So, you've been audited...

A little more time for 99

Last week on News and Notes, we chatted a bit more about the Actors' Equity Association's decision to reform the 99-seat plan for Los Angeles. I'm sure you fine Minnesotans are sick of hearing about it by now (even though you probably won't say so, because that would be rude), but please let me get one more hit in on it. So far, we've mostly heard from staunch opponents of the change who don't want anything at all to change in LA, and from a few supporters who think it might change LA's theater scene for the better. In the middle of the angry rhetoric that's flying around, I wanted to introduce you to a more nuanced middle ground: an actor who opposes Equity's recent changes but agrees that the Equity agreement with LA needs to change.

Hot auditing action

Since its inception in 1983, the Minnesota Film and TV Board has been striving (as their mission statement says) "to create jobs and economic growth by promoting and supporting the state's production industry." The board has received state funding and support at wildly varying levels depending on who's in charge of the state government, how much of a deficit they're trying to crawl out of, and, I'm guessing, ping pong balls pulled at random out of a hopper. One of it's most hotly promoted/debated programs, Snowbate (which my autocorrect function keeps changing to "Snowball") offers production companies rebates on up to 25% of their spending in Minnesota.

So, does it work? The Board can sure brag that some productions have certainly come here to take advantage of our free money. But, on the other hand, there's that damn Fargo TV show, which is based on a movie made by a couple of former Minnesotans that was set in Minnesota and filmed in Minnesota (and confusingly named after a city in North Dakota), but which is now being filmed in Canada. Now, there is a chance that filmmakers from the west coast flew in sincerely looking for Minnesota and ended up in Canada because they didn't know that there is a difference; but it's more likely that Canada just offered up more money. As we talked about last year on News and Notes, there's been a vicious race to the bottom for film tax incentives, and even Snowbate (not "Snowball", autocorrect!), which was once a high roller at 25%, is now behind the curve in how much cash can be thrown back at film producers.

This is why Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles announced last year that his office was performing an extensive audit of the Film and TV Board. They must have audited the hell out of it, because it's now 15 months after that announcement and the audit has just been released.

The conclusion? Well, there wasn't really one. According to the summary from Nobles:

"Our report assessed how well the board has administered its state operations grants and the film production jobs program. However, the Legislature’s objectives in funding the board and the program are unclear. As a result, it is difficult to hold the board accountable for the public money it receives from the state. We recommend the Legislature clarify its expectations for the operations grants and the film production jobs program."

So, here we go once again, Film and TV Board: legislators are starting to question what your purpose in life is. I know that's a profound question that requires years of thoughtful self-examination, introspection and a willingness to come to terms with a greater universe that seems at once harmonious and wildly out of balance, but this will be handled in the legislature, so it will actually be figured out through partisan bickering. Good luck.

On the other hand, the Minnesota State House passed its version of the Legacy bill that will decide how Legacy Amendment funds (which you theater people out there are no doubt chasing) will be divvied up in the next biennium. There are only 18 days left in this legislative session, so stay tuned to find out how that can go wrong.

(By the way, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts will definitely let you know if and when it does go wrong.)

My irregular update on musicals

If you know one thing about me, it's that I eat a lot of tacos. If you know two things about me, it's that I eat a lot of tacos and I really, really hate the Tony Awards. I was enjoying a nice round of heaven in tortilla shells when I happened to see that this year's Tony nominations are out. Instead of spending any more of my precious beef and bean and cheese-filled moments trying to suss out any meaning to this year's slate, I opted instead to open another jar of salsa and let Charles McNulty tell you about any patterns in the nominations this year instead. ("It pays to be British")

If I have to pay attention to New York theater awards (and I don't have to, damn it!), I would rather look at what the New York Drama Critics Circle has to say. They decided to agree with the Pulitzer Prize committee in naming Between Riverside and Crazy as the best play in New York. They also decided to agree with just about everyone in naming Hamilton as the best musical, which tickles me to no end, because Hamilton is a Broadway-bound hip-hop musical about 18th century American politics performed by a mixed-race cast, and just about everything in that description upends every boring stereotype about Broadway.

Hell, it's even become fashionable to see Hamilton. Everyone who's anyone is doing it. In the meantime, the Duck Dynasty musical is closing after only a month.

You know, sometimes there is justice in the world. Let's celebrate with another round of tacos!

Don't despair

I learned today that an actor in the Twin Cities whom I respect mightily has decided to retire from theater. He is a truly magnetic performer, one whom I would see in any play, and maybe the only actor I can honestly say I have never seen give a bad performance. I've been fortunate enough to share a stage with him a few times (including that one no-budget Shakespeare production in the muggiest, buggiest parts of various Minneapolis parks that could possibly be found), and I always found myself in that sort of "oh -sweet-jesus-why-do-I-even-bother-trying-when-there-are-guys-this-good-ahead-of-me?" kind of awe whenever I got to see him perform.

But he's done. He decided that the magic was gone, and he's stepping out.

Knowing when to stop is highly underrated. Me, I'm one of those compulsive workhorses who never feels that he's done enough. So, there I am, going 500 miles an hour, building this, memorizing that, writing this grant proposal, negotiating that contract, eating terribly, smoking too much, neglecting my yard work, not going on enough walks with my dog and/or my girlfriend, because I'm terrified of the fact that I don't appear to be succeeding at this "theater" thing, and it's probably because I'm just not working hard enough.

This is ridiculous, of course. "Success" is largely a matter of luck in this business. I'd have better odds at being a professional black jack player. But I'll probably die at the plow, always convinced that I could have, should have done more.

So, if you're that actor I'm talking about right now, and you happen to be reading this, you should know that I sincerely believe that there is nobility in knowing when to stop. It's a skill not many people have. I certainly don't, which means you've easily demonstrated more skill than I have at yet another thing. Thanks a lot. For the rest of you (or actually, for everyone), you should know that it's OK to not work yourself to death in this business. If you want to stay sane and healthy, Adrienne Mackey has some useful advice about not beating yourself up for taking a break every once in a while.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a break from writing and go play some Skyrim.