Henri Pearson’s Post

Kelundra is spot on in her observation, here. Great article.

With a frightening lack of focus on the importance of an arts education the consequences will hit us for decades. Government policy needs to move swiftly and distinctly to support creative education in schools, colleges and Universities as a matter of urgency. This is not just about having ‘stories’ to tell. It is about nurturing and recognising the importance of these creative skills in business and corporate environments too. We need smart people in positions of authority and power - in all organisations. Time for change.

Forget local authority, government or agency funding. These are either unavailable or not sustainable and can kill creativity when working within their specific guidelines. Instead, research what the local demographic want or need and provide it. Think of ways that you can entice an audience or participation within different localities and cultures. Be brave, do it alone or with like minded colleagues. Involve yourself in local festivals, fetes, fairs or the like. Hire local halls or theatres. Involve youth clubs and/or schools. Show people what you offer and educate about the impact of the arts on wellbeing and social inclusion.

24 hours on from UK #theatreconference at Southbank Centre. Here are some thoughts: Firstly, a great event. Thanks Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre for organising. It was an impressive gathering of theatre professionals from across the country, and a great programme to boot. Secondly, the challenge is significant. The cost of making theatre has doubled. The cost of running a theatre has doubled. Theatre Tax Relief has helped and is rightly welcomed, but the cost challenge remains. Add to this the other challenges articulated well at conference: theatre's role as social change-makers, the move to environmental sustainability (#theatregreenbook), and the need to address the UK's aged theatre estate. The scale of the challenge is huge. But, thirdly, great examples were given on how the sector is addressing that by coming together, collaborating and acting as a collective voice. And, in doing so, not becoming victims to fortune, but leading, lobbying and innovating to better outcomes. I came away with the message that collaboration is key. It was clear that barriers to that still remain: commercial fears, some lack of trust and openness, and a possible reluctance to share data. Understandable, but to overcome the considerable challenges above, theatre will need to focus on shared objectives. To wrap-up, here's a quote from the final keynote session which hit home: "Theatre is difficult. There is never enough time or money, but we know we have to do it. We don't shirk challenges. We collaborate and problem-solve". Hear hear.

I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Stuart and Normal Leslie Churchill Fellowship (2023) Winston Churchill Trust (Australia), which allowed me to embark on an incredible research trip earlier this year across Chile, the United States, and the United Kingdom. My research focused on how to create extraordinary professional ‘public theatre’ with, for and by community. During my travels, I had the privilege of working with and learning from leading theatre companies, particularly examining large-scale public theatre initiatives such as the Public Theatre's Public Works Program in New York and the National Theatre's Public Acts in London. Additionally, my research explores the significant impact of smaller theatre company initiatives like Woolly Mammoth in Washington and Common Wealth in the UK - who create exceptional theatre works, deeply rooted in community engagement. The report I have written advocates for the expansion of community-engaged theatre within professional spaces in Australia, drawing on successful international models. It highlights the profound cultural and social benefits that such practices can bring, and offers strategic insights into how these successes can be adapted to different cultural contexts within our own country. The findings emphasize the transformative power of theatre as a catalyst for societal engagement and sectoral evolution. It also speaks to a proposed model of working which I believe holds great potential for Australia, blending the strengths of both large and small-scale endeavours. I am deeply committed to opening up a dialogue on how we can break down structural and financial barriers to make the performing arts more accessible, create improved pathways for artistic creation, and support theatre companies in diversifying and becoming more inclusive. This research is a step toward fostering informed practices in these areas. My report is in the link below. Very excited to share. #winstonchurchilltrust

"The story is a familiar one: a city of a certain size decides it wants to increase the cultural offerings available for its residents. The city’s appointed leaders, or perhaps its unappointed ones—the businessmen or philanthropically-minded independently wealthy—look at a neighboring city, the flow of people and money into and out of the beautiful new theater located there, and decide they should build one too. Capital is raised, land is acquired, and up goes a towering cultural institution, featuring the finest in touring performers and appealing to the patricians and the bourgeoisie. “For tens of thousands of urban theatergoers these local playhouses would become their most immediate—and for some their only—point of reference for experiencing French theater” (Clay 770). In the mid to late 1700s, France experienced just such a theater-building explosion. By the end of the century, over seventy French cities “had inaugurated at least one new playhouse” (738). Traveling shows flowed from one end of the country to the other (767). The new merchant middle class could enjoy the cultural cachet of attending the theater: “provincial audiences, too, could imagine that they were part of a national cultural community” (769). In America, a similar scene started in the last half of the 1900s and continues today. Small and medium cities across the country have witnessed the cultural capital and economic wealth generated by building a large-scale performing arts center (PAC),..." This is still--ten years later--one of my favorite things I've ever written. While I disproved my thesis statement, I was actually really proud to talk about how small arts organizations build the audience for the large scale performing arts center to come into a community. Power of the small!

Many arts venues have still not fully recovered from the Covid crisis, and many are stuck with audiences at about 80% of pre-crisis levels. But my analysis of attendance data of some of NYC's most prestigous arts venues indicated that they were drawing audienes with different geographic and demographic mixes. These are steps they have long needed to make. Since then I've come across several articles indicating that arts venues were trying to attract younger and more diverse audiences and using new tactics to do so. This article in the NYT is another of that sort. What this suggests to me is that serious arts organizations are finally taking serious steps to correct the audience attraction problems they had pre crisis for over a decade. I'd argue that this augurs well for a strong renewal in the arts industry within a reasonable periodm of time, and it should be noted, encouraged and supported. These arts organizations, however, also have problems caused by a reliance on a weak business model in which earned income never comes close to covering operational costs, and is farv too reliant on donations. Even here, though some arts organizations are trying to stabilized their financial situations by creating endowments and partnering in relevant real estate development projects. #artsrecovery #artsorgchanges #artsorgsfinallyinnovating

Nightlife Articles #40: Why Aren’t Clubs Recognised as ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ like Galleries, Museums and Theatres The time has come to question the outdated cultural hierarchy that places classical arts above contemporary ones. The contribution of clubs to our society is clear—they are hubs of creativity, diversity, and economic activity. Clubs or venues like Fabric, SubClub, Ministry of Sound, and Printworks deserve to be celebrated, protected, and funded in the same way that opera houses and theatres are. Let’s not wait until it’s too late to recognise their value. It’s time to give clubs the support they need to continue shaping the culture of tomorrow. https://buff.ly/3Uahfke

Nightlife Articles #40: Why Aren’t Clubs Recognised as ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ like Galleries, Museums and Theatres The time has come to question the outdated cultural hierarchy that places classical arts above contemporary ones. The contribution of clubs to our society is clear—they are hubs of creativity, diversity, and economic activity. Clubs or venues like Fabric, SubClub, Ministry of Sound, and Printworks deserve to be celebrated, protected, and funded in the same way that opera houses and theatres are. Let’s not wait until it’s too late to recognise their value. It’s time to give clubs the support they need to continue shaping the culture of tomorrow. https://buff.ly/3Uahfke

Nightlife Articles #40: Why Aren’t Clubs Recognised as ‘National Portfolio Organisations’ like Galleries, Museums and Theatres The time has come to question the outdated cultural hierarchy that places classical arts above contemporary ones. The contribution of clubs to our society is clear—they are hubs of creativity, diversity, and economic activity. Clubs or venues like Fabric, SubClub, Ministry of Sound, and Printworks deserve to be celebrated, protected, and funded in the same way that opera houses and theatres are. Let’s not wait until it’s too late to recognise their value. It’s time to give clubs the support they need to continue shaping the culture of tomorrow. https://buff.ly/3Uahfke