It’s also important to acknowledge just now necessary it is for us as humans to have spaces where we come together to partake in an activity for the sake of positive social interaction and community. Funding and supporting amateur theater is not dissimilar to funding and supporting things like libraries, parks, or local businesses. It’s about promoting time with other humans, and helping each other. We’re a social species. We’re meant to help each other and support each other and spend time together.
The ever present idea that something is only worth doing if you’re good at it and/or you can make a profit from it is an incredibly detrimental one. It discourages people from trying new things, as well as from engaging things that they might enjoy, even if it’s something that they will never really be “good” at. It discourages engaging with others who enjoy the same thing, because it becomes shameful to enjoy something that society considers worthless. Without that engagement, not only are people getting neither the practice nor mentorship that would aid them in becoming better, but it also destroys the potential for a community.
Think of book clubs, where you don’t have to be good at analysis to enjoy sharing your reading experiences with a group. Think of embroidery, quilting, or knitting circles, groups of people getting together and spending time working on an activity while talking to each other, where even if you’re not skilled at the craft, your participation is all that’s truly necessary. Think of karaoke, trivia games, craft parties/nights, social dances. There are so many activities intended to be enjoyed without being good at them. Many of these require the support of the participants.
All this to say that it’s not just about supporting people who are bad at things. It’s about encouraging people to do things they’re not innately good at, and about promoting community.