One month before ArtsEmerson’s first season begins; Executive Director Rob Orchard contemplates the challenges of launching a $5 million theater program from scratch. ArtsEmerson, a partner of Emerson College in Boston, will present sixteen mainstage productions in four theater spaces in its first year. The fledgling theater will be competing with two long-standing Boston institutions: the Huntington Theatre Company, and the American Repertory Theater, where Orchard had previously completed a thirty-year stint as Executive Director. The case follows the establishment of ArtsEmerson, and Orchard’s effort to create a mission, assemble a team, and book a season of theater, film, and music of high caliber in less than a year. The case video includes interview footage of Executive Director Rob Orchard and samples of the work programmed for ArtsEmerson’s first season. This video also includes footage of the flash mob promotional event used by the company before its opening.
Publication Date: 2012-07-18
Suggested Citation: Brad Tuggle, "ArtsEmerson (2010)," Yale Theater Management Knowledge Base Case 10-37, July 18, 2012
Keywords: Case Video, Performing Arts, Audience, Facilities, School Partnerships, Organizational Direction, Strategy, Theater, Film, Music
Teaching Notes: No
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