08. Spread across
the city at art galleries and cultural centres, the festival included among its more
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'radical' performances that of Pakistani artist Mehr Javed who wore a gas-mask and
breathed through the lungs of a recently slaughtered goat. Artist Neha Choksi from
Mumbai drugged herself with Valium for her performance and was accompanied in
the room by a donkey, a sheep, and two goats with four videos being transmitted in
the background. Reactions were mixed and it will be interesting to see how
performance art unfolds in India in the near future.
○ New Settings
Performance groups are experimenting with new settings and alternative spaces,
such as parks, backyards, cafes, restaurants and offices. For example, The Company
Theatre initiated the 'Theatre at Home' series in May 2000, performing a short play
every fortnight in a private residence in Mumbai. The Industrial Theatre Co. is
another group in Mumbai that has staged a number of plays in alternative settings,
such as Girish Karnad's Hayavadana at Horniman Circle Gardens and Jean Genet's
The Maids at the National Gallery of Modern Art. While economic constraints often
lie at the heart of such endeavours, a spirit of innovation and the desire to break
away from received ideas about the staging of theatre also drive some of the
performers. In fact, the Industrial Theatre Co. was founded on the principle of
finding alternative spaces for theatre and takes its name from its favourite theatre
space Mumbai's shut down textile mills.
○ Multimedia in Performance
There is a growing tendency to explore the many ways in which multimedia can
be used in performances. For example, Anurupa Roy's About Ram uses puppetry and
multimedia to tell a familiar story in new ways. Many young directors are also using
audio-visual projections to explore new realities or create scenic effects. Girish
Karnad's Bikhre Bimb sets the action in a television station and the tele-image of the
character in the play forms an important counterpoint to the actor. Arjun Raina, in A
Terrible Beauty is Born, a play exploring relationships between people separated by
time, space and culture, uses video projection as an alienating device. The coming
years are likely to witness greater use of technology in performance, mixing of media
and
convergence
of
forms,
which
will
demand
new
ways
of
seeing
and
understanding performance.
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○ Devised Performances
Short stories, biographies, historical documents, poetry everything has become fair
game as sources for performance. Indian directors and actors are increasingly devising
performances through dialogue and workshops, using personal experience, topical
issues or recent public events as the starting point. The enthusiasm for new reference
points for performance stems from artistic restlessness and a desire to explore
immediately relevant content. Also, despite the spurt in playwriting in languages like
Marathi and English, not enough substantial and meaningful plays are being written for
the expanding field of theatre. For example, Jaimini Pathak's Mahadevbhai is based on
historical texts on Mahatma Gandhi's life and weaves anecdotes and letters into the
narrative to create a new theatrical idiom. In Kolkata, Santanu Bose has turned to
diaries, news reports and other documents to develop a cycle of performances that
probe the gaps in the history of the revolutionary Naxalite movement.
5) Needs and Challenges
That the performing arts in India should survive, flourish and even take new forms
and directions in highly inimical and unhelpful circumstances is a conundrum. But
that comforting thought should not make us sanguine about what the future might
hold for this sector. The physical infrastructure for performance is completely
inadequate or in a state of disrepair. Many rural and community forms of
performance face extinction because of the rapid erosion of the social contexts that
nurtured them. Audiences for the performing arts, except in some areas like classical
music and commercial theatre, are small and shrinking further. While there are
pockets of excellence, it is generally true that contemporary and classical performance
is mediocre and stagnating.
Grants and subsidies are never likely to fully offset the absence of a mature
economic environment for the performing arts. Indeed the performing art groups that
have prospered and grown are those that have attracted donations and grants as well
as drawn audiences and earned professional fees, sometimes by leveraging the
expanding festival circuit, if not in India, then abroad. Clearly, if performance groups
are to survive and expand their work, they must undertake audience development
and build the required capacity to take greater advantage of opportunities to earn
income from performances and through other means.
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What this demands, firstly, is for performance groups to change from within. They
must start to manage their work more professionally and commit themselves to a
process of institution building. They must become entrepreneurial in an effort to
become more self-reliant. In other words, they must develop marketing and
communication skills to cultivate their immediate constituencies (those who attend
performances and those who promote or sponsor them, such as festival authorities,
government agencies and corporations) as well as potential clients for their many
other assets, skills, systems of activity and products. Even rural and community
performers will need to develop capacities to negotiate with new contexts for
performance. Performance groups, however, need help to develop new systems of
working, expand their field of operation, diversify activities and build gainful
relationships and partnerships.
Secondly,
therefore,
external agencies
need
to
review
the
nature
of
their
engagement with the performing arts. Corporations have the expertise to assist
performance groups in such matters as governance, financial management and
strategic planning. Grant-making bodies can give more attention to providing support
for institution building in this sector, and learn to distinguish between the imperatives
of culture and the demands of development. People who develop, manage or design
performance venues can become more sensitive to the real needs of performers. The
larger
centres
for
the
arts
could
apply
their
resources
to
outreach
and
audience-building programmes; instead they have begun to see their role as limited
to renting out performance spaces and other facilities.
But how will the mindsets and perspectives of these influential groups be altered?
Who will advocate for change in the way they work in or for the performing arts?
In the end, performing artists alone can represent and espouse their own interests.
The creation of many more convergence points for the performance community
platforms, networks and associations would certainly enable it to discuss and address
the issues that beset the sector in a concerted fashion. For example, the formation of
collectives of folk performers representing specific traditions can apart from making it
possible for them to learn from each other, secure and teach their repertoire, and
generate performance opportunities for themselves strengthen their capacity to protect
their interests and become more self-determining in negotiating the nature of their
participation in government and NGO-sponsored programmes.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. The performing arts field is a house
divided by ideology, language, class and caste. Getting performers to put aside their
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differences and come together to speak in one voice is among the greatest
challenges in this sector. Secondly, because they are relatively impoverished,
performing artists will find it hard to pay membership fees and sustain forums and
networks in other ways. Ironically, therefore, grant makers and governments have a
role to play in nurturing partnerships and alliances among performing artists, even if
one of the prime objectives of such associations might be to alter the thinking and
behaviour of their backers. Another option is for donor agencies to set up outfits
that work in consultation with members of the performing arts community to bring
about positive change in one or more key areas. Such units can build knowledge
and expertise, support demonstration projects, and document and disseminate best
practices in their areas of focus.
Audience building, however, is one area in which performance groups can take up
many initiatives without external help. They can use and develop 'found' informal
spaces to bring performances regularly to different neighbourhoods. They can adopt
long-term audience development strategies, such as conducting workshops, doing
lecture-demonstrations and showing performance-related films in schools to build
appreciation for the performing arts among the young. Performance groups also need
to produce more work that occupies the middle ground between high art and crass
commercialism, which retains serious intent, yet has wider appeal. Happily, some
among the younger generation of performing artists have begun to think along these
lines.
Anindita Sengupta
Anish Victor
Arundhati Ghosh
Anmol Vellani
THEATRE INFRASTRUCTURE CELL at INDIA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS
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I. Kingdom of Cambodia A General Overview
of the Performing Arts
Soun Bun Rith
Country Director of Amrita Performing Arts
1) INTRODUCTION
Present-day Cambodia is a small and under developing country, but rich in term of
its cultural heritage. This small land has over 1,500 ancient temples, which includes
Angkor Wat, proclaimed by UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 1992. In addition, the
territory boasts around 5,000 Buddhist monasteries and is well endowed with a whole
range of different art forms. Performances are held in the 19 provinces and major
cities in the country including Phnom Penh, the nation capital and Sieam Reap, the
ancient capital of Angkor civilization. Cambodia has over twenty different forms of
music, dance and theatre genres. Most Khmer classical art forms date back to
between the 1st and 6th centuries (the Funan or Norkor Phnom Kingdom). Currently,
half of the performing art forms are great endangered due to prolonged civil war
and instability in the society. However, the process of reconstruction is advancing
well and Cambodia has finally emerged to take its rightful place on the world stage
again.
Thanks to countless efforts and the devotion of the surviving masters, the Khmer
Classical Court Dance – Robam Boran - was proclaimed a "Masterpiece of the Oral
and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO in November 2003, and the Large
Shadow Puppets - Sbek Thom - received the same status in 2005.
In less than four years, the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) wiped out over two million
people, among them scores of dancers, actors, directors, writers and musicians. Over
ninety percent of a nation's performing artists perish at the hands of this brutal
regime, the preservation and revitalization of the country's ancient cultural heritage
becomes a matter of international concern.
As Cambodia slowly rebuilds its confidence and a sense of national identity, the
performing arts are at the heart of the process. Painstaking work must be done to
record the memories of dancers who survived the Pol Pot era so that ancient
classical ballets are documented before they disappear forever. At the same time
young performers are eager to find their own form of expression in new creativity.
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But there remains a lot to do. As well as the work required to preserve the classical
traditions and support the artists themselves, there is a critical need to develop local
arts management expertise and fundraising skills. All this costs money, and we can
only build this essential capacity with the generous financial support of our donors.
The classical dance style Robam Boran, is considered a sacred dance form in
which the heavenly nymphs Apsara dancer were the essence of celestial purity and
believed to provide the link through which prayers passed from the Kings to the
realm of the deities. The source materials for Khmer classical dance were Hindu in
origin. The Mahabharata epic enjoys a strong position in the repertory but the story
that endured and which to this day Cambodians find deeply moving, is Reamker, the
Khmer
version
of
the
Ramayana
and
the
staple
diet
of
classical
culture.
Commissioned by the early Angkorian kings, this moral story charts Rama's love for
Sita and her abduction by the evil King Ravana. It was during the latter days of the
empire, when the Khmer kings converted to Buddhism that the Jataka story (the lives
of Boddhisattvas) assumed an important role in the repertory. The form remained
consistent, every gesture represents a human emotion, interpreted by the four primary
roles: the female role (Neang), the male role (Neay Rong), the giant role (Yeak) and
the monkey (Svar). The ten piece musical ensemble of wind, strings and percussion
known as the Pinpeat always accompanies the dance as well as singers who narrate
and direct the performance. In its earliest form, Khmer classical dance was reserved
strictly for female dancers and only later in the 20th century, were men allowed to
join in the roles of the Monkey and the Holy teacher.
But Classical dance represents only one of a multitude of different performance
idioms. Particularly, during the first half of the 20th century, the country boasted an
astonishing variety of performance traditions of which musical and theatrical forms,
circus and folk art, as well ritualized and ceremonial dances connected to religious as
well animist beliefs.
The Male Masked dance style, Lakhaon Khaol has practiced as early as the Angkor
era. It is believed to have started approximately in the 9th century in accordance
with bas-reliefs found on Angkor temple walls. This form was developed as an
entirely male version of Khmer classical dance. The exact reasons are still unknown
but some research had pointed to the growing out of religious context in which
Brahmanism was in conflict with Buddhism during the reign of King Jayavarman VIII
(1243 – 1295). In this time, many female dancers were killed and others were taken
on as concubines. Training male dancers was an opportunity to create a dance form
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based on Buddhist doctrines. The only story specifically performed by Lakhaon Khaol
is the Reamker epic. The performance is accompanied by story telling, with the
narrators playing a key role in directing the performance.
Meanwhile, Siam Reap become the source of three very different forms of shadow
puppetry, one large (Sbek Thom), one small (Sbek Touch), one colored (Sbek Por)
and performed in daylight. Large shadow puppet, Sbek Thom is an old traditional
form that can be traced back to the Angkor period as seen on temple inscriptions. It
is a sacred art form that exclusively performs the epics of Reamker, Khmer version
of the Ramayana. The form highly detailed leather puppets in large panels are place
on a white screen whose movements are highlighted by shadow. Traditionally, Sbek
Thom performs at the rice field by using coconut shell to set the fire.
Robam Boran, Sbek Thom and Lakhaon Khaol considered the most ancients sacred
art forms remaining from the Khmer Angkor civilizations. By no means were all of
them ancient, with several popular forms coming into existence in this globalization
era, which facing great difficulty.
The influence of Javanese Wayang Kulit to the Cambodian small puppet, Sbek
Touch is unmistakable. The puppets are made of leather and their arms and legs are
moved by small, thin sticks attached to the body, and a mouth that can be opened
to imitate speech and songs of narrator of the story. Stories are often comic and
intended to create heavily laughter. Sbek Touch does not adhere to the Ramayana
though based on contemporary folktales of everyday life. On the contrary to the
shadow forms Sbek Por, a variety of different colors were used to paint the figures
on medium-sized cut leather. The puppets have no moving parts but are presented
in one panel, similar to Sbek Thom, the large shadow puppet. Artists perform in
front of a large screen and wear costumes relevant to the story and create dialogues
within each character. Stories are varied, random from myths to legends though
Javanese Pangji story. This art form is performed in day time only. Sbek Por has
been revitalized in year 2000, after disappeared from the repertory almost a century.
Complimenting the ancient all-male masked dance version was the female masked
dance, Lakhaon Pol Srei from village-based pagodas around Phnom Penh. Lakhaon
Pol Srei is literally translates as female narration. Unlike the male masked, which use
a separate group of narration, the female ensemble take turns narrating while other
members continue to dance and the dancers often lift their masked and narrate
directly to the audience. There is no restriction of story to perform this genre.
The differentiation of theatrical and musical idioms that exists in Western art,
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perhaps, has no equivalent in Cambodia. Lakhaon Yike, a hybrid form of musical in
which popular stories and mythical subjects are both sung and spoken in dialogues
became immensely popular during the 1920s. Its repertories include both traditional
and contemporary stories. Skor Yike drums play an important role in accompanying
this drama form. It is believed that this art form have a strong link to Jike of Malay.
The Chinese opera influenced, Lakhaon Bassac, an expansive and highly stylized
form of theatre originated in Kampuchea Krom, an area of Cambodian subsequently
appropriated by Vietnam. Spread by itinerant troupes along the Bassac and the
Mekong rivers, it became a permanent and popular fixture of rural and urban life
before the civil wars.
To the point, the modern spoken theatre, Lakhaon Niyeay did not take root until
the early 1930s and is considered one of the youngest among the twenty different
forms of Khmer dramas. Modern spoken theatre is strongly rooted in Western
literature but the form has evolved to meet the needs of Cambodian audiences.
Spoken theatre adapts Khmer folktales and legends, along with modern Western
novels presenting themes of everyday life.
In dance and drama, music coexistence with dance and drama forms. However,
music ensemble also stands on it own function. The oldest musical form, Pleng Arak
is traditionally performed to accompany spirit possession ceremonies. When individuals
are unwell, or have problems that are believed to be cause by evil spirits, spirit
possession ceremonies are performed to exorcise the bad spirit and restore peace and
harmony to the community. Pleng Kar music developed over the centuries became
extracted into a new and separate performance, which took place during the wedding
ceremonies. Accompanied by singers, this light-hearted musical performance gives
advice to new couples about creating and maintaining a happy family and successful
marriage. Cambodians, from the first cry to the death, lead a life filled with music.
Cambodian's other traditional forms including folkloric dance, poetry theatre,
Lakhaon Kamnap, a modern form of musical drama, Lakhaon Pramodtei, traditional
circus and modern theatre. In all there are over twenty forms of Cambodia dance,
music and theatre.
Some folklore traditions, such as dance, drama and music, still continue to
function, locally, at social events and rituals such as Buddhist ceremonies, Khmer
New Year occasions, wedding celebrations, and some others religious ceremonies,
despite struggling for funding and fighting daily for its survival.
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2) CURRENT SITUATION
Since the fall of the Khmer Rouge during which over 90% of all artists perished,
there has been a miraculous revival of Cambodia's performing arts heritage due
largely to the initiative and determination of the surviving masters who have nurtured
into existence a new community of hundreds of actors, dancers and musicians.
Numerous international organizations have stepped forward to share in this process
and today the emphasis is starting to shift from a mindset focused on revival and
preservation to that of creativity and productivity. This initiative has generated public
interest
in
funding
fully
staged
performances,
providing
limited
employment
opportunities for the artists, as well as to reconnect the Cambodian public with their
performing arts heritage.
In early 2004, the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA) and the Secondary School of
Fine Arts (SSFA)became the victim of a land deal in which the north campus for the
performing arts was sold off with a high class residency housing replacing the current
structures. In exchange, the land developer agreed to build a new campus. In some
parts of the world, this might have been considered encouraging news: the old campus
was dilapidated and lacked basic facilities. In fact things only went from bad to worse
in that the new campus was built on a site miles outside the city centre; new equally
inadequate buildings were erected without consultation or thought as to how best to
take advantage of this new opportunity and little attention was given as to how to
manage the interim period before the new campus would be built.
The situation came to an explosive climax in June 2004 when some buildings were
bulldozed even while students and teachers were conducting final exams on campus.
Riotous scenes of teachers and administrative secretaries running into offices to save
files from being buried under the rubble of soon to be demolished buildings, and
fist fights breaking out among guards hired by the developer and campus dwellers
who had not yet identified new housing solutions, became the norm.
Since the new campus opened in December 2005, an estimated 50% of the student
body has dropped out largely as a result of the campus's inaccessibility. The distance
has increased the cost of motorbike petrol to a prohibitive amount for most students;
there are still no plans for on campus student housing and options for buying food
are pitifully limited. To make matters worse, the final three kilometers of road
leading to the new campus are a dirt path shared by motorbikes, cars and
construction trucks. This ridiculous situation is still continuing at the time of writing
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of this report, which became great hurdles to artists as well as to the current
performing arts situation.
The Royal Government of Cambodia has yet to provide solutions on how to
sustain its cultural heritage beyond the Angkor temples and its celebrated tangible
heritage. It has little policy with regard to intangible culture and has consistently
demonstrated both ignorance and indifference to the plight of their artists. Under the
current Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA),
the Secondary School of Fine Arts (SSFA) and the Department of Performing Arts,
known as National Theater (NT)remain demoralized and under funded institutions.
