A new report from the Australia Council for the Arts predicts that major performing arts companies need to keep pace with economic and social trends, such as rapid development in the Asia region and shifts in the demographics and leisure time options of the Australian population.
Anticipating Change in the Major Performing Arts was commissioned by the Australia Council and produced by international arts consulting firm AEA Consulting.
Australia Council chief executive officer Kathy Keele said that the report highlights the challenges and opportunities for the sector over the next 20 years.
‘Climate change, generational workforce succession, an increasingly diverse population and transport are some of the main challenges that performing arts companies will need to face in order to remain sustainable and relevant in the future,’ she said.
‘The report also highlights that the sustainability and artistic vibrancy of the entire sector relies on a healthy, two-way exchange of ideas and personnel between larger performing arts institutions and smaller companies.
‘A globalised marketplace for performing arts provides scope for Australian companies to export their wares to the world, particularly by taking advantage of new digital media technologies and the rapid growth of China and India,’ Kathy said.