HowlRound Theatre Commons: In 2025, political ideals clashed with the arts across the United States. The overhaul of the Kennedy Center was just one of several battles. Unfortunately, the blueprint of incoming change has emerged from none other than the Sunshine State, Florida. As a born and raised Floridian theatremaker, I’ve seen Florida make headlines in ideological battles for my whole life. Floridian artists live in a unique ecosystem of political polarization, the climate crisis, a constantly growing population, and a rich state history.
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You know, I hate to say that it doesn't shock me that the arts are being cut in this day and age, because it seems there has always been a problem with funding. The idea of it affecting Florida, one of the most politically controversial states (having a heavy lean in Republican ideals and government officials), makes sense again because of what is occurring in today's politics. Not only is receiving less money an issue, but receiving no money at all is something that some businesses will be facing, and that is just not right. The arts give people a place to be creative and express themselves, but also provide an audience with the telling of a story, and make them experience art. Though it provides these things, money is needed to make it happen. I feel for the Floridian companies facing this battle, and I wonder if people will ever realize the importance of art and how much work it takes to put up a production.
Theater is a coming together of people from different lives, different experiences and backgrounds, who can all collectively join in one place and experience each other's stories. Lawmakers all over the country but especially in Florida are trying to reform what performance arts mean by only supporting art if it appeals to the regime, and cutting out everything else. The end goal of an authoritarian regime is to eliminate any idea that a different culture, different life, could be better. The goal is to develop this kind of persistence towards being a perfect member of the regime, living the “American dream,” and being a western version of “perfect.” To celebrate communities that don’t uphold white supremacy is opposing the regime, and must be stopped. Hence, with all of the horrors taking place and the people in power who are, there are efforts- especially in more conservative spaces- to eradicate arts and education since they inherently focus attention on hurt caused by the regime, empathy and true storytelling.
Yeah Florida's getting pretty crazy. Laws started really cracking down in 2023 and it was crazy to watch so many things changing in my senior year. My teachers had to take so many books and scripts out of their classrooms, and had to be really careful about what they were saying. We had done She Kills Monsters my sophomore year, but senior year, another school in my county was doing it and their production got cancelled when they were coming up on opening. I do think there are things (media, some performances) that are not appropriate to be in a school. But there were so many educational things being cut out of schools, and teachers had to be so careful about everything they said. I was really glad I graduated when I did, and that I only had to see a glimpse of the direction they were headed. I do hope things have lightened up.
I really enjoyed reading this article because I think too many people are overlooking funding being denied or funding being taken away from these theater companies who survive based on this funding. I always appreciate hearing about theater companies that are struggling and fighting with their state to get funding, because to me, that means that I am going to follow them on Instagram, and I will follow their journey in hopes that they come out of the other end not being a victim of the economic system. Unfortunately, I've seen too many theaters die because they can't afford to keep going, because funding keeps getting cut, and it's absolutely not fair, and I'm so happy when I see that people are standing up and fighting back, because that is the only way that our industry and our passion will stay alive, it's to fight back. This article had some beautifully written statements that I definitely have held to my heart as a theater maker.
It is incredibly disheartening to know that we live in a time that people are having to constantly fight the government and their local legislation in order to create the art that they want. I find that in any instance where an oppressive government is trying to control art, it will just find a way to come back different and even stronger. Art and especially theatre is a collection of people who are passionate about what they are creating and want to share it with the world in any capacity possible. Defunding grating, removing art centers, stopping festivals, and condemning the work they're doing has all been done in Florida to several different organizations. What I find so inspiring about this article is that even with all this oppression, the people interviewed still had a plan of action and how they were going to continue making art or work around the government actively trying to stop them.
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