By: Diane Benjamin
I filed a FOIA request for a recap of the Naked Magicians Show held at the BCPA. My request was denied because the report is on-line, I was directed there instead.
Here’s where it gets funny for me, likely tragic for Bloomington taxpayers.
http://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-1555
These are the only shows listed, no event recaps are listed for shows that took place between February and November:
Obviously the only reason Naked is there is because I FOID’d it. They claim the show made $11,099 even though tickets prices had to be discounted 50%
Carbon Leaf Sister Hazel lost $15,258.
Ed Asner made $4,523.
Dracula lost $9,981.
Gobsmacked lost $14,571.
Nutcracker made $7,428.
If you are interested in the others, click the link above.
There is no accountability for taxpayers at the BCPA. Every show should have a posted event report.
Somehow they came up with the Naked guys report only because I FOIA’d it. Shows have taken place since November and nothing is posted for any of them.
Taxpayers deserve to know:
- How many tickets are sold to each show
- How many tickets are given away
- Estimated profit/loss from every show
Is transparency too difficult?
The BCPA offices aren’t even in the BCPA, they are in the Creativity Center that is now getting lots of money for repairs and isn’t ADA compliant.
Tari, you claim the City is transparent. This again proves the opposite.
OK….maybe I am missing something. Like in the Naked Magicians financial report, where is the cost of the performers themselves? They didn’t come here for free. (That level of tackiness doesn’t come cheap, ya’ know.)
The report implies the BCPA was rented or co-produced. They may not have paid them directly.
Thank you for the explanation, Diane. But I have to tell you, “imply” and “financial report” in the same sentence doesn’t give me a “warm, fuzzy feeling”. You are an accountant, what do you think?
There lack of transparency is astonishing! I’d put nothing past them.
When I heard they were coming I asked continuously what the ticket count was, if they had a full house, how they choose their entertainment and why Marcfirst Elvis show was announced once in the Pantagraph and they continuously ran them on FB. There weren’t even crickets chirping. Big spectrum of Marcfirst holding a fundraiser with an Elvis impersonator that is prominently known to two naked guys. Whose running the show???? I’m done with this town and they’re so called “entertainment”
Ed Asner OR Nutcracker, I can see those being of some redeeming social or artistic value, but the necked buffoons, I think one could look at that from EVER angle (if they wanted to) and not find anything of redeeming value!
Seems like my taste in arts and those of the folks running the BCPA AND the “Markoarena” are worlds apart.
I’d much rather see a koala bear that can spell it’s name in eucalyptus leaves while burping the Australian national anthem..
Marxists seek cultural degeneration just as much as they seek economic destruction and social unrest. And make no mistake–the political leadership, traditional media, and educational establishment of Bloomington, IL IS Marxist. The fact that some of the participants are just too stupid to self identify correctly (Ward 6, Pantagraph “reporters”) doesn’t change that fact.