- All staff - PAC Australia

Audiences - a national convening
by Katherine Connor March 13, 2026

March 13, 2026

Hi team, Further to my references in the teams meeting earlier this week about the audience project Amy Maiden and I have been developing, I’m happy to confirm that Creative Australia has agreed to fund it! Off the back of the work we did with Amy with her keynote and workshop at APAX, originally the project was designed as an Audience Summit (an evolution and more urgent conversation than the previous CA Marketing Summits) – as Amy and I interrogated the problem more deeply, we came to a place where a “whole of sector” gathering to discuss the problem of audiences wasn’t going to move us meaningfully forward, so instead have landed on a series of roundtables to be delivered to bring together strategically-minded thinkers to develop a plan for what WILL move us meaningfully forward. (us = sector, government, audiences, etc) Much of this is based on the need to re-centre audiences – or as Amy puts it “audience-centric thinking”. I’m providing some background detail below for everyone’s information. At this stage, I don’t expect there to be a draw on the team’s time in the planning of this – outside of some comms and a few forms! – but I wanted to let you all know what’s happening. We are still a couple of weeks away from announcing this work to the membership and broader sector, so please keep on a close hold for now. There’s no obligation to read the below in full or digest this information; I’m sharing for anyone who is interested in this other work PAC is doing. Audiences are likely to be a key part of our next Strategic Plan and I will be referencing a lot of this work in the upcoming “advocacy roadshow” trip to start shifting the focus equally towards “demand” as much as it currently focusses on “supply” in the eyes of government/funders. Look forward to sharing updates with the team as they come in. If you have capacity and would like to be more deeply involved in this work, let me know. Thanks Katherine Background and context Australia’s arts and culture sector is experiencing a period of significant transition. Audience behaviours have shifted rapidly, participation levels are under pressure across many artforms, and the skills required to build and sustain audiences have changed materially. At the same time, the sector is facing a quiet but growing workforce challenge. Marketing and audience development talent is leaving the industry, capability gaps are widening, and many organisations are struggling to respond to change with limited resources, fragmented data, and inconsistent support structures. Despite widespread recognition that audiences are central to sustainability, growth, and relevance, the sector lacks a shared understanding of: * What is actually driving audience disengagement * Where the greatest structural and capability challenges sit * What forms of intervention would genuinely help at both strategic and operational levels. Before investing in new programs, frameworks, or national initiatives, there is a need for the sector to pause and collectively interrogate the problem. Purpose of convening This initiative proposes a deliberate national convening of arts and culture leaders to have an honest, informed conversation about audiences. The purpose is not to prescribe solutions, but to: * Create a shared diagnosis of the current audience challenge * Surface lived experience from across the sector * Test assumptions about what support, investment, or structural change would be most valuable * Build alignment and momentum for whatever comes next The outcomes of the convening will be shaped by the conversation itself. Why now Audience decline, and workforce attrition are structural challenges, not temporary disruptions. Without a shared understanding of the problem, the sector risks continuing to invest in fragmented, well-intentioned activity that does not deliver impact. This convening represents a considered first step: to listen, to align, and to determine what will genuinely support a sustainable, audience-centred future for Australian arts and culture. What this convening is (and is not) This is not a conference, training program, or policy announcement. * There are no pre-determined outcomes * There is no assumption of sector consensus * There is no commitment to a specific post-event initiative. Instead, this is a facilitated, conversation designed to support depth, candour, and practical insight. It recognises that the most effective next steps cannot be designed in isolation, but must emerge from collective understanding and sector buy-in. Possible next steps Any outcomes or follow-on activity will be determined by the participants. Depending on what emerges, next steps could include: * Ongoing mechanisms for sector connection and knowledge-sharing * New approaches to professional development or capability building * Shared research, tools, or infrastructure * A longer-term pathway toward national alignment on audience strategy These possibilities are indicative only and not commitments. However, it is an intention that the key insights would be shared with industry. Key themes The convening will span both strategic leadership perspectives, and operational realities. Topics would be built around 5 strategic pillars: 1. The Evolving Audience Landscape How are long‑term shifts in public expectations, cultural participation and community identity creating new challenges and misalignments for artistic, organisational and audience planning? 2. Sector Capacity and System Barriers What structural constraints (financial, workforce, governance, technological) limit organisations’ ability to respond to changing audience behaviours, and where is adaptation most urgently needed? How could economies of scale and/or sector collaboration support this? 3. Redefining Audience Development for the Next Decade How should the sector collectively reimagine “audience development” to encompass relevance, inclusion, participation, digital engagement and long‑term value creation? 4. Workforce Sustainability and Capability Gaps What is driving the loss of marketing and audience professionals, and what capabilities and conditions are required to sustain and grow a skilled workforce? 5. National Levers, Shared Learning and Strategic Coordination What interventions (national strategy, shared infrastructure, capability building, research and cross‑sector learning) would make the greatest impact, and how should they be structured? Format Phase 1: Roundtables 4 x day long, roundtable conversations - - a cohort will be invited from across the sector, with an emphasis on diversity of role, scale, geography, and artform. Participant numbers will be intentionally limited to approximately 15 per session support productive conversation. Notes from these sessions will be kept, distilled into key insights and opportunities and used to inform the following sessions. After all roundtables, a phase 1 report will be tabled with key stake holders, the key insights of which will be stress tested in phase 2. Phase 2: Cross-Cohort Synthesis (Online – approx. 2 hours) * A facilitated digital session bringing all cohorts together to: * Share key insights from each room * Identify alignment and friction points * Agree on 3–5 sector-wide priorities * Determine next steps or action pathways A full report and recommendations will then be shared with participants and stakeholders. Identifying the cohorts A select group of participants will be approached directly, while the remaining cohort will be confirmed through an open Expressions of Interest process. Applicants will be asked to supply information in that process: * About you: Your role, organisation, and how your work intersects with audience strategy or organisational planning. * Top strategic challenges: The three most significant barriers to growing, diversifying or sustaining audiences. * High‑impact opportunities: The three most valuable opportunities, innovations or system‑level shifts that could strengthen audience development. * Your contribution: The expertise, perspective or experience you would bring to the convening. * Your motivation: Why you want to participate and what outcomes would be most valuable for your organisation. Participants will be highly curated and EOIs will be reviewed by PAC, Amy Maiden and two representatives from Creative Australia. END Katherine Connor (she/her) Executive Director | PAC Australia | +61 (0) 419 428 412 | paca.org.au<http://www.paca.org.au/> [cid:image001.gif@01DCB2F6.EA89F180]<https://apax.org.au/> [A red circle with a white letter f in it Description automatically generated]<https://www.facebook.com/pacaustralia> [signature_2482306534] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/performing-arts-connections-australia> [signature_1587814422] <https://apaca.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=17268242394b2278ede3a3716&id…> [signature_883882369] <https://paca.org.au/members/login.php> [signature_249193979] <https://paca.org.au/resources/touringcharter/> I acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, on whose land I live and work, and pay respects to their Elders past and present. If this email arrives in your inbox out of hours, I don’t expect you to read, action or reply to it outside of your working hours.

