Fewer state clients forces performance enterprises to change

Theater companies in China are facing difficulties as the nationwide frugality campaign starts to bite.

"We used to have around 40 shows a year, but last year, the number cut to about 10 and our revenue plummeted," said Zhang Hao, head of the Jilin Symphony Orchestra Troupe in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin province.

Fewer performances are commissioned by governments and State-owned enterprises, who were previously major clients of arts troupes.

The Communist Party of China has strengthened campaigns to reduce waste and promote frugality since late 2012. The ax fell on galas last year. Since then, there have been fewer, and those that are staged have fewer frills.

The government previously provided up to 80 percent of art troupes' income, Jilin Opera Troupe's head Li Zhuang said. The troupe has a staff of 48.

About half their revenue came during the Spring Festival - the busiest season, as many institutions used to organize celebratory events. But this year, the anti-extravagance drive cut deeply into their business.

Companies must now shift their focus to ordinary citizens to earn money from the box office, Li said.

"There will be a painful period, but it will be good for the troupes in the long run."

In the past decade, reforms have forced arts enterprises to get by on their own.

The Jilin Song and Dance Troupe, founded in 1954, became a limited liability company in 2010.

Since December 2012, the company has been holding regular shows in Changbai Mountain Theater in the province's popular tourist area. These shows guarantee income for more than 100 performers, and the troupe could make 10 million yuan a year, the troupe's chair Liu Chunmei said.

The way forward is better shows and finding other channels of income like dance schools and wardrobe rental, she said.

Performance revenue declined everywhere last year, including Beijing, often considered the country's cultural capital. The total revenue and attendance of Beijing's 123 performance venues respectively fell by 5 percent and 7.8 percent in 2013, according to the Beijing Trade Association for Performances. The frugality campaign was one of decline's primary causes.

Companies must look to the public as the government cuts its cultural spending.

"We must change our thinking, search for new markets and attract citizens with quality works," Li said.

(China Daily 04/06/2014 page3)