The Offstage Mic

Is opera actually dying, or is the business model simply stuck in the digital dark ages? In this episode of The Offstage Mic, Aubrey Bergauer sits down with Dr. Caitlin Vincent, author of 'Opera Wars', to dismantle the narrative that the art form is fading. Instead, they look at the hard data: while public demand for live culture remains high, the structural systems—from hiring practices to financial management—are faltering.This episode is for arts administrators, executive leaders, and creators across all disciplines who are tired of 'gut instinct' management and ready for data-backed change. You’ll learn how gender bias is baked into repertoire selection, why the 'artistic genius' trope protects toxic behavior, and why every artistic decision must be viewed as a commercial one to ensure survival.Sponsors:Bolero: https://hellobolero.com/changingthenarrativeEvolvArts: https://evolvarts.comMorreale Digital: https://morreale.ca/podcastSources:The Conversation: Opera is not dying – but it needs a second act for the streaming era https://theconversation.com/opera-is-not-dying-but-it-needs-a-second-act-for-the-streaming-era-271376Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society: Financial Headwinds in the Performing Arts: Evidence from United States Opera, 2005–2023 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10632921.2025.2596078Caitlin Vincent: Opera Wars https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Opera-Wars/Caitlin-Vincent/9781668084069

Welcome to Season 6 of The Offstage Mic! We are kicking things off with a massive milestone: our 50th episode. In this season premiere, host Aubrey Bergauer dives deep into the latest national data from SMU DataArts, JCA, and Advisory Board for the Arts to reveal the truth about the 'cutting death spiral' currently facing cultural institutions. This episode is for arts administrators, executive directors, and board members who are tired of short-term budget fixes and are looking for a sustainable path to growth. You’ll learn how the ‘minimum viable product’ model applies to arts innovation, why cutting performances is actually hurting your bottom line, and the surprising reason your first-year subscribers are the key to unlocking long-term donor loyalty. Plus, Aubrey announces a major giveaway to celebrate 50 episodes, including gift cards, t-shirts, and a free Audience Development Bootcamp.Subscribe to the show for more data-backed strategies to help your arts organization thrive. Whether you are listening or watching our new video format, we appreciate your support in changing the narrative for the arts.Sponsors:Bolero: hellobolero.com/changingthenarrativeEvolvArts: evolvearts.com Morreale Digital: morreale.ca/podcast Sources:Edison Research: Podcast Listening Hits Record High https://www.edisonresearch.com/podcast-listening-hits-record-highs/#:~:text=The%20percentage%20of%20people%20age,100%20million%20weekly%20listeners%20milestone.Riverside: Podcast Statistics and Trends for 2026https://riverside.com/blog/podcast-statistics#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20podcasts%20were%20most,68%25%20listen%20to%20whole%20episodes Podcast Hawk: 70% of the Audience Listen to a Full Podcast Episodes https://podcasthawk.com/70-of-the-audience-listen-to-a-full-podcast-episodes-the-key-to-targeting/#:~:text=The%20answer%20might%20surprise%20you,is%20the%20key%20to%20success Signal Hill: YouTube’s Growth As a Podcast Power Player https://www.westwoodone.com/blog/2024/07/08/youtubes-growth-as-a-podcast-power-player-revealed-in-cumulus-media-and-signal-hill-insights-podcast-download-spring-2024-report/ SMU DataArts: National Trends 2025 https://culturaldata.org/national-trends/national-trends-2025/ Aubrey Bergauer: Scarcity Mindset is Killing Your Arts Organization https://aubreybergauer.medium.com/scarcity-mindset-is-killing-your-arts-organization-f4c023f1c844 JCA: Trends in Performing Arts Audience Behavior: 4 Key Takeaways for 2026 https://www.jcainc.com/trends-in-performing-arts-audience-behavior-4-key-takeaways-for-2026/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sharpspring&sslid=M7e0MDAyMjMyNjI2AQA&sseid=MzEAAUMDS0tLMwNjEwA&jobid=3d003ea7-7129-4e80-9ea1-ece89d2b0133 Advisory Board for the Arts: 2025 Ticket and Subscriptions Sales and 2026 Forecasts https://www.advisoryboardarts.com/research-collector/2025salesrevenues2026projections

If your days as an arts leader are consumed by never-ending to-do lists, last-minute fires, and reactive work—this episode is your call to break the cycle. In this Season 5 finale, we dig into a leadership struggle that nearly every arts executive, administrator, and manager faces: the battle between the urgent and the important. Through honest reflection, personal experience, and practical tools, we unpack why time management in arts leadership isn’t just about productivity—it’s about reclaiming your role as a strategic visionary. You’ll learn how to identify the 20% of your work that drives real impact, why busyness can be a form of avoidance, and how to shift your focus toward building a thriving future for your organization. If you're ready to trade burnout for clarity and momentum, this episode offers both the mindset shift and tactical tools to help you get there.The Offstage Mic is made possible by Artelize: their Audience Retention Dashboard is the one-stop place to access your audience data across every important metric. And also by Annual Fund Toolkit: they’ve built a support system to help grow your donor community and major gift pipeline.

