Decoding Cultural Leadership
Decoding Cultural Leadership is a podcast that explores the intersection between the arts, culture and society and interrogates what it means to be a cultural leader in the 21st century.
In each episode, host Samuel Cairnduff talks with some of the most influential organisational leaders, creators, policy-makers and thought leaders, building an understanding of their approach to shifting the dial in a complex, constantly changing world.
By talking to influential leaders whose voices resonate in the community, Decoding Cultural Leadership seeks to gain a deeper perspective on how cultural organisations see their role in the community, how they make hard decisions, and how they address the needs of multiple stakeholders.
Culture and society are deeply connected. Decoding Cultural Leadership explores this complex relationship through deep conversation with our greatest cultural leaders. Join us as we decode cultural leadership.
Decoding Cultural Leadership.
Culture. Society. Conversations
Decoding Cultural Leadership
Episode 19 Julian Louis: NORPA's artistic director on leadership and reframing purpose in crisis
Julian Louis, CEO and Artistic Director of NORPA (Northern Rivers Performing Arts), shares his journey of leading a regional theatre company through major challenges, including floods and the COVID-19 pandemic. Key points from the conversation include:
- NORPA's unique approach to creating place-based, site-specific theatre that is deeply connected to the local community and stories of the Northern Rivers region of NSW, Australia.
- How Julian's background in devised theatre and improvisation has influenced NORPA's collaborative creative process and focus on generating original works.
- The challenges and opportunities of creating professional theatre in a regional setting, far from major cities and funding bodies. Julian discusses the importance of making theatre accessible and relevant to local audiences.
- NORPA's strong commitment to engaging with local Aboriginal communities and telling First Nations stories, as demonstrated by works like Flow which shared a Bundjalung story.
- The devastating impact of the 2022 floods which destroyed NORPA's venue and forced the company to radically rethink its operating model and purpose. Julian openly discusses the trauma and grief of this experience.
- NORPA's plans for the future, including developing a new creative studio space, exploring mobile outdoor theatre options, and continuing to make regionally-specific works that resonate on a national level.
- Julian's reflections on cultural leadership and the role of theatre in building community resilience and healing in the face of crises like climate change disasters.
Links
NORPA website - norpa.org.au
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@samuelcairnduff
Read Sam's Substack here.
Presenter and research: Sam Cairnduff
Creative Director: Niloofar Pashmforoosh
Presented in association with Limelight
Decoding Cultural Leadership |
Culture. Society. Conversations