Thank you very much.
I'd also like to thank you for the opportunity to be involved in these discussions.
At Rosebud School of the Arts, we are unique and the questions that you ask are interesting, because I think they mean different things to different people. When we talk about a definition of a cultural hub, as an example, we are more than the hub. We're the also the spokes in the wheel. Our theatre and school are the reasons the community continues to exist. We're about an hour outside of Calgary in a hamlet with a population of about 100 people. Everyone in the hamlet is connected to the School of the Arts or to the theatre component, whether they be bed and breakfasts, RV camping sites, or all of those different things. Of course, the original intention of our group was the educational component, so our school for the students is why the theatre is there, and it raises funds so we can offer the educational opportunities to those people.
It's a transformational community. We completely change the lives of our students, and we also offer patrons an opportunity to enjoy culture and the arts in a rural setting in some really interesting historic sites like our opera house and whatnot.
We've been asked what role government can play. I think one of the important things we want to emphasize today—and I'm sure that you all have the notes and the background information—is that we are unique. Because we are unique, we're a little different from than a lot of cultural hubs, which sometimes can be identified as a pinpoint in an urban centre and could be subsidized up to around 60% to 70%. The funding we receive because we're in a rural community with a rural municipality is approximately two per cent of our budget. We spend a disproportionate amount of time raising funds to carry on. I think we do pretty well, because we've been there for 40 years offering education, professional theatre, and exposing our students to what's available there.
The dirty word of course is always money. This is one of the things that we talk about because we don't think the arts and exposure to culture is an urban thing. We think it's a Canadian thing. Our belief is that it needs to be made available to the students in rural as well as urban Canada, and it's very important that it be easily accessed.
I'm going to move along so I don't use up too much time.
The greatest obstacles of course are the funding, which I mentioned, but it's also hard to attract corporate sponsorship because we are not very visible. This is a very tiny community off the beaten path. I mentioned that we don't have the same type of funding opportunities, and we have to do our marketing to a broader audience. We have 30,000-plus people come to Rosebud Theatre in the small community, as I mentioned, but we have to draw from a large area to bring those people from the larger centres. There has to be a commitment to go there, because there are no transportation options other than people arranging it themselves. We've been very fortunate to have some wonderful patrons who have helped us.
The benefits of course are bringing the organizations together. We have a community now that is more than just a hub, as I said. The reason it is there is arts and culture. It brings a diverse group of people together and allows our students to see professionals at work. We draw professionals from all across the country for our productions, and it's a very rich experience.
Without going too much further into it, I look forward to any questions there may be.
Frank is one of our experts.
Thank you very much again for the opportunity to speak today.