Does managing operations at your arts organization feel tedious or unwieldy? Maybe you know your internal processes need a boost, but don’t you know where to begin. Good news: It’s actually more simple than you think. This episode, Aubrey talks about the Kaizen Method of sustained, incremental change. If it feels like you’re trying to turn a big ship, instead of letting perfect be the enemy of good, start by testing out small changes to see what yields the biggest results. This episode tells you how. The Offstage Mic is made possible by Artelize: their Audience Retention Dashboard is the one-stop place to access your audience data across every important metric. And also by Annual Fund Toolkit: they’ve built a support system to help grow your donor community and major gift pipeline.

Women in arts administration make up over half of the workforce. Yet arts leadership roles — on stage and off — are still male dominated. This episode, Aubrey shares some shocking statistics from the field and explains why this paradox is so common in arts organizations (Hint: it's not just about getting more women in the C-suite; the problem starts earlier than you might think). And most important, how arts administrators can change their systems to address gender bias in their own institutions. The Offstage Mic is made possible by Artelize: their Audience Retention Dashboard is the one-stop place to access your audience data across every important metric. And also by Annual Fund Toolkit: they’ve built a support system to help grow your donor community and major gift pipeline.

Understanding patron data can be daunting, confusing, or even cringeworthy for arts administrators. But your data is an asset, and arts organizations are leaving thousands of dollars on the table when you don’t fully harness it. The good news is understanding and utilizing your data is not hard when done right. It’s all about creating systems to make your data work for you. This episode, Aubrey talks with arts administrator and Changing the Narrative Program Director Stephanie Stallings about working smarter not harder, so you can use data to track and grow your patron retention. The Offstage Mic is made possible by Artelize: their Audience Retention Dashboard is the one-stop place to access your audience data across every important metric. And also by Annual Fund Toolkit: they’ve built a support system to help grow your donor community and major gift pipeline.

Advancing in arts leadership can be tricky, because what got you to where you are now likely won’t get you to where you want to be. In the final part of this bonus series, Aubrey gives you real-world examples of the seven researched-backed steps to advancing your career in arts management. Then, she guides you through a visioning exercise to identify the conditions and behaviors needed to become the arts leader you want to be.  

There’s a lot about arts leadership most of us were never taught. And you can’t win a game if you don’t know the rules. So we’re bringing you three bonus episodes from our recent training series, “They Never Taught You That: How to Grow Your Career in Arts Management.” This is Part 1, where Aubrey shares the seven research-backed steps to growing your leadership in arts management. She also offers some reflection prompts, so you can tailor the research to your specific work in the arts. 

Ever heard the saying, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take?” What if we told you that when it comes to jobs they’re not 100 percent qualified for, white men are more likely than women and people of color to apply anyway? This was the statistic that made today’s guest decide to take her shot. Hear how an early version of the Uplevel professional development program – and the community of people within it – helped her find confidence, overcome imposter syndrome, and land the job she wanted. Guest: Jo Griffin, Recruitment Specialist at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

What is your unique purpose as an arts administrator? How do you find the courage to lead with purpose once you know? Carlos Cordero is a conductor, new choral music advocate, singer and self-proclaimed “great hug-giver.” But he started off with a broad, more generic vision that wasn’t connecting with audiences the way he wanted to. As a gay Latinx immigrant artist, Carlos did some soul searching and clarified his mission: to advocate for the LGBTQ+ and immigrant community through his brand, The Happy Choir, and his professional Tenor-Bass choir, Un/heard. Hear how Carlos learned that you can’t be everything to everyone. By going from generic to specific, he took ownership of his brand and unlocked community connection for himself and his ensembles.Guest: Carlos Cordero, new choral music artist and advocate; creator of The Happy Choir

“Convince me to stay.” This is what Allison Lambacher told Aubrey after years in arts administration and being totally burnt out. If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you’ve probably been ready to throw in the towel at least once. "But you are not alone and the narrative is changing". Hear how Allison – now Associate Director of Digital Engagement with the St. Louis Symphony – used arts management tools from Uplevel to go from being ready to quit the industry to advocating for herself and landing her dream job. Guest: Allison Lambacher, Associate Director of Digital Engagement at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Bureaucratic, disrespectful, chaotic, complacent. Sound familiar? If you would use these words to describe the culture at your organization, you and your colleagues may be working in a toxic environment. This episode is part one of two: First, we get into the top nine traits causing toxicity in company culture, based on the book “Culture Renovation” by Kevin Oakes, CEO of i4cp. In the next episode, we get into the blueprint for building a healthier culture at your organization. For more insights on this, check out this past episode with Kevin Oakes himself.

We wrap up season 3 with one of my most requested topics of all time: the topic of how to lead change. If you ever find yourself asking questions like ‘How do I get buy-in from my board?’ or ‘Where do I even begin when it comes to implementing new ways of doing business in my arts organization?’, this episode is for you. We talk about what the experts say about fear of change, resistance to change, and other barriers to change; debunk three big myths about change; and share five things that actually work to drive change effectively at your arts organization.No matter what role you fill within arts management, leading the change is one of the most important skills you can build. This episode unpacks the research every arts manager and leader needs to know.