FOSTERING INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP IN THE ARTS - THE MARKET THEATRE LABORATORY'S THEATRE THINK TANK RETURNS FOR A SECOND INSTALLMENT
The Market Theatre Laboratory presents the second Theatre Think Tank instalment, curated by cultural policy specialist, Boitumelo ‘Tumy’ Motsoatsoe. After the success of the first instalment at this year’s National Arts Festival, The Market Lab now hosts a free conversation focussing on succession planning in the arts and culture sector.
The Theatre Think Tank instalments, funded by the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), serve as an exploration and reflection on the wealth of knowledge enacted, embodied and performed by practitioners in the arts and culture field, specifically with the intention of gathering and organising this knowledge in a way that draws on the knowledge of local communities, and made accessible to the greater community.
Speaking on the upcoming Theatre Think Tank, Cherae Halley, the head of The Market Theatre Lab has this to say:
“This second Theatre Think Tank for 2023, titled Connected Circles: Fosta-ring an inclusive, intergenerational and interdependent community of creative leaders and intermediaries, is an exciting opportunity for us to speak back to the succession of leadership in our sector. As someone who has stepped into a leadership role, I am certain that the conversation is one of great value and will contribute significantly to research through an intergenerational approach”.
“Bula(ng) Sekele!” which loosely means: “make the circle bigger” is a phrase used in children’s games and later popularised through a pop song produced by Thabo Bogopa Junior (JR). It is also the point of departure for the Connected Circles Theatre Think Tank, challenging leaders and intermediaries in the creative sector to consider the role that a more interconnected and inclusive community might play in the process of rebuilding and repositioning the sector post COVID-19.
Borrowing from the principles of Sankofa, Ubuntu and Emergent Strategy by writer and activist, adrienne maree brown, the Theatre Think Tank aims to deliberately convene different generations or exclusive circles of creative leaders and intermediaries, from various schools of thought, into one space, where they can reflect and share ideas/ideals on how to meaningfully create linkages or pathways between these circles.
Through this Think Tank experience, Tumy invites our greater community to share their thoughts on the role that interdependent and inclusive leadership can play in building broader capacity, fostering accountability, enabling succession planning and in facilitating a meaningful flow of power and resources across the network. While initiating a lekgotla that expands on the notion of a fishbowl, Tumy will probe the following questions to be discussed:
“What are the core “eco-systemic” challenges that have created these barriers of collaboration and how can we work together to break them down? Equally so, what does a thriving sector look like and how can we make it accessible to diverse individuals?”
If you are engaged in the arts, or are just curious, don’t miss The Connected Circles Theatre Think Tank which takes place on Sunday the 17th of September at The Market Theatre Laboratory in Newtown at 14h00.
For information on reservations and further enquiries please contact The Market Theatre Laboratory on 011 838 7498 or contact Thandeka Nheke on thandeka@marketlab.co.za