Shaw Festival—25th Anniversary

Mr. Seymour

Reverend Sir, distinguished guests, members and friends of The Empire Club of Canada: It is my pleasure to welcome as our guest speaker today Allan Slaight, Chairman of the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

From its humble beginnings in an old courthouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1962, the Shaw Festival is now a "Jewel in the Crown" of theatre festivals, playing to capacity audiences in three theatres every summer. The plays of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries have delighted audiences in a festival that has been described as "once small but mighty, now looks simply mighty."

It is acknowledged that, because of the genius of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), "our dramatic work is livelier, more serious, more deeply concerned with life than it has been at any time since the days of (English novelist) Henry Fielding. Insofar as any one man is responsible for this, that man is Shaw.

"There can be no doubt that his plays amused, stimulated, exasperated and shocked his contemporaries... that no plays since Congreve's have more pointed and eloquent dialogue, and that he was a man of great intelligence and immense seriousness of purpose."

Through its quarter-century of operation, the Shaw Festival has earned a reputation for the excellent quality of its productions, the efficiency of its management, and its creative endeavours.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the festival has announced several creative events, including: a gala, starring the National Ballet of Canada, the Stratford Festival, and the Canadian Opera Company; and a jazz concert, featuring 19 top musicians in tribute to the artistry in rhythm of Stan Kenton.

Originally from Galt, Ontario, Allan Slaight moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, with his family in 1948 when his father purchased the Moose Jaw Times-Herald newspaper, and later a local radio station as well.

After only a few months at the University of Saskatchewan, Slaight quit school to work in radio. In 1958, he joined CHUM Radio in Toronto and, as program director, made it the most popular Top-40 station in the country. He later turned CHUM-FM into a classical music station, but left in 1966 to work in radio in Britain.

Back in Canada in 1970, Slaight purchased Toronto's CFGM and Montreal's CFOX. Four years later, his broadcasting company was in a position to take over the ailing Global television network.

Our guest attracted considerable media attention in November, 1984, when he and three executives from different television networks formed The Committee for the Responsible Privatization of CBC Television. Shortly after Prime Minister Brian Mulroney scotched any plans to privatize the CBC in January, 1985, Slaight turned his attention to the possible acquisition of Standard Broadcasting. In May, after a bitter battle with a rival suitor, Slaight gained control of what many consider the best broadcasting organization in Canada.

Besides being chairman of the Shaw Festival, Slaight was last year's campaign chairman for the United Way of Greater Toronto, which raised a record twenty-nine and a

half million dollars. How does Slaight view his community involvement?

"It's a way of paying your dues to a system that has been resonably good to you from time to time."

Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Allan Slaight, Chairman of the Shaw Festival, who will address us on the topic, "Shaw Festival-25th Anniversary."

Allan Slaight

I recall the day Harry Seymour phoned. It initially sounded so simple: We'd like you to address The Empire Club about the Shaw Festival. "What could be easier?" I thought, as I rapidly acquiesced. Employing my life-long maxim: "When in doubt, procrastinate," I did no more than noodle thoughts around in my mind until Ada and I flew back last Friday from a business trip to London.

When we entered our home after our week away, the mail produced a book I had ordered: The Little Brown Book of Anecdotes, by Clifton Fadiman. I eagerly looked up "Shaw, George Bernard" and read: "Born 1856, died 1950. Irish playwright. Born in Dublin, he went to London at the age of twenty, where he remained for the rest of his life. After writing five unsuccessful novels, he became a music and drama critic and an active socialist. He wrote more than forty plays, many of which have retained their enormous popularity. He was a witty speaker and writer of letters."

Not quite as scholarly a piece as one would expect from Clifton, but nevertheless curtly informative.

I naturally read on to the anecdotes. Mr. Fadiman tells us that, while Shaw was still a music critic, he was dining with a friend in a restaurant that provided, for entertainment, an orchestra that was at best mediocre. The leader, recognizing Shaw, wrote him a note asking him what he would like the orchestra to play next. "Dominoes," replied Shaw.

And I enjoyed the anecdote about a lady, notorious for courting celebrities, who sent Shaw an invitation reading:

"Lady Smithers will be at home on Tuesday between four and six o'clock." Shaw returned the card annotated: "Mr. Bernard Shaw likewise." He was a crusty devil!

Now let's get down to business.

On May 28, we will officially launch our 25th season. During the summer of 1962, the historic Court House on Queen Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake was converted into a small theatre. Eight weekend performances of Don Jaun in Hell and Candida by George Bernard Shaw were presented. The event was organized by Brian Doherty and titled "Salute to Shaw."

