Illinois is in the same situation as Pennsylvania

So, a long time ago, when I began this blog, I heard really sad new - Pennsylvania was in grave danger of cutting major (read all) arts funds from their budget. And the news hasn't improved - indeed, it's just plain miserable. On the 4th, Pennsylvania cut ALL arts funding out of the budget. Yes, all. So Philadelphia, which is increasingly a truly vibrant home for impressive and imaginative theater (please check out Pig Iron Company - they're in the links on the right hand side) is really just completely demolished by this.

Well, via my friend Daniel, an article saying that half - yes, half - of Illinois' arts funding has been cut. And if anything, this is even more awful for Chicago, a larger city with more great theater. I truly approve of this article's language...

In craptastic but unsurprising news, the Illinois Arts Council (IAC) got kicked in the proverbial balls by the 2010 Illinois budget. Its $7.8 million allocation is 51% less than that in the 2008 budget, which, thanks to Blago’s veto of the General Assembly’s approved $23.1 million appropriation, was $15.2 million.

The IAC is very blunt about the gravity of the situation - in a letter sent to recent grant applicants on July 29, IAC Chairman Shirley R. Madigan stated, “I have been privileged to be a member of the Illinois Arts Council for many years and I have never seen our situation so dire. Without additional state revenues, we may well have further cuts in the months ahead, and next year will be worse.”