Category: issues

Are Boards Of Directors Up To Leading Our Arts Organizations?

In light of recent high-profile controversies, questions have been raised in the industry about what boards and their trustees actually do – and whether the current model is suited to the challenges presented by the modern theatre industry. What is clear is that in Britain’s subsidised theatres and theatre companies they are absolutely pivotal in defining the shape of the sector.

Regime Change: When Arts Organizations Change Leaders

Who appoints artistic directors, and how? How does regime change work, behind the scenes? How do you turn a struggling institution around, or (even more daunting) live up to your predecessor’s apparently faultless reputation? And what happens when – one thinks of Emma Rice’s brief, ill-starred tenure at the Globe – pretty much everything seems to go wrong?

Forget Chasing Youth – Venues Should Focus On Older Audiences To Survive: Study

“Arts organisations will need to focus more on older audiences over the next 10 years to cater for England’s ageing population, new research has claimed. Engagement with audiences by theatres and other cultural organisations, along with their workforces, business models and use of technology, is set to change over the next decade, according to a report by development agency Nesta commissioned by [funder] Arts Council England.”

Audiences Are Really Like Murmurations Of Starlings

Matt Trueman: “A few years ago, I learned how birds fly in flocks. It’s a complex science. When they murmur, seemingly so completely in sync, starlings are in fact steering themselves independently: each to its own. There’s no leader, no one follows, but the flock falls into line because each bird reacts to those around it. … If one flinches, those next to it follow suit; climb and the whole flock climbs with you. Every individual impulse ripples through the group and it grows as it goes. Audiences are the same.”

The Egyptian President’s War On The Arts, Journalists, And Dissent

Since he took power from the Muslim Brotherhood in a coup in 2013, the number of journalists and activists in jail has spiked as dissent against his regime has been roundly crushed; many of Sisi’s would-be presidential challengers are now in detention or awaiting trial. But the president hasn’t stopped at stamping out voices critical of him—he’s gone after apolitical liberal expression, too. Egypt has witnessed a crackdown on the arts, including dance, music, comedy, and theater.

Seven Deadly Sins Of Philanthropy

Whether these transgressions rise to the level of an offense against religious law is a debate best left to theologians. However, examining the worst sins of the philanthropic sector and possible ways to remediate these issues occupies the thoughts of many of those active in the foundation world.

How The Women Of The Me Too Movement Are Fighting Their Way Back Into Hollywood

The women who say Harvey Weinstein first molested or raped them and then ruined their careers are fighting back and getting somewhere in Hollywood again, sometimes decades after he took them down. Mira Sorvino, for instance: “Since Weinstein no longer has the clout to hang up on directors who mention her name, Sorvino is in perpetual motion. This year, she’s got major roles in nine movies, a guest spot on the hit sitcom Modern Family, and, fingers crossed, a star network gig as a top-ranked marine lawyer in the CBS pilot ‘The Code’.”