The tremendous success of these productions led to the establishment of the Shaw Festival Theatre Foundation in 1963. Headed by Calvin Rand, it was created as a non-profit organization with a board of directors whose mandate was to produce the dramatic works of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries.

The next year, 1964, a young actor named Christopher Newton became a member of the Shaw company under Andrew Allan. Christopher reminisced recently at our annual meeting:

"I remember the town as charming but far from prosperous and the rehearsals bizarre. Andrew Allan used to leave at three o'clock to have a little something at the Prince of Wales Hotel. I can't ever remember him returning earlier than the following morning."

Christopher returned as artistic director of the festival in 1980. He came to us from Vancouver where he had been artistic director of the Vancouver Playhouse.

In 1981, his first season, Chris enlarged the schedule to include eleven productions, a dance program, a musical in the newly acquired Royal George Theatre and lunchtime performances of Shaw's one-act plays.

Nineteen eighty-two saw several firsts at the Shaw Festival including the opening of Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano starred Heath Lamberts and proved such an overwhelming success that it returned to the festival in 1983 and 1984.

In 1983, several new additions to the season's playbill included the start of the "Risk Series" at the Court House Theatre-a play chosen for its somewhat obscure and daring appeal to be performed for a limited engagement of one week only. The first in this series was The Vortex by Noel Coward.

In 1984, Shaw announced its first CBC television tapingCelimare or Friends of a Feather. This production was aired on national TV in February, 1985. Cyrano de Bergerac moved to Toronto for a six-week run at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. The first Toronto Project was initiated in conjunction with Toronto Free Theatre to produce Tilly's Delicatessen.

The fall of 1984 and September 18 saw the result of one of the festival's most ambitious efforts. Orwell's 1984 involved the entire town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, most of the Shaw Festival Company (including administration, production, and acting ensemble) as well as a limited audience of 600 for this one-performance spectacular. The workshop, directed by Johanna Mercer, evolved into one of the largest examples of environment theatre in North America.

In a letter to Anna Stratton at The Canada Council shortly after the event, Christopher wrote:

"I think we are unique. I've never heard of a theatre going about its work in quite the way we do. We are very serious. Yet we actively encourage eccentricity, singularity, and a kind of mad euphoria. If we didn't encourage it, we would never have produced 1984, that one glorious, crazed event. (It was when the two planes swept out of the night sky and buzzed the hate rally with its giant video screens and strange fires that I knew we were on to something!)"

Nineteen eighty-five saw a continuation of the festival's inspiring success. Ticket sales surpassed the projected $4,200,000 mark, and marvellous production standards were achieved with the North American premiere of Noel Coward's Cavalcade, employing the largest cast and crew in the festival's history.

Our finest season also featured productions of Shaw's

Heartbreak House, which later toured to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa; the most popular farce in our history, One for the Pot, starring the awesomely talented Heath Lamberts; The Madwoman of Chaillot; The Women by Clare Booth Luce; and Agatha Christie's Murder on the Nile, which launched our annual murder mystery series.

In 1985, through the continued formalization of the workshop concept, we saw the birth of The Academy. We must become a teaching as well as a performing company. And now The Academy operates from a space in the old boatworks warehouse by the Niagara River. The new space is now called home for a series of dance, movement, voice, singing and technique classes.

Christopher Newton aims to turn the Shaw Festival into a great company. He wants it recognized that we are on a par with the Royal Theatre in Stockholm and the Berliner Ensemble. He has codified our aims into categories: technique, creativity, exploration, continuity and maturity.

A great company has a consistent standard of excellence, must offer one or more interpretations each season that are revealing and innovative, must search out and display new talent, must develop a framework that enables these things to happen in an environment that encourages them.

The Academy will help in the further development of all of these areas. It can employ basic teachers for technique; it can co-ordinate all the writing workshops; it can expand and provide expertise for the video workshop. By its very existence, it can remind everyone that we have a lot to learn.

Christopher and Paul Reynolds, our producer, believe passionately in the importance of The Academy, and they had little trouble convincing the board of governors. The Academy is off and running. It can help change theatre in this country.

The Shaw Festival is essentially an art theatre. This means that the work we do, for the most part, aims to change the perceptions of our audience members.

However, our level of government subsidy is picayune,

compared with the great companies of Europe or even the lesser companies of the United Kingdom. And for this reason, we are often required to operate also as a commercial producing house, and that isn't all bad. You see, we have desserts on our menu: the miniaturized musical, the farce, and, now, the murder mystery. These desserts are useful in two ways: they make money and they provide practice in technical skills and styles. It should be obvious that singing and dancing and comedy are serious talents that require skill and serious study.

