STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Street Artists in Europe
Other countries declared that they both funded artists yet had no budget for street arts. In one of
these cases, they described artists as working indoors as well as out (Finland).
The vast majority of small companies have no grants, they create all their work and tour it in
order to make a living. Many do not live only from their role as street performers; they work in
education, in indoor theatre, in other professions entirely; some own vehicles or buildings that
they can rent out in winter and earn a small income from that. Some artists I spoke to said they
did not go for grants as the administration was so arduous that they would spend more time than
was worth it for the money they would get. Another artist expressed reservations about being
‘conventionné’ as the pressure was immense to have to produce a new show every year, whether
the artistic muse was there strongly or not! In their opinion, this resulted sometimes in shows
having to be presented when not ready.
France has the most enlightened system of artist support, known as the ‘Assédic’, where artists
(of all persuasions, where they have seasonal or irregular work, not just street companies) may
claim a form of stipend at quiet times of the year. This is one of the keys to the astonishingly
productive street arts scene in France, with hundreds of companies producing new, often
extremely high quality work every year. (Another key is the extensive network of Creation
centres, designed to enable artists to create work with the maximum of support and the
minimum of practical deterrents – see Production of work.
1.5. Income from festivals
Most of the festivals involved in the questionnaires or interviewed claimed that street festivals
were usually free to the public. In these cases, the artists are either paid to perform free to the
audience or they are allowed (and sometimes encouraged) to pass the hat at the end of the show.
In large festivals, this can be tricky, as every show involves a plea for money at the end – the
more ingenious the better!
However, a number of respondents claimed that there were situations and circumstances where
entry is charged. In some cases this is the only way to fund the festival, in some cases it is in
order to limit numbers for small entry shows. At one festival in England, nominal entry is
charged at an enclosed site in a park, as a way of counting visitors and keeping bicycles out, as
well as giving visitors the chance to feel they are part ‘investors’ in the event the following year.
In the Netherlands, it is a principal adopted by festival organisers to charge for theatrical
presentations, which they describe as ‘locatie theater’. All Dutch outdoor theatre festivals charge
the public to see shows. I have not ascertained definitively whether this is a funding requirement
or an economic or ideological necessity (opinions differ – some further research would be useful
on this).
In Belgique Francophone, festivals have to show some income in order to qualify for grant aid.
In some cases the audience pays to enter the whole festival, in Namur in Mai, much of the
festival is free and visitors pay to see the tented booth shows (arts forains). The festival has
created its own monetary currency for the weekend – les sous!
At many of the larger festivals, overcrowding may be a big problem; ticketed shows are
becoming more common as a way to control numbers. These tickets may cost money or they
may be free. Some festivals can only invite large shows if they draw an income from the
performance. In these cases, there is often a large part of the festival that remains free and
animated (Aurillac and Chalon in France do this now).
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