[ti:New Zealand Arts Agency Rejects Support for Shakespeare Program] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]New Zealand's government is ending its support [00:03.08]for a popular program on the British playwright William Shakespeare. [00:08.36]Shakespeare wrote plays and poems during the late 1500s and early 1600s. [00:14.92]He is considered by many to be one of the most [00:17.52]important writers in the English language. [00:21.40]The art agency said the program depended [00:23.92]too heavily on busy schools, [00:26.40]failed to show relevance to today's art, [00:29.52]and depended on a kind of art linked to British imperialism. [00:34.76]But many have criticized the decision by the art agency Creative New Zealand. [00:41.20]Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is among the critics. [00:46.04]She also was a former student actor who took part in the program. [00:51.44]Ardern said, "I was a participant in Shakespeare in Schools. [00:56.08]I thought it was a great program." [00:59.24]She said students interested in drama and debate [01:02.16]have limited opportunities to connect [01:04.48]with other students from different schools. [01:08.08]She said, "I was one of those kids. And so I would like [01:11.96]to continue to see other kids have those opportunities." [01:16.60]Ardern added that the financial decision [01:18.96]was not up to her or the government. [01:22.28]Creative New Zealand receives financial support [01:25.00]from taxpayers but is run independently. [01:29.24]The Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand has run the school programs, [01:33.72]workshops, and events for about 30 years. [01:37.92]Students act, direct, make clothing for plays, [01:41.88]or create musical performances. [01:45.44]The plays are set in current times [01:47.72]or have different story elements [01:49.80]from the ones written by William Shakespeare [01:52.36]more than 400 years ago. [01:55.32]The center has received about ten percent of its yearly budget [01:58.96]from the government agency. [02:01.68]Dawn Sanders is the center's chief. [02:04.48]She said she was not expecting the rejection last month. [02:09.72]It remained in place after a recent meeting. [02:13.24]She criticized the decision. [02:16.92]Sanders said more than 120,000 students [02:20.60]have been involved in the events and programs over the years. [02:25.68]Many go on to work in the theater or film. [02:29.12]Others, she said, have used their acting skills in their jobs. [02:34.44]For example, lawyers can become better at arguing their cases [02:39.00]and doctors at talking to patients. [02:42.40]Creative New Zealand did not comment. [02:45.72]In its 11-page rejection note, however, [02:48.84]one agency member said the center had "proved the ongoing value" [02:53.48]of its local and national Shakespeare competition model. [02:58.44]Some 4,600 young people join 24 events each year. [03:04.36]The agency official wrote, "The application does [03:07.84]make me reflect on the ongoing relevance of Shakespeare." [03:12.52]The person questioned if supporting Shakespeare "is most relevant [03:16.84]for a decolonizing Aotearoa in the 2020s and beyond." [03:22.80]Aotearoa is a native name for New Zealand. [03:26.24]The group that made the decision said that the Shakespeare center [03:30.64]seems "paternalistic" and that its request for financial support [03:35.04]did not show the relevance to art of current times. [03:39.24]Sanders said she would try to find other financial support [03:42.72]and promised the program would continue. [03:46.36]Since the dispute became public, she said, [03:49.00]people have already given thousands of dollars online. [03:53.68]Former Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters [03:56.88]wrote on the social media site Facebook about the decision. [04:01.72]He strongly criticized the officials responsible. [04:05.52]Ardern said it would be wrong to take a single financial decision [04:09.80]and make it a statement about society. [04:13.64]She did not say what Shakespeare role she had played as a student, [04:17.44]saying it would steal attention from the situation. [04:21.76]She said, "So I might just leave out the details for now." [04:26.64]I'm Gregory Stachel. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM