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- Artistic Director -Florida Studio Theatre working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is seeking a talented theater professional to lead the planning and execution of the organization’s core programming as Artistic Director. This newly conceived role will be part of a reimagined leadership team as FST’s long-serving Producing Artistic Director transitions into retirement and top leadership of the organization transfers to an Executive Director, a role effectively defined as a chief executive officer leading a team that includes the Artistic Director and an incoming Managing Director.
The purview of the Artistic Director will be to shape the programming for the plays and musical offerings that annually define FST’s Winter and Summer Mainstage Series (seven productions), Stage III (three productions), Children’s Theatre (four productions), and New Play Development. The Artistic Director will be skilled in creating seasons that respond to and extend FST’s mission, engaging artistic and production talent to create in full alignment with FST’s aesthetic focused in authentic and engaging storytelling that does not rely on outsized production spectacle.
The Artistic Director will participate in the artistic life of FST through their own artistic practice as a stage director, actor, designer, or other individual artistic practice, but will fully understand that the primary responsibilities of the role are to serve as the overall producer of FST’s principle theatrical offerings. Working closely with FST’s Executive Director, the Artistic Director will balance artistic ambition with responsiveness to audience needs. Florida Studio Theatre has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/artistic-director-fst
FST hopes to make a hiring decision by Spring of 2027, with the selected candidate transitioning into the position sometime in the Fall of 2027. The salary range starts at $160,000 annually and includes a full benefit package. FST is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of a background check and reference conversations.
Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by artist Jon Spelman as an alternative touring group, reaching out to isolated and underserved audiences in nursing homes, migrant farms, and prisons. When Richard Hopkins was named Producing Artistic Director in 1980, he founded FST’s Mainstage Series with a modest 103 subscribers. Today, FST reaches over 45,000 subscribers and an annual audience of more than 225,000 across its diverse programs, making FST the largest subscription theatre in the state of Florida. Now in its 53rd Season, FST is proud of its reach and impact across its five stages and through over 20 professional productions each year. More about Florida Studio Theatre can be found at https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/
- Managing Director -Florida Studio Theatre working with Management Consultants for the Arts
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) invites applications for its Managing Director, a role for individuals with strong talent for running complex, multi-venue producing operations. The new Managing Director will lead the day-to-day administration of an organization producing more than 1,600 performances annually across five stages, with three additional stages and expanded housing and campus operations coming online at the end of 2027 with the creation of the McGillicuddy Arts Plaza.
In a newly conceived leadership structure that anticipates the retirement of FST’s long serving Producing Artistic Director, the Managing Director will report directly to the Executive Director, a role recently filled by FST’s long-serving Managing Director. The Managing Director will be the staff lead overseeing finance, marketing, development, and the full range of forward-facing customer service areas associated with the company’s self-produced theatre productions, cabaret performances, education, children’s theatre, new play development, improv and comedy series, and restaurant operations.
As FST expands its physical footprint with the opening of The McGillicuddy Arts Plaza, the Managing Director will ensure that all facilities are well-maintained, staffed appropriately, and activated to their full capacity. Taking the lead from the Executive Director as FST’s visionary leader, the Managing Director will work closely with a new Artistic Director and other senior leaders to execute FST’s mission in a manner that invites audiences into accessible and meaningful live performance experiences. Florida Studio Theatre has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead the search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://www.mcaonline.com/searches/managing-director-fst
FST hopes to make a hiring decision by Spring of 2027, with the selected candidate transitioning into the position sometime before the Fall of 2027. The salary range starts at $160,000 annually and includes a full benefit package. FST is an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Any offer of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of a background check and reference conversations.
Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by artist Jon Spelman as an alternative touring group, reaching out to isolated and underserved audiences in nursing homes, migrant farms, and prisons. When Richard Hopkins was named Producing Artistic Director in 1980, he founded FST’s Mainstage Series with a modest 103 subscribers.
Today, FST reaches over 45,000 subscribers and an annual audience of more than 225,000 across its diverse programs, making FST the largest subscription theatre in the state of Florida. Now in its 53rd Season, FST is proud of its reach and impact across its five stages and through over 20 professional productions each year. More about Florida Studio Theatre can be found at https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/
- Bannanas are serious business
Good Morning,
Maurizio Cattelan, the man who taped a banana to a wall and watched it sell for $6.2 million, says his work has always been serious — the trouble is that people stop at the joke (The Guardian). Today’s stories keep making his point: things filed under “decorative” turn out to be structural the moment someone tries to remove them.
Public television, for instance, is not just programming. Stations are hardwired into FEMA’s alert system, and when Congress defunded them it also cut the infrastructure for evacuation orders and weather warnings in rural counties (The Hollywood Reporter). Nobody planned for the culture budget to be the emergency budget. It was anyway.
