Corporate sponsorship is a transaction, not philanthropy - and no money is given in an ethical vacuum.
Mark Rylance, the Oscar-winning actor, Paapa Essiedu, from Black Mirror, and Cara Theobold, of Downton Abbey, are among the stars of stage and screen calling on the Old Vic Theatre in London to sever links with sponsor Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).
The award-winning playwrights Caryl Churchill and Dawn King have also joined 80 signatories to an open letter calling on the theatre to drop RBC as a sponsor in light of its $250 billion worth of investments in fossil fuels since the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement was signed.
The letter highlights how RBC funded fossil fuel infrastructure projects are violating the rights of First Nations people and impacting disproportionately on communities of colour in North America, where there is already a long running campaign against the banks’ practices led by these communities.
Worker-led
The signatories also point out that RBC has significant investments in companies which continue to supply Israel with weapons found to be used in attacks on civilians.
The letter states: “We share a deep concern for the climate crisis, human rights, and the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people and are deeply troubled that the Old Vic, an institution with a prominent and influential role in the arts world, is helping to both enhance the reputation and further the business of one of the world’s biggest financiers of fossil fuel development and investors in war.”
Culture Unstained, the organisers of the open letter are continuing to gather signatures, including from producers and performers involved in Old Vic productions. Fehinti Balgoun, the actor, Morgan Lloyd Malcom, the playwright and screenwriter, have recently added their names.
Individuals involved in worker-led organisations, such as the performers’ union Equity and Cultural Workers Against Genocide, also support the initiative.
Transaction
The letter and its supporting evidence points to The Old Vic’s sponsorship brochure, in which the theatre sets out the benefits of sponsorship to companies such as RBC as a means to "enhance your corporate credibility". The signatories responded: “As performers, theatre-makers, artists and workers, we strongly object to our creativity and our labour being used to enhance RBC’s reputation and its profits.”
Corporate sponsorship is a transaction, not philanthropy - and no money is given in an ethical vacuum.
RBC’s UK business focuses on wealth management and investment, with products aimed at "high net worth individuals" and corporate executives. It acquired the UK-based wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin in 2022. RBC does not act as a high street bank in the UK.
The letter goes on to say: “Corporate sponsorship is a transaction, not philanthropy - and no money is given in an ethical vacuum. When the Old Vic advertises sponsorship as a means ‘to meet your specific business objectives and to drive superb [return on investment] back to your business’, it is clear the theatre has been prepared to help further the profits and destructive business plans of a company like RBC.
Courageous
"We believe the Old Vic’s stated mission to be a 'strong advocate for the power of theatre as a force for good' is clearly undermined by the Old Vic’s partnership with Royal Bank of Canada, rather than sustained by it.”
There is a long-standing and active campaign against Royal Bank of Canada in North America. This is led by First Nations community leaders and environmental justice organisations objecting principally to RBC’s funding of fossil fuel expansion projects which violate Indigenous consent, as well as polluting industries which impact largely on communities of colour in the southern gulf states.
As a result of these campaigns, Royal Bank of Canada has come under fire in the past from actors and artists. Robert Downey Junior, Leonardo DiCaprio and Taika Waititi are among the signatories of a 2022 petition ‘No More Dirty Banks’ urging RBC to stop investing in fossil fuels.
The Old Vic is not the first cultural institution to come under fire for its association with Royal Bank of Canada. Last year Toronto International Film Festival received an open letter from leading filmmakers.
The letter stated: “If we are to play a meaningful role in countering the climate crisis and stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, we cannot be blind to our industry’s role in shaping culture. We cannot implicitly endorse RBC…. Our values, as filmmakers and industry workers require us to make courageous choices.”
This Author
Brendan Montague is editor of The Ecologist. This article is based on a press release from Culture Unstained.