In the summer we do old plays. We revive plays by Shaw or by authors who lived during his lifetime. Luckily, his was a long life of 96 years and there are plenty of interesting works to choose from. To do them well, we firmly believe we should also do new plays, plays totally of our time. As Christopher has pointed out:

"Every play must be of our time, but not every play is written in it. Shakespeare and Shaw become modern art as soon as they are acted, but the words remain old words. New words are sometimes necessary to help reveal and understand the old ones."

To encourage this new material, we are beginning to establish a Toronto presence referred to earlier as The Toronto Project.

In 1984, as I mentioned, in co-operation with the Toronto Free Theatre, we presented Delicatessen by the French playwright Tilly. It was a most unusual work, quite controversial, and ran with great success for eleven weeks.

In 1985, again with Toronto Free Theatre, Shaw staged Vancouver author Michael Mercer's Goodnight, Disgrace, a new Canadian play about author Malcolm Lowry.

Our Toronto Project activities thus far in 1986 perfectly depict our energy, our eclectic approach to theatre, and our courage. George Bernard Shaw didn't play it safe, and neither do Christopher and his associates. Our co-production with Factory Theatre of Sheldon Rosen's Souvenirs opened on New Year's Eve.

"A compelling evening," said The Toronto Star. "Excellent performances," wrote The Globe and Mail. And, one week later, on January 8, we again returned to Toronto Free Theatre to co-present As Is, William Hoffman's awardwinning Broadway hit about living with AIDS. Again, the reviews were excellent with The Globe devoting half a page to Ray Conlogue's assessment, which was headed: "As Is gets superb treatment."

Somehow, just when it might be assumed we are falling into a pattern, we seem to go off in the other direction. I mentioned a moment ago that The Toronto Project is to encourage new works. Then why are we involved in the presentation of Desert Song at the Bayview Playhouse? Sigmund Romberg wrote that one sixty years ago! But no one can say we're in a rut when we have Desert Song and As Is on Toronto stages at the same time.

We do wish to establish a presence in Toronto. The Shaw Festival does not operate on the imported star system, but, rather, we are a true repertory company, the finest in Canada and one of the best in the world. Our Niagara-onthe-Lake season runs from May to October. How wonderful it would be if many of these performers could then be transferred to Toronto to appear in Shaw productions and coproductions in this city. Half the year at Niagara-on-theLake; half the year in Toronto. Employed, and honing their craft on a regular, rather than an intermittent, basis. It began as a dream; we're coming around to considering it a practical objective. We're working on it, but the most realistic approach is to operate from our own theatre-and that takes money.

Let's talk about money and the arts for a moment. Many Canadians perceive government, and private, funding for the theatrical community in this country as sinful: Dollars better deployed elsewhere turned over with reckless generosity to crazed subversives who tramp our stages mouthing vulgar phrases and damning the very system that supports them, while casually squandering their handouts! Well, let's

be honest, there is a bit of that. But, and I know you'll agree with me, not very much. Most of us are professional and responsible.

I am proud to report that the Shaw Festival generated an operating profit of more than $100,000 in our last fiscal year. However, I must add a sombre and cautionary note. We've just come off an absolutely sensational season. Christopher gambled big with Cavalcade, and he won! Although our costs were higher than originally budgeted, primarily because of Cavalcade, the amazing Mr. Newton was able to make that up, plus a bit more, because of our excellent ticket sales.

We recorded a most impressive statistic: we sold 84 per cent of all available seats in every one of our three theatres throughout the full season. Stratford was in the 65-per-cent range.

There is absolutely no guarantee that we can count on the same rather awesome ticket sales in 1986 and there is always inexorable pressure on our operating costs.

Because of this unexpected operating profit, we have now managed to reduce our deficit to $88,000. We applaud Paul Reynolds and his executive group, and everyone on staff and stage, for the work they've done in controlling costs and operating in an efficient manner. That, coupled with our superb season, is the sort of performance that makes us the envy of the arts community in Canada.

Yes, we had a fine season. We generated a small profit. We're looking forward with excitement and enthusiasm to our 25th Anniversary season. However, let me express some additional concerns and identify some challenges:

In 1985, only eleven per cent of our total revenues came from various levels of government. Incidentally, we receive about the same percentage of total revenues from the federal and provincial governments in the form of grants as Stratford, currently around eleven per cent. The Toronto Symphony receives twenty-five per cent of its revenue in the form of government grants. The Canadian Opera Company

gets thirty per cent from government. The National Ballet receives half of its total revenues from the taxpayer.

