ARTS. WORK. LIFE.

by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals

Performing artists and arts workers are essential, and more than ever, it's important that the world understand what it's like to work in the performing arts. Hear the bold, untold personal stories on workplace and work culture from behind the scenes. Produced by APAP and made possible with support from the Wallace Foundation.

Podcast episodes

  • Season 4

  • 13! Thirteen more days to submit your story.

    Trailer

    13! Thirteen more days to submit your story.

    Trailer

    Learn about how to submit a great story, and hear from past storytellers, by watching our recent webinar: https://youtu.be/eZ7a55-slLw?si=VvihOVwjV0W3bxQ6&t=12 Calling all performing arts workers! Submit your bold, untold, personal story for season four at apap365.org/podcast FINAL deadline is April 10th. If your story is selected, you’ll work with a podcast team to bring your story to life and receive a $200 honorarium. ARTS. WORK. LIFE. is produced by APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) with support from The Wallace Foundation.

  • Season four needs you!

    Trailer

    Season four needs you!

    Trailer

    Calling all performing arts workers! Submit your bold, untold, personal story for season four at apap365.org/podcast Priority deadline is March 20th. If your story is selected, you’ll work with a podcast team to bring your story to life and receive a $200 honorarium. ARTS. WORK. LIFE. is produced by APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals) with support from The Wallace Foundation.

  • Season 3

  • Second Acts

    Second Acts

    Sometimes, we have to give up one dream and find another, providing an opportunity for growth and discovery. The finale of season three features stories about the power of community from a high school teacher learning from her students, an executive challenged to remake her life, an opera singer realizing that the seeds she planted long ago have suddenly bloomed, and an Indian classical dancer who achieves a milestone for her community. Intro: “Shine” with Anna Woods, former drama theater and theater director for Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose, California. Act One: “A Path Through The Dark” with Lisa Hilas, president and director of Onstage Vacaville in Vacaville, California. Act Two: “A Full-Circle Moment” with Ersian Francois, an opera singer, producer and arts administrator in Washington, D.C. Act Three: “Finding Your Footing” with Rukhmani Mehta, co-artistic director of Leela Dance Collective in Los Angeles, California. You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-3-episode-6/ Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

  • My Story To Tell

    My Story To Tell

    Finding your voice is hard, but summoning the courage to use it can change your life and the lives of those around you. Whether it’s helping others recover, how advocating for yourself becomes advocating for those like you, or re-claiming a harmful narrative, episode five brings three powerful stories from arts workers who use their stories to help others heal, grow, and learn. Intro: “Harnessing Healing” with Payton Rhyan, a theater administrator and full time masters student in Performing Arts Administration at New York University. Act One: “Leaps and Bounds” with Tristan Grannum, the Director of Community Engagement and Rehearsal Director for Brooklyn Ballet in Brooklyn, New York. Act Two: “Strings Attached” with Sheila Gaskins, a teaching artist and puppeteer from Baltimore, Maryland. You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-3-episode-5/ Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit

  • Through The Looking Glass

    Through The Looking Glass

    Often, our sense of self can feel rigid. Like who we see in the mirror is who we’ll always be. But how we see ourselves is changeable, and sometimes a dramatic event shakes our self image to the core. Including stories from an artist who had to re-evaluate her career through her mother’s eyes and a dancer whose life was turned head-over-heels, episode four highlights significant changes in our perceptions of ourselves and how we fit into the world. Intro: “This or That” with Chloë Zimberg, a dancer and creative director of ODC Theater in San Francisco, California. Act One: “Parallel Tracks” with Heidi Latsky, a dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Heidi Latsky Dance in New York City. Act Two: “Striking A Chord” with Azadi Amaan, a pianist and composer in Shelton, Washington. Act Three: “Body Signals” with Maura García, a dancer and choreographer living on the homelands of the Tāp Pīlam Coahuiltecan Nation in Texas. You can find a full transcript and more on APAP’s website: https://apap365.org/podcast/arts-work-life-podcast-season-3-episode-4/ Are you a performing arts worker with a story to tell? Submit it here: https://bit.ly/AWLpodsubmit