Changing Landscape of Cultural Participation

The NEA Survey for Participation in the Arts is revealing a suprisingly quick moving seachange in the American relationship to the arts. For those involved in longstanding institutions devoted to live exchange between artist and audience, the findings reveal stark changes to our future -- rapid adoption of online arts consumption that seems to be replacing the lived experience. For example, classical music is seeing the maturation of the seachange that has been in progress the last twenty years such that middle-aged audiences are attending less and less often yet they are still consuming mediated formats.

http://www.artsjournal.com/sandow/2009/12/day_of_reckoning.html

Many arts organizations are riding the wave of the change (see below) and it seems that many will need to do the same if there is a to be a salient future for the arts in our culture.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120904233.html

More on thinning the nonprofit herd

More on thinning the nonprofit herd

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My chat with Bill Ivey

My chat with Bill Ivey

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Curtain, then finger-pointing at North Shore - The Boston Globe

Curtain, then finger-pointing at North Shore - The Boston Globe

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Worth a read and a thought

Plus -- I think it is a great title for the college crowd:


If It Was Just About The Money We'd All Be Making Porn Why it's important to know why you exist and who you want to be... - diacritical

Arts, Creativity & the Brain

I attended a fun and informative 1/2 day conference at the American Visionary Art Museum about using the arts in education.

The three take aways for me were:
a) The arts teach 6 critical skills for the 21st century citizen:
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Communication
Content
Confidence
Creative Innovation

b) I need to get the creativity books of Keri Smith, especially HOW TO BE AN EXPLORER OF THE WORLD. I recommend that to all of you!

c) A potential teaching tool AND management option for the arts is the creative process modelled through Pixar and Dreamworks (the Talent Developer from Dreamworks was the final presenter).

Divide project into segments
Each person/team takes a segment
The review each others work -- give feedback and make improvements
Mentor Review -- present to the leadership -- get feedback and make improvements (return to peer review cycle if necessary)
Take a 'first pass' at the entire project together -- pitching it to the mentor
Revisions
Final project presentation

This is an "Iterative" process (dictionary.com) It involves shared responsibility to an outcome. How is the usual theatre process similar yet different?

Marketing

Marketing is marketing. There is no difference to the receiver if you are a for profit or non profit organization. There is no difference in the channels if you are getting messages about arts or about laundry detergent.  

The difference is the budget line for marketing. Arts marketing is done on a dime, so to speak.

How do you use every dime effectively? You know your audience and your potential audience. You don't waste money talking to the people who just won't consider you an option.

What did TCG tell you about the American Theatre audience?

Ever heard of Lousville

There the arts organizations are facing a similar yet different economic hurdle. An interesting read as it reveals the various adaptations much like we have discussed in class

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090419/SCENE05/90418020

Who manages the audience

Hi,
So there are many wonderful stories about actors stopping a play when people are using their cell phones or behaving otherwise indecorously. (another discussed below) Whose job is it to manage the audience? What does an artist do if the management is poor or ineffectual? OR what about the traditions of chinese theatre or for that matter Renaissance and Restoration -- even up through the early 20th century theatre was highly interactive. How does an audience know how to behave?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2009/apr/16/theatre-patrick-stewart-godot-beckett

The Economy and Support for Nonprofits

A recent article in the NY Times (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=abbSrsyWqA4E&refer=muse) discussed a support fund and management network for a select group of nonprofits that serve the public -- including the arts.

Critical to the plan, which includes loans to help cover the income gap experienced in this economy, is management support to help executives plan and manage. One of the key phrases of recent years has become increasingly important: sustainability.

Funders expect organizations that ask for money to be able to sustain themselves in the long term WITHOUT that funding. For instance, if an arts organization begins a new playwrights program, Funder X might give them a 3 year staged grant to fund the program ($100,000 the first year, 50,000 the second, and 25,000 the third). The organization must demonstrate that the program needs the money at the initial level and that they can sustain the program well after the initial 3 years of funding has ended (SUSTAINABILITY).

What I find encouraging about the NYC loan program is the support feature -- they are providing financial support and management resources to figure out sustainability for the future. What better way to help ensure you will get your loan repaid!

The hard part, of course, is making the decision to NOT fund a program because it is NOT sustainable (be it an arts program, organization or a health agency serving AIDS patients . . .).

