MANAGEMENT MODEL

The foundation receives an annual subsidy from the Nation’s Budget Law to fund its different areas of work an institution. For the international tours it organizes, the companies themselves apply for funds through what is called the ‘Ventanilla Abierta’. As far as training is concerned, other cultural funds are applied for.

Year-round, we work with different neighborhoods so that the plays in our catalog can tour country-wide, therefore bringing the performing arts to people in different regions. For the Santiago a Mil International Festival and its versions in different regions, the municipalities provide resources depending on what their finances allow.

Different international companies visit Chile thanks to the foundation administering financial support from their countries for their projects to be put on, whether from public bodies or cultural agencies. Working with these bodies also allows our institution to continue taking Chilean and Latin American creations into the world, getting international financing for them. Those involved in agreements between Chile and the world, such as the Ministry of Culture in the City of Buenos Aires, the Ministry of Culture in Peru, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chile (DIRAC), the California Institute of Arts (CalArts, USA) and ArtsEmerson (Boston, USA) are crucial when it comes to managing different projects.

Up to 2018, through the Department of Presidential Subsidies, the foundation received financing for projects aimed at improving access to culture in Santiago and regions and increasing the scope of the performing arts through digital platforms such as teatroamil.tv.

The foundation has received subsidies from the Ministerial Department of Cultural Affairs (DIRAC) to help finance companies’ international tours. Along these lines, it is worth mentioning that, in 2016 and 2017, we also received support from CORFO and ProChile to encourage the professionalization and growth of Platea, a platform aimed at promoting international tours. In addition, on two occasions, the foundation received financing from FNDR (the National Fund for Regional Development) in the Metropolitan Region to take plays into its outlying and rural neighborhoods. The Ministry of Internal Affairs provided resources for the Theater in Education project in 2018 through its Crime Prevention Department. Since then, this program has been held in Cerro Navia, Pudahuel and Lo Prado thanks to funds from the Barrancas Local School Service.

Several private companies have showed their belief in the foundation’s projects – such as the Santiago a Mil International Festival, country-wide theater tours, the Buenos Aires International Festival in Chile and important concerts - and have supported us since the very beginning.

This support is mainly offered as part of the Law of Cultural Donations, which allows companies to donate to cultural projects in exchange for a reduction of up to 50% in their taxes.

An example of this is the alliance with Escondida/BHP, which is committed to supporting the development of high-quality culture and decentralizing access to it in regions. It has supported the Santiago a Mil International Festival since 1999 and Antofagasta a Mil since 2002 and has sponsored large-scale international projects organized by the foundation in Santiago, Antofagasta and Iquique.

Thanks to backing from this and other private companies, the Teatro a Mil Foundation has managed to establish mutually supportive alliances and encourage greater interest in both cultural collaboration and the basics that drive our institution’s development.

Over the last few years, important companies such as SURA, Renault and Transbank have been involved in specific projects. Others, such as Banco Edwards | Citi, Cencosud, MasterCard, Movistar, Entel and CorpBanca, have also supported the foundation’s initiatives over the years.

Ticket sales or box office income is also a way of financing different projects, normally related to shows on Santiago’s traditional venue circuit.

The foundation does not pay for advertising to publicize its projects. Instead, it makes advertising deals with different companies to promote its shows.

Since 2019, the Teatro a Mil Foundation has been creating strategies to widen its network of members and explore new ways of financing projects through individual contributions, annual memberships and the consolidation of a select group of collaborators.

The foundation forms media alliances to ensure publicity for its shows using advertising deals, which give the media certain benefits. This sometimes involves special conditions for the journalists covering the events. The Teatro a Mil Foundation’s most common media partners for its different projects are El Mercurio, Radio Bio Bio, TVN, Litoralpress, La Tercera, El Mostrador, The Clinic and Caras magazine. Other media have been involved in specific projects. All are essential to the foundation’s work, since they are our main way of reaching the general public and more specific audiences.

Since it does not have its own venue, the foundation works closely with other venues to schedule shows throughout Chile. It puts venues and cultural centers in touch with companies. Both come to an agreement on how they will divide profits from tickets sales once the copyright percentage has been deducted. Normally, 60% goes to the company and 40% to the venue.

In the case of productions, coproductions and performances that are scheduled abroad with the Teatro a Mil Foundation’s help, the institution keeps 20% of the ticket price to cover touring costs and 80% goes to the company.

In addition, as part of its network of cooperation, the Teatro a Mil Foundation chooses to work with high-quality suppliers who offer special rates to meet each project’s budget. Finding and maintaining an ongoing relationship with suppliers is essential for successful, long-term negotiations.