The Performing Arts Councils (PACs) have been the primary recipients of national public funding for the performing arts, accounting for nearly half of the arts and culture budget of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST). They had to be restructured in order to free public resources for allocation to other disciplines and areas in need of redress. The four PACs addressed in this study are The Playhouse Company (Durban), Artscape (Cape Town), PACOFS (Bloemfontein), and the Spoornet State Theatre (Pretoria). The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not the PACs had achieved the transformation goals as defined by DACST. The research was approached from a qualitative perspective to ensure that as much nuanced information as possible was collected within a limited timeframe and financial constraints. Where necessary, as in analysis of staff and expenditure, quantitative analyses were undertaken.

The study found that the process of converting PACs to playhouses had been inconsistently implemented, although some of the PACs had come a long way in transforming themselves. Funding was obtained from government subsidies, NAC funding for specific projects, sponsorships, and other minor sources of income such as box office sales. Traditional forms of the performing arts, specifically opera and ballet, still accounted for a large portion of the total expenditure. PACs have had considerable difficulty in obtaining provincial and local government support, or adequate business sector support to make them viable as stand-alone entities. None of the PACs has been able to secure sustainable funding on a reliable basis to meet their requirements.

DACST regards the implementation of a Community Arts Development (CAD) component and the establishment of the NAC as essential for an equitable arts dispensation in the country. CAD is meant to provide education and empowerment of people from previously disadvantaged communities, access to PAC venues and NAC funding, and awareness and outreach programmes. The CAD component varies substantially from PAC to PAC.

The White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage recognises that the future of arts and cultural expression lies in the development of new audiences and markets. Audience development and facilitating access to venues has been left to the PACs, with little effect in some cases.

The transformation of the staff profile of PACs to reflect the demographics of their provinces has been achieved.

As the results of the study show each PAC took it upon itself to transform itself in its own way. As a result, transformation by the various PACs was found not always to be in line with the imperatives contained in the White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (DACST, 1996).

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