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- LA’s Family Businesses That Built The Film Industry Are Dying
From florists to prop rentals to catering and beyond, production services and craft businesses are the hub and spoke of L.A.’s film and TV industry. But many of these businesses — some of which have been family-operated for generations — are struggling to weather a post-pandemic slump in film activity. – Los Angeles Times
- Report: Museums Have Major Building Issues
Roughly 85 percent of museums across the country are dealing with deferred maintenance or major repair needs. Even more concerning, about 77 percent say they have at least one structural issue that could put their collections at risk. – ARTnews
- Managing Director, Sarasota Opera
Sarasota Opera welcomes applications and nominations for the newly defined position of Managing Director, available in the summer of 2026. The Managing Director will serve as the organization’s senior administrative leader and key partner to General & Artistic Director Richard Russell. The Managing Director will provide financial, operational, and organizational leadership for an artistically ambitious opera company entering a period of significant capital activity and institutional growth.
Sarasota Opera
Founded in 1959, Sarasota Opera is a nationally respected professional company recognized for artistic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and deep community engagement. Located in Sarasota, Florida, a vibrant cultural destination on the Gulf Coast, the Company presents a robust annual season of opera productions alongside education and community programs that advance opera as a vital and accessible art form.
Sarasota Opera has earned particular distinction for its commitment to the operatic canon, innovative programming, and high production values, which, in turn, attract leading artists and creative teams from across the country. The Company performs in the historic Sarasota Opera House, a 1,119-seat venue that has been hailed as “one of America’s finest” by Musical America. The Sarasota Opera today is a nationally respected professional opera company and a leading U.S. destination for international opera audiences. The Company just marked the Centennial of the Sarasota Opera House and concluded its 67th season with a robust Winter Opera Festival.
With an $11 million annual operating budget, a $16 million endowment, and an active $50 million capital campaign dedicated to facilities renovations and long-term sustainability, Sarasota Opera is entering a significant period of institutional growth. The Company is governed by an engaged Board of Trustees and led through a General & Artistic Director model that emphasizes close partnership between artistic vision and sound financial stewardship. A year-round staff of 30 expands to 200 during the peak winter season.
The Position
The Managing Director is Sarasota Opera’s senior administrative leader, a key partner to the General & Artistic Director, and a member of the Company’s executive team. This newly defined role provides financial, operational, and organizational leadership for a mid-sized, artistically ambitious opera company as it navigates a period of significant capital activity and institutional growth.
The Managing Director provides oversight and direction to finance, human resources, facilities, and administrative operations. The Managing Director supports stewardship of the organization’s endowment; provides financial leadership for a major capital campaign; and collaborates closely with artistic, production, and facilities leadership on upcoming renovations. The Managing Director supervises the finance department, including the Staff Accountant and the Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable staff, who also serves as Payroll Manager.
The Managing Director leads the strategic and day-to-day oversight of all organizational finances, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and strict compliance with nonprofit accounting standards and industry best practices. The Managing Director directs the annual budgeting process in collaboration with department leaders and the General & Artistic Director to deliver a balanced budget aligned with organizational priorities for Board approval. Serving as the primary staff liaison to the organization’s investment advisor, the Managing Director manages the financial health of an endowment valued at approximately $16 million.
The Managing Director leads the financial planning, budgeting, and monitoring for the organization’s $50 million capital campaign. The Managing Director provides clear financial reporting for campaign activity, including sophisticated cash-flow planning and restricted fund tracking, and providing regular dashboards and updates for executive leadership and the Board.
As the primary staff liaison to the Board of Trustees, the Managing Director provides expert guidance on financial, administrative, and operational matters. The Managing Director works in close partnership with the General & Artistic Director to implement Board-approved policies, strategic initiatives, and long-range organizational plans.
The Managing Director serves as the organization’s primary human resources contact, overseeing payroll, benefits administration, and personnel policies. They ensure the company remains in full compliance with all applicable employment laws and regulations while actively supporting a professional, collaborative workplace culture that advances both artistic excellence and organizational effectiveness.
The Managing Director supervises the facilities department and oversees the maintenance, planning, and long-term stewardship of all physical assets. As liaison with an outsourced IT firm, the Managing Director ensures the optimal utilization of available technological resources. The Managing Director manages key vendor relationships and oversees organizational risk management. The Managing Director partners with the Director of Production and Director of Facilities on upcoming renovations.The Managing Director works collaboratively with all department heads to align financial resources with operational and artistic needs and ensures the continuity of operations. This allows administrative functions to maintain resilience during the peak opera season and throughout major facility projects.
