The never ending ignorance of the GOP is not new, and really should no longer be shocking, but when John McCain said on Friday:
“$50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts — all of us are for the arts,” McCain said. “Tell me how that creates any significant number of jobs?"
It raised a few hackles. My partner is a playwright, one of my good friends is a working musician, and as a huge supporter of the arts, I was a bit dumbfounded.
My friend Liesl Tommy wrote a letter to Senator McCain in response:
Dear Sen. John McCain,
I understand you are not aware of how funding for the arts creates jobs. So, I'd like to tell you what I do for a living.
I am a theatre director. I am based in NYC but this last year alone I WORKED in NYC, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Chapel Hill, Dallas, Providence and Princeton directing plays professionally at not-for-profit theaters, many funded by the NEA. When I work at these theaters I hire (by way of the theaters) actors; set, lighting, prop, costume and wig and hair designers. All of those positions hire assistants. All of those positions also have agents, lawyers, tax accountants and managers who have offices and staff. The theater hires writers. They hire people to work jobs in publicity, education, administration, reception, finance, fund raising, development, casting, box office, and house management. The theatre also hires electricians, carpenters, seamstresses, wardrobe people, sound technicians and stage managers, all of whom also have assistants. Then there are the lawyers, press agents, caterers, specialists like vocal coaches, fight choreographers, dramaturgs, and so many more also contracted by the theatre. So many more.
None of us are rich like you and your wife but we are making a modest living working very hard. I earned enough last year to get health insurance from my union. If you cut Arts Funding, then theatres have to cut budgets and all of these people who work in the arts could lose mortgages and health insurance just like every other hard working tax paying American. Please don't let your ignorance of our industry make us suffer.
Your state has 8 professional TCG theatres. That's a significant number. You should know better than to say the following: "$50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts? All of us are for the arts", McCain said. "Tell me how that creates any significant number of jobs?". Your state's 8 TCG theatres belong to a group of over 400 such non-profit theatres across this country. A significant number. Think of all the jobs controlled by those 400 plus theatres. Ponder that significant number before you blithely and ignorantly pull the plug on the funding for the arts in your country.
Thank you so much for asking what I do.
Sincerely,
Liesl Tommy
Theater Director
If you are similarly annoyed and offended, please take action and tell him about your job in the arts:
http://mccain.senate.gov/...