September 4, 2024
By Gemma Wilson and Margo Vansynghel
“September kicks off a new season in the performing arts, and in normal years we’d be rolling out the red carpet for a new crop of thrilling shows without trepidation.
But this fall, things don’t feel normal.
There’s been a lot of bad news: Seattle theater companies are launching emergency fundraisers, exploring mergers, furloughing or laying people off, and cutting back on — or even postponing — shows and downsizing casts. Workers are worried about the future of the field.
But amid this chaos, compounded by massive turnover among local arts leaders, some in the theater industry see huge opportunities: To overhaul an inequitable model built on underpaying people, to really consider audiences’ experiences, to take artistic risks, to streamline operations and share resources so the focus can be on making high-quality work and getting money into artists’ hands…”