Theatreview’s application for Investment Funding

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10 September 2010

FROM THE (JUST) MANAGING EDITOR of www.theatreview.org.nz

Creative New Zealand has rejected Theatreview’s application for further Sector Investment funding.

Theatreview is therefore appealing to all performing arts practitioners and related organisations – in theatre, dance, comedy, circus, etc – to join the Performing Arts Directory as professional members.

Such support is essential if Theatreview is to survive beyond the end of this year.

Current funding actually runs out at the end of September. I will keep it going until Christmas in anticipation of support from all those who say they value Theatreview as a resource. Every day sees more people joining up and the present level of promises (via Facebook) amounts to about 10% of the funding declined.

Koha/donations may also be offered if you do not wish to populate a professional practitioner page.

(If the embedded hyperlinks on this message don’t work, go to www.theatreview.org.nz and, at the bottom of the feature box, click on Join the PAD or koha/donations , or navigate from the PAD logo.)
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Background

I set up Theatreview in 2006, at my own expense, when the National Business Review decided not to run Wellington theatre reviews. That year we covered 233 performing arts productions, collating multiple reviews of many and expanding to nation-wide coverage. Since then the annual production count has been 314 (2007), 359 (2008), 448 (2009). So far this year it’s 383 shows (expect 430+ by mid-October).

What began as a glorified blog has now become a major organ of communication, interaction and information that has created an online performing arts community by recording, critiquing, celebrating and debating NZ’s professional performing arts activity.

Initially I was able to balance managing and writing for Theatreview with freelance technical writing work. Now it has become a full-time commitment to manage the reviewing schedule, prepare the production pages, edit and publish the reviews, manage the other areas of site contents, administrate the business side and maintain my own output of 100+ reviews per year. And there are ongoing costs associated with having the site hosted and retaining the services of a Web Master.

Future Plans

My goal is to make Theatreview sustainable as a going concern. Setting up the Performing Arts Directory (PAD) – which was unfunded and is currently a long way short of repaying the set up costs – is a major part of that strategy. Plans are in progress to work with Scoop (www.scoop.co.nz ) to expand awareness among the general public and to sell advertising (with a better return than the pittance earned by GoogleAds). Likewise Eventfinder has agreed to consider including links to Theatreview.

If you value Theatreview, and want to see it survive and grow to further serve the interests and needs of the performing arts community and their audiences, please join the Performing Arts Directory

John Smythe, Managing Editor, www.theatreview.org.nz

For more information please feel free to contact John directly – john@theatreview.org.nz

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