After hearing that the 50-year-old institution California Shakespeare Theater, aka Cal Shakes, was closing down, we thought we’d ask a specialist in troubled institutions for his take on what the heck is going on in the industry. Enter Michael M. Kaiser, who ran the Kennedy Arts Center from 2001 to 2014 and currently heads the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland. Michael has performed interventions at Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and the Royal Ballet and Opera in London. With the DeVos Institute, Michael continues to advise nonprofit companies around the country.
Among the issues we talked about: Is theater doing that badly around the U.S.? Did Covid reveal structural problems that had been invisibly festering for years if not decades? What happened with all that government money that flew to the arts during Covid?
Your arts center doesn't look good — who you gonna call?