This is a full-time, on-site position that requires evening and weekend attendance at Sarasota Opera performances and events, especially during the opera season.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will be a leader who is passionate about opera, committed to non-profit service, and excited to contribute to a collaborative organization at a pivotal moment in its evolution. The successful candidate will be a seasoned financial manager with seven to ten years’ senior level experience with a non-profit performing arts organization, preferably with an annual operating budget of $10 million or more.
The ideal candidate will be thoroughly familiar with non-profit fund accounting and will have substantial experience overseeing organizational finance, including multi-year budgeting, forecasting, cashflow management, financial reporting, audits, and internal controls. The candidate will bring the demonstrated ability to provide strategic financial and operational leadership within an artistically driven, mission-centered organization. Familiarity working in a union environment with multiple collective bargaining agreements is highly desirable. Experience managing facilities renovations while maintaining ongoing performance operations is a plus.
The successful candidate will be thoroughly knowledgeable about institutional planning and helping to shape, implement, and monitor strategic plans. The candidate will have a thorough working knowledge of the technology available to support finance and operations. The successful candidate will also bring experience in human resources and benefits administration.
The successful candidate will be a strong communicator and collaborator with experience serving as a senior staff liaison to a Board of Trustees and staffing the Board’s finance, audit, and investment committees. The candidate will have experience working with endowment and investment advisors. Preferred qualifications include an advanced degree such as an MBA or MPA and/or a professional credential such as a CPA or CMA.
The successful candidate will be able to accept a work schedule that includes performances and events on nights and weekends during production periods. The candidate will welcome the opportunity to be an active participant in the Sarasota arts community and to represent Sarasota Opera with the area business community.
Compensation
Sarasota Opera offers a competitive compensation and benefits package. The annual salary range for this position is $160,000 to $180,000, plus a benefits package that includes paid time off; health insurance; life insurance; and a voluntary 403(b) retirement plan.
Applications
Sarasota Opera welcomes recommendations, nominations, and applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, or marital status, or any other basis protected by law. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Please submit a resumé along with a cover letter that describes your specific interest in the mission and work of Sarasota Opera and your qualifications for the position as described in the candidate profile. On a separate sheet, provide the names and contact information for several professional references. All applications will be treated as confidential and references will not be contacted without the applicant’s knowledge and agreement.
Electronic submissions are requested. Please send to:
Managing Director – Sarasota Opera
c/o Catherine French Group
applications@catherinefrenchgroup.com(Adobe Acrobat PDF attachments only, please)
- Warner Music And Paramount Make Deal To Make Movies Of Musicians
The partnership will see the companies develop movies drawing on the lives and music of WMG‘s roster of artists and songwriters. – Music Business Worldwide
- Director of Marketing & Sales – Morrison Center, Boise, ID
The Director of Marketing & Sales serves as part of the senior leadership team, and is a multifaceted leadership role responsible for the strategy, execution, and oversight of core marketing efforts for the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. This role focuses on show-based marketing and revenue generation, leading the execution of ticket sales campaigns across paid, digital, and direct marketing channels. Works in partnership with the Director of Communications, who oversees brand, messaging, and institutional communications strategy. This role maximizes earned income and leveraging data analytics to drive ticket sales, and growth across the Treasure Valley and Idaho, aligning with the Center’s mission.
The successful candidate combines strategic, impact-driven thinking with strong execution, working seamlessly with cross-functional teams (executive, communication, box office, programming, front of house, business and finance, development, and education), as well as external partners to deliver results. They are accountable, collaborative, data-driven, and consistent, with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy.
Salary range: $67,000-$82,000
- Seeking Creative and Admin Assistant
DESCRIPTION
Director and writer Annie Dorsen is looking for a creative and administrative assistant to join her team. The assistant will work on managing calendars, budgets, and contacts, as well as assisting on current projects with logistical and occasional research support. The assistant should be able to juggle several different types of projects with attention to detail, transparency, good humor, and excellent communication.
Dorsen’s artistic practice includes technology, theater and performance, research, and activism. Familiarity with contemporary performance would be very helpful, but is not required. The assistant may be asked to coordinate travel for conferences or residencies, take notes in rehearsals, keep track of expenses and invoices, and keep communication moving.
She is looking for someone who is able to manage their own time and, when appropriate, take the initiative on balancing short-term priorities and ongoing projects. Good follow through is a must.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Day to day administrative support (contacts, emails, tracking budgets, etc.)
