Association of Performing Arts Professionals

Association of Performing Arts Professionals
Name	Association of Performing Arts Professionals
Abbreviation	APAP
Type	Trade association
Founded	1957
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	International
Leader title	President and CEO

Association of Performing Arts Professionals is a leading membership organization serving performing arts professionals and institutions across the United States and internationally. It convenes presenters, producers, agents, artists, festivals, and funders to advance touring, presenting, and professional development in theater, dance, music, and interdisciplinary performance. The organization operates within a network that includes major cultural institutions, philanthropic foundations, and professional associations.

History

The organization's origins trace to mid-20th century touring and presenting networks that connected venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Sydney Opera House with companies like New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Royal Ballet, Ballets Russes, and Bolshoi Ballet. Early collaboration involved presenters affiliated with League of American Orchestras, America for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Over decades the association adapted to shifts that included influences from festivals such as Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Spoleto Festival USA, Auckland Arts Festival, and Festival d'Avignon, and partnerships with agencies like CAA, William Morris Agency, IMG Artists, and International Society for the Performing Arts. The group evolved through periods marked by touring milestones linked to ensembles such as Joffrey Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Mark Morris Dance Group, and composers associated with Gustavo Dudamel and Simon Rattle.

Mission and Activities

The association's mission centers on strengthening presenting and touring ecosystems that include venues like Apollo Theater, Blue Note Jazz Club, Tanglewood, and institutions such as Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Hall, and San Francisco Jazz Center. It engages with artist-led organizations such as The Wooster Group, Punchdrunk, Complicite, Cirque du Soleil, and DV8 Physical Theatre, and collaborates with cultural policy bodies like UNESCO, Council of Europe, Americans for the Arts, and Institute of International Education. Activities intersect with funders and award programs such as the MacArthur Fellows Program, Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, Grammy Awards, Obie Awards, and Southbank Centre initiatives.

Membership and Governance

Members include presenters from venues like Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, Berkeley, and Yale School of Drama; producing entities such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Roundabout Theatre Company, National Theatre (London), and American Repertory Theater; and artist representatives from firms like Bridgetown Arts, Opus 3 Artists, Arts Management Group, and The Syndicate. The board and committees draw leaders with experience at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Theatre, Sydney Opera House Trust, Broadway League, Royal Opera House, and DeVos Institute of Arts Management. Governance practices reflect standards common to organizations like Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, and Charity Navigator.

Programs and Services

Core services include professional development, market facilitation, and resources comparable to offerings by TDF, New Music USA, Dance/USA, Theatre Communications Group, National Performance Network, and Creative Capital. Programs support artistic exchange with partners such as Asia Society, British Council, Goethe-Institut, Instituto Cervantes, Japan Foundation, and Institut Français. Services include career programs connected to institutions like Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Royal Conservatory of Music, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama and business resources similar to Harvard Business School executive education models.

Conferences and Events

Signature events emulate marketplaces and convenings like South by Southwest, BAM Next Wave Festival, Festival of New American Music, Edinburgh International Festival, BAM, and Lincoln Center Festival. The organization's annual conference attracts presenters, artists, managers, and funders from venues and organizations including Arena Stage, Public Theater, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Shakespeare in the Park, Guthrie Theater, and Steinway Hall. Special initiatives have partnered with networks such as International Society for the Performing Arts, ASSITEJ International, European Festivals Association, and APAP-like marketplace models.

Advocacy and Policy Work

The association advocates on issues affecting presenters and touring with stakeholders like National Endowment for the Arts, Congressional Arts Caucus, State Arts Agencies, Americans for the Arts Action Fund, UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, and philanthropic bodies including Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Policy work addresses visa and mobility matters alongside agencies such as U.S. Department of State, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and international frameworks like WIPO and Berne Convention contexts. Advocacy campaigns have intersected with unions and guilds including Actors' Equity Association, American Federation of Musicians, SAG-AFTRA, and AFTRA.

Impact and Recognition

The organization's impact is visible through strengthened touring networks linking venues from Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall to regional houses like Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and Miller Theatre. Recognition comes from collaborations and acknowledgments by entities such as National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, MAP Fund, Pratt Institute, Smithsonian Institution, and grantmakers like Open Society Foundations. Alumni and members have influenced recipients of awards including the MacArthur Fellows Program, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Tony Award for Best Musical, Grammy Awards, and Kennedy Center Honors.

Category:Performing arts organizations Category:Arts organizations based in New York City