Page 420 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21
P. 420
17 June 2021
Top-down theatre leadership model
must change – Orla O'Loughlin
NE WS BY GE ORGIA S NOW
Orla O’Loughlin. Photo: Aly Wight
Theatre is in need of a radical shift away from the "top-down" model of artistic
leadership at national companies to better support the workforce in future, Orla
O’Loughlin has argued.
O’Loughlin, who is vice principal and director of drama at Guildhall School of Music
and Drama and former artistic director of Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, said she
was "amazed" that so many theatres continue to be run by a single artistic director,
and advocated for a more collective approach.
"There are examples of good practice and interesting models, usually in the fringe
sector, but something has to shift at some of our key national organisations," she
said. "I’d be ambitious for a collective will here and some really bold moves."
O’Loughlin was speaking as part of a panel on what the workforce needs from the
industry at The Stage’s Future of Theatre conference.
