Photo Wayne Eardley, Brookside Studios
Last month, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) launched a new video series called “The Ripple Effect”, which explores the impact artists and arts organizations have on their community including job training and creation and local tourism. It features our local theatre organization, using it as a prime example of the impact the arts can have on their host community.
The economic benefits of the 4th Line summer productions are quite far-reaching. After 28 seasons, the 4th Line has demonstrated its relevance not only to its local audience but to fans from further afield. Roughly 17,000 visitors come to the area each summer, many of them drawn by the 4th Line experience, making Millbrook a tourist destination. According to the OAC, art and culture tourists spend twice as much per trip as typical tourists and on average stay more than one night longer.
In addition to the economic impact, the company’s summer productions benefit local youth, who gain summer work experience in a professional organization. While most of them are not earning a paycheque, they are allowed the opportunity to work alongside professional actors and often assume significant roles in the summer productions both on stage and behind the scenes.
From the outset, the 4th Line Theatre recognized the importance of celebrating the stories of generations of local families and while the stories they tell have happened close to home, their themes are universal and recognized by audiences from near and far. This is one of the keys to the organizations success.
Managing Artistic Director Kim Blackwell acknowledges the role of OAC in the 4th Line Theatre’s longevity. Stable funding from the OAC since the theatre company’s inception has allowed the theatre company to focus on play development and performance. According to Blackwell, “(the OAC) is a really big reason why we’re about to go into our 28th season.”
Established in 1963, the OAC is a provincial agency providing grants and services to professional, Ontario-based artists and art organizations through a volunteer board charged with fostering the creation and production of art across Ontario. According to their new video, the OAC invests public funds in artists and arts organizations like the 4th Line Theatre not only because they believe the arts are essential to society, but also because the arts add value to their community, a result they call the Ripple Effect. To learn more or to watch the video, visit www.arts.on.ca/artsaddvalue/. KG
