Council calls cut on regional theatre festival due to 'funding constraints'

Goulburn Mulwaree Council announced on July 1 that the festival, established in 2022, wouldn't take place "due to funding constraints." This included One Act Wonders, a competition designed to showcase short amateur plays.

The festival was due to be held at the Goulburn Performing Arts Centre from August 30 to September 1.

Goulburn playwright, David Cole, had two of his plays performed as part of FORT - The Waltz in 2022 and The Russian Doll in 2023.

"I'm sad to hear that it has been cancelled, but I'm not surprised with council tightening its belt," he said.

"It was great for local writers while it lasted; we got two years of great support and it helped me a great deal, by allowing two of my plays to be developed and performed at GPAC, which was such a thrill to have my plays in that beautiful venue.

"The One ACT Wonders also allowed a lot of playwrights the chance to get their work on that stage and it was really building into something that people looked forward to each year. It's a real shame it's not on this year."

A council spokesperson said FORT was cancelled because the council was unsuccessful with a "comprehensive grant application" to CREATE NSW in the 2023/24 round.

"The grant round was highly competitive, with many high-quality applications from across NSW," the spokesperson said.

Previous funding for the FORT came from the Reconnecting Regional NSW - Community Events program.

Asked whether the council had considered approaching sponsors for support, the spokesperson said it could not do so at such short notice. GPAC does however have the Goulburn Soldiers Club as a major corporate sponsor until November's 2025 season launch.

On Thursday, July 4, GPAC called for expressions of interest in corporate sponsorship opportunities. Applications close at 5pm on Thursday, July 25 and will be considered by a panel.

The spokesperson said FORT ran at an $18,000 loss in 2023, something the council was "not able to subsidise again."

She said there was no intention to cancel any other GPAC events this season unless there were "extremely low tickets sales for any shows."

The cancellation came after the council failed to secure approval for a 51.2 per cent rate rise over three years from 2024/25. Instead, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) approved a 22.5pc increase in this financial year only.

The organisation has since signalled cuts to services and an efficiency drive.

GPAC's net operating cost is estimated to be $646,500 in 2024/25. This compares with $822,000 in its first year of operation in 2022 and $738,000 in 2023/24.

"Council is confident this trend will continue to improve over the next few years in response to responsible financial and operational management of this facility and making the right decisions on behalf of the Goulburn Mulwaree ratepayers," the council spokesperson said.

The organisation says it is committed to exploring ways of reviving FORT in the future.

Others hope so. Moruya's Red Door Theatre Company won best actor and best production at One Act Wonders in 2023 with their play, Lost and Found.

The company's president, Anthony Mayne, said members very much appreciated the opportunity.

"It was a phenomenal experience for our small theatre company and to win best production and best actor was a delightful surprise," he said.

"...It was a pivot point for us; our next production was nominated for three Canberra area theatre award for best lead male and female actors. They had appeared on stage at Goulburn as well. The experience at FORT gave us the confidence to take us to the next level."

Mr Mayne said a Company member had specially written a play for this year's FORT and was calling for auditions.

He told The Post that FORT was unique and any event that showcased and celebrated regional Theatre "boosted and grew" everyone.

Gunning based producer and director, Diana Nixon, also had her production, Drought and Other Plays, staged as part of the 2022 FORT.

She said everyone in the industry was dealing with declining state and federal arts funding over the past 10 years.

"A lot of arts are attracting an audience but developing that audience in regional Australia is a particular challenge," she said.

"...It's a difficult time to advance the case for building the arts but it's one of the most life affirming and uplifting activities you can do. We have to keep trying to get funding into regional Australia and I'll certainly continue doing that."