And yet RUFA, SSFA and the NT have, despite all odds, produced a new generation
of young, eager and in many cases, visionary artists who represent a pool of
potential future arts leaders.
However despite the many frustrations experienced of the current transition stage,
artists are challenging themselves to find a way to realize their works though various
arts organizations and corporation. Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts needs to realize
the enormous values and contributions of civil society institutions whose missions and
goals align the overall development of arts and culture of the nation.
Fundraising within the private sector remains unpredictable and challenging and yet
there have emerged a growing number of private donors, providing limited but vital
income. The Cambodian corporate sector's participation in this process has been
minimal but there are signs that they are slowly beginning to recognize the benefits
of sponsorship to their public profile.
Cambodia is finding way of ensuring sustainability for art and cultural activities; a
reliable livelihood for the artists and cultural workers that have been well trained to
take
on
more
substantial
responsibility
in
arts
making
and
more
consistent
employment for a limited but committed pool of artists. These conditions, far from
stifling the growth of the arts scene in Cambodia, have given birth to a new breed
of artists, one that realizes the next steps must come through greater independence.
3) GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts currently lacks the funds to contribute
towards the revival and preservation process of its own performing arts heritage
beyond basic infrastructure support for the National Theater, the Royal University of
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Fine Arts and the Secondary School of Fine Arts. The government funded
infrastructure includes salaries ranging from $15~$35 a month, production support for
occasional performances for foreign dignitaries or special civic events and some
maintenance bills but it is not consistent and obviously leaves nothing for public
performances, international and domestic tours, research, documentation and exchange
projects which are the primary targets of international support. Yet, there is so much
to do; strengthening the national policy in support of the arts has never been a
priority of the government's development plans. The infrastructure is not in place,
and capacity building for the artists is highly demanding in this age of globalization.
Performances facilities such as venues, costumes, sets and props were far beyond the
current available resources in place.
The Government needs to go beyond just keep repeating that cultural infrastructure
was heavily damaged during the Khmer Rouge regime, which many of the country
intellectuals and performing artist were massacre. But it is almost three decades till
now after the fall of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime.
○ The Primary Performing Arts Institutions in Cambodia:
▪ The National Theater:
The National Theater consists of over 250 artists who represent all forms of
Cambodian classical and traditional dance, music and theater. The company continues
as the Ministry's official department of performing arts with an almost nonexistent
budget. They rarely give public performances except when commissioned by the
government for official state functions or holidays and some tours or when funds are
identified through private initiatives to support public performances from corporations,
nonprofit organizations and embassies. The old Tonle Bassac Theatre, a cultural
landmark was destroyed and relocated. In its place was the newly constructed
National Theatre, with not even a primitive facility as an auditorium. The location is
no better, located behind an infamous Night Club as a consequence of a land deal
exchange.
▪ The Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA):
Originally, RUFA was established in 1965 by King Norodom Sihanouk. By 1975,
just before the Khmer Rouge came to power, RUFA had become one of the finest
training programs of classical music available in Southeast Asia and boasted a number
of fine chamber orchestras. The Faculties of Khmer Classical and Traditional Dance
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and Music produced Cambodia's finest dancers and musicians for what is still
considered one of the greatest dance traditions of Southeast Asia. In 1980 it
reopened and developed into a university and eight years later at which point the
faculty and student body took up residence in an abandoned barracks in the city.
Painstaking efforts by surviving artists have once again nurtured back to life a body
of hundreds students representing all forms of Cambodian dance, music and theater,
from which artists are selected for local performances and international tours. In 1993
the returning of the second kingdom, the school was given back its original name as
Royal University of Fine Arts with higher education curriculum.
▪ The Secondary School of Fine Arts (SSFA)
The newly established Secondary School of Fine Arts for high school age students
of the performing arts gained its separated administration entity in 2004, after moving
into the new campus, located outside the city center in a difficult to access part of
the town. SSFA consists of five body; schools of dance, theatre, music, circus and
plastic arts. Discipline and initiative on the part of the students is remarkably high
despite the fact that teachers often are unable to attend class as they are forced to
seek other forms of employment to supplement their low wages. On any given
morning, one can experience a wide range of activities on the campus as students
study and practice all performance disciplines. Sadly, few of them actually secure
employment in their chosen field though some of them do go on to be teachers, art
educators in smaller provincial schools or become members of the National Theater.
Despite the current great difficulty, the artists continue to develop their craft and
persevere in their efforts to being their arts work to the general public.
Not to underestimate the importance that there are Department of Culture and Fine
Arts, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts spread through 19
provincial towns and 3 cities, with their network through local districts overall the
country.
4) INDEPENDENT ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
Consolidation for the sake of long-term stability and sustainability requires even
greater networking and partnership. One of the greatest assets of independent arts
organizations has been its ability to link Cambodian artists with international
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counterparts for developing new work, training in all aspects of production and
technical design and management, presenting work both locally and internationally,
festival management, etc.
Cambodia's burgeoning community of young artists needs access to guidance and
expertise not yet available in Cambodia and to work with fellow artists who have
more freedom and experience in expressing their contemporary artistic values. The
Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, though still ineffective as a supporting entity, is
more willing to put a blind eye to contemporary works once considered a threat to
the revival and preservation process. In the case of some more enlightened members
of the ministry, we have even seen gestures to welcome these works as a new and
creative means of advancing their cultural heritage. Nonetheless they continue to be a
force of resistance not only to the development of new works but often to the
presentation of entirely traditional repertory both in Cambodia and abroad for reasons
that remain a mystery to all involved.
A remarkable momentum has been achieved in the post war mission to revive and
preserve Cambodia's great performing arts legacy through years of support from such
programs
as
the
Rockefeller/Asian
Cultural
Council
led
Mentorship
Program,
Cambodian Artists Project, numerous research and documentation projects through the
Japan and Toyota Foundations; programs initiated by UNESCO, the French Cultural
Centre and others. These efforts were strengthened through the full time commitment
of smaller NGO's such as Amrita Performing Arts, Khmer Arts Academy, Cambodian
Living Arts, Reyum Art Institute, SovannaPhum, PHARE and others. International tours
initiated and supported by numerous partners have brought Cambodian classical
dance to mass audiences in the USA, Australia and throughout Europe, not to
mention the immediate region.
○ Amrita Performing Arts
AMRITA Performing Arts (derived from the Sanskrit word meaning 'eternity'') is an
International NGO based in Phnom Penh, with US nonprofit status. Its mission is to
promote, preserve and sustain Cambodia's ancient heritage of dance and theater.
AMRITA collaborates with performers of the Royal Cambodian Ministry of Culture as
well as independent artists in mounting professionally staged performances of
traditional
classical
work
both
locally
and
internationally,
while
developing
contemporary creative expression in music, dance and theater. Capacity building
underpins all of AMRITA's activities. Growing technical resources require more
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complex theatrical skills, as well as competence in arts management and fundraising.
Amrita works directly for the benefit of the artists, hence, had contributed
tremendously to the process of preservation and revitalization of the country's
national heritage. Immense gratitude to the Rockefeller Foundation for the exceptional
grants of three consecutive terms for two years each which enabled Amrita to run
administrative overhead as well as a number of other activities. Amrita also secure
more funding from other sources for various projects basis.
In view of this Amrita partner organizations have become even more crucial to the
next stage of development and sustainability.
○ Cambodian Artists Project (CAP) and LINC:
The Cambodian Artists Project is a working partnership between Amrita Performing
Arts, The Royal University of Fine Arts, the Secondary School of Fine Arts and
Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC). For the past three years, the program has
made over sixty grants, benefiting countless more artists in Phnom Penh in support
of creative projects envisioned by artists of RUFA and SSFA. This work represents a
significant component of the efforts undertaken to support the development of arts
and culture in Cambodia and represents fifteen years of ongoing collaborative efforts
initiated by Samuel Miller, president of LINC that has brought together numerous
local and international organizations.
This program is currently conducting its third and final cycle of the CAP granting
scheme. Each cycle led an average of sixty artists through two phases. The first
phase was to write a one-page letter of intent, outlining the objective and justification
for their project. Once accepted, those applicants were given a small planning grant
that allowed them to develop their ideas into full proposals. The grants allowed for
research materials, local travel expenses, computer rental, etc. A board of trustees
reviewed the proposals and a certain percentage of the applicants were awarded
project grants to help them begin to develop their project. The grants never
exceeded $600, a modest amount, which forced the artist to focus on the
development of the ideas rather than on production.
The program offered extensive workshops in writing proposals as a mechanism to
refine project ideas and to document work in addition to developing new projects.
In addition the staff of Amrita remained available throughout the process in an
advisory capacity. LINC arranged annual visits to Cambodia to coincide with the start
of each cycle to not only conduct the workshops, but to introduce other practitioners
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from the performing arts industry to the artists to share their insights and answer a
wide range of questions from the students and teachers who are normally confined
to a limited pool of information resources. The current Rockefeller grant allowed
Amrita to augment the last two delegations with a strong Asian representation. These
meetings provided excellent networking opportunities that have led to fruitful
collaborations, workshops and tours.
The current cycle marks the end of this particular phase of the CAP program but
by no means the end of the relationship between Amrita and CAP. The three-year
granting scheme has been a highly effective turning point in our efforts with very
positive results and the process has helped to define the direction the future of our
collaboration should take.
In its next phase, LINC and Amrita will implement the CAP with a focus on
regional networking and workshops. At the conclusion of the first phase, there is a
large pool of artists who have been involved in residencies, development of new
projects, and touring that is eager to further develop their skills and creative vision.
Through workshops, residencies, and small scale conferences or forums, we will
connect Cambodian artists with scholars, artists, and leaders in the field of arts and
culture to further the professional development and creative source of talented artists
in Cambodia.
○ Asian Cultural Council (ACC)
The process of revival and preservation will continue for many years. We are
extremely fortunate that some elder masters are still among us, willing and able to
share with the younger artists their vast experience. Numerous works from the
classical dance and theater repertory have yet to be revived and some forms remain
at risk of being lost forever. After ten years of dedicating its efforts to supporting a
program in which the surviving elder masters could pass on their knowledge to the
younger generation of teachers, the Mentorship program, as agreed by both
Rockefeller and the RUFA administration, will shift its format for the final two years
of its operation to focus instead on production. This shift highlights the general
consensus that stage production is the natural next stage following revival and
preservation. It is through this program that Amrita will continue to support the
classical revival movement even as its primary mandate shifts to smaller contemporary
works.
ACC has been a major collaborating partner with Amrita since its inception,
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supporting many exchange programs and fellowships that have benefited a wide
range of Cambodian artists representing all performance disciplines. Amrita and ACC
will continue to work in close collaboration to manage this final phase of the
Mentorship program. The program will offer six grants of approximately $5,000.00
each per year for a two-year period to fully produce classical and traditional
repertory. Additional funds will be available for augmenting further production
support, documentation projects and regional exchange programs as to how they
related to the proposed productions. Priority will go to proposals that stress a strong
component of mentorship with elder masters throughout the production process.
○ World Dance Alliance (WDA)
Cambodia became WDA's newest member in January 2006 and Amrita is the acting
president for the Cambodian chapter. We are also the Asia Pacific chair for the WDA
network
on
promotion
and
management.
A
number
of
contemporary
dance
workshops have been initiated through our affiliation with WDA and our position as
network
chair
will
open
numerous
opportunities
for
future
networking
and
collaborations. Through this network, there numerous capacity building projects had
been made by sending artists to work with international professional artists in
collaborative, master classes, workshops and exchange programs. A documentary,
working title book Beyond the Apsara: Celebrating Dance in Cambodia, about
continuing the momentum of traditional performing arts to contemporary dance in
Cambodia is currently being developed.
○ Arts Network Asia (ANA)
This is Amrita's second year as representative for Cambodia on the ANA peer
panel representing ten countries which has consequently led to a far greater number
of Cambodians having access to this valuable granting scheme than in its first years
of existence. Cambodia's projects selected for these grants have so far benefited
visual artists and performers from various disciplines including circus and dance.
○ Khmer Arts Academy (KAA)
The Khmer Arts Academy is a public benefit organization, currently dedicated to
fostering the vitality of Cambodian arts and culture and to expanding the role arts
and culture play in the development and wellbeing of young people and society as
a whole. The Academy sees itself as a nexus of arts and culture in a community
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that is endowed with wonderful traditions and that is looking for ways to use those
traditions to improve its quality of life and to elevate its place in mainstream society.
Through its numerous activities, the Academy seeks to create a continuum of
recruitment, training, outreach, creation and performance that develops accomplished
artists and diverse, informed audiences. The Academy's activities include creative
projects and international touring, training programs, public performances, outreach in
public schools and research projects.
Amrita has collaborated with KAA developing numerous new works based on the
classical dance form, choreographed by its Artistic Director Sophiline Cheam Shapiro.
Projects have included "Othello", "Seasons of Migration" and "Pamina Devi".
KAA recently moved to Cambodia and created a center based at a suburb of
Phnom Penh. The Khmer Arts Ensemble became the first company in Cambodia
which employed about 40 fulltime dancers. Beside their performances income, KAA
receive funding supported from various foundations from the US, corporations and
individual donations.
○ Cambodian Living Arts (CLA)
CLA is a project of World Education in Cambodia. The mission of Cambodian
Living Arts is to support the revival of Cambodian traditional art forms and to inspire
contemporary artistic expression. CLA envision Cambodia in the year 2020 as a
country experiencing a cultural renaissance so dynamic that the arts – and not the
Killing Fields –have become Cambodia's international signature. Khmer arts will
become a wellspring of strength and resiliency, and a vital source of healing and
reconciliation.
CLA's four core programs – teaching, performing, recording, and new commissions
–support Cambodia's master performing artists and their students to develop skills and
relationships that will enable them to generate income and develop as leaders, while
also helping to preserve and celebrate their heritage.
Amrita is currently collaborating with CLA on the creation of a new Cambodian
opera entitled "Where Elephants Weep"composed by the Cambodian musician Him
Sophy. The work had its first semi-staged premier in Lowell Massachusetts in April
2007 and Amrita will produce the Cambodian premier in 2008. Other future
collaborations will include tours organized in collaboration with the WOMAD world
music festival circuit.
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○ Apsara Arts Association (AAA)
Apsara Arts Association is a local non-governmental organization created in 1998 by
a couple, Chhay Sopha and Vong Metry, artists from the Royal University of Fine
Arts. AAA was established with the belief to see Cambodian arts and culture become
more valued and popular in Cambodia as a whole, as well as in the world in
general, thus sustaining and developing our culture.
AAA has trained hundreds of children within the community of which considered
vulnerable due to poverty issues, family matters and save many street kids from
self-destruction to learn and appreciate the richness of Khmer arts and culture.
Amrita continue to help oversee funding and coordinate with their major donor,
however AAA is budding capacity toward and able to secure others sources of
funding for their growing activities. Recently they are able to create a regular
performance program every Saturday evening for their local community and tourist.
○ Sovanna Phum Art Association
A local association established in 1994,a group of students from the Royal
University of Fine Arts began to share their efforts in performing traditional Khmer
arts, music and dance. A performance space was acquired and has been a venue for
shows and exhibitions ever since. Sovanna Phum translates as "Golden Village".
Incorporated as an association in 1995, the group's goal is to bring Khmer traditional
culture to a wider audience, both locally and internationally as well as generate
income for the artists.
Since its inception, Sovanna Phum becomes a space for experiment and creativity.
It provides opportunity to practice and perform their talent, as it is one of the small
community theatre available for performances open to the general public. Without
any grant, it does survive by making puppets for sales and revenue from their
regular show program.
Sovanna Phum theatre becomes the only theatre in town with regular performance
program every Friday and Saturday evening and very known amongst tourist for
cultural activities. It has toured extensively in Cambodia as well as internationally.
Recently they took a theatre educational program on bird flue and are touring
throughout local community in Cambodia to promote health issue funded by AED,
FAO and UNICEF in collaboration with Cambodian Ministry of Health.
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○ Phare Ponleu Selpak(PPS):
Phare Ponleu Selpak started back in 1986 in Site 2, a Refugee Camp located on
the Thai border. From simple drawing workshops for children in the camps, the idea
of an artistic association emerged: an association that would use art and expression
to help young refugees overcome the trauma of war.
The experiment continued after the young refugees left the camp to return to their
homeland in Battambang. In 1994, Phare Ponleu Selpak was founded by former Site
2 camp children, now young adults. The newly born association found a home in
Battambang province. The association quickly diversified its activities. Along with
drawing, came music, circus, a library and lots of other activities such as an
animation centre, a school and a literacy support program within a comprehensive
project, educative, social and cultural actions extended in the village. In 2002,
collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and UNICEF allowed the association
to welcome young victims of human trafficking, AIDS orphans, and children living in
extreme social situations. Finally, in 2003, thanks to a partnership with the Ministry
of Education, a public school with a capacity of 830 students settled inside PPS.
Three hundred village children who had never been to school before started
attending classes as soon as the school opened.
Currently, PPS circus troupe is very known and emerging to be the strongest
professional troupe, which located 300 kilometers North of Phnom Penh.
○ French Cultural Centre (CCF)
CCF is under patronage of the French embassy in Phnom Penh and recently has
contributed significantly to the cultural activities in Cambodia. The annual festival in
front of the Angkor temple considered one of the prestige events which brought
together the French dance company and the Khmer classical ensemble of the Ministry
of Culture and Fine Arts on a big stage with the light up Angkor temple as a back
ground stunned a magnificent nights. Expanse to their film festival, music festival,
circus festival, the theatre festival program was created last year and attempt to make
as annual event where open opportunity to theatre group from all over the country
could possibly come to meet and share experience as well as the neighbor of the
region.
