THE Performing Arts Centre of Penang (penangpac) is calling out for 6,000 people to become its patrons. With every RM100 contribution, patrons would receive a specially designed 'Patron of the Arts 2021' T-shirt.
The Patron of the Arts 2021 (Pota 2021) was launched three weeks ago and has so far gathered more than 150 patrons.
Penangpac was established a decade ago in Straits Quay and to date is the only fully functional performing arts centre in the northern region of Malaysia.
As a non-profit organisation, they have been struggling financially for many years, said its marketing & publicity manager, Fa Abdul, in a statement. The pandemic has only made matters worse.
During the first movement control order (MCO) 1.0 in 2020, the body reduced salaries by 30%, took loans from cofounders and donations from the public. They are thankful for the support and aid given by the Penang State Government and grant by the Cultural Economy Development Agency (Cendana). But the road to recovery isn’t easy.
Not everyone is ready to return to performing arts centres, even with strict safety measures taken and crowd control policy adhered.
Since they resumed operation in July 2020, they became the first performing arts centre in the country to stage a live theatre show ('The Ice Kacang Project', July 3 to 5); the first to stage a live stand-up comedy show ('Garu Saves penangpac', August 21 to 23); and the first to stage a live orchestra show ('Sounds Familiar', September 11 to 12).
Ticket sales post-MCO 1.0 barely cover the cost of shows and the overheads of running a 22,000 square feet centre – especially with many venue hirers cancelling their bookings due to SOP and limited seating capacity.
Penangpac is a lot more than a venue for staging shows.
They also:
- Provide public school children with free theatre-based workshops through their Rakan Seni programme. To date, 53 public schools and 2694 students have benefited from its outreach programme;
- Offer theatre-based academic courses, enabling artistic excellence to be achieved by children from all walks of life. To date, The Actors Studio Academy has enriched 982 children under its wings;
- Engage the community in public discourses through different social projects. To date, they have organised talks on women empowerment, parenting, children from broken homes, body shaming, patriotism and racism;
- Support newcomers in the performing arts industry by offering collaboration opportunities at zero cost;
- Provide theatre space and studios for a discounted rate for those in the arts industry.
There are tax deduction incentives up to RM1 million for sponsoring arts activities granted by the Government of Malaysia.
To become a patron, all you need to do is donate via bank transfer:
To: PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE OF PENANG (penangpac)
Bank Name: AFFIN BANK
Account No: 1011 9000 4187
Reference: POTA 2021
If a donation is not possible, a pledge is welcome. Email pledges and copy of bank slips to [email protected]. For donations more than RM1,000, a tax exemption receipt is available.
Email [email protected] before making the bank transfer. – The Vibes, February 5, 2021