Presenting Orgs

Three of the largest presenting organizations in the area are Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts (wolftrap.org), the Kennedy Center (kennedy-center.org) and the Clarice Smith Center (claricesmithcenter.umd.edu).  Two are part of national parks and one part of a major state university. What are the benefits of these relationships? Why have these organizations developed in this unique fashion?

World Theatre Day is Friday March 27th!

What are your local theatres doing? What can you do to celebrate?

http://www.artsjournal.com/dramaqueen/2009/03/march-27-will-mark-world.html

Broadway is doing well in the recession

So, this is defeating my logic of ticket purchasing patterns (high priced tickets will suffer -- movies and easy entry will do well).

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003953504

What are your purchasing patterns? Your limits? Your exceptions?

Facility Analysis

So, I was reading my arts journal blogs and found a perfect example of a statement of experience + analysis in an blog addressing the lobby of Alice Tully Hall:
http://www.artsjournal.com/lifesapitch/2009/03/lobbyist.html#comments

The expectation of the average audience member seems to be high. Much higher than ten years ago when all you might want is a wine or a bag of chips at intermission (maybe a soft couch to sit on . . .).

If you have a public space in the 21st century -- it is simply common courtesy to offer wireless access, ambient music, food and beverage, and an opportunity to people-watch. Within those parameters, how do the Baltimore/Washington performing arts organization fare in comparison?

Imagination Stage has: a toy store, a cafe, free wifi, a plazmazine of what's coming and examples of students productions from the past, several tables and a round couch area. Not too bad :-)

What? We need arts in public schools? For real?

So I was invited to join a cause on facebook this weekend, and I was looking through the page of what the administrators posted, and I stumbled upon this page from Americans for the Arts telling of the new initiatives they are taking to promote the arts in public schools. I am very passionate about the fact that arts classes need to stay vital in public schools right now, despite whatever economic pressures we are facing. We can all say yes, kids who are in arts classes are more likely to excel in things like math and science, for all those close minded parents who dont believe that the arts are important because it is important for kids to be exposed to the arts, but I'm sure that we can all agree that without our arts classes in high school we would not be where we are today.

http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/default.asp

here is the link for the Americans for the Arts new public awareness campaign.

Local Economies

How might the arts participate in some of these locally focused economic stimulus models? You might take a moment and look up the Federal Theatre Project to get some ideas.

Read the article here.

What is a service organization?

As you are preparing for tomorrow's class -- here is a preview to our topic: Arts Service Organizations.

Baltimore Theatre Project In Trouble

Read on:  Balt. Sun Article.

A 240,000 budget is a tiny budget making the organization more susceptible to the winds of change.  BTP is a presenting organization (versus producing). This can let an organization be very 'lean' as a full time staff in all management areas is not needed (bring in a technician for a show -- you don't need a full time TD). However, while lean, it is also very dependent on its audiences coming to see productions and a tight economy has an immediate impact.

The question becomes -- why do some theatres see a drop in audience and not others?  It isn't just price (as we read, Broadway advance sales are up, and LES MIS at Signature is selling like hotcakes).  BTP noted that past 'sell outs' underperformed . . .  why the change?

Note the audience when you attend the performances of your organizations. Listen to what people say. Theatre is a luxury not a necessity - why are they making the choice to spend their money at your organization?

Los Angeles Theatre - Foreclosed and Director filing lawsuit

An interesting read:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/02/theater-foreclo.html

Read the first comment, too :-)

Broadway Ticket Taxes

So in my research going through playbill.com looking for management information I came across multiple articles about the taxes that are now happening and being added onto any Broadway production up to 8%. theatre tickets will now have an additional $10-25 dollars added onto each ticket.
According to the New York Times Rocco Landesman, the president of Jujamcyn Theaters spoke at a budget meeting with other prominent Broadway industry leaders on February 3, 2009. New York Times also stated that "Governor Paterson and legislative leaders are using [ticket tax] to balance a $120 billion-plus budget despite a possible $13 billion-deficit."
In the last month 13 shows alone have closed on Broadway due to the taxes and high ticket prices and economy in general. Monumental shows that seemed to have the potential for a long running experience on Broadway have closed, and quickly. Some of these shows include; "Spamalot", "Hairspray", "Spring Awakening", and "Young Frankenstein."
This tax blows my mind because not only are they losing money on the shows but on all tourists coming into Manhattan. That includes hotels, cabs, car rentals, shopping, AND theatre. So are we not they losing more money in the long run as the state of New York as a whole? In another blog that I had read researching on it after seeing these articles, there was an Actors Equity member who mentioned just taking budget cuts from everyone; actors, producers, make up artists, costume designers, directors, everyone, and therefore being in this "shared sacrifice" together.

