The Playgoer: NEA update

Custom Search

Saturday, August 06, 2005

NEA update

Two informative links today, courtesy of ArtsJournal:

- Backstage has the skinny on Congress's new proposed NEA budget. The bottom line:
the action still leaves the NEA better off than it was a year ago, with a net budget increase of $4.4 million, to $125.7 million, for the 2006 fiscal year.
Surprisingly, it was the House committee that voted for an additional $5 million in funding, which was rejeted in conference. (Even Republicans have finally embraced arts spending as good ol' pork!)
To put things in perspective: $4.4 million is about the size of a mid-size LORT regional theatre's annual budget. Of course, the NEA doesn't support one theatre, but several. And not just theatre but the other arts as well. When you realize how thin $4 million can be spread... well, we should be grateful just not to be slashed I suppose. (They have us where they want us, that's for sure.)

- also check out this short Economist piece (of all places) on "Why People Laugh." For those who take their comedy seriously, it's a thought-provoking (and even funny) read.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who cares. Let's talk about male nudity in plays.

Jason Grote said...

Hey Anonymous, are you really the NYT theater section?