#Economic thought for every daylife series

#Economic thought for every daylife series

In this exclusive series of interviews, we speak to six world experts on theatre and performance. So what is the true relationship of theatre and performance to human society? This picture of economic impact and significance is the same in country after country, around the world- and doesn’t even begin to include the intangible- the social capital brought to communities as a result of the existence of arts. Alongside this, Americans for the Arts also showed that the arts and cultural industries support over 5.4 million jobs in the US alone. The US Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that 3.2 percent of US GDP ( around US$ 504 billion) is attributable to arts and culture (compared with the entire US travel and tourism industry, which accounts for 2.8 percent of GDP). Theatre and performing arts are also hugely important to economies and communities. When you listen to Mozart with other people, you feel that somehow- we’re all in this together….” ( Thought Economics, March 2013)

We have this sense to participate and organise- Music lets you rediscover your humanity, and your connection to humanity. Speaking on music, Hans Zimmer said, “ …If you go to any rave, or any football event, you will find people chanting in a rhythm- human beings do that. The more courageous we are, the more we succeed in explaining what we know.” ( Thought Economics, October 2012). There’s something, which impels us to show our inner-souls. Not just how tall we are, or thin… but who we are internally… perhaps even spiritually. Speaking on literature, Maya Angelou said “ We write for the same reason that we walk, talk, climb mountains or swim the oceans- because we can… We have some impulse within us that makes us want to explain ourselves to other human beings… That’s why we paint, that’s why we dare to love someone- because we have the impulse to explain who we are. This view of life in context of creative culture is shared across the arts. The beautiful paradox however, is that in life we are simultaneously the central-actor of our own narrative alongside being the support for hundreds of other stories, and the spectator of millions- perhaps billions more. The intervening period- regardless of its length- is a series of scenes where the protagonist ( as self) plays the lead in a tale of joy, tragedy, comedy, farce and errors. There is not one of us on this planet who hasn’t captivated an audience as a baby with our gurgles, squeaks and steps nor is there one of us who will fail to move an audience when our shell plays the central role at the spectacle of our own funerals. We discuss the role of theatre and performance in culture, look at the secrets of the performing arts and discuss the future of theatre in the modern world. Sir Howard Panter ( Founder of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd, Chairman of Rambert Dance Company), Gilles Ste-Croix ( co-founder of Cirque du Soleil), Joanna Read ( Principal of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – LAMDA), James Houghton ( Director of the Drama Division of The Juilliard School, and Director of New York’s Signature Theatre Company), Tamara Rojo ( English National Ballet Artistic Director and Lead Principal Dancer) and Darcey Bussell ( President of the Royal Academy of Dance). In this exclusive series of interviews, we speak to six world experts on theatre and performance.