ORLANDO, Fla. – Many arts groups in Florida are scrambling after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million in arts funding for the 2024-2025 budget.
Scott Galbraith, the interim executive director for the Fringe Festival of Central Florida said he is shocked because the legislature approved arts funding, although less than what was initially recommended.
“The fact that it was going to go from $102,000 to $0 was a surprise,” Galbraith said. “I thought it would be $60,000 or $70,000, but it dropped to zero.”
DeSantis mentioned fringe festivals when asked why he made the cut. He called it an inappropriate use of funding.
“You have your tax dollars being given in grants in things like the Fringe Festival, which is like a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff, and it’s like, how many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that?” DeSantis said during a press conference last month.
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According to Watermark, the Orlando Fringe festival this year featured performances like “Field Guide to the Gays,” “A Women’s Guide to Peeing Outside,” “Erotic Fan Fiction Live,” and “Transmasculine Cabaret.” Many of the shows reportedly contained mature themes, nudity and/or sexual content.
But Galbraith argued the governor’s decision is misguided and that he mischaracterized the festival.
“It represents a wide variety of performance styles: everything from theater to musical theater, acrobatics, ballet...,” Galbraith said.
He said now they’re trying to figure out what comes next.
“Can we fundraise that? If not, where do we need to tighten our belts? We don’t want to make cuts, but of course, they have to be on the table,” Galbraith said.
Orlando Family Stage is a professional theatre for young audiences.
The executive director, Chris Brown, said that to fill the gap in funding, they’ll either have to raise more money or cut programs.
“It costs a lot of money to do what we do and provide the kind of value we provide in the community,” Brown said.
He said they are already facing the challenge of filling up the theater for each show.
“How do I continue to invest in my staff and our programs if I’m always in this place of having to search for money because someone is cutting it at the last minute?” Brown said.
He said children benefit from being involved at the theatre.
“Kids can find a home here, and they can learn how to get in front of people and talk, and they can find confidence,” Brown said.
The cuts in arts funding won’t just impact theatres; certain orchestras and non-profit museums will also have to find a way to make up for thousands of dollars in the budget.
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