Sunday, February 06, 2005
CLOWN TAX
Further to the literary tax moochers item posted earlier, take a look at the NSW government’s 2005 Cultural Grants list. Among the usual handouts to the creatively unemployable (“$5,750 towards the Poets on Wheels tour�, “$25,000 towards the project ‘Puppet’�, “$10,000 towards the commissioning of public artwork ‘sculptural sheep pen maze’�), you’ll find a group that receives mulitple grants: Circus Monoxide.
Circus Monoxide: $37,500 towards the final stage of the upgrade of the big top tent
Circus Monoxide: $95,000 towards the Circus Monoxide regional tour
Circus Monoxide: $40,000 towards the general manager position
Circus Monoxide: $40,000 towards the project ‘Crash ‘n’ Burn’
In 2004:
Circus Monoxide $35,000 towards the acquisition of a seating system
for Circus Monoxide‘s big top tentCircus Monoxide $100,000 towards the Circus Monoxide ‘Pacific
Highway’ Tour
In 2003-04:
Circus Monoxide Strategic planning session $800
Circus Monoxide ‘Hit and Run’ project $40,000
Circus Monoxide General manager’s position $40,000
They get eight hundred bucks just to hold a meeting? In 2002/3:
Circus Monoxide ... installation of a sprung loaded floor for circus and physical theatre training $21,049
Good quality sprungs don’t come cheap, you know. In 2001/2:
Implementation of Circus Monoxide Strategic Plan $44,000.00
I think I’m beginning to realise what this “strategic plan� might be. In 2001, a Federal handout:
Grant: $70 000
In 2000, it was reported that Circus Monoxide had received ...
... Federal and State Government arts grants totalling an impressive $90,000.
That’s a total of $653,349. Of your taxes. To run a circus. Here’s Alicia Battestini, the organisation’s (it has ten board members) performer, director, production manager, and ... grants writer. Naturally, these socialised jugglers are box office capitalists; adults who’ve already funded the circus through their taxes must pay up to $30 to actually see it.
Children over two years of age? Cheap seats, $10. Ringside ... $20.