○ UNESCO Cambodia
This UN agency, though there has been more attention given to the safeguarding
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of tangible heritage in Cambodian, in particular Angkor, its intangible heritage is
recently recognized as equally important and valuable for the development of the
country. As a UN body, UNESCO work with the high level of government official on
cultural policy making for a national plan rather then direct benefit to the production
scheme with artists like NGOs such as Amrita and others. Currently, in close
collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts with the support of
UNESCO/Korea Funds-in Trust, the national program on Living Human Treasure is at
its priority of implementing strategy.
There several other organizations that direct and indirect contributed to the benefit
of the performing arts in Cambodia such as Kruos Sar Thmey, Mith Samlanh and
Tiny Toones. These organizations work mostly through outreach and non-formal
education programs to train street kids and underprivileged children to enjoy art and
lead a life painted with creative art.
5) AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Since 2000 there has been great effort of arts organizations to support Khmer
performers to enhance their artistic skills and realize their creative work. Their
activities so far have demonstrated that not only is there a growing market for
performances in Cambodia, but overseas audiences, too, have a keen interest to
witness the talent of Cambodia's exquisitely skilled dancers; and Cambodian theatre is
beginning to enjoy a prominent presence at international festivals.
The long-term effort is to have weekly performances in the capital all year round
and performance tours throughout the country to benefit local Cambodian people. At
this point, seeking funding to mount a regular program of monthly shows in which
all
performance
forms
will
be
represented
is
still
facing
greatly
challenges.
Cambodians are eager to return to the theater as the proof from recent experience
shows
a
significant
increase
in
audiences,
achieving
full
houses.
Without
supplementation, the revenue from low ticket price policy cannot by itself enable the
transition to the next stage, of a sustainable performance program.
The revival of Cambodian performing arts not only for the sake of the artists but
also for the Cambodian public which was one of the strongest theater going
traditions in all of Southeast Asia prior to the Khmer Rouge Regime. The attendance
of current public programs has proven without a doubt the appreciation by the
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Cambodian public though retaining returning audience remains difficult. "Teaching" an
audience how to return to the theater requires that programs be available ongoing
and not sporadic programming.
The advantage of the very centrally located Theater, launching a very aggressive
publicity campaign through radio, TV, Khmer and English press, artist driven flyer
and poster distribution, theater banners etc. gave way to excellent high number of
attendance. The current experience proved a surprise change in audience behavior
such as aware of ticket reservation needed, register on waiting list when tickets are
sold out, arriving on time at the door, applause with enthusiasm and unrestricted
emotions, in all this was the result of years of audience learning process.
Sovanna Phum succeeds in sustaining themselves with weekly performances geared
towards the expatriates and tourist community by charging $5.00 per ticket and thus
succeeding in guaranteeing their artists a minimal income. This is a noble and
admirable endeavor, proving to be successful.
Amrita maintains a strong commitment to the ideals of capacity building and
sustainability. Our past statements have included: "True sustainability will only occur
when we have achieved consistent employment opportunities for a significant number
of artists and production staff with performances averaging every weekend, at least
nine months out of the year". All Amrita's shows are at the Chenla theatre with
supplemented funds for public presentation. Tickets are sold for riel 3,000 and 6,000
($.75 and $1.50 respectively) to make art accessible to most levels of Cambodian
society while encouraging the purchase of higher priced tickets by those with means
to do so. The shows in 2007, audience members were asked to fill out questionnaires
from which we learned a great deal about the kind of work the average Cambodian
wants to see, how they heard about the performance, comments on the artistic quality
of the work and requests for improving our program. The most frequently stated
criticism was the lack of consistency in the scheduling of performances, with many
asking why it was not possible to see a different performance every month of the
year or indeed every week. The program proved beyond any doubt that the
Cambodian audience insists on being like other culturally conscious societies in which
performances can be seen at any given night of the week.
Cambodia is still a long way to fully realizing this ambitious goal but it has made
great strides and with the on going assistance funding and other corporate partners,
augmented income from private donors and foundations as well as ticket sales, we
are confident that a realistically comprehensive program can be achieved.
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6) TREND OF WORKS
Greater
opportunity
for
classical
court
performances
to
tour
internationally
throughout Asia, Europe, the United States and Canada, not to mention within the
regions, to share the experience of the beauty of Cambodian performing arts to
people around the world.
The renewal work on Khmer classical dance form, choreographed by Sophiline
Cheam Shapiro such as "Samritechak" based on "Othello" of Shakespeare, "Seasons of
Migration"a new choreography based on contemporary context of self-frustrations and
coexistence in tradition, and the "Pamina Devi", a classical dance interpretation of
Mozart's "Magic Flute", had been invited to major festival throughout the United
States, the Venice Biennale, New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna and to
Amsterdam.
A revival production of Lakhaon Bass, a Khmer legend, "Neang Kakei", in the
spring of 2005 received capacity building including training workshops in Taipei and
Manila in 2006, and follow up technical workshops with Mr. Wu Hsing Guo, director
of the famed Contemporary Legend Theater in Taipei. The Cambodian artists returned
to this work with newly refined physical and vocal skills. The production was put
on again, with great success, at the Chenla Theater in Phnom Penh in July 2006.
Annemarie Prins of the Netherlands directed "3 Years, 8 Months, 20 Days"
(indicating the duration of the Khmer Rouge regime), her style of using Beckett texts
had given new tendency to the modern spoken theatre in Cambodia. After two years
of research and workshops, this new Cambodian play which premiered in Phnom
Penh in early 2006 and had been featured at the 2007 Singapore Arts Festival as well
invited to the Holland Festival. A tour to the US for January 2009, is being
considered and process with the necessity step. Ms. Prins has identified a Dutch
Foundation, which will support the development of a new work, "Breaking the
Silence"to begin rehearsals by early 2009. She introduced new acting styles and a
montage technique using different layers of expression which benefited greatly for
Cambodian theatre actors. This time she will use the same Backett techniques in
developing a theatre piece as a motor of inspiration in a social process. Art for
social change is a contemporary art practice in most parts of the world, and one
which demands further exploration in Cambodia and become part of its contemporary
theatre practice and make up.
A new commissioned of Lakhoan Kaol "Weyreap's Battle" featured an excerpt from
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the Ramayana epic had made a stunned history of the form. It is the first time ever
this art form had been toured out of the country, in Thailand 2003, Melbourne Arts
Festival in 2005 and London's Barbican Centre in 2007. This production, which
involves nearly eighty artists, was a collaboration
between
Cambodia's Royal
University of Fine Arts and the country's National Theater, resulted from a year of
research and workshop with elderly masters.
A tangible significant contribution to portrait a new initiative of contemporary
dance in Cambodia, a workshop and showcase produced by Cambodian and Thai
artists and based on the form of Lakhoan Kaol was a ground breaking work. This is
the first Cambodian contemporary piece, Revitalizing Monkeys and Giants was
premiered in Phnom Penh in April 2005, was part of the opening event when the
new National Museum of Singapore was inaugurated in December 2006 and also has
been selected for the Singapore Arts Mart in 2007. This venture was initiated by
Amrita Performing Arts and the Department of Dramatic Arts of Chulalongkorn
University in Bangkok with sponsored by the Prince Claus Foundation.
Again, a new work choreographed by Canadian Peter Chin "Transmission of the
Invisible"recently showcase in Phnom Penh and had premiere in 2008 as part of the
prestigious international series of New World Stage at Harbourfront in Toronto. This
work explores the physical traces of the transmission of the invisible such as from
the nature which enter the soul to the passing on of the spirit of a people through
the teaching of its cultural form, between people from different cultures who do not
understand each others languages but share some thing profound in a wordless
communication
Cultural Exchange Program is one of our most important and successful activities
and makes an enormous contribution to the capacity building of Cambodian artists.
Amrita has secured funding to send energetic young artists to join in many regional
and international programs designed to build up their knowledge and artistic vision.
Some exceptional youth have gained valuable knowledge and experience from youth
choreography workshops and international festivals in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Hong
Kong as part of the World Dance Alliance, Point to Point, and the Asia-Europe
Dance Forum in Warsaw (Poland). To which one can add, among others, residency
programs at the Center for Intercultural Performance of the University of California
Los Angeles, the Watermill Cultural Center with Robert Wilson and the Baryshnikov
White Aok Centre in Florida, etc.
Any of these endorsers had taken much effort with greatly patience but will pay
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off the bill at the outcome results. The new trend that younger artists searching for
their new art expressions and the elder teachers tried digging out memories for the
revitalization of the ancient heritage will need to ensured parallel harmony of good
energy for the sake of the further performing arts in of the country.
7) VENUES AND FACILITY
In the meant time, there is no single good professional theatre venue in Phnom
Penh and in Cambodia as a whole. Lighting and sound equipments at the existing
theatre space are very limited and antiquated. Yet, there is no standard professional
lighting designer and sound engineer compare to our neighbours or regional
practitioners.
Nevertheless, amongst the private corporations for lighting and sounds equipments,
there is a recent interestingly increased business for outdoor pop concerts which is
for promotional of new products, featuring those celebrity stars.
It remains profound hope that the construction of such a venue will eventually
become a reality and artists remain in discussion about this urgent matter with arts
organizations, international partners and potential donors, therefore very hopeless for
this process to begin. Below is a list of venues in Phnom Penh
▪ RUFA Auditorium
A very primitive space with a capacity of 500 seats located at new campus. The
space is generally use for student exam or internal functions. This venue is not a
practical public performance space given its distance from the city center and the
inadequate dirt road leading to it.
▪ New National Theatre
A new National Theater has been built near the Russian Market in exchange for
the selling of the property on which once stood the burnt out Tonle Bassac Theater
in 1994. The ministry missed yet another ideal opportunity by building this new
space without seeking guidance from regional practitioners who have extraordinary
experience in building new performance spaces. The hall is disfunctional design with
capacity of 300 seats and is very basic with no technical infrastructure in place for
lighting, sound, wing, dressing room, etc. No offer was made by the developer to
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include light or sound systems for the new theatre. Amrita is currently working in
collaboration with the French Cultural Center in identifying funds and expertise to
augment the space, eventually making it a viable performance venue which will be
shared among all performing arts institutions in Phnom Penh, under the leadership of
the National Theater. At this point it is difficult to estimate when this process will be
complete.
▪ Apsara Arts Association Auditorium
It's very fortunate that an open theatre space had been built by the Kasumisou
foundation in 2001, for the AAA training program. It's an open intimate space which
could install about 80 chairs. This venue located a bit out of the city centre but
could serve as a performance space within their community and eventually a regular
program every Saturday evening has been continue toward a promising future.
▪ Sovanna Phum Theatre
It is a small open air space with a simple wooden bench installed at each show.
Maximum capacity could load up to 100 seats. Again, this space provides a very
basic inadequate facility for lighting and sound equipment such as antiquated basic
dimmer board, etc. However, it is an ideal venue given the intimate setting and
central location and an excellent opportunity for dancers to earn extra much needed
income.
▪ Khmer Arts Academy Auditorium
Khmer Arts Academy has a beautiful open air auditorium located out of the city
centre. However, the equipments are very basic and its flat floor level could install
chairs up to 400 seats. The place serves as rehearsal space for their daily practice
and could serve their community theatre program very well. This place used to be
the Vipassana centre for meditations purpose.
▪ Russian Cultural Centre
This is another small auditorium for their internal functions but also rent out to
public if available. It's a very basic hall which best for piano concert or small
lecture, not practical for any dance rehearsal. Chairs could be installed up to 200
seats. The centre is located at the heart of the city.
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▪ French Cultural Center – Salle de Cinema
It's a small and well equipped theatre with good lighting and sound system. The
stage is quite narrow but good for concert or small show. The theatre has
comfortable seating and air-conditioning with capacity of 120 seats. However, it's a
cinema hall after all and it's entirely occupied by the internal activities of the centre
not available to outsider except there is a relatively joint project within the centre.
▪ Chaktomuk Conventional Hall
The only centrally located ministry owned theater is the Chaktomuk Conventional
Hall, which was renovated in year 2000 as a gift to welcome Cambodia as a new
ASEAN member. The capacity of 600 seats becomes mainly use for official conference
and meeting. Since then the cost to rent that hall has become prohibitive; the
discount offered by the ministry to present performances featuring ministry artists is
insignificant and emblematic of the lack of encouragement and support. Mostly
performances activities at the Chaktomukare for invited audience events only such as
production of the French Cultural Centre, the cultural affairs department of the US
Embassy, Japanese Embassy, Cambodian Red Cross fundraising events, etc.
▪ Chenla Theatre
Chenlahall is a multiple function venue which could be use for conference
meeting, cinema as well concert. It is an inadequate facility in terms of back stage
space and the lighting and sound equipment is very limited but as a privately owned
venue,
it
is
very
audience
friendly
in
so
far
as
comfortable
seating
and
air-conditioning. The rental fee is high but not unreasonable and the benefit of its
central location far outweighs its other deficiencies. The Chenla Theater seats 615
with capacity for adding an additional 100 plastic chairs plus standing room.
▪ Amrita Studio
Obviously no performing arts organization is complete without a performance
venue. A new, small, experimental studio of Amrita is of course a crucial component
benefit to young artists who thrill to search for their own freedom of expressions. It
is a wood floor of 4 meter width and 8 meters length, with no bar or mirrors, no
lighting or sound is equipped.
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8) CONCLUSION AND FUTURE PLANS
At every step in our new endeavors there have been struggles. However, we
regard such as tools to help us develop. And it is, after all, especially rewarding to
see youthful energy keep growing. The enhancement of resources is one of the main
elements of success. Developing human resources as well as securing funding are the
keys to success. The young people are committed not only to preserving their
ancient heritage but also to expanding their wisdom and finding their own freedom
of expression, searching for their own vocabulary.
Our experience teaches us to engage old master and young apprentice to find a
common sense of admiration and respect for and harmony in the coexistence of
tradition and modernity. The most difficult problems encountered in our long journey
have been to do acquire lost traditions, knowledge, networking, and finding funding
support. The immediate impact and long term practical results expected from each
project would in many way - directly or indirectly - help enhance economic
development and artistic expressions.
An Emeritus Master of arts and culture and former Cambodian Minister of Culture
in the 1980s, Professor Chheng Phon who received Grand Prize of the 8th Fukuoka
Asian Culture Prizes in 1997, once said: "In times of war, soldiers rise in value. In
times of chaos, policemen rise in value. In times of peace, artists rise in
value."Cambodia has seen war and chaos since the decline of the Angkor period.
Each succession of war, colonialism, independence, and genocide, has had a
powerful affect on the arts, forcing it to re-invent itself under new social, political
and economic situations. "The rebuilding of the Khmer sold through arts and culture
will revitalize old concepts and practices of spiritual value and virtue; trust, honesty,
tolerance and moderation in Khmer society both at the individual and national levels.
These elements are essential to mend the mistrust, insecurity, confusion and acts of
violence born out of years of trauma. ", he added "Ultimately, the rebuilding of the
Khmer soul will help bring lasting peace to Cambodia; cooling off the flame of
violence and conflict in the hearts and minds of the people and especially their
leaders". Cambodians have much passion and pride for their traditional art forms, but
with years of war and trauma, and a limiting political and social climate, they are
less likely to experiment with new ideas. Steady effort put into training artists to
learn how to manage themselves, to provide creative work and performance space
can help artists overcome the negative conditioning that they are not owners or
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creators of the art forms which they work to preserve. Arts, in its healing and
harmonizing, can bring a new culture of expression in civil society. Artistic
workshops and exchange programs can also bring both creative and managerial
experience to the country that have few opportunities for the type of organization
and planning needed to bring people together. This also further efforts of
collaboration, both artistically in art forms and genres, and result in understanding
how people of different cultural backgrounds approach common concerns related to
logistics, organization and facilitation for such events or conferences. When we build
the capacity to engage both artists and managers in this exchange forum, then
kindred spirit of friendships are created and strengthened. Networking within artistic
communities can build bridges across borders.
The next planning of Angkor-Gyeongju World Culture Expo in Siam Reap Angkor,
the Khmer-Thai jointed venture production of "The Legend of Angkor Wat", The New
Cambodian Rock Opera by Khmer composer Him Sophy and American librettist
Catherine Filloux of "Where Elephants Weep", the new production of Mozart's "The
Magic Flute", the Annual festival of "Les Nuits d'Angkor" and the "Soptlight" an Asian
Festival of Inclusive Arts, are proofs that Cambodiais moving toward taking its rightful
place on the international cultural stage.
Cambodia is preparing for the National Elections, its fourth democratic coalition
government, and with increase in art awareness, the government should be able to
make a greater significant progress in many important areas, notably arts and culture,
to share her richness heritage with the rest of the world by participating fully in
reciprocal exchange activities with their counterparts overseas.
Works Informing this Research :
- Pick Tum Kravel, Khmer Performing Arts, Phnom Penh 2003
- Pick Tum Kravel, Khmer Dance, Phnom Penh 2001
- Pick Tum Kravel, Khmer Mask Theatre, Phnom Penh 2002
- Pick Tum Kravel, Colour Theater and Shadow Puppet, Phnom Penh 2000
- Pick Tum Kravel, Khmer Shadow Theatre, Phnom Penh 1995
- Traditional Music Instruments of Cambodia, Phnom Penh 1994, 2003
- Keo Narom, Cambodian Music, Phnom Penh 2005
- Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts/UNESCO, Inventory of Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Cambodia, Phnom Penh 2004
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- Visiting Arts South East Asia Regional Arts Profile, Cambodia Arts Directory,
United Kingdom 2001
- RUFA, Royal University of Fine Arts Academic Catalogue for Undergraduates,
Phnom Penh 2007
- Amitav Ghosh, Dancing in Cambodia, At Large in Burma, Delhi, 1998, 2006
- World Dance Alliance –West Bengal, Time and Space in Asian Context:
Contemporary Dance in Asia, Kolkata 2005
- Christophe Loviny, The Apsaras of Angkor, Paris 2002
- Ismail Serageldin & Joan Martin-Brown, Culture in Sustainable Development:
Investing in Culture and Natural Endowments, Washington, D.C. 1999
- UNESCO, Final project report on Rehabilitation of Performing Arts, Phnom Penh
2002
- AMRITA, Various project reports, Phnom Penh, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
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J. The Current State of Thailand's Performing Arts Scene
Pawit Mahasarinand
Lecturer of Chulalongkorn University
1) Introduction
Officially known as Siam until 1948, Thailand (Prathet Thai, literally "land of the
free,"signifying the fact that she has never been colonized by any Western country) is
a Southeast Asian country with the population of 62 millions (as of 2005), 7millions
of which live in the capital city Bangkok. Ethnically, 80% are Thai, 10% Chinese, and
3% Malay; religiously, 95% Buddhists and 4% Muslims; and the highest number of
work force are in agriculture and fishing. Thai is the national and official language,
while English is widely spoken and understood in major cities. In 1932, the country
changed its government system from absolute monarchy to democracy with a
constitutional monarchy. In other words, while the king remains the head of state,
the prime minister, the leader of the political party with the most votes in each
general election, is the head of government.
