Theater and music circles are no exception to the damages caused by the spread of the new coronavirus. There have been a series of cancellations and postponements of performances and concerts following government calls to do so on Feb. 26. Recently, there is a rising concern over the possible subsequent effects, but new measures are being looked into that would support the performing arts.
On March 28, the New National Theatre, Tokyo, called for donations on its ballet company's official Twitter account. Under the online small donation system introduced in 2013, people can make donations of at least 3,000 yen per contribution and can receive preferential tax treatment in return.
Starting in 2018, donors were able to select opera, dance, play or others to specify where their donations should be used.
The foundation operating the theater in Tokyo's Hatsudai area had asked for donations on Twitter before, but it did not receive much attention other than several retweets. However, following the March 28 post, the foundation received 71 responses by the end of March, according to the theater.
"People seem interested in what we are doing. They may be more willing to make small donations since our usual supporting members have to pay an annual fee of 100,000, yen" a spokesperson for the theater said.
Coincidentally, the performance of "Dance to the Future 2020" by the ballet company, scheduled for March 27-29, was canceled, and some works that were to be presented during the period were livestreamed, mainly on YouTube, on March 28. Partly because the tickets for the ballet performance will be refunded, some YouTube viewers might have thought of making donations instead of giving money directly to the performers -- a regular custom at theaters in Japan.
There are theaters and cultural organizations around the country that use similar small contribution systems. It is very encouraging for people in the music and theater world to see people make donations to support the performing arts.
Flexible public support is also being studied.
Japan Arts Council, an independent administrative institution, provides subsidies for music, theater, traditional performing arts and others mainly under the Cultural Affairs Agency's cultural arts promotion grant system. The grant is usually not provided without actual performances, but the council mapped out a policy to provide a previously agreed upon amount to pay for expenses needed to prepare for a performance in the event that it is canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus.
The council said there were cases in which similar relief measures were provided after disasters or hardships. "We decided to regard preparations for performances and other activities as part of the production itself," a council official said.
The council received about 130 inquiries by the end of March and said it is discussing how to deal with each of them.
The entertainment world is not the only industry that is currently facing challenges, but it is hoped that support will expand to keep the performing arts alive, as it enriches our lives during tough times.
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