Melbourne theatre company La Mama will not stage any shows in 2025 and will pause its operations for a review as a result of devastating funding cuts by the federal government’s arts body.
Despite being a significant player in the arts community for nearly 60 years, the Carlton-based organisation did not receive any money in the latest round of grants from Creative Australia, an important source of income for most of La Mama’s life.
The massive blow for the ground-breaking not-for-profit theatre group has prompted an existential reassessment of how it will operate in the future.
Chief executive and artistic director of La Mama Theatre, Caitlin Dullard.Credit: Joe Armao
Chief executive and artistic director of La Mama Caitlin Dullard said her initial response to the rejection email, received in December, was utter grief. “It was devastating because I understood immediately the major implications it had for our operations,” she said.
Dullard said everything was on the table during the review, under the prism of supporting independent artists and maintaining core values. “The fundamental goal is to find a sustainable way [of operating] and that means new streams of income, new partnerships, new staffing structures, new models of working with artists,” she said, adding that the setback meant the company would need to be more dynamic than looking to government and philanthropic organisations.
Pru Daniel, Victoria Haslam and Melina Wylie in a scene from Not All Dictators at La Mama.Credit: Darren Gill
Established by Betty Burstall as an alternative model to traditional theatre groups, La Mama was inspired by off-Broadway venues that produce experimental work and allow artists complete creative freedom. It played a significant role in the careers of many writers, including Patricia Cornelius, David Williamson and Jack Hibberd, and actors including Cate Blanchett, Graeme Blundell, Judith Lucy, Julia Zemiro and Uncle Jack Charles.
While La Mama didn’t receive funding from Creative Australia in 2020, it managed to continue thanks to the federal government’s RISE funding, significant pandemic support from Creative Victoria, JobKeeper payments, philanthropists and the public.
“In 2020, it was a deep shock, and we publicly reacted, but this second rejection was met with a much darker fear,” Dullard said.
“The reality of missing out twice paints a picture for your future. Once, you feel you can recover from. Twice, you think this requires significant change, it is no longer viable for us to base our business model on government funding.”
Betty Burstall in 1973.
Creative Australia funding of $300,000 annually represents roughly one-third of La Mama’s income over the past decade, with $225,000 from Creative Victoria a year and just over $100,000 from the City of Melbourne.
About $350,000 a year comes from the theatre’s box office, of which an unusually high 80 per cent goes to artists and 20 per cent to operational costs. These figures are from the organisation’s core operational budget, with occasional additional grants from philanthropy.
In a statement, Creative Australia said it met with La Mama representatives after the decision was announced to provide feedback and to talk through future opportunities for funding. “We acknowledge La Mama’s significant decision to pause public performances while it reviews operations,” it said.
La Mama has experienced a number of significant challenges in the past few years, including a catastrophic fire in 2018 that destroyed much of the original building as well as precious artwork, historic documents, diaries and ephemera.
Remarkably, the organisation raised $3 million, through philanthropy and public donations, which enabled it to rebuild the original building – with a “fire mark”, showing where the original building stopped, and the new one began – and add a new space.
Ironically, that setback gives Dullard hope for the future. “We just went through this disaster that was the fire, and what came from that is this beautiful, new, sustainable building that really respectfully honours our past and looks to our future,” she said.
“It has shown us that we can do it, because we just did it with a literal building. We’ve got this sensational asset now, and I was emboldened by that experience. I won’t pretend [the funding decision] didn’t break my heart, so did the fire; I truly believe that just as much good can come from this decision.”
Polyglot is the only Victorian theatre company in the small to medium category to receive Creative Australia funding. “That painted a picture for me as to what the national theatre sector was going to look like, and I am wary that foundational companies like La Mama are not represented, but yet are the feeders of the whole ecology,” said Dullard, who last year took over from Liz Jones, who clocked up 50 years as CEO.
La Mama played a significant role in the careers of many writers, including David Williamson, pictured in 2020.Credit: Robert Catto
In a statement, Victorian Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks said: “La Mama has been a creative leader for more than 50 years and the Victorian government continues to be a proud and long-term supporter of the organisation.”
During the 12-month period that La Mama is not presenting shows, its venues will be available to artists for free for use as residencies.
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