Leadership in the Performing Arts

by Tobie S. Stein, Robert L. Lynch (Foreword)

What does it mean to be a performing arts leader? Leadership in the Performing Arts addresses and analyzes this question by presenting the wisdom and expertise of eleven men and women with experience leading nonprofit performing arts institutions in the United States. These successful leaders provide many real-world examples of business practices that may be generally applied by practitioners in our field, and throughout the nonprofit sector. The book

The leader’s career path and professional growth
The leader’s vision
Leadership styles and the importance of interpersonal skills
Setting and executing organizational priorities
Leading decision-making and communication processes
Creating change and innovation
Challenges faced in leading an institution

Interviewees Kathy Brown, executive director of the New York City Ballet; Peter Gelb, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera; Heather Hitchens, president of the American Theatre Wing; Karen Brooks Hopkins, president and chief executive officer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation; Laura Penn, executive director of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society; Arlene Shuler, president and chief executive officer of New York City Center; Paul Tetreault, director of Ford's Theatre; Nancy Umanoff, executive director of the Mark Morris Dance Group; Patrick Willingham, executive director of The Public Theater; and Harold Wolpert, managing director of the Roundabout Theatre Company.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Genres: Nonfiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2016

Reviews

[Dan Graser · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this wonderful, interview-driven, study of the performing arts leadership, Tobie Stein has crafted a profoundly philosophical treatise on what it actually means to lead large arts organizations. The opening chapter dealing with the difference of a leader vs. manager and when the two should in fact coincide effectively frames much of the subsequent discussion. This is a book that operates at around 30-50 thousand feet most of the time. As a result, you don't get much of the day-to-day work that a leader undertakes but what you do get are several well-reinforced values that modern arts leaders express.

There is one particularly illuminating exception to my previous sentence where current MET Opera director Peter Gelb discusses his dizzying daily routine. Hearing about this schedule directly provided a wonderful supplement to the extensive philosophical discussion he had already contributed. For me, the finest chapter was that dealing with Leading Change, mainly because the contributors discussed a lot of definite action they had to undertake, as opposed to mere hypotheticals.

All in all this is a fine primer for arts leadership. The structure of the work, mainly centered around transcripts of in-person conversations can be a bit distracting in that there is a good amount of repetition and the occasional circular discussion (as happens in most conversation). However, if you are looking to see what it is that arts leaders currently value and what they think it means to actually lead, this is a fine starting point.

[Paul Seitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally read sections of this for a arts admin class I took at BU, recently reread and found the writing style difficult to keep my attention. Certainly good information and advice about leadership and important questions asked about the next generations of arts leaders

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general the book reads as a study of leadership in the performing arts, specifically in the Northeast of the US. It covers a lot of ground, but therefore also only at a superficial level. Many anecdotal examples to back up best / common practices in Performing Arts leadership. Quite a bit of repetition, likely due to overlap in themes. Tied in nicely the theories of Drucker, Collins, etc specifically into performing arts org leadership with many real world examples.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting stuff, with some good insight, but this read more like a long essay than a book. The writing style didn't really for me. Still, I'm happy I read it.