The argument can always be made, particularly with (Finance Minister) Michael Wilson's problems with the deficit, that arts groups should be self-sustaining. At one time, I had a certain sympathy for that viewpoint, but then I started examining the figures. For example:

Statistics Canada estimates that in 1982-83 the direct impact of the arts-and-culture sector on the Gross Domestic Product approached eight billion dollars! We're right up there with mines and metals, higher than textiles and clothing. Between 1971 and 1981, the arts labour force grew at a much higher rate than the total labour force. Our labour force increased seventy-four per cent in those ten years; the total labour force went up by thirty-nine per cent. We're now the sixth-largest industry in Canada in terms of salaries and wages.

The cultural community in Canada is a most significant provider of jobs and payer of taxes. It immeasurably enhances our tourism industry. It's an important economic force.

The Hon. Flora MacDonald, our federal Employment Minister, was in Edmonton recently at the Citadel Theatre, suggesting that the Department of Employment should begin to consider the cultural industry as an area where jobcreation programs can be effective.

Flora is right. Culture merits further government support, simply for reasons of good business. However, the Government must formulate a new funding policy. The inefficient and those who brazenly misuse our tax dollars should be penalized. Those who operate with competence and a careful eye on expenses should be rewarded.

In Britain, companies such as The Royal Shakespeare or The National Theatre obtain fifty per cent of their total revenues from government. That's not appropriate in Canada and many of us would be offended if it was the case! However, it does seem reasonable to urge Queen's

Park and Ottawa to pick up a greater percentage of the tab. Peter Herrndorf recently retired as president of The Stratford Festival and suggested when he spoke to his board at its annual meeting last December that the two levels of government should contribute a minimum of twenty per cent to Stratford. I'm praying that Stratford can pull it off! When Christopher addressed our annual meeting last month, he said:

"Sometimes it's more convenient to be cruising along in the wake of a more powerful neighbour. (We as Canadians, of all people, should be aware of this.) Stratford is the flagship of English theatre in Canada, a great battleship. Right now, it's a little rusty and undergoing a bit of an overhaul."

"We, on the other hand, can be compared to a cruise line. Moderately, not luxuriously, equipped, but we call at a lot of interesting places and give a lot of people value for their money. Maybe a touch understated. This year we might improve the first-class cabins; next year, the ballroom."

So Shaw will aggressively be going after higher govern-1, ment grants. We will make a determined effort, and we hope

convincing representations to the federal and provincial governments for higher funding for the Shaw Festival. We deserve it! And we should not be penalized or ignored because of our efficiencies, our cost controls, the staggering energy and commitment of everyone involved with the Shaw. And I can tell you that, in personal conversations with our Minister of Communications, Marcel Masse, he has told me that he wants to work out a formula that in terms of government grants and funding, will recognize excellence and penalize incompetence and financial abuses.

As I relaxed on the flight home from London, I read Conrad Black's Daily Telegraph. Although there was no coverage concerning thefts from Dominion Stores, there was an editorial captioned: "Wells Running Dry" It began:

"Generations of theatregoers will feel a pang at reports that Sadler's Wells Theatre may have to close in a matter of weeks." It develops the theatre is short some two hundred

seventy thousand pounds for the coming year, the victim of a sudden government-grant cutback. The moral there for the Shaw Festival: fight hard for government funds, work like the devil to increase government's level of giving, but don't become too dependent on those dollars.

Private funding is an area causing us grave concern. I'm referring to donations from individuals and corporations. In 1981 10.4 per cent of our total revenues came from private sources. In 1985, as overall revenues rose, the private sector funded only 6.9 per cent of our total. Although the percentage figure has diminished alarmingly, in actual dollars we are generating more private donations, thanks to the prodigious efforts of our development director, Maureen Marinelli. But it's not enough, because we're not receiving as much as we deserve. And that is because, in part, we are being penalized by an attitude at certain corporations that "Shaw doesn't need the money." Some companies have actually told us:

"You're successful. We'll give our money to someone who's in trouble."

It doesn't really seem to pay to keep a lid on salaries and expenses, to have Chris and Paul and their management group anguish over their budgets and costs and salaries, including their own. To, of all things! generate an operating profit.

You know something? We're really good! But I suggest we're going to get better. And I really believe the tide will shift so that, the better we are, the better we do in private and government funding.

Let me quote several excerpts from an item in the January 13 Toronto Star. Headed "Arts need business savvy, says a major supporter." It begins:

"The people who run Canadian arts organizations must become better business managers if they hope to gain more ' funds from public and private sources, says a brief submitted by Northern Telecom Ltd., a major supporter of the arts in Canada."

I think it only fair to report to you that Northern Telecom's president, David Vice, was asked to join our board before we saw this item!

