Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership

Traits of Success in Nonprofit Theatre

Brett Ashley Crawford author Bonnie Fogel author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Intellect

Published:25th Jul '25

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership cover

A tactical guide for nonprofit arts leaders, revealing the entrepreneurial traits that turn creative passion into sustainable success.

Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership focuses on real-world strategies to developing the entrepreneurial mindset necessary for leading and sustaining nonprofit arts organizations. Bonnie Fogel and Brett Ashley Crawford examine the leadership traits that drive innovation, adaptability, and long-term viability in the ever-evolving arts sector.

Through the case study of Imagination Stage, one of the top theatre companies for young people, they highlight how successful nonprofit theater leaders can navigate financial instability, advocate for equity and inclusion, and implement sustainable business models in a landscape forever impacted by national and global events. With practical insights, tools, and a resource-rich appendix, this book offers arts managers, educators, and nonprofit leaders a roadmap for resilience and growth. Whether you are an advanced student, a researcher, or an arts executive seeking inspiration, this book provides an essential framework for building the future of nonprofit theatre.

Imagination Stage was founded as BAPA (Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts) in 1979 in response to the urgent need for arts education for young people. The company was renamed Imagination Stage in 2001 in anticipation of its move to its downtown Bethesda theatre arts centre in 2003. Imagination Stage has grown from a handful of children in a single classroom to a full-spectrum theatre arts organization, with theatre productions by professional actors and artists. Unlike most children’s theatre companies, Imagination Stage commissions new works for children every year. These productions have been recognized with awards and productions by other companies around the world.

Bonnie Fogel is the founder and longtime leader of Imagination Stage, one of the top theatres for young audiences in the United States. Brett Ashley Crawford is a teaching professor and faculty chair of the arts & entertainment management programs at Carnegie Mellon University, USA.

 

"This book would have been a good guide for me when I was starting out ... It was so interesting to read and took me back to my own days of building a creative community; as I read through the chapters I kept on saying ‘yep! … yep!’ ... Now with a deeper understanding of theories and business activities, I know this book talks a lot of sense.”
                                                                                                                 

"Traits is a toolkit.  It works in bite-size chunks. If you’re not wanting to read through a book from beginning to end, but you’re a creative and entrepreneur who is eager to learn, this works well."

-- Polly Crockett, senior lecturer in arts management, Bath Spa University, UK (FHEA, FRSA, Cmgr MCMI)

"The nonprofit arts sector can no longer afford to operate with outdated models and wishful thinking. Entrepreneurial Arts and Cultural Leadership provides a vital roadmap for arts leaders ready to embrace business-minded, revenue-generating strategies that ensure long-term sustainability. This book challenges the status quo and offers the tools we need to reimagine the future of our field."

-- Michael J. Bobbitt - Executive Arts Leader and Playwright

“For those of us living in the Washington, D.C. area, watching Imagination Stage has been an object lesson in entrepreneurialism, devotion to mission and effective management. How fortunate that Bonnie Fogel is now sharing her wisdom with everyone interested in cultural leadership.”

-- Michael M. Kaiser, chair, DeVos Institute of Arts and Nonprofit Management, USA; president emeritus, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, USA

I teach a graduate course in arts leadership and can see the applicability of this book directly connected to the principles that are part of my syllabus. As such, the authors demonstrate a practical application of a process that entails the cultivation of a team of critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers to propel an organization forward.  

 

The alliance of theory and practice is a model that can be an inspiration for emerging leaders in arts administration. It could also provide a catalyst to generate a new paradigm of thinking for seasoned leaders who need rejuvenation.

-- Dr. Gail Humphries - Dean Emerita, Stephens College and College of Fellows of the American Theatre; Professor Emerita, American Univer

ISBN: 9781835951224

Dimensions: 244mm x 170mm x 11mm

Weight: 328g

198 pages