Geographically, Thailand is at the center of the Indochina peninsula. Not only is
the country between the two dominant ancient civilizations of India and China, but
Thailand also borders Burma to the west and north, Laos to the north and northeast,
Cambodia to the east, and Malaysia to the south, with the Gulf of Thailand, a part
of South China Sea, in the middle and Andaman Sea, a part of Indian Ocean, on the
west coast of Southern Thailand. That is to say, it is impossible for Thailand to close
herself off from foreign relations. As a result, foreign influences have played a major
role in the evolution of Thai arts and culture throughout her more than seven
centuries of history.
Like in a number of Asian performing arts traditions, dance, music, and theatre
have been integral to one another for centuries. Ramakien, the most significant Thai
dramatic literature, was derived from Ramayana, the foremost cultural source for
Southeast Asian performing arts, and a great number of Thai classical dance
movements were based on Bharatanatyam. As well, many Thai dramatic literary
works were adapted from Chinese and Javanese tales, such as the Panji cycle.
Similarly, classical Thai music was highly influenced by Khmer, Chinese, Malay, and
Javanese counterparts, while folk music traditions varied from one sub-region to
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another, commonly deriving from the countries that were closest to them.
However, Thai performing arts practices in general have evolved over the centuries
and developed their distinctive characteristics. Contemporary practices of traditional
genres are now far different from their foreign sources. This probably shows that an
adaptation could lead to the creation of a new tradition. For instance, khon(mask
dance theatre) is of much resemblance to its Khmer counterpart lakhon khol, yet
scholars have drawn no conclusion as to which was the original. Another example:
nang yai(large-scale shadow puppetry) cannot be found in the traditions of either
Malay or Javanese theatre, in which shadow puppetry has been dominant. While its
shadow theatre techniques were evident of Malay and Javanese influences, the
puppeteers were trained as khon performers and were present in front of the screen,
the style which was not practiced in Malay and Javanese theatre.
Apart from regional influences, western performing arts cultures have also played
significant part in the development of contemporary Thai performing arts.
For another theatre example, the adaptation of Western plays together with the
hybridization of Western theatrical forms has been evident throughout the history of
modern Thai theatre. In the reign of King Rama VI, amidst the threat of Western
imperialism, the beginning of lakon phut (spoken drama), a major dramatic genre
today, owes a great deal to the Oxford-educated king's translations of plays by
Shakespeare, Sheridan, Labiche, and Molière. The king not only adopted European
theories and practices but also altered them significantly so as to better communicate
with the Thai audience. Later, in the 1970s, translations of Western plays greatly
contributed to the emergence of lakon phut samai mhai (modern spoken drama).
Also, university dance, music, and theatre departments hired European and American
lecturers to help develop their curricula and train new artists. Afterward, these artists
continued their graduate studies, advanced training, and work abroad. Returning
home to work for either university or professional companies, they put on
performances that blend the western and local theories and practices as well as local
and global subject matters, and new performing arts genres, like lakon khanob niyom
mhai (theatre of new tradition, or an amalgam of traditional and modern theatres),
emerged.
To quickly understand the overall nature of Thai performing arts, one may refer to
King Rama VII's interview with New York Times during the state visit to the United
States in 1931: "Our slogan is to adapt, not to adopt. The Siamese people are an
adaptable people."
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With such an intercultural history, it is not surprising that traditional forms currently
co-exist with their modern counterparts, perhaps like the fact that one can find a
modern skyscraper next to a multi-century-old temple in Bangkok. However, the
number of the former significantly outweighs that of the latter. This is probably
because traditional performing arts have integrated themselves into Thai people's lives.
As part of either religious rituals, such as funerals, or cultural ceremonies, such as
Songkran (Thai calendar's New Year celebration in mid-April), traditional dance,
music, and theatre performances have been staged for the public, mostly as
free-admission outdoors events as the hosts pay for the artists' fees. In contrast, many
genres of modern performing arts, especially those that have not yet been through
significant amount of adaptation like western dance, opera, and music, are still
generally deemed foreign and elite, as they are ticketed events in formal halls and
theatres, and thus have not yet reached the wider public.
When tourism, a major source for the country's income for decades as the country
welcomes approximately 10 million tourists a year, is inserted into this picture, it
creates
a
more
interesting
perspective.
Traditional
dance,
music,
and
theatre
performances have been regularly staged in restaurants and hotels whose main target
are foreign tourists, creating considerably stable jobs for professional artists. Another
trend is the Las Vegas-style, grand-scale, loosely-plotted intercultural spectacle,
featuring various genres of traditional dance, music, and theatre, as well as such
exotic animals as water buffalos and elephants in large permanent theatres specifically
designed for the shows. Nowadays, "Siam Niramit" has been on many tourists'
Bangkok itineraries, while "Phuket Fanta Sea" draws those visiting the southern resort
island. On the other side of the coin, transvestite cabaret shows have been the
tourists' favorite for many years, with companies in many tourist areas.
It is also noteworthy here that the number of traditional and modern Thai
performing arts productions rise significantly in certain auspicious years, such as in
2006 when Thailand celebrated the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's,
the world's longest reigning monarch, ascension to the throne. By contrast, many
performing arts events are cancelled when the country mourns the death of a royal
family member, such as in early 2008 when Princess Galyani Vaddhana, a highly
revered patron for many performing arts companies, passed away.
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2) Artist Groups and Works
In this report, professional troupes and companies, with a wide variety of
characteristics, that have been actively running and significantly contributed to
Thailand's contemporary performing arts scene in recent years are selected as
examples. These groups whose works show the relationship between traditional and
modern arts, global and local trends, as well as intercultural and intra cultural
experiments are, for music, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic
Orchestra, and Korphai Ensemble; for dance, The Company for Performing Artists,
Komon Lagoon, and PK Lifework; for theatre, Patravadi Theatre, Dreambox, Scenario,
Makhampom, Crescent Moon, 8X8, and Joe Louis Theatre; for opera, Bangkok Opera,
and The Metropolitan Opera of Bangkok; for classical Thai performing arts,
Department of Fine Arts' Office of Performing Arts; and finally, for multi-disciplinary
performing arts NUNi Productions.
Except for the Office of Performing Arts, the country's main producer of classical
dance, music, and theatre performances operated under the Ministry of Culture's
Department of Fine Arts, and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, an affiliation of
government-run Mahidol University's College of Music, all aforementioned arts groups
are private-run.
Although some may have received financial and administrative supports from
government agencies, these are project-by-project, rather than year-by-year. Hence, it
is very difficult for these performing arts groups to plan a yearly programming
schedule—audiences are usually informed only a few months in advance what, when,
and where their favorite group will be performing next. Their operations rely heavily
on ticket sales and corporate sponsorships, which commonly vary from one project to
another. Although in most groups, a number of core artistic members earn regular
salaries, most others, who make ends meet in other jobs such as teaching at
universities and working for entertainment industries, are hired project-by-project. It is
also common that one professional artist perform for more than one groups, although
he may be more closely linked with one than the others.
In order to become well-established and to be able to attract wider public, it is
thus inevitable that most are balancing artistic and commercial works, although
generally each group specializes in one dominant genre or style and appeals to a
specific group of followers. Frequently, they are hired for special functions and
events, or "gigs",and, sometimes, this kind of extra income exceeds those from ticket
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sales of their scheduled performances.
Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra (TPO) are
currently Thailand's two major companies which hold western classical music concerts
of various scales, frequently featuring well-known guest musicians from overseas. With
the strong support from the music conservatory where it is housed and well equipped
with its own 300-seat concert hall, the latter's number of public performances highly
exceed the former, which is being operated as a non-profit foundation. Nevertheless,
Mahidol University's College of Music is located in Nakhon Pathom, Bangkok's western
neighboring province, and evening commuter's traffic occasionally prevents their
audience to conveniently attend the concerts. Meanwhile, BSO holds free concerts in
city parks, with financial support by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA),
and is invited by foreign cultural institutes and embassies to perform with maestros
during their cultural festivals. Attempting to build a new generation of followers, some
of BSO's concerts feature Hollywood movie soundtracks and Broadway show tunes, in
addition to works by Thai popular singers. It is noticeable that TPO also perform Thai
classical music in their regular programs. Korphai Ensemble, an independent group of
classically trained Thai musicians some of whom can play western instruments, is a
much smaller troupe. Although they do not have regular programs, but occasionally
hold concerts and release albums, their tireless attempt in breathing new life into Thai
classical music and drawing younger generations to this national performing arts
heritage is highly commendable and noteworthy.
Major dance companies include The Company for Performing Artists (CPA), Komon
Lagoon, and PK Lifework. Led by highly revered dancer and choreographer Vararom
Patchimsawat, CPA is part of the country's premier private institute for modern dance
namely Dance Centre School of Performing Arts, and has been hosting, apart from
their annual charity showcases and touring productions of dance events, "International
Dance Festival", presenting local and foreign dance performances to the Bangkok
public with support from BMA in addition to foreign cultural institutes and embassies.
Komon Lagoon Dance Company, led by Thongchai Hannarong, comprises graduates
from Department of Fine Arts' College of Dramatic Arts and stages intercultural dance
performances that draw from various Asian dance disciplines. Internationally acclaimed
dancer and choreographer Pichet Klunchuen leads PK Life Work Company which
attempts to explain to contemporary local and overseas audiences the stylistically rigid
classical Thai dance theatre and show its relevance to today. Most of their
contemporary classical productions were premiered in Thailand, and then invited to
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perform at various dance festivals overseas.
Larger well-established theatre companies with a year-round performance schedule
are Patravadi Theatre, Dream Box (formerly known as DASS Entertainment), and
Scenario. Under the artistic directorship of a grand dame of Thai theatre Patravadi
Mejudhon, the first company trains and develops an ensemble of actors, dancers, and
musicians, and stages lakon khanob niyom mhai the second, led by playwright
Daraka Wongsiri and director Suwandee Jakravoravudh, hires television actors to
perform in commercial dramas, comedies, and musicals, both original Thai works and
translations of American and European plays—both produce about a few productions
a year, each of which run for about three weeks. Commercially speaking, Scenario,
known for grand-scale productions musical theatres adapted from popular novels and
predominantly featuring television stars, is the most successful, as it is also a
producer of television drama series, sit-coms, and game shows, a subsidiary of
entertainment mega-company GMM, and has high budgets in PR and marketing
campaigns which have succeeded in drawing television audiences to its playhouse.
Led by producer and director Takonkiet Viravan, the company also imports touring
productions of Australian-produced Broadway musicals.
Smaller yet equally prominent troupes are Grassroots Micromedia Project (Klum
Lakon Makhampom), who work with under-privileged communities on social issues,
and the politically-oriented Crescent Moon Theatre (Prachan Siew Karn Lakon)—both
were born out of the 1970s political crisis. Another notable group is Theatre 8X8,
whose works are known for their social satire subject matter and physical theatre
based style. In 2002, these smaller groups joined hands with many others, such as
B-Floor, Moradok Mhai, and Naked Masks, to form Bangkok Theatre Network
(Kruakhai Lakon Krungthep).
Apart from these modern theatre troupes, Joe Louis Theatre is another interesting
example that would not easily fit in the above categories. A family-run troupe who
stages hun lakon lek (Bunraku-style traditional Thai puppet) performances daily at
their 300-seat venue for both tourists and locals, they have won many prestigious
awards from international puppet festivals. Despite this, the attendance has been
considerably low, and their major income is from private hired events. Recently, the
troupe, due to internal conflicts, has been spilt into two—another becoming Aksra
Hun Lakon Lek.
The works of two western opera companies Bangkok Opera and Metropolitan
Opera of Bangkok are centering around the interests, expertise, and fruition of their
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founders and artistic directors, respectively, novelist, composer, and conductor Somtow
Sucharitkul and soprano Sophie Tanapura. Apart from western classical repertoire, the
former, whose works are of larger scales, composes new operas, based on Thai tales,
and has developed ties with other opera companies in the region.
On a last note, with the works of all the aforementioned companies being rather
genre-specific, the future works of a small multi-disciplinary company like NUNi
Productions, comprising young generation of overseas-educated performance artists
who have been exposed to modern performances, rather than genre-specific dance,
music, or theatre, will be soon worth our attention.
3) Venues and Facilities
Most performing arts venues in Thailand are multi-purpose proscenium-stage
auditoriums; that is to say, they are built to accommodate various genres but,
unfortunately, none to its best efficiency.
Thailand Cultural Centre, operated by Ministry of Culture's Office of the National
Culture Commission, is the most familiar name when it comes to Thai performing
arts venues. It houses three spaces—the Main Hall seats about 1,800 audiences, and
is deemed the most prestigious venue for performing arts, while the Small Hall has
variable number of seats ranging from about 300 to 500, and the Amphitheatre can
accommodate about 800 people. Built for the performances of classical Thai dance
and theatre, the National Theatre is also run by a government agency—a different
one though, Ministry of Culture's Office of Performing Arts. Both the Main Hall and
the Small Hall are currently during refurbishment.
Large university auditoriums that are centrally located, such as the Chulalongkorn
University's Auditorium (1,700-seat) and Thammasat University's Main Auditorium
(2,500 seats), apart from hosting the school's dance, music, and theatre performances,
are frequently leased for concerts and they even charge lower fees when the event is
co-organized by a university department.
As for the private-run venues, Patravadi Theatre is perhaps the most interesting
case. Since its launch in 1992, Patravadi Theatre has been the only company with its
own permanent venue of the same name. Situated on the bank of Chao Phraya River
almost directly across from the Grand Palace, this complete complex now comprises
two playhouses—namely the open-aired and roofed proscenium playhouse called
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Theatre in the Garden (400 seats) and the black box space called Studio I (100 seats)
plus indoor and outdoor rehearsal spaces; an art gallery; a 100-seat riverside restaurant
called Studio 9, serving as another performance space as it is equipped with a small
stage, sound and lighting equipments; and accommodation for international guest
artists. In other words, it is one of the few performing arts centers in Thailand.
The 600-seat proscenium playhouse M Theatre, formerly known as Bangkok
Playhouse, is another private run venue, although it no longer houses any resident
companies, like in the recent past when DASS Entertainment used to reside there.
Opened a year ago, Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre, home to Scenario, is a
Broadway-standard 1,450-seat proscenium playhouse that is specifically designed for
musical theatre productions. Recently opened, Aksra Theatre, home to Aksra Hun
Lakon Lek, is another 600-seat proscenium playhouse. Although it is designed
specifically for daily puppet performances by the new troupe that is supported by
King Power, a major international duty-free company, the beautifully decorated venue
is available for rental, and has hosted dance productions, and a beauty pageant. It
should be noted here that the rental fees for all these venues are considerably high,
and occasionally the performing arts event promoter or producer opts to co-produce,
and share their ticket sales, with the venue to bring this cost down.
Bangkok Theatre at Metropolis is another intriguing example as it is in fact a
600-seat movie house, part of a major cineplex, which has been temporarily and
slightly adjusted, with the help of platforms, for theatre productions, and is most
often used by Dreambox. Audiences complain about its peculiar sightlines, however.
Apart from these widely known venues, there are such small black box theatres as
Makhampom Studio, converted from a shophouse and seating about 60 audiences,
and Crescent Moon Space, converted from an office space and seating about 40
audiences. It is noteworthy here that these two spaces follow an example set by
Theatre 8X8 who a few years ago had converted another shophouse into a 30-seat
venue called 8X8 Corner—no longer existent due to the expired lease. Despite their
limited sizes, these two venues, since its opening in mid-2007, have hosted averagely
two theatre productions a month both by both resident companies and other troupes
who pay reasonable amount of rental fees, and have thus significantly reinvigorated
the modern theatre scene in Bangkok. In addition, the 500-seat auditorium at the
American University Alumni Association, the 250-seat one at the Alliance Française,
and the 200-seat at the Göethe Institut are available for rental, although the latter
two more commonly host film screenings.
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4) Performing Arts Festivals and Supporting Organizations
While a certain artistic performing arts event may not have received attention from
the mass media and the public, performing arts festivals have usually been much
hyped. The most highly profiled and prestigious one is Bangkok's International
Festival for Dance and Music, which has been running every September and October
for 10 years now. Organized by International Cultural Promotions (ICP), an affiliation
of a major publishing house which started to enter the performing arts business by
hosting Russian ballet performances, this annual showcase of opera, ballet, modern
dance, classical music, and contemporary jazz by international companies, all ticketed
events, has been staged at one single venue only, Thailand Cultural Centre's Main
Hall, which has suited some productions better than others. Although, occasionally,
the festival organizer has supported a local grand-scale music or theatre performance
on this international stage, the visiting companies'tight travel schedules do not allow
enough time for them to interact with their local counterparts, and neither exchange
nor collaboration has developed out of this event.
