Posted by Danie on Oct 22, 2025
In this episode - Host Danie Kohn and Nathan Leigh look at the still in-limbo situation of arts funding for the upcoming year, the history and unfortunate//unsustainable legacy of the League of Resident Theatres, and the immediate impacts of cuts to arts funding for our beloved hosts.
They chat about why authoritarians seek to control the arts, how we’ve gotten comfortable with mediocre and insufficient funding structures, and begin to ponder better structures for the future.
“Humans will always want to make and consume art” - perhaps it’s the most human impulse that exists. Many of the questions in this episode revolve around support and livable compensation of artists.
2026 NEA Proposed Budgets:
It's confusing! There are 3.
The Senate Budget: $207 Million (same as 2025)
The House Budget $135 Millions (35% reduction)
Arts.gov/ NEA Website, aka the Administration's Budget: $29 Million, to be used to close down the NEA.
Sources:
https://artsnc.org/us-senate-proposes-level-funding-for-nea-neh/
Appropriations Request For Fiscal Year 2026
History of Organized Theatre in the US:
League of Resident Theaters
Regional Theater History
https://rickontheater.blogspot.com/2023/10/regional-theater-history.html
Theater in the US After WW2
https://heironimohrkach.blogspot.com/2014/01/theatre-in-us-after-world-war-ii-ii-off.html
Going National: How America’s Regional Theatre Movement Changed the Game
(Originally published in the Arts of Governance, 2005)
The Unique Role of Regional Playhouses in the American Theater Scene, Society Hill Playhouse
Grant Defunding Stats:
Living Wage, 2025
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/livable-wage-by-state
Average Us Income
https://www.demandsage.com/average-us-income/
Why New York City Needs a Higher City Minimum Wage
https://www.nelp.org/insights-research/why-new-york-city-needs-a-higher-city-minimum-wage/
NEA Termination Tracker
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cHCTXssMWuMweRLUjGQKtsck_rg7v4tMg7cpfzDQil8/edit?gid=0#gid=0