Natick arts center gets state help to compete with casinos for touring artists
BOSTON — More than $3.7 million in state gaming tax revenue is flowing to 43 nonprofit and municipal performing arts centers to help them compete with the state's casinos to book touring artists and performances, the Mass Cultural Council announced last week.
Among those getting a piece of the pie is The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN), which received $72,400.
The state's 2011 expanded gaming law dedicates 2% of state tax revenue from its resort-style casinos to the Cultural Council for a competitive grant program to help entertainment venues subsidize the fees paid to touring shows and artists.
David Lavalley, TCAN’s executive director, said the $72,400 that his organization received is just under the operating loss TCAN sustained last year.
“We still aren’t seeing audiences return to venues like ours in the numbers that existed in 2019 (before the pandemic),” he said.
Lavalley added that touring acts have become increasingly expensive to book.
Pandemic strategy:Natick venue to expand virtual offerings long term with newly installed system
“They are paid a fixed amount, regardless of what attendance is,” said Lavalley, noting that TCAN has an audience capacity of 280. “And those fixed costs have gone up incredibly across the board. The cost of touring, be it gas, hotel rooms, travel, is more expensive than it was pre-pandemic.
“And that causes us to raise ticket prices.”
For fiscal 2023, which ends June 30, the state’s Gaming Mitigation program awards totaled $3,737,400.
'Equal the playing field'
"The Gaming Mitigation program was established in the same Act that authorized expanded gaming in Massachusetts, because policymakers understood that smaller performing arts organizations would soon be competing with the deep pockets of resort-style casinos to book touring artists and shows," Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael Bobbitt said. "Mass Cultural Council is pleased to administer this program as envisioned by the Legislature to try to equal the playing field and keep world-class entertainment accessible across the Commonwealth."
The largest grants, at $250,000 each, went to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset.
Besides TCAN, other venues getting the state-revenue grants include the Cabot Performing Arts Center in Beverly ($225,000); Hanover Theatre in Worcester ($225,000); ArtsEmerson in Boston ($165,000); Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River ($107,700); Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket ($74,400); and the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in Eastham ($9,000).
New leader:Mass Cultural Council takes Michael Bobbitt as its execurtive director
Grant amounts are based on a formula that accounts for the percentage of performances hosted and the amount of fees paid by the venue, the Cultural Council said.
Mindful that casino companies often use big-name entertainment acts to lure customers to their hotels and gaming floors, state lawmakers required a series of gaming mitigation measures for local theaters and performance venues.
“It’s a difficult dynamic,” Lavalley said. “We’re grateful to receive gaming mitigation grants to help offset losses.”
He said TCAN books about 90 touring acts a year. It also presents a mix of children’s programs, classical music performances and community theater.
TCAN’s own community theater group is presenting “Moon Over Buffalo” at the Summer Street venue both this weekend and next.
Last year, the state law's prohibition on casino companies building entertainment venues with seating for between 1,000 and 3,500 people got some attention when local venues alleged that Encore Boston Harbor had been violating it. Gaming Commission officials said the Everett casino had not run afoul of the law, but the casino did scale back its planned entertainment venue from about 1,800 seats to 999 seats to comply with the law.
Daily News Editor Dan O'Brien contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Center for the Arts in Natick lands $72K in state gaming taxes