- Grant writing support
- Updates to website and/or newsletters
- Project coordination (including some limited company management)
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 2+ years experience in arts administration, production, or related field
- Proficiency with Word/Excel, WordPress
- Must commit to not using GenAI in research, writing, or handling company data.
HOURS/PAY
Ideally this position is hybrid remote/in person in NYC, but exceptional candidates from elsewhere will be considered for fully remote work. 10-15 hours per week for $25/hour, with a guaranteed minimum of $1000 per month. The ideal candidate will be able to commit to this schedule at least through December 2026. There is potential for this to grow into a larger role, with an increase in compensation and hours.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, please email info@anniedorsen.com with the following:
- CV
- A brief cover letter outlining your relevant experience and interest in the role
- A brief writing sample (no more than 2 pages)
We will reach out to potential candidates for an interview. If you don’t hear from us by May 29, we thank you for your time and interest in the position.
- The New New Thing: Trend Simulation
You’ve fallen prey to “trend simulation”: the marketing tactic of paying people online to post opinions they don’t necessarily hold, endorsing music they don’t necessarily care about, so as to trick social-media algorithms—and users—into regarding a band as more popular than it really is. – The Atlantic
- Denyce Graves’ Opera Afterlife
Graves is a perfect avatar of everything the Trump administration seeks to eradicate, a fact that gave her swan song an even more sentimental air. – The Atlantic
- A24 Has A Hip Theatre, Hot New Restaurant, And A String Of Indie Hits. It’s Also Wildly Profitable
Renowned as much for its taste as for its marketing acumen, the 13-year-old studio has developed a cult following not just for its films and shows but for the A24 brand itself. It was valued two years ago at $3.5 billion, more than 10 times the valuation of its closest indie rival, Neon. – The Hollywood Reporter
- The Brainiest Dumbest Combo on the Planet<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/05/the-brainiest-dumbest-combo-on-the-planet.html" title="The Brainiest Dumbest Combo on the Planet” rel=”nofollow”>It’s
- Hollywood Insider: It’s The Worst It’s Ever Been
If you are a lower or mid-level television writer right now, you are not failing. You are navigating a market that has structurally reduced the number of positions available to you. That is not a referendum on your talent; it is a reality of the business. – New Story
- Warner Music Earnings Surged To $1.7B In First Quarter
WMG saw its quarterly global company-wide revenues reach USD $1.732 billion (across recorded music, music publishing, and other activities). Total revenue was up 12.1% YoY at constant currency. – Music Business Worldwide
- Breaking Down The Dance Quotes And Callbacks In Two Broadway Shows
“The pastiche numbers glue together scrapbook memories from multiple shows and even as far afield as Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. A dance that seems to derive from The Music Man might sneak in a gesture from The Sound of Music.” – The New York Times
- Philly Pays Tribute To The Black Matriarchs Of Ballet
The women “infused African, Caribbean, and modern dance rhythms into traditional ballet practices and [were] integral in shaping Philadelphia’s dance community. They inspired young Black girls who faced immense gatekeeping.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
- What Happens To A Singer When She Loses Her Voice
Julie Andrews has reinvented herself almost completely, but after she lost her voice, she “fell into a deep depression. She said that she felt like she had lost her identity. Other vocalists have compared this feeling to the experience of an athlete who loses a limb.” – El Pais English
- The Death Of The Food Review
“Amid the cultural shift away from longer-form food writing and criticism toward stylized, 30-second reaction videos on FoodTok, does carefully composed, sense-based storytelling still matter? What do we collectively lose, and maybe gain, as sound effects and hyperbole subsume rich, descriptive text?” – Slate
- At The Venice Biennale, Wondering If Everything Will Collapse In On Itself
“Perhaps the crucial thing to recall is that the basic structure of the biennale that we recognise today was conceived in the 1930s, under Mussolini, becoming, said Ricci, ‘a focus for propaganda and positioned as the peak of Italian culture.’” – The Guardian (UK)
- Turning A Classic Old Bank Into A Revitalized Arts Site
“Southwest Minnesota is dotted with these emerging multi-use art spaces that utilize older buildings, … challenging a common misconception that vibrant art scenes only exist in big cities.” – Minnesota Public Radio
- Somehow, This Small Southern Oregon Town’s Film Festival Has Survived For A Quarter Century
In 2023, the Ashland International Film Festival had a wobble or two, but it survives – and even thrives. – Oregon ArtsWatch
- Who Won The BATFA TV Awards?
Adolescence definitely cleaned up, but it wasn’t alone. – The Guardian (UK)
- What Happens To Humanity When We Lose A Language?