Now my question I want to pose to all of you is that do you think that it makes more sense as an economy to cut the salaries of the people involved in the Broadway extravaganza, which to an extent does make sense, cut from the top and keep the taxes on tickets though, losing obvious business. Or do we just not add these taxes onto the tickets at all and keep the prices of Broadway tickets and Broadway outings where they are, if not lower?

The message that seems to be common between all of the Broadway leaders is, " Don't kill the golden goose,"

Update on funding for the arts

As mentioned in class, the funding for the arts in the original house bill was 50 million with zero in the Senate's version of the stimulus bill.

The compromise bill should be signed by President Obama on Monday. The good news is it includes the 50 million and prohibitory language (Coburn Act) was excluded.  

Per Americans for the Arts:

"We can now confirm that the package DOES include $50 million in direct support for arts jobs through National Endowment for the Arts grants."

Good news for arts and arts groups everywhere.

Update on funding for the arts

As mentioned in class, the funding for the arts in the original house bill was 50 million with zero in the Senate's version of the stimulus bill.

Here is the 

Arts funding bill

A very interesting article about the bills in the house and senate and the arts debate:  click here

Personnel

Today, at work, we had a series of meetings addressing hierarchy and communication.  In smaller organizations there is a 'flatter' structure in which everyone 'pitches in' to get the 'job done'. In larger organizations, there are more 'traditional' hierarchies of leadership, managers, line managers, and staff. 

One of the more interesting problems in arts organizations occurs when you have artists who entered the professional theatre to continue to practice their craft suddenly find themselves managers in charge of a staff.  On the whole, artists are not trained in how to manage others, how to create work plans, measurable goals, provide feedback and evaluations, and structure a workflow of projects and communication that accomplishes a goal.  

So, I sometimes wonder how to empower the artist to become the artist manager while maintaining the necessity of the more typical business structure once an organization reaches a 'critical size' -- which I would argue is anything over 15 employees.

Simultaneously, I would say that it is against the best interests of my organization for my artists to 'waste their creative time' in management -- leaving everyone in a considerably awkward and at times impractical impasse.  

The key to successful 'arts management' is the balance of the arts and the management.

Green Facilities

We briefly touched on the issues of 'green' building and facilities during class. I received the following email that I thought you might find interesting and might bookmark or share for your future lives in the theatre :-) Enjoy the read (it is a marketing email -- do note this). Let me know what you think!

Dear Theater Professional,

Theaters are building energy-efficient buildings. Lighting designers are finding innovative ways to illuminate productions with far less wattage. Playwrights are turning their pens toward the looming threat of climate change. Shops are switching to less-toxic paints and chemicals. Foundations are making sustainability a factor in grant awards.

In short, "green" is in, and it has become a vital groundswell sweeping through the American theater community. A committed group of individuals and organizations have begun to see that there is a connection between their work in the theater and the health and sustainability of their local and global environments. They are acting on the belief that in the current social and economic climate, those theaters that take steps to go green will find themselves ahead of the curve strategically financially, organizationally, and within their communities. Rather than being a drag on theaters' operations and finances, and rather than simply being efforts we should make for the good of the planet, green initiatives will lead to greater prosperity, more committed employees, lower costs, and a more profound connection to audiences and communities. Those theaters that have already taken up this challenge have seen real, tangible benefits from their actions, and are working toward sustainable futures for their organizations and their communities.

All very well, you may say, but where to begin? What are the steps we can take to go green, and what steps are other theaters taking? How are we to get our staff on board? How can we best publicize our efforts? Where can we find financing and sponsorship, and what tax breaks and incentives are available to us?

This is the Green Theater Initiative's primary purpose - to provide a space in which these questions can be asked, explored, and answered. In the hectic day-to-day that we all face as theater professionals, we have little time to search around for advice, and when we do, the amount of it devoted to environmental topics can be overwhelming. The Green Theater Initiative aims to be a one-stop-shop where information can be distilled down to its simplest components, and where advice and insight can be easily found.

