THE Lieder Theatre has attracted just one per cent of all state government funding pledged to the arts in Goulburn over the last three years, artistic director Chrisjohn Hancock says.
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Arts Minister Troy Grant last week hosed down Lieder Theatre complaints over a rejected funding application by pointing out that Goulburn has received around $1 million in grants since the beginning of 2012.
Next to none of that is relevant to the Lieder Theatre, Mr Hancock argues. Of the million dollars awarded to Goulburn groups, including the Regional Art Galley and Southern Tablelands Arts, the Lieder Theatre has managed to scrape together $10,000 – and that money was passed on from other organisations, not the state government.
“If that figure ($1 million) is correct, we’ve worked out that we’ve got $10,000 in total. That’s one per cent,” the artistic director said on Wednesday.
“A lot of money has come into the arts in Goulburn. None of that money has come directly to the Lieder Theatre.”
Mr Hancock’s feedback follows a dispute between the Theatre and Arts NSW.
Playwright Jennifer Lamb had hoped to attract government support for a production detailing the life of prominent Aboriginal soldier William Punch.
Her play is scheduled to coincide with the centenary of the Anzacs’ landing at Gallipoli.
When Ms Lamb discovered one of the reasons the Theatre’s request failed was because it was deemed ‘amateur, not professional’, a debate broke out.
At the insistence of Goulburn MP Pru Goward, herself a regular in the Lieder Theatre audience, Mr Grant has promised that either he or a representative will make the trip to Goulburn to see a show in the near future.
The Post understands the Arts Minister will be a no-show at the current season of The Laramie Project, which opened on Wednesday night.
A spokeswoman for Mr Grant did confirm, however, that the Arts Minister hoped to visit Goulburn in time for a Lieder Theatre play in October.
In the meantime, the Lieder Theatre’s ability to win funding remains unclear.
“The issue is not that we’ve missed out on funding. This issue is that we’re being classified in a category that makes ineligible for funding,” Mr Hancock said.
