ARTS. WORK. LIFE.

An organization is the sum of its people, so decisions about who to recruit, who to hire, and who to fire radically shape an organization's work culture. This is especially true in the human-centered work of the arts, where culture matters. The storytellers in Episode 5 put the human back in human resources as they share personal experiences about barriers to hiring, tokenism, layoffs, and what we can learn from other industries before it’s too late.

Intro: “You and Whose Army” with Yukio Kuniyuki, executive director of the San Angelo Performing Arts Center.

Act One: “Turning The Page” with Emily Marks, arts programmer at the Cossitt Public Library.

Act Two: “An Inside Job” with Monique Martin, a creative producer and presenter.

Act Three: “Essentials” with Carolyn Van Brunt, VP of guest relations and ADA compliance for The Music Center in Los Angeles.

Listen to Carolyn’s poem: https://soundcloud.com/arts-work-life/to-whom-it-may-concern

You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-1-episode-5/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

“Community” is a popular buzzword in the performing arts, but how do we truly deliver on its promise? It takes intentional effort to build a supportive work community, secure community gathering spaces, find a place to belong, and truly serve our audiences. The storytellers in Episode 4 share their unique experiences with space, place and community.

Intro: “Make Some Noise” with Rick Whitaker, the concerts and theater manager for The Italian Academy at Columbia University.

Act One: “For The Record” with Taylor Abrahamse, a singer, songwriter, voice actor and entrepreneur.

Act Two: “Stirring The Pot” with Ariel Davis, co-founder of the Arts Administrators of Color Network and director of communications for the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund.

Act Three: “The Stuff of Legend” with Andee Joyce, a singer and songwriter.

You can find a transcript, episode guide and resources related to all the themes discussed in Episode 4 on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-season-1-episode-4/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

Arts workers often walk a tightrope between healthy boundaries and total burnout. But can we achieve balance? Episode 3 tells the stories of professionals assessing risks to physical and mental health, promoting work/life balance in the workplace, and finding harmony in arts, work and life.

Content warning: This episode mentions depression from 20:38 to 21:28 and suicide from 23:22 to 23:37.

You can find mental health resources on APAP's website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-1-episode-3/

Intro: “Off Balance” and Act One: “Body and Soul” with Tony Lopresti, a silent actor living in New York City and mime director for the Festival Musica sull'Acqua.

Act Two: “Team Player” with Rachel Fine, CEO of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Pasadena, California.

Act Three: “Harmony” with Paige Alyssa, a singer/songwriter in St. Louis, Missouri.

You can find a transcript, episode guide and resources related to all the themes discussed in episode 3 on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-1-episode-3/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

Let’s leave the “starving artist” trope firmly in the past -- The stories in Episode 2 are all about money: staying in the green while promoting pay equity, doing the hustle, healthcare scares, and making money by making change.

Introduction: “In The Green” with Lynn Neuman, who lives in Benton Harbor, Michigan and is the artistic director of Artichoke Dance Company, which is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Act One: “Running The Numbers” with Thamara Bejarano, the executive director of Open Scene, a Spanish-language theater company outside Orlando, Florida.

Act Two: “Out of Pocket, Out of Luck.” with Taylor Gordon, a freelance dancer in New York City.

Act Three: “Making Money by Making Change ” with Craig Knudsen, an artist representative and musician living in Berkeley, California.

You can find a transcript, episode guide and resources related to the themes discussed in episode 2 on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-1-episode-2/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

The word inclusion is heard a lot in the arts industry, but are we truly inclusive? Episode 1 explores who is and isn't in the room, disability and access, the toll of leading DEI efforts, and choosing which community to serve and why.

Introduction: “Language Barriers” with Claudia Norman, an independent producer, artistic director and cultural worker based in Queens, New York.

Act One: “The First Step” with Lynne Jordan, a Chicago-based singer, band leader, writer and emcee.

Act Two: “Unfiltered” with Michael Sakamoto, the performing arts curator and director of the Asian and Asian-American Arts and culture program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Fine Arts Center.

Act Three: “Going In Circles” with Anthony Torres, former trauma therapist and executive director of Combat Hippies, a Miami-based theater group for Puerto Rican military veterans.

You can find a transcript, episode guide and resources related to the themes discussed in episode 1 on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-1-episode-1/

Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

Series premiere June 28th. Bold, untold stories from the performing arts workforce about pay equity, work-life balance, true inclusion, artistic joy and much much more.

Have a story to tell? Let’s make it happen. First episodes arrive this summer.