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arepp:Theatre for Life maintains two offices from which the tours are arranged and produced and run, and which are the home bases of the performance teams. The majority of the work, however, occurs in the schools where the presentations take place. The project managers remain in touch with the teams at all times via mobile telephone and by means of monitoring visits during the tour. In order to set up each tour the provincial and district partners are contacted during the planning phase and it is with their input and direction, linked with the specifically interested schools, that each tour is planned and arranged. This allows arepp:Theatre for Life to examine the needs and requests from all three levels, national, provincial and local, and combine them in their most effective combination for each tour. Planning the annual schedules takes place six months prior to the commencement of that year, and the tours are arranged at least three months in advance. StaffingThe program is managed by two directors and overseen by a board of trustees, which ensures that the projects are run according to schedule, methodology and budget and which is responsible for all planning, fundraising and reporting. All creation, building, training, rehearsing and running of the presentations and tours takes place in the arepp:Theatre for Life offices, one in Johannesburg and one in Cape Town, by the arepp:Theatre for Life Production Team which consists of 3 members (including the two directors and the Project Manager). The Project Manager arranges and oversees the running of the tours, and the team members. arepp:Theatre for Life also employs a financial administrator to provide administrative support and to keep the book. This staff compliment is 80% female, 60% non-white and 20% homosexual. Board of TrusteesThe role of the arepp:Theatre for Life Board is to provide guidance, insight and direction to arepp:Theatre for Life. They are also there to provide technical help in the functioning of the organisation, and as an outside ‘eye’ for assessment and evaluation. The Board meets bi-annually to discuss and examine the financial statements and the functioning of the organisation as a whole, but is available at any time for telephonic advice and tele-conferencing should the need arise. The Board is the final decision maker on all arepp:Theatre for Life issues, projects and proposals, and has final financial responsibility to the trust and to the donors. Ms Lesego Motsepe (Chairperson): Performer (Lettie in Isidingo) SUSTAINABILITYThe South African National AIDS Plan and the Education Life-skills Curriculum have already been implemented. Both these support and encourage and rely on the use of alternative measures of education and the promotion of life-skills to ensure their success. arepp:Theatre for Life has well established relationships with both the ministries and departments of Health, Social Development and Education and the projects are designed to complement both initiatives. COST RECOVERY arepp:Theatre for Life has a very clearly defined partial Cost Recovery Policy which it has been implementing since 1998. We believe that there should be a charge levied for our intervention, both because of the need to earn some income ourselves, and because of the belief that that which is paid for is valued more, and that when people pay for something they have a stake in demanding the highest possible quality. To this end, considering the following, the schools are categorised in A, B and C bands, based on annual school fees.
A Poor (Schools fees R300 or below per year)
The policy aims at a 75/15/10 percent spread, with a minimum of 75 percent of the schools in category A and 15 percent of schools in category B, and a maximum of 10 percent of shows in category C, aiming at raising 10% of costs. However it must be noted that arepp:Theatre for Life also strongly believes that all should have the opportunity to benefit from our type of education, and that the inability to pay should not preclude audiences from participating. We will also not specifically target ‘paying clients’ (the advantaged) simply in order to achieve our stated 10% goal. In order for arepp:Theatre for Life to continue to perform to the majority of our audiences, and to continue refining impact, content and responding to needs, arepp:Theatre for Life will have to receive funding. It is not possible to maintain the current level of quality and responsibility if we have to charge actual cost prices for it. Except for the elite few, the majority of our audiences simply do not have the resources to pay, even in part, for this type of supplementary education. We believe that in the long term this is being more responsible to both our society and our donors than becoming self-sufficient - a nearly impossible goal under the current circumstances. Better, at this stage, that arepp:Theatre for Life no longer exists through lack of funding than we compromise our methodology in order just to earn money. |
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