Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the committee for undertaking this necessary examination.
My name is Boomer, and I'm the executive director of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres.
PACT is a collective voice of professional Canadian theatres representing over 160 professional theatre companies across the country, as well as supporting the needs of the English-speaking theatre community. Our sector is diverse, ranging from the largest performing arts organizations in Canada to small, independent theatre artists, from rural to urban, from festivals to theatre for young audiences, from culturally diverse to indigenous, all serving audiences in diverse communities from coast to coast to coast.
We are grateful for every dollar that has been made available to help our sector survive and the speed at which the government has responded. We would not still be standing without the support that we have received as a community. We ask you to continue the investment for our survival as we look towards recovery.
I know that you've heard on many occasions that our sector was the first to shut down and that we expect to be among the last to recover. You know we have faced unprecedented and extended closures of theatres and the cancellation of productions, including, of course, Come From Away, resulting in massive layoffs, under-employment, unemployment and a loss of skilled trades workers. We are aware of the ripple effect on restaurants, parking, hotels, etc., and the massive loss of regional revenues negatively affected by our closures.
You know that we've been through several cycles of lockdown, limited capacity and attempts to reopen. You might know that we've faced audience hesitancy in returning to venues and a lack of confidence in buying tickets. You may also know that we are experiencing severe burnout in trying to survive and a growing mental health crisis in our sector, so perhaps you understand a little of where we currently stand.
I want to dig just a little bit further into the nuances of some of our challenges to give you a deeper understanding of our road to recovery from our current state of survival.
We are not a light switch industry. From artistic development to performing on stage in front of an audience, it can take months to years to achieve. Even with a predetermined line-up of productions waiting to happen, from contracting, hiring and rehearsing to actual opening night takes at minimum a month, with additional time for marketing and box office. Lockdowns, local restrictions and capacity limits all affect when that clock starts in production. We don't have products sitting on a shelf ready to go.
One size does not fit all. Part of the strength of our sector is our diversity, but it also requires solutions and support to be equally diverse, flexible and sometimes tailored to meet a subsector's specific needs.
In order to get federal support out the door quickly, most of it has flown through Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts. For companies not currently on CCA or Heritage funding, it has been difficult or impossible to access funds. Many of these companies represent traditionally underfunded, marginalized artists and companies. Additional funding is required in order to expand greater access to funds.
There are over 50 companies across the country that create work solely and specifically for young audiences. Touring into schools or schools travelling into venues is currently impossible. These companies already face a challenging financial model with less revenue realized through ticket sales and now face an even greater strain and a disconnect from their audiences.
Likewise, there is also a robust national contingent of festival or summer season theatres. The specific seasonality of their operations often makes funding metrics impossible to achieve.
Finally, there is no normal. The only certainty is continued uncertainty. Live streaming and digital opportunities have become part of our menu but cannot replace the hunger for live and in-person performances. Audience confidence in buying tickets in advance is at an all-time low, making traditional subscriptions and advance ticket sales less reliable. Last minute or walk-up sales affect company cash flow and forecasting, and create operational challenges.
Likewise, the nature of seasons is being redefined. Traditionally sales-rich holiday shows between November and January are being reconsidered based on the past two years' peak in virus waves and subsequent cancellations.
Full-season programming from September to June is also risky, so instead, shorter programming periods are being considered. This affects touring. There are fewer pre-sales opportunities and greater marketing challenges as well as the challenge of attracting a workforce back with shorter term contracts.
This is a very short overview of just some of our current and ongoing challenges, and while we may look forward to recovery, we're still very much mired in survival mode.