Angels in America: Part One, Millennium Approaches has begun performances at the Repertory Theater of Saint Louis, as the start of the company’s first season under new Artistic Director Hana Sharif. While the play is now nearly 30 years old, seeing it again reminded me of its continued resonance and its power to explore those deeply American themes that, in the end, make it timeless. This essay is a less a review and more a reflection rediscovering why the play today very much still maters.
At a time when words matter more than ever before, Baltimore Center Stage recently announced that a key staff member would be promoted to a new title: Director of Learning and Social Accountability. In unpacking the potential meaning behind that title, I explore the evolution of the language we use to talk about how we impact communities and how we talk about our goals to create representative communities within our organization - as well as explore some recent data about representation in the arts across disciplines.
Simple ideas can unfold to carry profound meaning - meaning that may apply far beyond where you started from. Three books I have come to love work from that very premise: Invitation to the Party, Love is the Killer App, and The Power of Habit. They are all engaging reads - learn more about the simple ideas at the heart of each of them and why I’d you add them to your reading (or re-reading) list!
These days, we are surrounded by so much data it can be overwhelming. Often, we find ourselves collecting data thinking that it may be useful, but if we never turn it into something actionable, what was the point? If you’re swimming in data, take a deep breath, step back, and consider these three measures as a new starting point to understand and grow your audience.
When arts organizations work within communities on specific projects, there is always a risk of swooping in when it’s convenient for the organization and swooping out once the project has come to an end. This idea of “helicoptering” is harmful for both your organization and the communities you hope to serve, as it essentializes a community into being no more than part of a specific transaction (worse, a transaction you have defined rather than one they have). Once this has happened, are there ways to repair the relationship? And are there structures you can create to help prevent the situation from happening again?
Angels in America: Part One, Millennium Approaches has begun performances at the Repertory Theater of Saint Louis, as the start of the company’s first season under new Artistic Director Hana Sharif. While the play is now nearly 30 years old, seeing it again reminded me of its continued resonance and its power to explore those deeply American themes that, in the end, make it timeless. This essay is a less a review and more a reflection rediscovering why the play today very much still maters.
At a time when words matter more than ever before, Baltimore Center Stage recently announced that a key staff member would be promoted to a new title: Director of Learning and Social Accountability. In unpacking the potential meaning behind that title, I explore the evolution of the language we use to talk about how we impact communities and how we talk about our goals to create representative communities within our organization - as well as explore some recent data about representation in the arts across disciplines.
The national tour of Come From Away plays at the Fox Theater in St. Louis through May 25. It’s a story and a staging that reminds us of the power of community to be transformed into something better in a time of crisis and a reflection of how our diverse personal narratives coalesce into something with true communal meaning when they come together. And, while it often tugs at the heartstrings, it is also consistently joyous evening - one well worth seeing.
The national tour of the recent West End / Broadway revival of Miss Saigon is playing at the Fox Theater in St. Louis April 23 - May 5. In a review for Limelight, I reflect on how this revival holds a powerful mirror both up to its own complicated history and up to the toxic danger of the American Dream. Read the review here or on the Limelight website (featuring a lot more production photos and the copy gently massaged from MLA / Chicago style to AP style).
Simple ideas can unfold to carry profound meaning - meaning that may apply far beyond where you started from. Three books I have come to love work from that very premise: Invitation to the Party, Love is the Killer App, and The Power of Habit. They are all engaging reads - learn more about the simple ideas at the heart of each of them and why I’d you add them to your reading (or re-reading) list!
These days, we are surrounded by so much data it can be overwhelming. Often, we find ourselves collecting data thinking that it may be useful, but if we never turn it into something actionable, what was the point? If you’re swimming in data, take a deep breath, step back, and consider these three measures as a new starting point to understand and grow your audience.
When arts organizations work within communities on specific projects, there is always a risk of swooping in when it’s convenient for the organization and swooping out once the project has come to an end. This idea of “helicoptering” is harmful for both your organization and the communities you hope to serve, as it essentializes a community into being no more than part of a specific transaction (worse, a transaction you have defined rather than one they have). Once this has happened, are there ways to repair the relationship? And are there structures you can create to help prevent the situation from happening again?
Building equity, inclusion, and diversity within an organization doesn’t come with an easy road map, and many of the most important results are not easy to measure. How does one get started? After being asked to present on this question as part of a corporate roundtable for Diversity Awareness Partnership, I was able to put my thoughts together on my journey to do this work during my eight year tenure at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. As you begin this work in your organization, I hope these reflections may provide some perspective that can help you succeed.
Over 15 years, I visited all 50 states and all 50 state capitols. The journey was enriching and taught me a lot about this country and how deeply varied the communities and regions across our nation see themselves, their communities, and their histories. In part one of my reflections on those travels, I look at what I learned about becoming a “super fan” through that experience - and how that learning can transfer over into how we might think about marketing within the arts and culture.
How many languages do you speak? English? Spanish? Arts? Sports? Finance? Public Relations?
We are chronically guilty of speaking less languages than we need to speak to navigate our work, our life, and our travels. Making an effort in earnest to expand our vocabulary and comprehension outside of our comfort zone takes work, but pays off - whether it’s a matter of learning to speak German before traveling to Berlin or leaning to speak education or production to more effectively partner across departments. But the effort is worth it.
Too often we wonder how our organizations can have more of a ‘seat at the table.’ Mobilizing your staff to help show up to be at the table doesn’t only empower them, it has the potential to build more loyalty, to deepen the strengths of your team, and to build stronger appreciation within your staff for your own volunteer leadership. All it might take is a shift in your organizational philosophy towards rewarding personal community engagement from members of your team.
It is a rare week that goes by when I do not find myself explaining how to pronounce my name. The easy answer: just pretend the G is silent. But, silent G’s, are everywhere. They’re the things about us that we carry that people don’t hear, don’t see, and don’t know. They’re the things that we really can only know about ourselves that shape us into the people who we are. (But, this essay isn’t entirely that deep. It’ll also help you pronounce my name and say the G. Just please don’t do it the first few times if you’re in spitting distance of anyone.)
In 2010, the Alliance Theatre had a remarkable opportunity, staging an all-new gospel score to the hit rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar. With a cast of close to 50, including a chorus of 27 singers hand-picked from church choirs across the Atlanta region, it had the potential to be a huge hit. But how to help an audience understand that the musical they thought they knew would have a new sound? Start a campaign that makes it fun and easy to let your friends know that “everything sounds better with gospel.”