The Bauhaus closed in 1933; it still matters enough that the far-right German party AfD is running against it in Saxony-Anhalt this month (AP). The Trump administration is now threatening to pull artifact loans and grants unless the Smithsonian drops its “ideological agenda” (The Washington Post). Cleveland Orchestra musicians, meanwhile, have authorized a strike over pay, injuries — and a voice in artistic direction (Ideastream).
And the one time art got taken entirely too seriously: Vancouver police broke into a gallery to rescue a sculpture whose feet were sticking out from behind a counter (Vancouver City News).
All of our stories below.
- Maurizio “Banana Taped To The Wall” Cattelan Insists He’s Serious (And He’s Probably Right)
The art world’s merriest prankster; the guy who duct-taped a banana to a gallery wall, called it “Comedian,” and saw it get eaten, sold for $6.2 million, and then eaten again — he says “My work has always been serious. The problem is people often stop at the joke.” – The Guardian
- How Errol Flynn Beat The Rap For Statutory Rape
Two credible allegations of sex with teenage girls would by themselves be enough to get Flynn cancelled today, especially since both complainants said that he forced himself on them. Unfortunately, that’s not how it played out in 1942 and ‘43 for Hollywood’s biggest star. – Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
- Why The Bayeux Tapestry Thrilled Ancient Audiences
If we look at the meanings incorporated into different objects during the early medieval period, we see that the Bayeux tapestry is a visual form of the scop, an early medieval storyteller who told tales of heroes and great deeds, helping to preserve the oral tradition of the early English peoples. – The Conversation
- Have We Wrecked Childhood?
This doesn’t sound like a very nice life, does it? It’s an existence in which you’re micromanaged and surveilled, given almost no freedom or privacy, and put under constant pressure while, at the same time, being seen as incompetent and lazy. – The New Yorker
- Twilight Of The Oxford Dons
These same dons disdained Britain’s provincial universities—known pejoratively as Redbrick—as well as academics in the U.S., whom they scorned for going about their business with “woefully unnecessary seriousness.” A don, by contrast, was effortlessly successful. – The Wall Street Journal
- This May Not Be The Great American Novel, But It’s Got To Be The Great American Manuscript
That would be the 120-foot scroll of architectural tracing paper on which Jack Kerouac typed — single-spaced — his original draft of On the Road. He produced the whole megillah in three very caffeinated weeks. – AP
- Vancouver Police Break Into Gallery Mistaking Sculpture For Person In Distress
According to the VPD, a caller reported seeing a person’s feet sticking out from behind a counter and believed medical assistance was needed. – Vancouver City News
- Iconic Salt Lake City Temple Has Been Transformed. Now A Rare Look Inside
After years of extensive renovation and structural upgrades, the LDS Church will open its signature temple April 5 to the public — Mormons and non-Mormons alike – for six months of unprecedented tours. – CNN
- Far-Right German Party Attacks Iconic Bauhaus School
Attacks on Bauhaus by Alternative for Germany, also known as AfD, come as Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany is about to vote in an election that could see a far-right party take control of one of the country’s states for the first time since World War II. – AP
- In Some Places, Congress’s Defunding Of Public TV And Radio Is Literally Dangerous
“Public television stations are not only broadcasters. They are physical infrastructure inside FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System — one of the pathways that pushes AMBER Alerts, severe-weather warnings, and evacuation orders to the phone in your pocket.” And if rural communities lose their public stations, those alerts disappear. – The Hollywood Reporter
- What Makes Good Writing For Video Games?
“The kinds of writing that players encounter in games comes as a direct result of the medium’s competing needs and origins.” – Washington Post
- What Will Become Of Broadway’s Ed Sullivan Theatre Now That Colbert Has Left?
What will happen to the stage where Elvis’s swiveling pelvis was kept demurely out of frame, where the Beatles made their American debut, where Jackie Mason may or may not have flipped the bird at the host, where Topo Gigio found inexplicable fame? – Curbed
- Cleveland Orchestra Musicians Authorize Strike
The bargaining committee said it’s far apart from management with regard to compensation, repetitive stress injuries and gaining a voice in the orchestra’s artistic direction. – Ideastream
- How City Arts Funding In Chicago Stacks Up Against That Of Other Big U.S. Cities
“Across the country’s five largest cities, Chicago was the only one to cut the funding for its local arts agency during its most recent budget cycle. And while its spending dwarfs that of the larger Los Angeles, and trails only behind New York per capita, the pressure is mounting to do more.” – WBEZ (Chicago)
- The Most Successful Work Of Art About 9/11? A Canadian Musical
“In the quarter-century since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the horror of that day has inspired novels, films, television shows, paintings and sculpture. But the most enduring artistic response has been … Come From Away, about a small town with a big airport where nearly 7,000 travelers were diverted.” – The New York Times
- Michael Sheen’s Welsh National Theatre Takes On A Subject That, Shockingly, No One Has Done Until Now
That subject is the Welsh nobleman Owain Glyndŵr, who led a major rebellion against the English in the 15th century. Despite his fame, Sheen says, Glyndŵr’s story wasn’t taught in Welsh schools and nobody had ever staged it on a large scale before. – The Guardian
- Enormous Hoard Of Viking Silver Found In Danish Guy’s Garden
“The anonymous homeowner was planning to build a new terrace in his garden when he found … a trove of 700 Viking Age silver objects and fragments. … The hoard contains numerous silver bars, as well as bracelets, 47 whole coins and fragments, a small Thor’s hammer, and various cut silver objects.” – ARTnews
- CEO Who Turned Around Joffrey Ballet’s Finances To Step Down
“Since joining the Joffrey in 2013, (Greg) Cameron has brought financial stability to the organization, eliminating a budget deficit and establishing its first-ever endowment, which has grown to approximately $30 million. During his tenure, the operating budget more than doubled from $13 million to about $33 million.” – WBEZ (Chicago)
- Just What Exactly Was Going On With Yayoi Kusama During Her Final Decade?