Since
2002,
Bangkok
Theatre
Network,
under
the
artistic
directorship
of
Makhampom's Pradit Prasartthong, has organized the country's largest showcase of
contemporary theatre held in November, both professional troupes and university
drama clubs perform fringe-style, as both free-admission and ticketed, outdoors and
indoors events, in a park, bookstores, restaurants, bars, and cafes along the historic
Phra Arthit Road, as well as theatre venues city-wide, attracting more than 50,000
local and foreign audiences annually. Scheduled for mid-January to mid-February,
Bangkok Fringe Festival, organized by and at Patravadi Theatre, focuses more on
contemporary dance, by both local and foreign troupes, although music, film, and
visual arts are part of the program.
In addition, there are annual international jazz festivals in Bangkok and Hua Hin,
one of Thais' favorite resort towns two and a half hours south of the capital city.
The largest multi-genre music festival is also held yearly in Pattaya, another resort
town to the south-east.
With the above festivals being either genre- or venue-specific, "la fête", or French
Cultural Festival, stands out as this month-long event covers such a various disciplines
of arts and culture—ranging from classical music, new circus, modern dance, visual
arts, gastronomy, film, and other interdisciplinary creations—and is presented at
different venues across Bangkok. Over the past few years, the organizer also supports
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collaborative works between French and Thai artists.
When it comes to securing either administrative financial support from government
agencies, contemporary performing arts companies and festival organizers, who receive
more substantial support than individual event's producers, have to make sure that
their objectives fit those of the support providers in addition to certain restrictions.
For example, Office of the National Culture Commission provides administrative
support for events held in their venue Thailand Cultural Centre. Producers may
receive more support for Thai classical performances and free-admission ones. A
newly founded agency Office of Contemporary Art and Culture give more financial
support to modern arts activities. Nevertheless, the office's yearly budget is relatively
small in comparison to their traditional counterparts. Also, they cannot financially
support ticketed events by spending taxpayers' money, and as a result, has been
supported more visual arts exhibitions. Tourism Authority of Thailand financially
supports large-scale events which would create good image for the country such as
Bangkok's International Festival of Dance and Music, and Pattaya Music Festival, and
list them in their cultural calendar. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration supports
events that are, either wholly or partly, presented for the general public in their parks
and spaces, such as Bangkok Theatre Festival, which is also significantly funded by
Thai Health Promotion Foundation. They also give money rewards to the festival's
most critically acclaimed productions, provided that they do not feature scenes with
alcohol consumption or cigarette smoking.
In addition, business corporations carefully consider each event's and festival's
profiles and target audiences before making a decision on sponsorship. Most
companies, however, do not take as their social missions these support for
performing arts, but would rather invest their advertising budget in mass media such
as television programs for higher returning benefit due to wider exposure to the
public.
5) Conclusion
If most performing arts groups believed that "contemporary" does not simply
equate with "western", but in fact involve a more complex inter-relationship that
concerns "traditional" and "modern" "local", "foreign", and "global" as well as
"intercultural", "intracultural", and "interdisciplinary", their works may better represent
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the international trends of performing arts. Also, the supporting organizations would
have to adopt this notion as well.
Another area in need of immediate development is the audience. Although in
recent years, the number of performing arts schools, conservatories, and training
programs has notably risen, many performing arts groups, whose working trends are
rather artistic than commercial, still have trouble filling seats with audiences. Perhaps,
if more performing arts appreciation classes are offered in schools and universities,
Thailand may have more audiences than artists in the future.
○ For additional information
Bangkok Symphony Orchestra
Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra
The Company for Performing Arts
Komonlagoon
PK Lifework
Patravadi Theatre
Dreambox
Scenario
Makhampom
Crescent Moon
8X8
Joe Louis Theatre
Bangkok Opera
Metropolitan Opera of Bangkok
NUNi Productions
Muang Thai Rachadalai Theatre
King Power Duty Free Complex's Aksra Theatre
Bangkok's International Festival of Dance and Music
Bangkok Theatre Festival
Bangkok Fringe Festival
la fête
Office of the National Culture Commission
Office of Contemporary Art and Culture
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
Thai Health Promotion Foundation
244
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
www.BangkokSymphony.org
www.ThailandPhil.com
www.Dance-Centre.com
www.KomonlagoonDance.com
www.PKLifeWork.com
www.PatravadiTheatre.com
DreamboxThailand.blogspot.com
www.Scenario.co.th
www.Makhampom.net
www.CrescentMoonTheatre.com
www.Theatre8X8.com
www.ThaiPuppet.com
www.BangkokOpera.com
www.MetOperaBKK.com
www.NUNiProductions.com
www.Rachadalai.com
www.AksraTheatre.com
www.BangkokFestivals.com
www.Lakorn.org
www.PatravadiTheatre.com
www.lafete-Bangkok.com
www.Culture.go.th
www.OCAC.go.th
www.TourismThailand.org
www.BMA.go.th
www.ThaiHealth.or.th
Countries' States ◆ States in terms of Critical point of view ◆ Pakistan
K. Performing arts of Pakistan
Faizaan Peerzada
Director of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop
1) Introduction
○ Country Profile
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Population
Capital
Area
National language
State religion
Life expectancy
Currency
Internet TLD
International dialing code
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
169,300,000 (2007 estimate)
Islamabad
803,940km2 340,403 sq mi
Urdu
Islam
60 years (men), 57 years (women)
Rupee (Rs.) (PKR)
.pk
+92
Pakistan is located in South Asia. It has a 650 mile coastline along Arabian Sea &
Gulf of Oman in the South and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the West,
India in the East and China in the far northeast.
○ Culture Profile
Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a culturally rich state with a traditional society. The
basis of Pakistani culture is its land, rivers, vegetation, mountains, meadows, plains,
plateaus, deserts and lakes. The people of Pakistan speak four different provincial
languages, profess different religions yet share same experiences and this reflects in
their respective folklore and cultural traditions. Urdu remains as the national
language.
The history and people of Pakistan came into contact with many civilizations and
have reacted positively to new historical movements and absorbed the finest
ingredients of the world's oldest civilizations from the ancient traditions of the
Mohenjo-daro (Mound of the Dead) 2600 years B.C. the largest city-settlements of the
Indus Valley Civilization to the civilization of Harappa 3300 BCE to the presence of
Aryan's Gandhra grave culture 1600 B.C., the Buddhist shrines and the arts &
architecture influences of the Mughal Empire in the early 1500s. Some features of
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these civilizations form an integral part of our culture.
Each province of Pakistan bears its individual cultural traditions, folk lore and
poetry deeply immersed with thought and the lifestyle of the Sufi tradition dating
back to almost 1300 years. We find folk legends, dances, rituals, traditions, dress,
cuisine, painting and architecture spread throughout our rich past.
○ Contemporary Pakistan
Pakistan underwent new developments having deep rooted links with its rich
traditional past. Music encompasses diversity from classical folk and devotional music
to new expressions such as the Pop, Rock and World Music. In devotional music
Pakistan has produced musicians such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with many classical
musicians still retaining their music styles transformed from old tradition to fit our
new generation.
From many south Asian dance traditions Kathak dance expression identifies more
with the Muslim culture and dates back to almost 700 years. We have internationally
renowned choreographers such as Naheed Siddique continuing the tradition. There
are many other who have mixed Kathak with western style of dance.
Theatre also comes from its old face the Nautanki (moving theatre previously
popular in villages) and the Parsi Theatre Movement in the Indian subcontinent. Later
new influences were developed in modern theatre by dramatists such as Rafi Peer,
Imtiaz Ali Taj and Khawaja Moeen-ud-din.
Puppetry stands as one of the oldest expressions in human communication in the
sub-continent. The region has its own traditional folk tradition with several styles
specific to the Indian subcontinent. Since the late 1970's, Rafi Peer Theatre
Workshop's Puppet Movement has contributed a lot to the development and
sustenance of puppetry in Pakistan.
In the last 60 years the presence of theatre, dance, music and puppetry has mostly
been saturated in the three main metropolises i.e. Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore
with the latter being the cultural capital of Pakistan.
Pakistan started its life with a weak entertainment industry base. Due to Pakistan's
Independence from India major entertainment industry business remained in India
with only a few people migrating to Pakistan. The mentioned cities have had a
presence of major theatre & music groups and dance & puppet companies and film
industry from the time of Pakistan's Independence from India. It is for this reason
that the cultural activities instead of spreading in the rest of Pakistan not only
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remained within in these three metropolises but each to date is struggling to survive
against political odds.
For the same reason the few but significant performing arts festivals of Pakistan
also take place in these 3-cities. It is not to say that the rest of the Pakistan is
culturally dead. All four provinces of Pakistan remain on sustaining and transmitting
their regional & folk traditional activities to their coming generations. But rarely do
urban audiences come into contact with their art forms and festivals which are held
far away from the metropolitan life.
The city of Lahore hosts most of the prominent events in all the areas of the
Performing Arts because of being the main cultural base and an economic hub that
celebrates culture and supports it.
For Pakistan the National Council of the Arts is a national institution, which is
principally a government body, and is meant to function on a national frame work.
Further each city has its local arts councils which are run by provincial governments.
Unfortunately none of these councils conduct regular programmes or formulate a
policy to support private or non governmental organizations. These councils run their
own programmes which in turn benefit their own agendas. They rarely sponsor other
events however they do mostly rent their venues (government owned) on subsidiary
rates for the local art bodies, private and non-governmental organizations.
Pakistan never had a proper or constant Cultural Policy mainly due to its uncertain
political history. However the growth of culture in Pakistan depended more on the
vision and work of the non-government organizations and private sector initiatives
than on the politicians.
It is noteworthy that the most important international festivals and art initiatives
throughout the country been initiated by the private sector. This created a new
tradition of hosting festivals at many levels.
The cultural organizations have thrived and existed with support from foreign
donor agencies or through corporate sponsorship which has been a major mean of
funding. This has been the only source of cultural development very rarely the
government patronized culture on a regular basis through a proper policy. There has
also been no budget for culture in any of the political governments. Whatever came
through was mainly spent on the governments own infrastructure and agenda. And
all policies changed, frequently, with the change of the change of the government.
This is why culture has always remained confused and many a times religion got
and lot of other expressions got labeled as un-islamic.
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Some visible developments took place in the period 2000–2007 perhaps it was the
need of the hour to promote a moderate image of Pakistan but even that was not
sustainable as now with the present political government the entire process is gone
back to a reversed to being nothing or rather a stand still.
What has been sustainable so far are the foreign programmes specially the
Norwegian Government patronization of some important organizations who run the
main axis of culture both at national and international scale working form the grass
root level.
In my report I look out for different areas of performing arts i.e. Theatre, Music,
Puppetry, Dance festivals and art institutions mainly in light of facilities that promote
cultural activities. Each different component has its own overview and description of
some important organizations and institutions and its various non-government setups.
Each section also gives you a little insight to each of the performing arts areas and
their brief historical growth.
2) THEATRE
Theatre has flourished in Pakistan in the last sixty odd years of its existent. Just n
the city of Lahore about five to six plays are staged everyday and these comprise the
so called commercial plays, with either of a theatre group performing or a
production by an educational institution in a number of venues dotted throughout the
city.
About sixty odd years agothe Parsi Theatre was in decline , and due to partition
the companies based in Bombay and Calcutta ceased to travel to what had become
Pakistan but gradually theatre picked up in places like the Pakistan Arts Council
(Alhamra) in the nineteen fifties and sixties. The college plays, especially of
Government College Lahore were held unabatedly by the hiatus of partition of the
sub continent.
The rural theatre companies staged plays at the melas and on the occasion of the
annual congregation of thousand of Sufi shrines mostly based on the folk romances
of the areas. The plays mostly in verse and partly sung were presented in the format
considered to be very ancient and indigenous to the region.
The first popular plays in Lahore were adaptation of drawing room comedies while
in Karachi Khawaja Mueenuddin wrote satirical plays on the difference that existed
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between the ideal of creating the new country and its extant reality. Theatre in
Lahore flourished more, moving from the drawing room comedies to its more
uproarious version, bordering on the farcical but drawing upon the local tradition of
the slapstick. Gradually as time went by the actors became the most important
component of the plays, while the script and the setting only became appendages.
These actors adlibbed and the plays were transformed into a series of repartees
between the actors and even between the actors and the audiences. Some very
talented actors dominated this actor's theatre, improvised on some topical theme but
gradually this adlibbing and topicality also accommodated dances of stage and
currently the plays gyrate round dances with the plot and the story only existing by
way of an apology.
Many plays were staged which were adaptations of good western plays while some
theatre groups decided to do plays based on political and social issues. The absence
of democracy, the lack of freedom, women issues, right to be educated and looked
after in terms of health, honor killing, child marriage, marriages for political
expediency and population control became some of the popular topics in these
parallel theatre groups. Gradually these groups became non government organization
by accepting funding for spreading the message and many of these groups now also
tour other cities and the countryside for widespread public awareness campaign.
Children plays are also staged, and other than the schools, theatre groups keenly
participate in the many festivals that are staged. The World Performing Festivals in
the last couple of decades has introduced many groups from all over the world in a
staggering variety of forms to perform in Pakistan and this has helped in enriching
the local theatre scene.
3) PUPPETRY
Traditional Puppetry, as a performing art has existed in India for centuries. In
Rajistan, central and southern Punjab and Gujrat, many artists earned their living by
performing puppetry.
Traditionally a company of puppeteers, in these regions, was always a family. The
husband manipulated the puppets, gave them voices and narrated stories, while the
wife played (drums). The children or other family members assisted in the
manipulation of the puppets or as a singing chorus. An older person, often the
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grandfather, acted as the narrator.
The Folk Puppet tradition has been neglected totally; there has been no
documentation, no written material is available and no preservation program exists to
safeguard this ancient tradition which has traveled from generation to generation.
The gypsy performers though well versed in technique, have failed to evolve. Even
so, their main item, Akbar Badshah Ke Darbar Mein, (in the court of Akbar the
Great 3rd Mughal Emperor) is a story, which contains all the elements of drama:
tension and relief, music and dancing.
There are no sets. Plays are performed in the traditional manner: two bamboo
charpoys (traditional bed) on either side and printed sheets to serve as a curtain and
backdrop. Costumes are ornate, the affluence of character determines the degree of
ostentation. The string puppets are made of wood with mostly fabric bodies. (That's
why they are called Kath Putli, Kuth means wood, and Putli means Puppet).
Since 1975 traditional puppetry was on a major decline; out of 400 serving families
only 12 families exist today, with very little training for the new generation. However
Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop & the Museum of Puppetry has made several efforts for
Safeguarding and Rehabilitation of the world's greatest cultural heritage. On several
occasions folk performances have been arranged for the International Puppet Festival
Pakistan.
These families of these practitioners live a life of poverty of the outskirts of the
city in temporary makeshift settlements, barely eking out an existence, and since their
younger generation is not taking up this profession it is feared that very soon this
old craft and form of entertainment will totally die out
The Museum of Puppetry was established to focus on the rich tradition of
puppetry in the world with particular emphasis on the puppets and art of puppetry
in this part of the world. On most days of the week puppet shows are held. The
art of puppetry will only survive well if the practitioners have regular income and
that can only happen if such festivals are held regularly. The Museum of Puppetry is
best located to provide that window of opportunity for all inheritance and traditional
craft.
○ CONTEMPORARY PUPPETRY
Contemporary puppetry on stage started in earnest with the Rafi Peer Theatre
Workshop in the late 1970's. Audience in Pakistan had become more familiar with
puppetry, other than the traditional string puppets through television in the decade of
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the seventies; especially the programme "Akkar Bakkar,"an adaptation of Sesame Street
which was very popular with the old and young alike. The Rafi Peer Theatre
Workshop had been established in 1975 and after staging plays and being hosts to a
few performing groups from abroad it decided to launch its puppet group. In the
beginning they had no permanent set up but in 1982 they managed to permanently
house themselves at the Alliances Franchise in Karachi. The arrangement was to put up
a show every day. They worked with various types of puppets; all kinds of scripts
were written with many new forms of puppets being created. When they had a
permanent place the regularity of doing a show every day was thus not too demanding
for them. A show in the Pakistan International Airline Planetarium was a big hit.
4) DANCE
The turbulent history of performing arts in Pakistan has had the greatest impact on
dance. It has survived, barely.
Ballroom dance classes on the upper floor of a commercial building on the Mall
in Lahore; dinner and dance at the Beach Luxury in Karachi; ballroom dancing at the
Gymkhanas; shows at the Lido; dance was a part of life for the social elite in the
1950s in the country.
The sixties decade saw talented artists like Amy Minwala, Panna, Madam Azuri,
Naheed Siddiqui, perform on stage and the silver screen. Classical dance classes in
schools, and performances on the very new, and exciting, television kept the art
alive and audiences enthralled.
Dance continued to flourish in the early seventies, and troupes like the PIA dance
troupe took our folk dances to other lands, introducing the colour and rhythms of a
young country.
Then came the Zia era; Islamization launched in 1977 by General Zia ul Haq, with
its ban on public performances by women and a state frowning on all artistic modes
of expression, almost annihilated dance as a socially acceptable art form. It became
fashionable to reject dance as part of our cultural heritage. The few dance
performances that took place, including school programmes, required No Objection
Certificates under the pretext of tableau and drama.
There had never been any active support for performing arts, particularly classical
dance, by any government, but during the Zia era all recognition was withdrawn and
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artists struggled to survive. The art in dance all but disappeared, and Pakistani
audiences were only exposed to a vulgarized version in commercial films.
The legacy of that time has been dire. Even now classical dance is met with
condemnation because of a changed mindset and kotha associations. Through this
dark time a few valiant performers have kept the art alive. Odissi performer and
teacher Sheema Kirmani, Nahid Siddiqui, Nighat Chaodhry and Fasih-ur-Rehman, all
exponents of Kathak, mother and daughter Indu and Tehreema Mitha trained in
Bharat Natyam, are the few still carrying the torch.
They have been persistent and creative, choreographing and incorporating into their
dance styles texts of humanists and thinkers such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Tagore,
and feminists such as Ismat Chughtai and Fehmida Riaz.
