By Sofia McGinnis
TAMPA, Fla. — In the summer of 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he was vetoing the arts and culture grants for next year’s state budget. The loss of 32 million dollars in grants has left many artists struggling to find funding for shows and galleries, leaving many artists and art lovers to wonder why the grants have been cut.
DeSantis recently announced his explanation for vetoing the 32 million dollars in grants.
According to ARTnews, “DeSantis said the cause was Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival, which he characterized as being overtly ‘sexual’ and therefore an inappropriate recipient of state funds.”
Tempestt Halstead, a producer of the Orlando Fringe Festival, stated her grievance about the misrepresentation of the festival.
According to ARTnews, Halstead said in a statement, “In referring to the fringe as a ‘sexual’ festival, [DeSantis] incorrectly characterizes our festival and misrepresented our contributions to the arts community, locally, nationally and internationally.”
The Fringe Festival is an international event where artists come together and put on shows that would not be seen on big stages. Tickets are cheap and allow families of all backgrounds to come and enjoy multiple productions throughout the day. All state funding goes towards the crew behind the shows while the ticket sales go towards the actors.
Many people, alongside Halstead, are frustrated by the governor’s recent announcement. Alana Sasdelli, a senior theatre major at The University of Tampa and recent participant in the Tampa Fringe Festival, stated her grievance with DeSantis’ decision.
“Fringe is a safe place for artists to debut new works and be able to express themselves freely and uncensored. I think it’s so important to the community because it allows people of all races and sexual orientations a safe and judgment-free place,” said Sasdelli.
The $32 million in grants lost are affecting more than just the Fringe Festival. Places like Stageworks Theatre, the Tampa Museum of Art, and many local zoos and art galleries are scrounging for donors and non-state grants to make up for the losses. Artists need places like the Fringe Festival, ZooTampa, and the Tampa Museum of Art to have jobs and to network with other artists.
Madison Pulica, a theatre major at UTampa and actor in last year’s Tampa Fringe Festival, states the importance of networking for actors.
“Fringe is a great event and [it] shouldn’t be cut down, it was a really amazing opportunity for me as an actress to see Fringe shows and network with other Tampa Bay actors,” said Pulica.
Art makes up a good percentage of income and jobs for many people in Florida.
According to AP News, “Florida’s arts and cultural industry generates $5.7 billion in economic activity a year, including $2.9 billion by nonprofit arts and culture organizations, and supports more than 91,000 full-time jobs, according to a study from Americans for the Arts in collaboration with the state Division of Arts and Culture and Citizens for Florida Arts Inc.”
Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando stated her viewpoints about the deliberate censorship of the arts.
According to ARTnews, Eskamani “said this year’s festival was not ‘sexual’ though [Eskamani] noted that it ‘does feature drag queens and other forms of artistic expression that DeSantis has wanted to censor despite courts telling him otherwise!’”
Nicole Crowther, a theatre professor at UTampa, recently made a satire surrounding the issues with the Florida government at the Fringe Festival. It was titled Florida Fever Dreams and discussed issues that Florida has been dealing with in a satirical fashion.
“This is a show that I devised along with a couple of other colleagues and a handful of students. It was a satire … so it was making commentary on topics such as the six-week abortion ban … but we approach the serious topics in a satirical way, we can swallow it better if we can laugh at it,” said Crowther.
Crowther also encourages people and students to support the Fringe Festival in any way possible.
“Go to the festival. Buy some tickets,” said Crowther. “Fringe runs events throughout the year such as Anything Goes variety open mic show every third Thursday and The Whinge! Festival in December.”
Crowther continues to encourage her students in this time of need.
“Theater has always been a reflection of society. No way to silence. No way to stop it. Theater is comprised of creative problem solvers. You present us [with] a problem; we will find a way around it. The Fringe Festival is something that the community should protect, support, and be proud of. Because essentially, it’s [about] them,” said Crowther.