In this episode, part one of two, we are honoured to be joined with four of the six founding members of Acting in Good Company: Shannon Tosic-McNally, Grace Gordon, Kaleigh Choiniere and Gabriela Saltiel.

We touch on many of the pervasive issues that the theatre industry is rife with, from the thankless of job of stage managers, to working with dyslexia as well as the need for continued activism and a new canon that faces our contemporary issues.

Find Acting in Good Company on Instagram at @actingingoodcompany or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/actingingoodcompany/

In this episode, part one of two, we are honoured to be joined with four of the six founding members of Acting in Good Company: Shannon Tosic-McNally, Grace Gordon, Kaleigh Choiniere and Gabriela Saltiel.

We touch on many of the pervasive issues that the theatre industry is rife with, from the thankless of job of stage managers, to working with dyslexia as well as the need for continued activism and a new canon that faces our contemporary issues.

Find Acting in Good Company on Instagram at @actingingoodcompany or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/actingingoodcompany/

This is part two of our chat with Alisa MacKinnon and Alèn Martel of PIVOT. In this episode, we talk about the things they don’t teach things you in art school and Alisa shares their budgeting tips.

For more information on PIVOT. check out their website at itspivot.com or follow them on social media. You can find them on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

This is part one of our chat with Alisa MacKinnon and Alèn Martel of PIVOT. In this episode, we talk about the different ways that PIVOT. helps provide much-needed support and consulting to Canadian arts organizations, from arts admin to event management and even venue design, particularly in the area of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization.

For more information on PIVOT. check out their website at itspivot.com or follow them on social media. You can find them on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Summary

Kate and Tom are delighted to have Kenji Maeda on the podcast. Kenji is—among many things—the Executive Director of the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA). He shares about the systemic issues he's passionate about, from shared leadership models to having more diverse voices in arts organizations and unpacks the unpack report and how arts organization and artists in BC are feeling about the state of the industry as well as the challenges facing the industry.

About Kenji Maeda

Kenji’s experiences are diverse and grounded in his passion for the arts, education, and building community, and influenced by his Uchinanchu heritage. He is currently the Executive Director of the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance; artsvest B.C. Program Manager for Business / Arts; lecturer for Simon Fraser University's Thriving as a Cultural Entrepreneur course; and an arts and culture consultant working and living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Kenji currently sits on the board of Mass Culture, a national organization which uses the power of research to learn and enable the arts and culture community to be strategic and adaptive. He is a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award recipient, and an alum of the Banff Centre's Cultural Leadership Program.

Resources

GVPTA

artsvest BC

Mass Culture

Koto: The Last Service on DOXA

GVPTA COVID-19 Impact Report: Spring 2021

In this episode, Tom and Kate talk about personal branding and tackle Kate’s personal issues with it head on: does personal branding make you egotistical?

Kate also puts together content marketing in her head for the first time.

Then we talk about something very serious: toxic theatre cultures that put actors at risk. We look at the issue primarily from the perspective of theatre schools and training programs while acknowledging it’s an attitude that pervades how we treat actors in many situations. If you feel like you have to do something you’re not comfortable with while being concerned about your job or your future in the industry, something’s wrong. And it’s not you.

Referencesz

https://www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/drama-school-close-after-review-reveals-courses-pushed-students-edge

https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/07/13/vancouver-carousel-theatre-bullying/

https://www.straight.com/arts/carousel-theatre-society-parts-ways-with-artistic-director-carole-higgins-noting-that-change

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/louisgrenier_marketing-creatoreconomy-activity-6793165096702005248-SAWR

How do you take care of the people you share an art form with? What are the steps involved in planning for a production? Where do you find funding in Canada?

Doing Value-Based work

When you’re doing value-based work and you’re really clear about why you’re doing it, then it makes it easier to make decisions, create policies and build the culture you want to work in and hire people who will fit in to that culture.

Funding sources for your production

Federal

Provincial

Municipal

Foundations

Sponsorships

Donations

References

Ethical Reopening Summit

Racism is Killing the Planet, Hop Hopkins

The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker

Canada Council

Equity pay scales

With reopening somewhere on the horizon, it’s important for theatre companies to plan how to bring an audience back.

In this episode, we talk about the elements involved in building a personal brand. We then explore Seth Godin’s concept that marketing is storytelling, which is lying and how theatre companies can use that to reach the right audiences with their marketing.

Building a brand

Why do you want to build a brand? What’s the value of caring about your reputation, whether you’re an organization or a an individual? Why do you need to take steps in order to be invited at the table? Why can’t we just do the work and be recognized for that?

Building a brand is not just a sleazy endeavour, touted by douchy marketing bros. It’s about your desire to transform the world and your brand is an invitation to others who want to see that transformation to participate in the work that you do.

Plugging in to your audience’s story

While there is a need for us to step up to the plate and constantly advocate for our art form, effective marketing is not that. Good marketing is not about making the arguments for theatre as an art form, your brand or your play in particular. Good marketing is telling a story that fits within the story your audience is already telling themselves.

You don’t need to convince the exhausted parent who just wants to spend Friday night chilling on a couch with Netflix on TV and TikTok on their phone to give up their hopes for comfort and enjoy a night out. There’s a large audience out there who is looking for something new and exciting to do on a Friday night. Your marketing strategy is to meet people where they are instead of trying to convince them of something else. It’s the same when it comes to arts advocacy. The people you want to reach with your message are the ones who will effectively spread it for you.

Putting this together with your brand, the ongoing relationship is where you deliver that transformation that you and the audience are both looking for.

References

All Marketers Are Liars, Seth Godin