We encourage you to visit the Initiative at www.greentheaters.org to find out more - from interviews with theater professionals who are working to go green, to how-to guides for your theater, to reporting from panels at conferences across the country, to articles about plays that address climate change and the environment, and more. Most importantly, we encourage you to sign up for GTI's e-mail newsletter, which will be sent out regularly with summaries of and links back to updated content on the website. It's a simple and unobtrusive way of staying in touch with these issues and tracking what other theaters are doing to work toward a sustainable future. The newsletter will be sent out approximately once a month, and your information will by no means be shared with any other organizations, so you need not worry about inbox clutter.

Signing up for the newsletter will allow you to take part in the movement to go green by keeping you appraised of your colleagues' actions and giving you guidance to follow in their footsteps. Because going green can be an opportunity to articulate a vision of a future in which theaters, as they have so often in the past, serve as leaders in their communities, encouraging debate about, and finding solutions to, one of humanity's most pressing challenges.

Yours,

Gideon Banner
Founder and Chief Editor
Green Theater Initiative
www.greentheaters.org

थे आर्ट्स नेग्लेक्टेड

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0540772220090206
Once upon a time I considered myself a Bush supporter। I admired how he was a man of principle who seemed (for the most part) to stand by what he decided to do regardless of whether it was popular or not। But after a while, the line between refusing to be swayed and stubbornness was crossed। The sad thing about leadership is when policy no longer applies to the real lives and issues that the people face every day, it can in fact be harmful to them। Not only will they be worried about their future, how they see their lives presently will also be negatively affected। That’s where the arts come in, they touch people in ways that allows them to have an imagination, to dream again, and to also dream dreams larger than themselves and their present problems।


Because even real life sometimes does need comic relief, theatres and other arts houses need to be funded well enough to run and supply that demand. There’s no telling when we will be over this huge economic hurdle, but properly funding the arts is one of the most proactive things that government can do for its people. As it takes me a long time to trust in anyone, or support leadership that I haven’t had enough time to understand, I don’t know what to make of our president. But one thing is sure, if trickles of that same energy felt during the inauguration settles in great places like art houses that are properly funded, the morale that causes people and businesses to have an exchange will steadily rise. Go Obama, Go the arts!

Kennedy Center Offers Administrators Help

Michael Kaiser of the Kennedy Center has offered administrative counseling to arts organizations around the country as they adjust to the economic realities of 2009 and beyond.(www.artsincrisis.org)  In the NY Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/arts/04arts-KENNEDYCENTE_BRF.html?ref=arts), Kaiser notes that "We're in a crisis point, and I believe it's going to get worse."

I think we are all in agreement with him there -- the economic downturn has not hit bottom, and the arts are struck on all sides:  tickets are a luxury, not a necessity, individual donors have less to give, corporations are cutting back almost completely, foundations are trying to cover the holes created by corporation shifts, and county and state governments are making drastic cuts to arts funding (for example, the 2010 budget for the state of Maryland is 36% less than the original 2009 budget line for the arts).  

Still, as a leader of an arts organization with barely a moment to spare -- I wonder how Mr. Kaiser much less his executive staff, can handle the likely onslaught of pleas for help from his offer. Due to a decrease in work hours from our furlough and a shift in staffing and programming, most of my executive staff are working overtime as it is.  People can only run on empty for so long before the smell of burning rubber meets the senses.  And, as Mr. Kaiser notes, the end is nowhere near insight. I wish the best for his staff and look forward to hearing of the advice he is able to dispense.

The Why's and What's

At work we are beginning to compose a proposal for a panel for the TCG conference in June. The theme is Roots, Renaissance, Revolution.  Interestingly, theatre seems to historically cycle through these stages -- returning to the roots, the creative burst of Renaissance, and revolution to what is. Sometimes, like now, all 3 seem to be occurring simultaneously.The Why's (why do theatre) directly ties to the Roots of theatre. Why did the first thespians begin to perform?  What did they perform?  What was the place?

Place directly relates to the Whys and the Whats . . . pick an example of a performance you experienced (NOT at Towson). How did the space relate to the performance (the what)? Where do you define the boundaries of that space? The walls of the theatre? The lobby plus the performance space? The parking garage to the lobby . . . .?

The Art of Arts Management

I am beginning this blog as a resource and site of conversation for students of arts management with a primary focus on theatre/performing arts management and facility operations.  For the next 15 weeks, this blog will primarily serve as a discussion point for Towson University students engaged in THEA 306 Theatre Operations and Management. However, pedagogically it is encouraged that everyone and anyone interested or engaged in the art of arts management join in when they want.

Enjoy the journey