For Alex Sarian, relevance isn't a buzzword. It's a mandate for the future of the arts.

As President and CEO of the Werklund Centre in Calgary, he's leading the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history, a transformation that will soon make the organization the country's largest performing arts campus. But Alex is quick to point out that bricks and mortar aren't the real story. The deeper shift is philosophical: a move away from mission statements as fixed declarations and toward a practice of asking, "What does the world need right now that we are uniquely positioned to do?"

In this episode, Alex reflects on the evolution underway at the Werklund Centre and the ideas behind his best-selling book The Audacity of Relevance. He offers a roadmap for leaders ready to create with their community—not for them—and makes a compelling case for why relevance is the most powerful strategy we have for building a sustainable, future-facing cultural sector.

LINKS

Werklund Centre: https://werklundcentre.ca/

The Audacity of Relevance: https://www.alexsarian.com/book

The future of arts and culture depends on leaders who can innovate, adapt, and inspire—and Deborah Rutter has been doing it at the highest levels. With five decades of experience leading premier cultural institutions across the United States, she knows what it takes to drive meaningful change while keeping artists and audiences at the center.

In this live episode from Boot Camp 2025, the former President of the Kennedy Center and current Vice Provost for the Arts at Duke University shares lessons from her career on leading through periods of transformational growth and building the financial and operational resilience needed to sustain our organizations.

It's Boot Camp week! In this special mini episode, Capacity's President Christopher Williams joins host Monica Holt to pull back the curtain on Boot Camp, the leading conference for arts and culture professionals. They dive into how this year's program came together, the sessions they're most excited about, and how courage and curiosity are the keys to a stronger sector.

LINKS:

Boot Camp 2025

Shanta Thake sees artistic curation as a practice rooted in curiosity and community connection.

As the Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Shanta is helping redefine what one of the world's most storied institutions can be. Since joining in 2021, she's helped usher in an era of experimentation and access to ensure the arts remain central to New York City's civic life.

In this episode, Shanta reflects on what it means to democratize the programming process, how the arts contribute to community wellbeing, and why leading with curiosity sparks meaningful innovation. She also takes listeners behind the scenes of initiatives like Lincoln Center's West Side Expansion and Summer for the City—efforts rooted in humility, collaboration, and partnership with local communities.

LINKS:

Lincoln Center | A New West Side

Lincoln Center | Summer for the City

Citizen University | Power Walk Field Guide

For Rachel S. Moore, the arts aren't just a mirror for society. They're a means of shaping it.

As President and CEO of The Music Center in Los Angeles, she oversees one of the largest performing arts centers in North America, stewarding $3 billion in county assets and programming that reaches hundreds of thousands of Angelenos each year. A former professional dancer with American Ballet Theatre (she's also its former CEO and executive director), Rachel brings an artist's discipline to leadership—and a belief that creativity and civic life are deeply intertwined.

In this episode, Rachel shares what ballet has taught her about resilience and collaboration, how The Music Center works to stay accountable to its community, and why building relevance doesn't just sustain our organizations, but strengthens democracy itself.

LINKS:

The Music Center

Reimagining a centuries-old art form takes more than talent; it takes courage, curiosity, and a deep belief that tradition can evolve. Few embody that spirit like Babatunde Akinboboye.

A classically trained baritone and viral "hip hopera" artist, Babatunde is redefining what opera can sound like—and who it's for. His mashups of rap and arias have captivated millions online, and garnered attention from The Ellen Show, America's Got Talent and TIME Magazine. He's now channeling that distinctive style into his upcoming debut album.

In this episode, Babatunde shares how he discovered opera by chance, what it took to find his artistic voice in a space that didn't always reflect him, and how blending genres can make opera feel newly accessible. He also offers insight into building genuine audience connections and broadening ideas of what great music can be.

LINKS:

Babatunde Akinboboye

TIME Magazine | Hero Masterfully Creates His Own Hip-Hopera While Driving

Inclusive Therapists

Can a performing arts center change the identity of a city? Tom Gabbard has spent more than two decades proving it can as CEO of Blumenthal Arts in Charlotte, NC.

Under his leadership, Blumenthal has grown from a regional performing arts center into a national force. Charlotte now ranks among North America's Top 10 markets for touring Broadway shows, and the organization also fosters experimental projects in Blume Studios, a 44,000-square-foot "arts R&D lab" that pushes beyond traditional stages.

In this episode, Tom reflects on how he balances commercial success with cultural mission, programs with local artists and community needs in mind, and pilots immersive experiences that redefine what arts participation can look like.

LINKS:

Blumenthal Arts

Breakin' Convention Hip Hop Festival

Blume Studios

Troubadour Theatres

How do you bring audiences along as you expand their definition of an art form? That's the question Jane Raleigh has grappled with throughout her career.

As the former Director of Dance Programming at the Kennedy Center, she spent more than a decade transforming the institution's siloed approach to dance into a continuum that celebrates both classical works and contemporary voices. Now, as the founder of DC Dance Network, she's creating new ways for artists and audiences to engage.

In this episode, Jane shares her approach to stretching audiences' comfort zones without losing their engagement, building pathways that link programming with community impact, and shaping a more connected, resilient dance ecosystem.

LINKS:

DC Dance Network

NPR | Kennedy Center terminates dance programming team

Netflix | Aggretsuko

Arts Managed Newsletter

Audiences don't just want to watch theater; they want to step inside it. Few people understand that better than casting director Kate Lumpkin.

Kate has become a go-to voice in immersive performance, shaping productions that dissolve the line between stage and audience. Her latest project? Masquerade NYC: an immersive Phantom of the Opera revival now running Off Broadway.

For Kate, immersive work isn't a trend. It's a response to what audiences are hungry for: connection, participation, and community. Her vision flips the question from "How do we fill the seats?" to "How do we open the doors wider?"

LINKS:

Kate Lumpkin Casting

Masquerade NYC

James Madison University | School of Theater and Dance

Arts and culture don't thrive in isolation. They thrive when artists, institutions, and policymakers work in concert. Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council, is making that bridge his life's work, showing how government and the arts can partner to create healthier, stronger, more sustainable communities.

From his early days as a performer and choreographer to his current role shaping statewide cultural policy, Michael has witnessed both the joys and the shortcomings of the arts sector. In this episode, he argues that the sector's future depends on how boldly we organize, build cross-sector partnerships, and demand our place at the table.

LINKS:

Mass Cultural Council

WBUR | Mass. starts country's first arts prescription program for physical and behavioral health

MITx Online