Folk dance has fared a little better, because even though women were barred from
performing, male dancers were allowed to entertain crowds at public events like
Horse and Cattle shows, national games, and dignitariesʼvisits. Only the better known
folk dances were performed like the Leva from Balochistan, Khattak from NWFP,
Bhangra from Punjab and Jhoomar from Sindh.
Folk dances from the Northern Areas and other remote places continue to
disappear due to negligence and lack of support.
There is an immediate need to recognize dance as an art form, give it government
support, introduce it in schools and colleges, and revive a vibrant part of our
heritage. Our children need to understand and enjoy their own roots culture,
revelling in a beautiful form of self expression.
5) MUSIC
Music in Pakistan has developed in many different styles and forms according the
popular taste and style of patronage.
Radio promoted the classical and semi classical forms of music like the kheyal and
thumri but gradually it gave way to the ghazal. Ghazal has an across the board
appeal and it is heard by a large number of literate people. It is basically an urban
phenomenon and some of the singers like Mehdi Hasan, Freeda Khanum, Iqbal Bano
and Ghulam Ali are household names. Among the classical musicians Ustads Salamat
Ali/ Nazakat Ali and Amanat Ali/ Fateh Ali emerged as very talent duos to challenge
the supremacy of Roshan Ara Begum. Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwaley and Ustad
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Shaukat Hussain on the tabla and Nathoo Khan on the sarangi were virtuosos.
Against very trying circumstances these musicians remained true to their vocation and
upheld the high classical tradition.
Film music for many decades remained the mostly popular form of music and
Noor Jehan in particular ruled the industry single-handedly. She sang many
memorable numbers based on melodies composed by very accomplished music
directors who drew from multiple sources.
The folk music in a large variety of forms is sung and played across the country.
While Punjab and Singh dominate the other regions like the Frontier, Balochistan and
Northern areas have their distinct musical forms which are not under threat from
computer generated sounds and synthesized music. Most of the music is sung and
played in the fairs and the annual congregation on the shrines of Sufis, and most of
it is very traditional and bound by convention. Some very ancient instruments like
the eiktara are played.
Qawwali was also popular in the shrines and it had a niche audience but the rise
of Sabri Brothers and then Nusrat Fateh Ali took it to international audiences. Nusarat
Fateh Ali in particular became extremely popular and sought after singer in the
arenas that promoted World Music. For some he was a great musician and for the
recording companies the highest selling performers. He combined the mystical music
of the region with computerized and electronically generated sound and became a
bridge between the traditional and the very new. He was cheered all the way till his
untimely death about ten years ago.
The pop bands too have become very popular in the country appealing more to a
huge audience which is young. More than sixty percent of the population of the
country is under the age of twenty and these groups have an emotional access to
them. They usually write lyrics in the local language, even selection from classical
poetry or sayings of a saint and compose it to their style of music.
6) FESTIVALS
These Festivals provide an important stimulus to spiritual and esthetic taste. These
emotions are generally linked with a meaningful activity. These Festivals also provide
a forum for the intermixing of different cultures and traditions providing a deeper
understanding
amongst
the
people
with
entirely
different
cultures
and
social
background from Abroad & with in Pakistan.
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▪ The World Performing Arts Festival Pakistan 2008
A dream nurtured and brought to life by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, the
World Performing Arts Festival has traveled through its twenty-five editions to become
the biggest showcase of the performing arts in Southeast Asia. The only independent
event of such magnitude in the region, it has served to put Pakistan firmly on the
cultural map of the world.
The most remarkable achievement of the festival is its consistency it has been
staged year after year since it was first held in 1992, often in the face of political
turmoil and national tragedy.
The World Performing Arts Festival2008 will be a celebration of the arts in its
many forms: theatre. music. dance. puppetry and film. The music showcase will
feature a wide variety of styles. from jazz to rock and from salsa to folk. as well as
exciting collaborations between foreign and local artists. The puppetry segment will
be a thrilling experience for the young and the old alike. the theatre segment
promises to be an uplifting and moving experience. and the dance line-up provides
an interesting mix of the contemporary and the classic. The cultural origins of the
films show-cased this year are as varied as their forms and they come to us from all
around the world.
The World Performing Arts Festival 2008 continues Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop's
vision in cultural diversity. an organization that shares vision of promoting a global
identity for Pakistan.
▪ International Mystic Music Sufi Festival
The rich history of Sufi or devotional music dates back more than 500 years. Sufi
mystics have made rich contributions to all the arts. rendering some of the most
beautiful poetry and music, its philosophy being the driving force behind many lives,
irrespective of race, religion, and gender. In the subcontinent, Sufi heritage is found
flourishing in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab. with shrines built to honor the
spirit of the great Sufis.
The Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop organized the first International Mystic Music Sufi
Festival in 2000, with the aim of elevating this divine art form to the status it
deserves. Over the years, the festival has become an important platform to promote
Sufi music and musicians of our country as well as of the entire Muslim world. By
bringing together a diverse line-up of artists from around the globe, the festival has
not only highlighted the universal and tolerant face of Islam to the west, it has also
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fostered better understanding within the Muslim World.
▪ JASHAN-E-BAHARAN
Jashan-e-Baharan or spring festival is a festival which usually begins in mid
February and continues till mid march. Though this festival is celebrated through out
Pakistan but the most spectacular celebration of Jashan-e-Baharan is found in Lahore.
Lahore is decked up appropriate spring attire during this festival. There are a
plethora of events which take place during Jashan-e Baharan which include musical
performances, art and flower displays, books and handicrafts stalls as well as the
Canal Mela (festival) during which decorated and illuminated boats and floats are
displayed on Lahore Canal.
But the quite essential feature of Jashan-e-Baharan is the kite flying competitions
which take place all over the cities rooftops. Kite flying has been prohibited in
Pakistan since 2005 after a number of deaths connected to the kite battles, but this
is been temporarily lifted especially for this festival. The Jashan-e-Baharan festival
transforms
Lahore
skies
with
a
plethora
of
colorful
kites.
Celebrations
of
Jashan-e-Baharan in Lahore is so famous that people flock from all over Pakistan as
well as the different parts of the globe to take part in this vibrant festival.
▪ LOK VIRSA - FOLK FESTIVAL IN PAKISTAN
Lok Virsa is the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage in Pakistan,
officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Lok Virsa consists of a museum that
is worth visiting to have a better understanding and appreciation of the history,
culture, and arts & craft of the different regions and the tribal groups in Pakistan.
People from all parts of the world visit the country to enjoy all these Fairs and
Festivals in Pakistan that are held here. The unique Lok Virsa - Folk Festival in
Pakistan is the largest cultural activity in Pakistan held in October each year. Over
the decades the Lok Virsa - Folk Festival has taken on an international flavor with
more than 20 different countries sending their artisans and performers to participate
in the festival.
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7) ARTS CENTERS FACILITIES & CULTURAL BODIES
Taking the size and population of Pakistan into consideration, it is clear that the
venues available for the promotion of culture and art activities are on a very small
scale and are insufficient to cater to the need of the citizens. National and provincial
infrastructure is concentrated in three major cities of Pakistan but is not successful in
fulfilling the requirements. Other alternate venues which are either institutions or
gallery spaces are being used for cultural events.
Following is a list of the key venues engaged in promoting mainstream cultural
activities:
▪ Peer Cultural Complex
Museum of Puppetry
Since its inauguration on 14 January 2004 the Museum of Puppetry has received an
overenthusiastic response from children and adults alike. The museum of Puppetry is
built over an area of 3-acre on the Raiwind Road.
The four storey custom designed Museum building comprises of a large display
area of 25,000 square feet. The permanent collection is housed on the first floor
comprising of international and Pakistani puppets representing the art, culture and
ideas of 40-countries. The second floor contains a collection of 200-puppets of Folk
heritage of Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop. New additions have also been made on the
second floor with puppets from 8-countries. The third floor is reserved for
international exchange and special exhibitions.
Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop runs a number of special programmes on puppetry.
The "Artist in Residency Programme"invites renowned foreign puppeteers to live and
work at the Museum for 2-3 months. The artists conduct workshops, perform puppet
shows, collaborate with local artists creating new pieces, and design puppets among
other activities.
In addition to the above three buses, dedicated full time, transport children from
their schools and orphanages to the Museum of Puppetry in a round-trip. This
programme collaborates with educational institutions and NGO's facilitating their
students by exposing them to the arts besides formalized studies.
Adjacent amphitheatre & Art Spaces
The Museum of Puppetry Theatre has Multi purpose theatre, the facility is 500,
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seat theatre, used for theatre, puppetry, music, & Dance, The facility is used through
the year.
A unique repertoire of theater and puppet performances gives this cultural center
that special something. As ever, we are committed to bringing quality entertainment
and stimulating cultural experiences to the people of Pakistan.
Our repertoire comprises classic and folk puppet plays for children, interactive
children's theater, internationally acclaimed exercises in Object Theater as well as
narrative plays in both English and Urdu.
Training Institute
The Museum of Puppetry &the Training Institute its programme for creative
learning aiming at increasing understanding and appreciation of the performing arts
with emphasis on puppetry, dance and music the essential areas of puppetry and
object theatre. The Training Institute besides enhancing the artistic development of
children also assumes the role of a conduit of entertainment, education, opening
young minds to a refreshingly creative experience.
▪ Karachi Arts Council
The Karachi arts council is managed by an independent body and has yearly
elections. It has had the honour to host several memorable art exhibitions with
participation from some of the most renowned painters. The venue has a huge
gallery space, an open air theatre, which has the capacity to fit 1000 people, an
amphitheatre and a newly built covered theatre which seats around 400 people. It is
the only cultural site in all of Karachi, as far as, venues are concerned.
The Karachi arts council at one point housed the central school of design- an arts
college, on one of its floors. Over years the council has worked towards promoting
fine arts. The venue has been rented to numerous NGO's for making different
performances. Since the new space has been built, a lot of regular cultural activities
have begun to take place. All Karachi based theatre companies and amateur groups
use this venue. The arts council has its own programming each year, including
painting exhibitions, plays, dance recitals and poetry readings.
▪ Alhamra Arts Council
The Arts Council is governed by its Board of Governors which has been
constituted with the approval of the Chief Minister and comprises the 12 private and
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6 official members. Alhamra Arts Council is an autonomous body with its own Board
of Governors.
The Alhamra Arts Council is a promotional body that provides space and
opportunity to artists of every genre. The theatres/auditoriums six in all are in use
for programs ranging from music, concerts, seminars, lectures, drama, workshops,
award ceremonies and school functions to name a few. The art gallery that is the
largest in the province is one of the busiest spaces and has art shows all the year
round.
The Alhamra lends its support to private cultural groups along with international
troupes and other official and non official programs.
Its Department has two galleries one in each campus of Alhamra. The gallery in
the Alhamra Cultural Complex Gaddafi Stadium is known as the Permanent Art
Gallery and houses the collection of paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramics owned
by the Lahore Arts Council. A full time curator looks after the collection and other
affairs pertaining to the Permanent Art Gallery.
▪ PNCA
National Art Gallery at Islamabad is the only one of its kind in Pakistan where
works of art representing prominent artists are displayed permanently for viewing of
public. The significant collection of these treasures of art is being collected in small
rooms being turned into National Art Gallery. Almost 1009 art pieces are in our
permanent collection, purchased or gifted by the artists for National Art Gallery. The
collection is hosed in the National arts gallery Islamabad which is the National
collection.
▪ National Academy of Performing Arts
NAPA is for anyone who has a desire to be in the limelight. Whether you want
to strum a guitar, compose a tune or want to be a presenter, a compere or a master
of ceremonies, you need to be at NAPA to learn the rudiments of your chosen field.
But NAPA is not a get-rich-quick outfit. It is a conservatoire, established to cater
to the needs of the performing arts. If you are serious about taking up a career in
music or the dramatic arts, we have the faculty to meet the needs. Our courses are
devised to train you as a singer or an instrumentalist, an actor or a director, a
playwright or a designer.
The learning of vocal or instrumental music in our part of the world has always
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been a one-to-one process. The teacher, the Ustad, in addition to being a music
teacher and expert in the discipline of music, is also the arbiter of the musical taste
of the pupil. The transmission has always been oral; The Ustad sang or played an
instrument and the Shagird (the pupil) learned by listening and repeating the phrases.
The pupil heard various renditions of a particular raga. He was initiated and
instructed over a number of years into the rules of a particular raga, and was not
allowed to move on until he had 'absorbed' the Raga, to the satisfaction of the
Ustad. The great "Gharanas" (Music families) of music are no longer intact. Also, due
to socio- economic reasons, the hereditary system has given way to a more
democratic
transmission.
Family
allegiances,
traditionally
inviolable,
have
been
sidelined. Today the learning of music of any "Gharana" is not restrictive. "Gharanas"
are now discussed and proclaimed as indicators of musical and performing styles. It
is not uncommon these days for the learner of music to mix various styles, a
practice once considered sacrilegious. (Oddly enough, this does not denigrate the
value of music).Radio, television, CDs and other sources have also provided us with
an extended scope for music learning and appreciation. In an institutional set-up the
extent of exposure available to a student of music is much wider than in the
traditional one-to-one teacher student relationship. In NAPA the students of music will
derive benefit from being taught by a faculty comprising practicing musicians,
musicologists and visiting maestros. They will also have the opportunity to enrich
their repertoire of compositions and styles by tutelage under many teachers Napa has
a 400, seat fully occupied theatre for cultural & theatre activities.
▪ Ali Institute
Ali institute has an important theatre facility which is used for many cultural
activities a lot of fringe theatre has sprung up from this plat from. The institute theatre
has always played a role for dance performers, when dance was banned in official arts
commercial venues. The Ali Institute of Education (AIE) is teacher-education institute,
committed to improving the quality of education in Pakistan and promoting
professionalism among teachers. The AIE provides high quality pre-service and
in-service teacher education and offers advisory services for school management,
school development and curriculum development. It also adds to the knowledge-base
of education through indigenous research and publications. The AIE also seeks to
especially address the education needs of rural and female teachers and to promote
education to underprivileged and marginalized sections of society. The Institute is also
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committed to dissemination of information, and advocacy of appropriate policies and
practices in education within our current sociological and environmental context
The Ali Institute of Education (AIE) was established in 1992 by a distinguished
family trust, with the primary objective of providing effective teachers to the schools
of Pakistan. The UNDP and SIDA (Sweden) also supported this endeavour initially, to
improve the quality of education in our country. At the Ali Institute of Education we
believe that teachers are agents of change and they can bring about a meaningful
transformation to the education scenario of
8) Conclusion
In the 61 years of Pakistan'creation the country has suffered repeated attempts by
the authoritarian regimes and religious fundamentalist groups who try to impede
performing arts for the sole reason that the medium is in conflict with subjective
religious beliefs. This movement was generated partially in the late seventies and has
continued to submerge and emerge over time.
At the moment a number of societies dwell in Pakistan, each with a different life
style and entertainment custom because the countryside and the towns took to
development while remaining at a great distance from one another. This led to the
development of contemporary arts only in the three developed cities with the
remaining Pakistan at a stagnant customary level in art forms.
The British rule on the Indian subcontinent (1858~1947) also left far-reaching
influence on the culture of Pakistan. The impact was so deep rooted that both
history and value system which used to be a source of pride for the people of
Pakistan become an apology for backwardness and inferiority. This resulted into an
intellectual ferment and the people were torn between their own heritage and the
distant melodies of the European glory. The spread of such influences was facilitated
through our educational system which to date continues to impart restricted
curriculum.
Contemporary performing arts in the elite and youth circle of Pakistan continue to
live in the cosmetic illusion of modernity without understanding the thought behind
their concepts. A significant ratio of youth groups and artists have adapted to
westernization letting go of their originality as a result losing express in their
productions, the remaining are deprived of a platform, funds, and vision to execute
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their own productions. Had there been a presence of a national institute which
strongly influences our training growth and cultural identification the country would
run on a balanced equation where the performers know-off an understand foreign
cultures, accepting and practicing them for their inherited goodness while remaining
definite their mother culture.
In light of the multiple political problems, rallies and riots it is disturbing that a
single strike anywhere in the country is powerful enough to paralyse the order of
normal life and in turn disturb festivals and entertainment programmes. Artists feel
helpless as these circumstances cannot be controlled by anyone. But organizations
and individuals who have been in the field for quite sometime will remain committed
to performing arts by continuing their work in the face of tense political environment
and security threats ensuring that arts and culture play its role in finding solutions to
problems.
Performing arts veterans in the field continue their work with an optimist vision
that their activities will not only generate themes, they will create long-term jobs,
build bridges, initiate dialogue, create inventive platforms where the world celebrates
fusions of sorts combing different cultures and opening doors in new dimensions that
progress towards making a better world.
And until the government takes to acknowledging and patronizing performing arts
in Pakistan it is hoped that more non-governmental organizations, donors, arts
development institutions and individuals will step forward and help preserve, practice
and promote our culture in turn sustaining the performing arts in Pakistan.
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L. The Performing Arts Scene in the Philippines
Carmencita Jasareno-Bernardo
Arts and Culture Manager-Administrator,
Cultural Center of the Philippines
1) INTRODUCTION
○ HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The history of the performing arts in the Philippines dates back in the early
pre-Spanish time when the indigenous people lived peacefully in the more than 7,100
islands. Each of these communities from Northern to Southern part of the archipelago
had their own unique art forms which were innate to their particular localities and
traditions. These art forms were performed not for showcase or entertainment
purposes but were integral elements of their cultural beliefs and practices.
When the Spaniards conquered and ruled the island for 333 years, they introduced
new forms of performing arts which the natives tried to resist. However, for survival
reasons, the Filipinos had no choice but to embrace the Spanish culture and religion.