“Some communities are lucky enough to have the political or cultural autonomy to protect their languages – think of Welsh or Māori – but many aren’t so fortunate. Some rue and rally; others resign themselves to decline.” – The Guardian (UK)
- Maya Lin’s New Work Is Focused On Connecting The City With Its Own Cracks
How do you bring Central Park to a $3-4 billion JPMorgan Chase skyscraper? – The New York Times
- How Long, And How, Should Marilyn Monroe’s Brentwood Hacienda Be Preserved?
“All sides agree that the circumstances are unusual. Buyers generally know about a house’s historic preservation status in advance, and existing homeowners generally have a functioning house they can sell if they do not want to work with the city to preserve its historic features.” – The Guardian (UK)
- If You, A Writer, Think Most Writers Are Trash, Are You A Literary Jerk?
Uh, yes. “This feels a little bit like a you-problem. And by that, I mean you need to start treating yourself (and your writing) more carefully, and with a great deal more empathy and respect.” – LitHub
- Mexico City’s New Chocolate Museum Rests On A Grisly Souvenir Of The Past
What was the colonial-era building’s foundation resting on? “One of the country’s most important archaeological finds: a section of a tzompantli, or wooden rack displaying more than 650 human skulls belonging to people who were believed to have been sacrificed in the 15th century.” – The New York Times
- An Amazon MGM Exec Solicited Kickbacks For Contracts, Says A Lawsuit
“Salinas would give Eckardt the target budget number for his company’s bid and ‘effectively guarantee that Unbreakable would be awarded the work,’ the lawsuit states.” And when the plaintiff stopped paying, he says, the work dried up. – Los Angeles Times (MSN)
- Who owns what, anyway?
Good Morning,
Three stories today circle the same question: who has standing to control the use of cultural assets — likenesses, artworks, infrastructure — and what happens when that standing is contested.
Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million, alleging the company used her image to sell TVs without permission (Variety). Several national pavilions at the Venice Biennale closed Friday in protest of Israel’s inclusion (The Guardian). And nearly 9,000 universities had Canvas — the platform that runs their assignments and grades — held hostage by a ransomware crew demanding payment by Tuesday (Wired).
The Musée d’Orsay is trying an experiment — embedding unresolved Nazi-provenance cases physically inside the museum, in public view (Salon). Acknowledgement as a kind of policy.
Elsewhere: Cannes opens this week with the Hollywood studios mostly on the sidelines (Seattle Times), Broadway is positively crawling with celebrities (CBC), and Billie Eilish isn’t sure another Billie Eilish is structurally possible anymore (Wired).
All of our stories below.
- When It’s Time For A Revival, But The Musical’s Book Really Needs A Rewrite
“I think of book writing as analogous to screenwriting: It’s a craft more about structure than dialogue, about setting the scene for the central activity, which … in the case of a musical is singing and dancing.” – American Theatre
- Xia De-Hong, The Main Character In Her Daughter’s Memoir Of Mao’s Cruelty, Has Died At 94
“The story of Ms. Chang’s stoic mother holding the family together while battling on behalf of her husband, a functionary who was tortured and imprisoned during Mao’s regime, was the focus of Wild Swans.” – The New York Times
- New From MolokoTake a Ride with A. Robert Lee’s Travel Painting<a href="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/2026/05/new-from-molokotake-a-ride-with-a-robert-lees-travel-painting.html" title="New From Moloko
Take a Ride with A. Robert - The Art That Nazis Stole, Still Waiting To Go Home, Wherever Home May Be
“What makes the Orsay initiative notable is not simply that it acknowledges this history, but that it embeds it physically inside a major national museum — placing unresolved provenance cases in direct view of the public.” – Salon
- Is It OK For Samsung To Use A Musician’s Face To Sell TVs?
She says no: “Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million lawsuit against Samsung, alleging that the electronics manufacturer used her likeness to sell TVs without paying her and without permission.” – Variety
- Here Comes Cannes
“This year, Hollywood studios are mostly on the sidelines. But for more than 78 years, Cannes has been an unparalleled showcase, and sun-dappled circus, for some of the best in cinema.” – Seattle Times (AP)
- Best First Sentence In Literature?
Well, best opening, anyway. Maybe Lauren Groff? – The Atlantic
- Several Country’s Venice Pavilions Closed On Friday In Protest Of Israel’s Inclusion
“The Belgian, Dutch, Austrian, Japanese, Macedonian and Korean pavilions were closed for the day. The British, Spanish, French, Egyptian, Finnish and Luxembourg entries were either closed and then reopened, or opened and expected to close early.” – The Guardian (UK)
