One of the challenges we observe in many arts organizations is the disconnection and misalignment of the artistic, nonprofit management and board cultures and practices. In resolving this, we assert that the artistic process needs to inform all aspects of an arts organization’s operation and culture – and we mean that quite literally. A great example of this is The Flea Theater.

Jim Simpson, founding Artistic Director, claims that the Flea was formed out of the artistic impulse to create “a joyful hell in a small space.” Jim believes that off-off Broadway theatre should be a constant irritant, like fleas on a dog; thus the name. Their resident acting company, The Bats, is an intense training and performing company that performs extended runs of classic and new plays and supports all the visiting artists at the Flea. A core value reflected in the way The Bats work is Jim’s belief in collaboration and ensemble support, not only in performance but in every aspect of an actor’s involvement in the theater, on stage and off.

The Flea’s Producing Director Carol Ostrow shares Jim’s core values and has created the Flea’s administrative CAT, or Collaborative Action Team. The CAT, consistent with the artistic commitment to collaboration and ensemble, is based on a delegation of individual authority and collaborative responsibility within operating and strategic areas (e.g. audience relations, fundraising and development, etc.). Each CAT member takes authority and responsibility for the area he/she leads and knows to draw upon and support other team members and The Bats as needed.

Knowing that future theatre leadership will come from the ranks of The Bats and the CAT, Jim and Carol agree that both artists and administrators of the Flea experience the same discipline and culture on stage and in the office as a matter of practice, not just theory.