Those years seemed to be productive and were certainly profitable: she became the highest-priced living female artist, famous all over the world. At the same time, she stopped seeing visitors, fired longtime assistants and was reportedly bedridden. How, and with whom, was she producing her late work? – The New York Times
- Trump Officials Threaten To Withdraw All Aid If Smithsonian Doesn’t Drop “Ideological Agenda”
“Administration officials ‘cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership,’” said a letter from a key policy director and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “citing artifact loans, procurement assistance and discretionary grants as examples of federal support that could be at risk.” – The Washington Post (Yahoo!)
- How Is Adult Swim Still Prospering When Most Cable TV Is Fading Away?
“It feels like a wicked joke that Cartoon Network’s late-night programming block — already an aberration when it launched in cable’s heyday in 2001 — is somehow thriving, … even as the rest of cable slowly slides into oblivion. Even the folks behind Adult Swim don’t really understand it.” – TheWrap (Yahoo!)
- What Replaced The World Trade Center Should Have Been So Much More
The twin towers were a product of their time, the mid-1960s, and what has replaced them is still, sadly, in too many ways a product of that same time. We have learned a lot about building cities since the World Trade Center went up, and we did not put nearly enough of that knowledge to use. – The New York Times
- Is The Berlin Philharmonic Really The Very Best Orchestra In The World?
Tom Service: “What does being the ‘best’ mean? And how and why have the Berliners acquired, and held on to, their globe-topping orchestral reputation for so many decades, through changes of conductor and personnel, political upheaval and technological transformation?” – The Guardian
- There’s A Difference Between Celebrating Innovation and Trying To Understand It
Journalist Nicholas Carr called the online world “the shallows” for the way it erodes concentration. But the paradox is that its depthlessness arrives as immersion. – The Walrus
- Why There Are Fewer English Majors In Universities Today
The decline of the English major offers a lesson in what young people want. Teenagers in the 2020s have a spiritual thirst that is unmet by a curriculum without order and greatness and charm. A field without a bible like the Norton doesn’t satisfy them. – Portico Quarterly
- Americans Are Fascinated With Art Heists. Not So Much Fascinated By Art?
If you are a fictional character and you happen to be stealing art, odds are excellent that you’re in a heist movie. At this point, the genre is so famous, and mocked, that plumbing it for serious lessons about art and the art market may seem quixotic. – ARTnews
- Thanks To New Tourist Tax, Edinburgh Arts Organizations To (Probably) Get 25% Increase In City Funding
“The distribution of funds raised by the Scottish capital’s new visitor levy, which is expected to raise up to £50m annually, has been the subject of intense debate in recent weeks. … (Organisations now) face a ‘deeply frustrating’ delay until the uplift is confirmed.” – The Stage
- Bookshop.com Has Directed $50M To Indy Bookstores
The company launched in 2020 to offer shoppers a way of buying books online that supported independent bookstores and to divert sales away from Amazon and competing platforms. It operates both as a proprietary sales channel and offers affiliate sales for independent stores and influencers. – Publishers Weekly
- US Government Agency Weakens Protections For Cultural Heritage Sites
Proposed federal rule changes would eliminate the requirement for public feedback and consultation with key parties like Tribal Nations and ultimately lead to the destruction of much of our cultural heritage. – Live Science
- A Deal To Save Philadelphia’s Academy Of Natural Sciences
The announcement comes one day after Drexel and the Academy said they would close the Academy’s museum effective Sept. 30 and that Academy CEO Scott Cooper would be stepping down immediately. Sept. 27 will be the last day the museum will be open to the public. – Philadelphia Inquirer
- How D.C.’s Dance Place Fell Apart
This past May, Dance Place executive director André Mazelin abruptly fired artistic director Tariq O’Malley and eliminated his position. In July, at a town hall, former staffers, performers, and choreographers gave accounts of severe staffing, management, and interpersonal difficulties. (Mazelin himself resigned in August.) – Washington City Paper
- Somebody Just Gave Boston Ballet $10M
The money was given by “an anonymous, long-time patron” of the organization who found themselves “inspired” by its transformation during Nissinen’s time there, according to the news release. – People