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Board to death: cooperative governance of the regional theatre
Thesis   Open access

Board to death: cooperative governance of the regional theatre

Hannah R. Rice
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Dec 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001307
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Abstract

Arts--Management Theater Boards of directors Cooperation Corporate governance Regional theatre Arts Administration
The intent of this study is to identify traits of productive working relationships between Board members and Executive leadership at regional theatres in the United States. This qualitative study took place in two phases: an anonymized online survey, followed by in-depth single-subject interviews. The population engaged in this research is individuals in Executive positions (Executive, Managing and Artistic Directors) at United States regional theatre companies that are part of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). 36 survey participants answered questions about themselves, governance practices at their companies, and the nature of the collaborative dynamic between their Board and staff members, and three interview participants furthered that conversation face-to-face. My analysis of survey and interview data uncovered five themes central to the productivity of the Board-Executive relationship: Collaboration, Diversity, Trust, Contribution, and Commitment. In relationships where participants indicated a high level of satisfaction with most or all themes, they had a significantly higher level of satisfaction with their professional relationship, and their job, overall. While participants were not in consensus on all subjects, such as the implementation of term limits, the overarching nature of the discovered themes indicates that the ability to unite around a common cause is of the highest importance to Executives in the regional theatre.

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