Running Theaters: Best Practices for Leaders and Managers [Paperback]

Duncan Webb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

The best practices that consistently lead to successful theater operation are now revealed in this comprehensive resource. Culled from surveys and interviews with theater managers and experts in crucial functional areas, this guide provides important tips for all people who work or want to work in regional, campus and community-based theaters. Proven strategies from managers, staff, and volunteer leaders cover virtually every aspect of running a theater - from audience development and fundraising to facility development and community involvement.





• Advice culled from interviews with more than 100 experts in the field

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An astoundingly comprehensive primer for the entire field. Duncan has captured the essence and complexity of our business. A must-read for those new to the field and for those of us who have grown the field. Absolutely first rate!"
(Judith Allen, Vice Chair, North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Foundation )

About the Author

Duncan M. Webb is the founder and president of Webb Management Services, a management consulting firm serving the arts and cultural industries, and a professor of NYU's graduate program in Performing Arts Administration. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581153937
• ISBN-13: 978-1581153934
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Information - Necessary Read for Theater Managers, April 7, 2005

By 

Allison Mortonson "Allison" (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running Theaters: Best Practices for Leaders and Managers (Paperback)

I plan on having every employee in my building read this book. I have found no other book that is actually insightful and informative about my sometimes lonely & always hard-fought profession - running a non-profit performing arts center. It was truly wonderful to hear other voices on the subject, especially those who are established leaders in the field. The author has provided invaluable information on doing just about everything my staff and I do on a day-to-day basis; we all think we're doing our best, but this book helped me see other ways of doing my job that might make time spent at work more efficient and (maybe, just maybe) less stressful. I highly recommend this book to anybody involved in operating a theater.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good overview, short on synthesis, July 27, 2009

By 

Rebecca M (Somerville, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running Theaters Best Practices for Leaders and Managers (Paperback)

As books about performing arts administration go, this one wasn't bad. Webb consolidates a lot of good research regarding theater management. However, what was missing was synthesis of the many, many, anecdotes offered by theater managers across the country. Webb's "let them speak for themselves" sometimes left me hanging for a larger point.

There are several chapters, however, which provide a decent overview and would be good inclusions in a course reader. The "Facility Development" and "Audience Development"chapters are particularly good for this purpose.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book, September 7, 2009

By 

Kippy (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running Theaters: Best Practices for Leaders and Managers (Paperback)

I bought this book a while back but did not read it until recently. It was surprisingly jam-packed full of very useful information that most of us don't learn in school or on the job. I liked hearing from people in the industry about specific things that have worked (or not) in real life. This is not a bunch of theory and management speak but real practical and pragmatic suggestions that you can use tomorrow at work. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works in the performing arts.