Tag Archives: performing arts
Theatre Binge: Trends
Last month I spent 72 hours in New York immersing myself in the kind of theatre and visual arts not readily available in Phoenix. It was a whirlwind: four shows, one of which was an eight-hour affair, plus the Cindy … Continue reading
Of Missions and Diversity
But at the end of the day, and let me be very clear about this: at the end of the day, the job that I am entrusted to do is to find plays that I believe as artistic director will … Continue reading
1100 Seats
If you are a stakeholder in the American nonprofit theatre community, you probably heard about or took part in the heated discussion last week about the announcement by the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis of its 50th anniversary season, a season … Continue reading
Avoiding the Begging Cup – redux
Late last week, Richard Dare of the Brooklyn Philharmonic posted a column on the Huffington Post about the unsustainability of a donor-based business model for the arts. A colleague, seeing this, wrote, “I’ve been saying that for years.” To which … Continue reading
John Dewey, Audience Development Expert
While doing some other research, I came across a reference to John Dewey’s 1934 book “Art as Experience.” I have been somewhat familiar with Dewey’s pragmatist philosophy for a while. His views on experiential learning influenced my own thinking about … Continue reading
Kerry’s Question
Kerry Lengel, theatre critic for the Arizona Republic, recently posed the following question to me: “Is the business model for non-profit arts broken? If so, how can it be fixed – or replaced?” Our phone conversation was focused primarily on … Continue reading
Data Dump
An interesting discussion developed last week in the arts/theatre blogosphere around the issue of data. Do we have enough? Do we use it? Should we spend any time looking for more of it? The last was answered with a resounding … Continue reading
Authenticity?
I interviewed lighting designer Allen Hahn recently about his curatorial approach to the lighting designs in the US National Exhibit at last summer’s Prague Quadrennial of Scenography. He explained that the curatorial team identified a trend toward “authenticity” in the … Continue reading
Urban Density
I considered myself lucky when I flew into New York La Guardia last week from the south. I like that approach because it takes you right over the whole of NY Harbor with a view of the Statue of Liberty … Continue reading
Prague reflections
It’s been almost a month since I landed in Prague to see the sites and attend the Prague Quadrennial, the international exhibit of scenography founded by Josef Svoboda in the 1960s now known as “the PQ.” International pavilions filled several … Continue reading
