Market Theatre needs funding as audiences, donor support decline

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The Market Theatre Foundation in Newtown, Johannesburg, has asked the department of sports, arts, and culture (DSAC) for additional grants as funding from sponsors and donors looks set to decline in the 2023-24 financial year.

The fundraising difficulties facing the foundation — which consists of the Market Theatre, Market Laboratory and the Market Photo Workshop and was declared a cultural institution in 2005 — are paired with the risks of limited revenue streams and falling audience numbers, said chief executive Tshiamo Sibande.

Theatres have struggled to draw back audiences in the aftermath of lockdown restrictions imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Because of the fundraising climate specifically for the arts, where [funders] would rather prioritise the issues that face the country like infrastructure, education, health, safety and security and social development … we are relying more and more on DSAC funding,” Sibande said during a briefing to parliament’s portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture.

In 2022, the Market Theatre staged 31 productions to 18 809 patrons, which cost R10.9 million to make but only generated an income of R5.2 million, Sibande said. The theatre  receives about R10 million annually from 28 donors including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Goethe Institute, the United States embassy and the sports, arts and culture department.

“We rely quite heavily on sponsors to fund our core mandate of development and training,” said Sibande. “If we didn’t bring in the additional R8 to 12 million funds raised, or the R5 million we generate from the sale of our own goods, we wouldn’t be able to meet our basic targets, or open up as much as we do to artists.”

As an official cultural institution, the foundation contributes to the department’s mandate of social cohesion and safer communities. It works towards this by creating an authentic South African arts and culture experience and committed to providing the highest level of artistic excellence, said the foundation’s deputy chairperson, Andiswa Vikilahle.

“We also develop the next generation of SA performing and visual arts talent as well as engaging, educating, and developing a diverse community through the arts to become enthusiastic audience members and supporters,” she said.

The pressure to develop young artists and generate revenue is a consistent balancing act, Sibande told the parliament committee. The foundation’s core business is training and developing creative professionals, but there is also the pressure to increase ticket prices during a time where disposable income remains a challenge for South Africans.

“We had to rethink our pricing strategy because there is pressure to increase ticket prices,” said Sibande. “However, can people afford it? What is the reasonable amount, and can we categorise people and offer different prices for that?” 

Sibande also noted the theatre’s efforts to generate its own income and supplement the government, by renting out the theatre as a venue for film and television.“[Economic pressures] push us further down the giving list as art institutions. That’s why we’re under pressure to generate our own income. That pressure conflicts with us trying to be open to as many artists as possible to generate their own income,” she added.