The article quoted several horror stories and said: "Because of such incidents, Telecom donations now go only to better-managed groups. Arts managers and boards of directors of arts organizations must improve their skills as finance managers and administrators, if they hope to attract much-needed dollars from corporate benefactors, the brief says." Hear, hear!

I can't resist giving you one of those horrible examples. A `quote from the article: "In one case, an arts group telephoned at 6:30 p.m. seeking $100,000 and then expressed resentment when Telecom suggested the proposal be put on paper for consideration."

We need much more support from the private sector, from individuals and from companies. We need it for The Academy. We need it for The Toronto Project. We need it to make Canadian theatre even better.

Ticket prices are a delicate and sensitive issue. Please .. remember that we have a total in our three theatres of 1,500 seats, while Stratford has something in the range of 3,800. It's one of the reasons we must charge more for our topprice tickets. Stratford froze its top-ticket prices in 1986. The Shaw Festival has instituted an increase of 14 per cent! Our top ticket is now $32.50. Stratford's comparable price is $30.

Let me assure you that our higher prices were not created because of a "We're-better-than-they-are" attitude but because of raw necessity. It's a thorny and irksome problem we must address most carefully.

The big story in London last week was Rupert Murdoch's apparent victory over the printing unions that have strangled Fleet Street for decades. Aha! I thought, a natural tie-in with the union situation at certain Canadian live theatres. However, a fast phone call to Shaw producer Paul Reynolds for an update on our relations with the International Alliance of

Theatrical Stage Employees provided the comment: "Quite good, actually. We're under the St. Catharines local and have an excellent relationship with them."

And Peter Herrndorf, past chairman of the Stratford Festival, told me their local of IATSE was-and I'm quoting Peter-"tremendously committed to the theatre. When we explained our serious financial problems to their officials a year or two ago, they co-operated immediately by accepting a wage freeze. They even encouraged other employees and union members to give us the benefit of the doubt and do the same thing."

I know this isn't necessarily the case with certain Toronto theatres that have had serious IATSE problems, and, as an overview comment, I sincerely trust our local theatre groups and IATSE in Toronto will somehow resolve their differences in a manner that will not threaten the viability of the O'Keefe Centre or the St. Lawrence Centre. There is a breakpoint when it comes to meeting union demands, particularly in a financially fragile area such as culture.

Now, on to the positive stuff:

We held a press conference on Tuesday to kick off our very special 25th-anniversary season. In terms of our exciting 1986 programme schedule, you will have found a copy at your seat. As the fellow says on television: "C'mon down!" We have announced some unusual events for 1986.

There will be a special tribute to orchestra leader Stan Kenton: some 20 professional musicians recreating his famous jazz works. Shaw would love it.

We are holding a students' playwriting competition. The winning plays from Ontario students will be produced by members of The Academy in our 1987 season.

We announced that CBC television will broadcast our hit farce One for the Pot, starring Heath Lamberts. (Maybe the CBC isn't so bad after all!)

We announced a silver anniversary gala on July 22, headlining some of Canada's most distinguished talent.

We announced we will mount a retrospective of 25 years

of design at the Festival.

We announced a search for literary treasures-letters, manuscripts, books and other Shaw material-now in the hands of Canadians.

We announced that a clipping from a mulberry tree planted in England by George Bernard Shaw himself exactly 50 , years ago will be transplanted to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We call it "The Shaw Shoot"!

And, we announced a Gentlemen's Boxing Evening on April 21. Men only. Black ties. A boxing ring will have been set up in the concert hall of the Royal York. Dinner followed by brandy and cigars and three bouts of professional boxing. We trust this will become an important annual fundraiser. Women in tuxedos will not be admitted!

And at our annual meeting last month, I announced plans to steal a page from Stratford's book. We are going to borrow their idea of "The Friends of Stratford," a Torontobased committee that works on fund-raising projects. We promise not to steal the name.

And, of course, we are planning the return of the annual Shaw Auction, currently our single most important fundraising event, in October.

As you can see, we're a busy bunch. I am proud and I am honoured to be concluding my two-year term in 1986, our 25th-anniversary season. I know my successor, John Clappison, will find his time in office as enjoyable, as gratifying, and as much fun, as I am finding, and, I'm sure, as Gary did. We're really quite special: a truly excellent relationship between board and staff, the finest theatre staff that one could ask for, and an absolutely wonderful board of governors-interested, committed, active!

I thank staff and board for their support. I ask for yours. Thank you on behalf of the Shaw Festival.

The appreciation of the audience was expressed by Hal Jackman, a distinguished Past President of The Empire Club.