Throughout the Spanish regime, many Christianized Filipinos all over the country
performed the Spanish art forms in dance, music and theater. But because of their
love for their own culture despite the Spanish influences, they discovered ways to
indigenize or infuse "local flavors" to the Spanish art forms. For instance, some of
the popular dances during the Spanish period were European dances like the minuet,
cachuca (kuratsa, locally), fandango(pandanggo), polka, mazurka, waltz (valse),
schottische (escotis) and even zapateado (pateado). All of these underwent regional
transformation in the colony, as is evident in the variations of the jota from Northern
Cagayan to the Southern provinces. As they became localized, these dances gained
regional characteristics. (Tuklas Sining: Essays on the Philippine Arts, SAYAW: An
Essay on Philippine Dance, Basilio Esteban S. Villaruz, CCP, 1991).
In music, the native Filipinos acquired the skill at playing Western instruments
from the simple strumming the guitar or the plucking of the banduria to the more
difficult bowing of the violin, blowing of the wind instruments or the more rigorous
keyboard playing. The kundiman, a song in three-fourths' time, was used by the folk
to express deep emotions of love. During the revolution against Spain, the most
famous kundiman as "Jocelynang Baliwag" which was dedicated not only to a
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woman but also to Motherland. Among the Hispanized songs indigenized by Filipino
composers are the habanera, danza and harana such as Constancio de Guzman's
"Irog Ko" (My Love) and Antonio Molina's "Hatinggabi" (Midnight). (Tuklas Sining:
Essays on the Philippine Arts, MUSIKA: An Essay on Philippine Music, Antonio C.
Hila, CCP, 1991).
And in theater, the most important play introduced by the Spaniards was the
Komedya which usually depicts the lives and loves of royalty in medieval Europe.
Some of the local versions of this theatrical form are the arakyo of Penaranda, Nueva
Ecija and the komedya on St. Michael the Archangel in Iligan City known as
yawa-yawa. (Tuklas Sining: Essays on the Philippine Arts, DULAAN: An Essay on
Philippine Theater, Nicanor G. Tiongson, CCP, 1991).
During the American occupation (1899-1940), the performing arts in the Philippines
were again influenced by the forms brought in by "Uncle Joe". And just like the
Spanish time, the Filipinos found ways to ensure that the "Filipino culture" would
still be apparent in the performing art forms that were taught to them by the
Americans. Some examples of these include two forms of musical-theater known as
sarswela and bodabil in theater, brass band and orchestras in music and ballroom
dancing like the cakewalk, foxtrot, big apple and the Virginia reef. (Tuklas Sining:
Essays on the Philippine Arts, DULAAN/MUSIKA/SAYAW, Tiongson/Hila/Villaruz, CCP,
1991).
Since the declaration of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 and up to this
time, the Filipino artists and performing groups, whether traditional, classical or
contemporary, struggled to maintain its own character. For many years, they have
shown full determination to continue creating artistic works in dance, drama and
music that embody the Filipino identity, spirit, ideals and culture. This was their
quest during the trying periods of socio-political-cultural anarchy and even up to the
present times
Today, after many decades of resisting foreign intrusion, the Filipinos take on the
challenge to continuously preserve the traditional performing art forms, to change the
perception that art is merely for entertainment and make the greater number of
Filipinos better understand, appreciate and regard culture and performing arts as vital
to their lives, and in so doing make them integral to the evolution, development and
promotion of Philippine culture.
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○ The ISTINCT CHARACTER of PERFORMING ARTS in THE PHILIPPINES
The present situation of the PERFORMING ARTS in the Philippines as an integral
part of Creative Industry can be best described as "exciting" and "challenging".
Exciting because the Philippines continue to be a rich source of outstanding creative
talents and the artistic activities and programs in the whole archipelago continue to
flourish. The situation is also challenging because the arts sector still faces problems
in the areas of financial and organizational support, marketing, and promotions to
name a few. Although these difficulties have affected its development, the arts sector
remains committed to surmount it in order to emphasize its vital role in the
economic progress of the country. A clear proof of the "exciting" situation of the
PERFORMING ARTS in the Philippines is the existence of a number of art
organizations that contribute immensely to the economic growth of the creative
industry.
2) ORGANIZATIONS
○ MUSIC
The Filipino MUSICAL artists and organizations are a big and strong force in the
performing arts. Their contributions to the development of Philippine arts and culture
range
from
the
creation,
preservation
and
promotion
(locally,
nationally
and
internationally) of Philippine traditional, classical, contemporary and modern music
and musical artists/groups. Music plays a very significant role in the creation process
and advancement of DANCE and THEATER. Clearly, music enhances the creative
product in both forms.
The Filipinos are known worldwide to be a "musical nation". This means that
every citizen, whether they received formal music training or they are simply living in
a barrio, can hum, chant, or sing a tune and can play instruments. This is why
there are numerous of music organizations that exist to date in the Philippines which
can either be:
• School based = groups that established by the schools in the primary, secondary,
tertiary levels in public and private institutions
• Community based = groups that are formed by members of the local communities
and/or some organizations in a community like the arts councils, civic organizations
like the Rotary and religious organizations like the Parish or Church communities.
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• Professionals = those that have produced highly acclaimed body of artistic works,
those that have earned awards and recognition, those that are duly registered in
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), are paid professional fees for
every performance and mounts regular performances in a given year. Some
professional groups are at the same time school or community based such as the
University of the Philippines (UP) Concert Chorus (UPCC) and the Loboc
Children's Choir from the province of Bohol in Visayas region.
The music organizations in the Philippines can be further categorized as follows:
1) vocalists / singers (in solo or ensemble)
2) composers / lyricists / arrangers
3) conductors (for a vocal or instrumental groups)
4) musicians (in solo, ensemble, band or orchestra)
The works of the Filipino musical artists and groups also come in various forms
which can either be :
1) traditional or folk = indigenous to the cultural communities around the country
2) classical
* Filipino classics such as the Kundimans (love songs) or the Awiting Makabayan
(patriotic songs)
* Western classics such as opera, orchestra, Broadway
3) contemporary / modern / popular such as the ballads, reggae, rock, hip-hop, etc.
On the other hand, the contributions of Philippine music in the country's economy
are easily determined due to the increasing market demands for the Filipino musical
artists nationwide and even world wide. The artistic products in music which
includes compositions, arrangements, live concerts, CDs, MTVs, etc. remain big
sources of income for musical artists, organizations and producers. And among the
most organized groups who have been existing for many years and have contributed
immensely to the growth and development of MUSIC in the Philippines include the
following:
1) Filipino Society Of Composers, Authors & Publishers (FILSCAP)
2) Organisation ng mga Pilipinong Mangaawit (OPM)
3) National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA)
4) League of Filipino Composers
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5) MADRIGAL et al, a network of chorale groups all over the country established
and maintained by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, the resident chorale group of
the CCP.
○ DRAMA / THEATER
One of the most powerful art forms in the Philippines that has prompted positive
social change is DRAMA or THEATER. For many centuries, this form served as the
alternative means of the Filipinos to express their sentiments and strengthen their
fight for freedom during the Spanish, American and Japanese regimes. Some very
prominent examples of these include the most famous sarsuela "Walang Sugat" (No
Wounds) by Severino Reyes, "Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas (Yesterday, Today and
Tomorrow) by Aurelio Tolentino and "Hindi Ako Patay" (I am not dead) and "
Tanikalang Ginto "(Golden Chain) by Juan Matapang Cruz. Philippine drama/theater is
also integral in the creation process for DANCE and MUSIC because it provides both
forms a more expressive means to portray or perform a movement or a melody.
Another distinct character of the Filipinos is their being "emotional" which can be
attributed to the terrible oppressions they experienced under the Spanish, American
and Japanese during the 1st and 2nd world wars. Another factor is their high regard
for social relationships within or outside the family. As such, they can naturally act
or express emotions for dramatic performances. This is the reason why there are
numerous of drama organizations that exist to date in the Philippines which, like in
music, can either be School based; Community based; or Professionals. Again, some
professional groups that are at the same time school or community based include the
Sining Kambayoka Ensemble (SKE) of the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi
City, Lanao del Sur in Southern Philippines and the ARTISTS Inc. from the province
of Laguna in the region of Luzon and Dulaang UP from the University of the
Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
The drama/theater organizations in the Philippines can be further categorized as
follows based on their artistic works or focus:
1) traditional / folk = indigenous
2) classical = Filipino classics
3) contemporary / modern / popular
The contributions of Philippine theater in the country's economy have also become
substantial because of the increase in audience ship for the different forms, and
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increase in the demand for Filipino theater artists nationwide and even world wide.
The artistic products in drama include original stories and scripts, adaptations or
translations, live performances, workshops, etc. continue to provide earnings for
theater artists, organizations and producers. As there are numerous drama groups
existing in every province, city or municipality and in every school, university, church
and community around the country, there is no updated complete listing of these
groups besides the Directory of Theater Groups published by the NCCA and the CCP
last 1994. For this particular report, below is a partial list of some of the most
prominent theater groups who have been existing for many years and have greatly
improved Philippine DRAMA/THEATER include the following:
In the National Capital Region (NCR):
1) Philippine Educational Theater Foundation (PETA)
2) Gantimpala Theater Foundation Inc.
3) Tanghalang Pilipino Foundation Inc.
4) Repertory Philippines
5) Actors, Actors Inc.
6) Trumpets
7) Dulaang UP
8) UP Teatrong Mulat
In the Luzon region (Northern Philippines):
1) Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation Inc. (BKFI)
2) ARTISTS Inc.
3) Community Based Theater Guild (CBTG)
4) Kaboronyogan Bicol Cultural Network
In the Visayas region (Central Philippines):
1) Pasundayag Eastern Visayas Cultural Network in Samar
2) Maskara Theater Ensemble in Bacolod
3) Sigmahanon Culture & Arts Network in Capiz
4) Dagyaw Theater and Dance Company in Iloilo City
In the Mindanao region (Southern Philippines):
1) Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) of the Mindanao State University(MSU)
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Iligan Institute of Technology (IIT) in Lanao del Norte
2) Sining Kambayoka Ensemble (SKE), MSU in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur
3) Kaliwat Theater Collective, Davao City
4) Kabpapagariya Ensemble in General Santos City
5) Kahayag Community Dance and Theater Company in Koronadal, South Cotabato
Besides the drama/theater performing arts groups, there are also a lot of active
organizations that continue to serve and promote the arts and culture in their
communities:
1) MINDULANI Inc. - a network of theater groups in Southern Philippines
2) Bulacan Theater Network, a network of theater groups in the Province of
Bulacan
3) LUSONG, a network of theater groups in Central Luzon
4) ALYANSA, a network of theater companies in the National Capital Region
5) TEATROKON, a network of theater groups in Western Visayas
6) PHILSTAGE, an association of professional theater companies in Metro Manila
Today, Philippine drama/theater continues to flourish in pursuit of its higher
mission and that is to transform the audiences so that they can do contribute to the
betterment of Philippine society.
○ DANCE
Another essential part of Philippine performing arts which is as vital as that of
music and drama is DANCE. The Filipinos are well known for being rhythmic and
dance-loving people. Hence, there are many Filipino artists who excel in this form
and have received international awards and recognition such as the Bayanihan
Philippine National Folk Dance Company, ballerinas Anna Villadolid and Lisa Macuja,
Ballet Philippines, Philippine All Stars (hip hop dance group) and the Dance Sports
Council of the Philippines to name a few.
Historically, the Philippines adapted some of the dances from Spain and the USA
but with their artistic innovations, many original Filipino dances were created such as
the "Manton de Manila" by National Artist for Dance Lucrecia Reyes Urtula; "Negro
Spirituals" by Alice Reyes, the first modern dance concert at the CCP Main theater;
"Sisa" – Cora Inigo's historical ballet; "Pangalay" by Ligaya Amilbangsa; "Pindulas" by
National Artist for Dance Ramon Obusan; "Bagobo", "Moriones" and "Encantada" by
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Agnes Locsin; and many more.
As such, they have organized themselves into different groups to ensure the
continued development and promotion of the art form and the artists. The Philippine
Folk Dance Society is one of the longest running organizations that focuses on the
preservation and promotion of folk dances through education programs for teachers,
dance directors and choreographers.
Other groups continue to strive to achieve their goals and missions.
1) Philippine Dance Alliance implement programs and projects for the development
and promotions of contemporary dance
2) Dance Educators Association of the Philippines which focuses on teachers'
training in dance & physical education
3) CIOFF Philippines (Council Of International Organizers Of Folk Festivals –
Philippine Chapter), the organization that facilitates participation of Philippine
groups to international folk festivals.
3) TYPE OF PROGRAMS AND SHOWCASES
○ CULTURE BASED
Majority of the materials used as the source of content for the performing arts in
the Philippines come from the culture, traditions and practices of the cultural
communities. In the most recent decades, many arts organizations have already
ventured into using some foreign materials but local innovations are crafted to make
the artistic product suitable to the Filipino taste, situations and experiences. Hence,
the performances or showcases coincide with several significant occasions in the
communities
such
as
the
fiestas,
birth,
death,
courtship,
marriage,
harvest,
enthronement of leaders, etc. There are also performance rituals related to the
condition of the environment such as those done during dry or wet season, in times
of drought and other natural calamities.
○ BASED ON RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
Many of the pre-colonial forms of performing arts in the Philippines are based on
the people's devotion and religious beliefs. This is usually a combination of dance,
music and drama that is meant to strengthen their faith, worship and give thanks to
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their Gods. The performances often come in the form of "rituals and chants".
○ SOCIO-POLITICAL BASED
Many creations in dance, drama or music portray the country's history, and the
social and political realities. Most of these artistic works are intended to convey
critical messages and in some cases advocate for a positive action towards a
socio-political campaign. There have been a substantial increase in socio-political
awareness among the different sectors and in some cases, actual transformations that
resulted from the presentation of performing arts.
○ LOCAL / NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
The overwhelming support and recognition given to Philippine performing arts as
evidenced
by
the
growing
audience
/
attendance
to
performances,
and
the
participation and victories won by a number of performing arts groups in major
national and international arts and cultural events, competitions and festivals. These
well deserved honors have inspired the artists and groups to continue creating artistic
works that are relevant and appealing to the Filipino and international communities
and audiences, while maintaining the distinct identity of Philippine arts and culture.
For instance, the Philippine Madrigal Singers recently won the Grand Prize in the
European Grand Prix for Choral Singing held in Arezzo, Italy last August 26, 2007,
making them the first and only choir in the world to win the grand prize twice in
the competition's entire history.
The Philippines is well known for its festivities that are celebrated year round
nationwide. As such, many performances in dance, drama and music are created and
presented for these celebrations. As regular as possible, many communities and
regional arts organizations implement their own arts festivals. Some of the most
popular are the Sinulog Festival of Cebu, Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo, Ati-Atihan
Festival in Aklan, Kadayawan in Davao, Kaamulan in Bukidon, Canao in the
Mountain Province, Pahiyas in Lucban and Mayohan in Tayabas, Quezon. In the
national and international scenes, the leading arts and cultural organizations also
conduct regular festivals and competitions. Some of them are the annual National
Music Competitions for Young Artists, National and International Chorale Competitions
and Festivals, National and International Theater Festivals, National and International
Rondalla Festival, World Folkloric Dance Festivals, etc.
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4) AUDIENCESHIP
○ Profile
Depending on the form and purposes, most productions in the performing arts are
viewed by the general public. The young audiences, mostly students are often
mobilized to see regular performances. Since art has been part of the educational
curriculum in all levels and since art has become an effective teaching instrument in
the classrooms in recent years, the students with their teachers have become the
most captive audience for many performances in dance, music and drama.
Occasionally, some performances are created exclusively for a specific group of
audience such as those intended for children, adults, men, women, tourists, etc. For
performances that are meant for community viewing which are usually non-ticketed
or free of charge, the productions are commonly open for general viewership.
○ Mobilization
The audience mobilization schemes vary depending on where the performances are
staged. However in the capital city which is Manila and in other major cities all over
the country, the audiences are mobilized through advanced block-selling of tickets to
student groups, school faculty and administrations (so they can require their students
to see the shows as part of their subjects/courses), and to various organizations.
Complementing
this
mobilization
scheme
is
the
use
of
multi-media
publicity
announcements (television, print, radio, internet, text messaging, etc.) that attract
other potential audiences.
In the local setting, there are other unique audience mobilization schemes that are
utilized which are more mostly personal, practical and promotes a sense of
community". Some examples of these are:
• Word of Mouth – The artists, production staff, their families & friends spread the
news about the performances by verbally promoting the shows.
• Ricorida - An audio speaker is installed in a vehicle which goes around the
community while voice plugs and announcements are made or canned music is
played.
• Motorcade – Several vehicles are decorated with colorful effects, some of the
performers ride these vehicles as they go around the streets to promote the
shows or events.
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• Text messaging - Since the Philippines has been considered the "text messaging
capital of the world", this communication system has been an effective tool in
mobilizing audiences anywhere the country.
• Banners and Streamers - In the countryside, the display of banners and
streamers, made in varied designs and colors, is still a helpful means to invite
and attract audiences.
○ Audience Preferences and Response
Just like the audiences in other third world countries, the Filipino audiences have
a wide variety of preferences when it comes to performing arts. Those who are
living in the Metropolis area, whether young or old, are more exposed to modern art
and technology and naturally, they are more inclined to see performances along these
nature. However, since the government cultural institutions such as the Cultural
Center of the Philippines (CCP), National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA), and private arts organizations realize the need to balance the programming
and public exposures to ensure that the national Filipino identity is kept alive, they
regularly
present
traditional
Filipino
performing
arts
and
also
contemporary
expressions that are more deeply rooted in tradition and more markedly unique as
Filipino.
The audiences in the local communities, though geographically far from the main
sites of civilization, are not at all behind because they too have accessed to new
technologies even on a limited capacity. As such, their preferences for the performing
arts are also influenced. But based on the actual experiences of the Outreach and
Exchange Program of the CCP for the last 29 years (1979-2008), the people in the
provinces and in the local communities, still prefer to see live performances in
dance, drama and music that are reflections of their lives, culture and traditions.
