International touring and exchange: A case for humanity (from International Arts Manager Magazine - July 2024)

By Lisa Richards Toney, President and CEO, APAP

As I return from the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) in Romania, I am reminded of the transformative power of the arts. The festival brought a rhythmic cadence and brightness to the community, and its impact was palpable. I extend my gratitude to Constantin Chiriac, Vicintiu Rahau, and all the talented individuals who made the festival possible. Their dedication to the arts serves as a poignant reminder of the influence we have on the communities we serve and the importance of international collaboration.

During the festival, I had the privilege of meeting a consultant working on a festival in the Central African Republic focused on ecological needs and the role of the arts in addressing them. I also encountered a group from Italy that produces massive outdoor public art engagements and unique performance pieces created from a deep investment in the communities they tour. These encounters reinforced the importance of international exchange and the diversity of artistic expression.

As a juror for the festival, I was confronted with art that challenged my sensibilities and reminded me of the arts’ ability to engage our humanity. However, it's not easy to maintain these connections in the current climate. Visa costs and processing timelines, combined with higher production and travel costs, create significant hurdles to international touring and exchange. Even when artists manage to tour to the United States, the complexity and cost of logistics can be overwhelming. This situation has led some to believe that touring is dead, but I firmly believe that it cannot be. Artists need to tour, and we must collectively continue to advocate for changes and policies that support international exchange without causing harm.

The current challenges in the US, including the slower-than-expected return of audiences, further complicate the situation. Many presenters are more averse to work they perceive as risky or unknown, despite its artistic merit. Additionally, cultural and political sensibilities, which have always been a factor, can either welcome or shun new (and often diverse) work and artists. This is a hard reality, but it’s essential to find a balance between financial pressures and the art that we risk losing.

During the pandemic, the industry was forced to confront its vulnerabilities and re-evaluate its priorities. Interconnectedness as an ecosystem was made plain, and we began to focus more on community, empathy and equity, centering traditionally marginalised voices. (If that was your way of working already, kudos. I'm reflecting on those for whom the concept was revolutionary.)

It’s essential to find a balance between financial pressures and the art that we risk losing.

Our vulnerability forced us to confront hard questions about who we are as an industry, what we value, and what we want to become. Many were moved to commit to becoming more accessible and inclusive. On our stages (and for many, on our Zoom stages) we intentionally broadened the diversity of stories we presented, acknowledging that our world is not monolithic, but a celebratory and challenging mosaic.

Artists and presenters were eager to explore new work that would elevate consciousness; this awareness-building wouldn’t be addressed solely through the traditional canon of work or limited by our own national borders. We needed to foster an appreciation for new (to us) voices and perspectives to move forward.

Fast-forward to 2024: Do we have the will to push through the barriers to cultural exchange, to keep our minds open to the diversity, equity, inclusion, tolerance, and overall expansiveness the pandemic afforded us? All one needs to do is look around to know that we need this now more than ever.

While our tenacity to get back to business and our focus on the bottom line are real (as they should be), our future is more than a numbers’ game. It's a future that must be guided by a dual vision: comprised of what's needed for viability AND what's needed for humanity.