We’ve all experienced those moments where you feel like the only person who doesn't know what’s going on, and where the right moment to ask never quite seems to arise. Today, with Cultured Mongrel Dance Theatre, we're launching a new initiative to help broaden access and share knowledge about the arts sector.
Collectively, over the years we’ve built a web of connections that help us access some of the experts and leaders across the sector. We're really conscious that as a team we've had the privilege of experiences, education and other people's expertise that has helped us develop in our careers. And we’re conscious that we all - no matter what our position - have gaps in our knowledge and networks that can make it hard to build up a full picture of what’s going on in the arts.
There Are No Stupid Questions is one way that we're trying to use our position to demystify the arts, to break down barriers to getting involved, and to share knowledge as widely and openly as possible.
Ask any question - totally anonymously - and the Cultured Mongrel team will do all they can to get the answer for you. If we don't know, we'll draft in experts from across the arts sector to make sure you get an answer. Ask anything at all via our anonymous SurveyMonkey. Anything related to the arts and culture sector is fair game - interpreted as widely as you like. Simple or complex - there's no judgement from us - just a promise to get you the best answer we can.
All questions and their answers will be shared over on the Cultured Mongrel blog for others to access and learn from. We won't ask for your name or other personal details, so please don't add any identifying information to your question that you wouldn't want to be shared in the public domain.
NB: Please let us know if you would be up for being one of our 'go to' people for insight in answering questions. Whether you’ve trained in something really specific, have lived experience in a particular subject, or have a great insight into one part of the sector, we’d love to hear from you.
We'd love established and / or salaried arts leaders to give their time for free, but we will make budget available to pay for the time of people whose perspective and experience will add a useful insight and which might otherwise be less heard.
Topics's we've tackled so far via There Are No Stupid Questions include:
- What are all the different kinds of Producers?
- Why is opera often sung in a foreign language?
- Are freelancers using accountants?
- What is marketing, and how much should I spend on it?
- Will a publisher ever approach a freelance playwright?
- All about Artistic Director-ship
Musings on all these themes, and more, are archived on the Cultured Mongrel Dance Theatre blog.