Despite this, they also welcome the presentations from their neighboring communities
or even from other provinces and sometimes, other countries too.
Because of the historical, socio-political experiences of the Filipinos since thousands
of years ago, as well the prevailing problems on poverty and economy, they have
become so critical about anything that is presented to them. As such, many Filipino
performing artists/groups who have performed for foreign audiences, conclude that
the Filipino audiences are harder to please. Through time, this notion has remarkably
changed. The Filipino audiences have become more easily appreciative of the
performing arts especially with the local, national and international honors and
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recognitions earned by several artists and groups; the power of the performing arts to
effect social change, the increase in the number of performing groups and venues all
over the country and more importantly, the realization by the citizenry of the
significant role that art plays in human, community and national development.
5) PERFORMANCE VENUES
The venues used for presentations of performing arts in the Philippines range from
conventional
theaters
to
school
auditoriums,
community
gymnasiums/sports
&
convention centers, multi-purpose & social halls, plazas and other open-air stages,
churches, malls, cinemas and even the streets. Clearly, the wide variety of venues
used for performing arts indicate the limited "theaters" or "cultural centers" available
throughout the country.
Most of the legitimate theaters are located in Manila. During the Marcos regime,
the CCP Complex was the only place where artists / groups can perform in
well-designed/well-equipped conventional theaters. Built in 1969 to provide a physical
home for the preservation and development of Philippine art and culture, the CCP
has a main theater designed like an opera house with 1,800 seats, a little theater
(400 seats), a laboratory-studio theater (200 seats), and the Folk Arts Theater (8,500
seats) which in 1974 as venue for folkloric arts.
During the commonwealth era or "peace time", the government built a people's
theater in the Mehan Gardens across Plaza Lawton (now known as Liwasang
Bonifacio). The Metropolitan Theater or MET for short, was inaugurated on December
10, 1931. Since then, it hosted a colorful, rich line-up of zarzuelas, dramas,
translations of foreign classics and stage shows and international artists. After the war,
the destroyed Met fell into a long, idle sleep (Cultural Center of the Philippines
Crystal Years, Visitacion de la Torre, 1984) until it was restored back to its full
radian in 1978 which served as the main venue for major performances and
productions in dance, music and theater which were attended by Manila's crème of
the crop. It ceased operations for over a decade now due to a legal battle
concerning its ownership. As of this time, the theater remains abandoned due to
unresolved legal controversy and the lack of sufficient funds to fully renovate it.
In the mean time, the Filipino audiences were not deprived of comfortable places
to see performances because many institutions started to build or renovate theaters
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and auditoriums. Besides the CCP, there are a number of good performance venues
around Metro Manila, there are in fact a lot and no exact statistics are available as of
writing this report. And so, below is a partial list of the major venues:
1. Public / Government Owned Theaters
1.1 NCCA Mini-theater
1.2 AFP Theater
1.3 Casino Filipino Theater
2. Privately Owned or Commercial Theaters
2.1 Aliwan Theater
2.2 Philamlife Theater
2.3 Meralco Theater
2.4 PCIB Auditorium
2.5 PETA Theater
2.6 Insular Life Theater
2.7 Music Museum
2.8 Crossroads 77 Theater
3. School / University Theaters
3.1 SPC Auditorium
3.2 UP Theater
3.3 DLSU Theater
3.4 CSB Theater
3.5 SSC St. Cecilia's Hall
3.6 USA Theater
3.7 Assumpta Theater
In the 1998 Directory-Guide on Performing Arts Groups and Arts Councils in the
Philippines published by the CCP, there are sixty two (62) performance venues
outside Manila. The list was made from the venues which were utilized by the CCP's
outreach program from 1979 to 1998. If that same list was updated today, there
would appear a notable increase of about 70-80% in the total number of existing
performance venues throughout the country.
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6) ARTISTIC SKILLS AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
○ ARTISTIC
Many Filipino artists would consider their creative capacities as God-given, inborn,
natural and inherited from their forefathers. As such, their artistic works are products
of their own efforts and creation and these have been tested and proven through
decades of hard work, dedication, perseverance, research, training, production,
performances, participation in competitions and festivals in the country and even
abroad.
During the ancient times, where there are no formal educational system or
institutions that can teach performing arts exist, the Filipino artists and groups rely
mainly on self motivation, study and practices. It was useful at that time because
many of the performances were expressions of their culture and life and were
mounted mostly for community gatherings and folk practices in the form of rituals,
celebrations and other aspects of life wherein music, dance and theater were integral.
Since the formal style education was introduced by the Americans, the Filipino
artists and groups gained some teachings from the experts. As they exist now not
only for their respective communities, there was a great need for them to undergo
formal trainings in order to enhance their knowledge, expand their capabilities and
become more dynamic and relevant for the bigger and varying audiences in the
national and international communities. These trainings which are used to further
hone their skills in dance, drama, and music are achieved either in a formal
classroom through a short or full course / degree in the arts in a college or
university and in many cases, through non-degree trainings in the form of
workshops,
research,
lectures,
demonstrations,
seminars,
conferences,
congress,
exposures, immersions, exchanges, apprenticeship, fellowships and even the actual
shows and touring performances. Many of these trainings are made available by the
government cultural institutions, schools, community and private arts and cultural
organizations, and some foreign institutions who have branches in the Philippines.
○ ORGANIZATIONAL
The organizational development of performing arts groups in the Philippines has
been facilitated and pushed forward by the country's premiere institution for the arts,
that is the CCP. Since after the EDSA revolution in 1986, the center has been
offering various training opportunities for artists-managers to develop their arts
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management skills with the end view of improving the operations and administration
of their own performing arts organizations. Through its Outreach and Exchange
Program, the CCP conducted a series of arts management workshops and seminars
for various arts organizations in the regions of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This
was reinforced by holding a conference on Culture and the Arts for Philippines 2000
which was hosted by the CCP at the National Arts Center in Mt. Makiling, Laguna in
1995 and the first ever National Conference on Sustainable Arts and Culture
Development organized by the CCP in partnership with the NCCA held in the same
venue from January 22-24, 1997. From 2001-2003, three regional seminar-workshops
on Cultural Advocacy, Good Governance and Unity were conducted. And then in
2004, on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary, the CCP Outreach implemented a
regional
forum
participated
in
by
performing
artists,
cultural
managers
and
administrators.
One of the high points in organizational development of the performing arts in the
Philippines was the birth of the Managing the Arts (MAP) Program at the Asian
Institute of Management (AIM) in October 2001. The two-week long course provided
the
artists-managers
with
an
intensive
training
on
arts
management,
financial
management, arts marketing and promotions, audience development, etc. To date,
MAP has produced a number of prominent artists-managers who successfully run and
operate their own arts organizations. The author of this report was in fact one of the
first batch of AIM MAP graduates.
Besides the CCP, the NCCA and other performing arts organizations also design
and conduct their own trainings to address the growing need for advance
information, skills and techniques in the performing arts.
○ MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS STRATEGIES
Marketing and promotions are two very important aspects of ensuring the
sustainable development of performing arts in the Philippines. The state of arts
marketing and promotions in the Philippines today is an integration of bringing in
more people into the performances, or more money into the organization, or both.
Most of the Marketing Directors are mainly responsible for bringing in sponsorship
income, some are into generation of sales largely through block-ticket selling, season
ticket subscription and there are those whose main goal and function is to convince
individuals or organizations to give financial assistance or grants in exchange for
being called either a patron, donor, sponsor, or benefactor. (Arts Marketing in the
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Philippines: Into the Next Millennium, Dennis N. Marasigan, Directory and Guide of
Performing Arts Groups and Arts Councils in the Philippines, CCP, 1998)
Because of economic instability, many corporations prefer to allot their budgets for
performances and events that would have direct positive impact on their company
sales and income. Fortunately, there are still companies who continue to promote
their "corporate social responsibility" or better known as CSR which allows the
performing artists/groups some leeway in raising funds for their programs. With the
lack or limited funds for the arts in the private sector, many artists and groups
would accept "exchange deals"from certain companies. For example, a four-star hotel
would provide a specific number of hotel rooms for the performers in exchange of
some media exposures, or a restaurant would provide meals for the media in a press
conference in exchange for the inclusion of their restaurant name in the publicity
schemes.
On the other hand, the promotions team in every arts organization in the
Philippines, spend much of their time making the public aware and interested in the
various artistic products and events. This is done in varied ways ranging from
television, radio, print, internet, text messaging, billboards, press conferences &
interviews, live coverages and other forms of publicity campaign.
7) SUPPORT SYSTEMS
○ ORGANIZATIONAL and POLICIES
As earlier mentioned in this report, one of the most beneficial support that the
government and private institutions provide to the performing arts groups is training
and development which are conducted through workshops, seminars, congresses,
conferences, forums, dialogues and discussions. In the last 15-20 years, some
undergraduate programs in arts management have been established in some colleges
and universities such as the University of the Philippines Manila, College of St.
Benilde, University of Sto. Tomas and Ateneo University to name a few. In 2001, the
NCCA also opened the Institute for Culture and Arts Management which offers
short-term courses for practitioners from all over the country. Complementing these
formal and non-formal education and trainings are the government policies / laws
and guidelines established to address specific concerns and issues in the arts such as
the Philippine Development Plan for Culture and the Arts created during the Ramos
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Administration; Republic Act No. 7356 creating the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts and establishing a National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts;
the Philippine Cultural Heritage Law of 1994; the Local Government Code of 1991;
and many others. (CAP 2000 Conference Proceedings, CCP, June 1995)
○ PHYSICAL
Besides a national venue for the performing arts which is the CCP and even with
the increasing number of theaters all over the country, many Filipino performing
artists and groups are still in search of spaces and facilities for their productions and
administrative offices. In the local and community levels, many groups improvise their
spaces for presentations and administrative operations through the use of their own
houses, and other physical structures lent or leased by family, friends and colleagues.
The school based groups are fortunate because their school administration would
normally provide them with facilities. The same is true for groups that are affiliated
or are in residency programs with public or private organizations. The CCP for
instance provide free use of theaters and office spaces for its resident companies like
the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), Tanghalang Pilipino (theater), Ballet
Philippines (dance). Other professional groups are far better off because they can
afford to give their groups a permanent home such as the Bayanihan Philippine
National Folk Dance Company, PETA, Repertory Philippines, Ballet Manila, Trumpets,
etc.
○ FINANCIAL
The constant need for funds to cover all the expenses in creating a performing
arts production is a challenging task for all artists-managers, which sometimes become
daunting due to economic instability, increasing number of performing groups, and
increased competitions posed by the other art forms and new technologies.
A large portion of funding for the arts comes from the NCCA which has a
Sub-Commission
for
the
Arts.
Grants
are
provided
to
arts
organizations
for
productions, training education projects, local and international outreach and exchange
projects. The CCP also provides support and assistance through its varied artistic
programs.
However,
many
artistic
activities
and
programs
are
still
undertaken
by
non-government organizations with limited resources. Despite this, arts organizations
continue to survive with strong dependence on earned income and the use of
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creative means to raise contributed income. Subscription-based marketing is employed
by the major performing arts groups. Regular tie-ups with the Department of
Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) allow students
to watch performances at discounted prices.(Managing the Arts in the Philippines,
Lecture for the AIM Managing the Arts Program, Nestor O. Jardin, CCP President,
October 15, 2001)
As discussed in the early part of this report, some high profile private institutions
extend their financial support to the performing arts through their CSR and arts
programs too such as the regular sponsorships and grants given by Philip Morris for
jazz music festivals, the co-productions of the Philippine Long Distance Company
(PLDT), San Miguel Corporation, Nestle Philippines, Smart Communications, GLOBE
Telecommunications, for presentations of music, dance & theater productions.
In the local level, the local government units (LGUs), tourism councils, civic and
religious organizations also provide financial help to performing artists and groups
every once in a while.
8) Conclusion
○ CHALLENGES & STRATEGIES
Despite the exciting and flourishing state of performing arts in the Philippines, the
Filipino artists and groups still face different kinds of "challenges" that somehow
affect their artistic outputs. The most prevalent concerns are those involving financial
and organizational support, marketing and promotions. At the same time, arts
organizations in the Philippines face the greater problem of audience development
and several factors contribute to this problem namely:
• Stiff Competition – This is brought about by the wide variety of entertainment
forms from local and foreign commercial productions and the surfacing of
numerous performing groups have cut up the limited arts market.
• Shifting Attitudes – The escalating exposures of the Filipino audiences to Western
cultures and art forms have changed their attitudes and preferences.
• Accessibility - The economic instability weakens the purchasing power of the
audiences to access performances especially those that are ticketed. At the same
time, the deterioration of the traffic situation and the unpredictable weather
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conditions in the Metropolis and even in the provinces have made many
performing arts venues inaccessible to the general public. Another factor that adds
up to the reduced access to performances are the high cost of arts productions.
• Quality of Performances - Due to the strong influences of local and foreign
commercial productions, the Filipino audiences have become more selective and
critical, urging the performing artists and groups to maintain the quality of their
productions always at a high level to keep their audiences interested.
• Lack of Education – To develop a genuine audience and supporters for the
performing arts, the producers, artists and groups must implement arts awareness
program beginning with the youth. Proper arts education will ensure a sustained
audienceship in the future.
Many artists-managers in the Philippines do not have formal education in arts
administration and are managing their companies mainly from experience. Clearly,
there is a need to develop professional arts managers who are capable of
understanding and implementing management principles, devise strategies that will
ensure their organization's sustainability and gain public support and patronage of
their artistic programs.
The tremendous increase in the number of performing groups and productions in
dance, drama and music in the last two decades is not balanced with the increase in
number of venues for the performing arts. Even with the recent infrastructure
development in Manila, there is still a need to build more venues with state-of-the-art
facilities and equipment throughout the country.
The greatest challenge of the performing arts in the Philippines is the urgent need
to make arts and culture much more relevant to the lives of the ordinary Filipino, to
make the government, sponsors, leaders and the public realize the value of arts and
culture in human and economic development and in defining national identity.
As discussed extensively in this report, the PERFORMING ARTS sector is truly a big
part of the Philippine Creative Industry. Despite its remarkable achievements gained
over the years, it continues to face a lot of challenges. The outcomes and resolutions
drafted in many forums, dialogues, workshops and conferences underscored the need
to implement strategies that will ensure the sustainability and progress of the
performing arts and the whole creative industry in the Philippines. Some of them
include the following:
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❖ Collaboration among various sectors
❖ More government support through policy/funding/incentives)
❖ Establish baseline data/research/documentation
❖ Education/information (rights, opportunities, trends, markets)
❖ Increase in education programs/opportunities/new audiences
❖ Greater access outside Manila
❖ Recognition and validation of creative industry
❖ Unity/networking/advocacy/ continuity
○ THE FUTURE OF PERFORMING ARTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
The list of what are needed to be done to ensure the continued growth of the
performing arts in the Philippines seem to be quite long but the spirit and driving
force of the Filipino performing artists remain strong and undaunted. There is clearly
an enormous source of energy and creativity in the ARTs sector that no form or
amount of challenges cannot be resolved. The Filipino performing artists and groups
have a very special resource that could motivate transformation and progress and this
is
the
"creative
process"itself,
paired
with
the
flexibility
and
familiarity
with
collaborative approaches to doing things and solving problems. As such, they must
work doubly harder to ensure that their works are accomplished with integrity as
artistic expressions of their culture, life, values and practices.
All members of the arts and culture sector must stop thinking and breathing like
beggars who have been deprived and abandoned. Instead, they should persevere and
prove to the government leaders, the business community, media and the general
public that arts and culture are two very significant elements that can bring about
sustainable development for the whole nation. The current need therefore is for the
Philippine government to institutionalize its support for the performing arts and the
whole creative industry and to integrate its efforts with those of the private and
business sectors. Towards this end, a comprehensive and integrated national
development plan for the performing arts and the whole creative industry should be
immediately developed and implemented.
A brighter future is in the hands of no less than the performing artists and groups
themselves because their efforts and contributions to national development have been
large and wide throughout many decades. The only thing that must be done is to
make everyone fully aware and appreciative of these remarkable achievements.
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Credit
Research on the Actual Condition of Performing Arts in Asia
Administration
Director _ Gyu-seog Lee
Executive Manager _ Yeon Woo
Research Plan & Administration _ Byong-Jin Yoo
Executive Contributor
Sung Yeop Lee _ Professor, Korea National University of Arts
Local Contributors
Zedeck Siew _ Editor, www.kakiseni.com
Graham Sutcliffe _ Senior Arts and project Manager, British Council Vietnam
Anmol Vellani _ Executive Director, Indian Foundation for the Arts
Kimura Noriko _ Freelance performing art manager
Soun Bun Rith _ Project Coordinator, Amrita Performing Arts
Pawit Mahasarinand _ Lecturer, Chulalongkorn University
Carmencita Jasareno-Bernardo _ Outreach and Exchange Division Manager
Cultural Center of the Philippines
Faizaan Peerzada _ Artistic Director, Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop
Research Advisers
Fred Frumberg _ Director, Amrita Performing Arts
Jooyeoul Ryu _ Overseas Marketing Executive India, Munwha Broadcasting Corp
Katelijn Verstraete _ Project manager, Asia-Europe Foundation
Kuo-hua Yu _ Secretary General, Performing Arts Alliance
Kusuma Venzky-Stalling _ former Senior Specialist, SPAFA, SEAMEO Regional Centre for Archeology and Fine Arts
Mark Teh _ Artist, the Five Arts Centre
Neo Kim Seng _ Program officer, Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Nestor O. Jardin _ President, Cultural Centre of the Philippines
Paul Zetter _ Director, Ensemble Creative Training and Development
Tim Doling _ Managing Director, Cultural Profiles Project
Yaohua SU _ Director, Taipei Artist Village
Publisher
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Korea Arts Management Service
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