by David Fishel, Keynote Presentation
OISTAT Summit Forum on the New Era of Theatre, Taiwan 2011
Organised by the International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT)
Taipei, Taiwan, 18-21 November 2011
As co-Director of Positive Solution (www.positive-solutions.com.au) David Fishel has been advising on the management and governance of perfoming arts venues and cultural precincts for over twenty years, primarily in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Positive Solutions was established in 1990 in the UK and relocated to Brisbane, Australia in 1997. The organisation specialises in the arts and non-for-profit sector with services including strategic planning for cultural orgnisations, research projects to inform Government cultural policy and funding programs, and feasibility studies for new arts facilitiesand cultural precincts. Previously, David Fishel managed arts organisations from small scale touring theatre companies in the UK to Battersea Community Arts Centre, London and the Liverpool Playhouse.
Introduction
This paper provides an introduction to aspects of current theatre management practice for non specialists -- for example, government officers, and artworkers in other discplines. The paper was delivered to a conference in Taipei at a time when Taiwan is investing heavily in theatre infrastructure, and was intended to draw attention to some of the management and 'software' issues which need to be considered alongside investment in physical infrastructure.
The paper highlights the expectations placed on theatre venues in relation to their organisational structures, and comments on the skills required to operate theatre venues successfully with reference to possible implications for Taiwan (and other jurisdictions). This paper concludes by considering how changes in the creative, funding and commercial environments will make new demands and provide new opportunities for tomorrow's theatre leaders.
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