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Today's fave article
by Katherine Connor March 13, 2026

March 13, 2026

Loved this: https://www.americantheatre.org/2026/03/09/operationalizing-the-art-of-care… Katherine Connor (she/her) Executive Director | PAC Australia | +61 (0) 419 428 412 | paca.org.au<http://www.paca.org.au/> [cid:image001.gif@01DCB1F9.9BDCBCA0]<https://apax.org.au/> [A red circle with a white letter f in it Description automatically generated]<https://www.facebook.com/pacaustralia> [signature_2482306534] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/performing-arts-connections-australia> [signature_1587814422] <https://apaca.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=17268242394b2278ede3a3716&id…> [signature_883882369] <https://paca.org.au/members/login.php> [signature_249193979] <https://paca.org.au/resources/touringcharter/> I acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, on whose land I live and work, and pay respects to their Elders past and present. If this email arrives in your inbox out of hours, I don't expect you to read, action or reply to it outside of your working hours.

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New Privacy Policy
by Katherine Connor March 13, 2026

March 13, 2026

Hi all, As discussed in the Team Meeting, attached is the approved new Privacy Policy. Also saved in Core-Policies and Procedures (can't link using the allstaff@ask email address!) @Claire Holland<mailto:claire@paca.org.au> can you please update the Privacy Policy page on the PAC Australia website with this new content and supply the link to everyone when done, so wherever updates are necessary the team can simply use that link for other purposes e.g. linking in application forms, etc. We discussed ensuring the following are updated: * Forms * Links in Mailchimp footers * Websites/various * Registration platform/s Anywhere else people are aware this will need to be updated/included? Thanks everyone, Katherine Katherine Connor (she/her) Executive Director | PAC Australia | +61 (0) 419 428 412 | paca.org.au<http://www.paca.org.au/> [A red circle with a white letter f in it Description automatically generated]<https://www.facebook.com/pacaustralia> [signature_2482306534] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/performing-arts-connections-australia> [signature_1587814422] <https://apaca.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=17268242394b2278ede3a3716&id…> [signature_883882369] <https://paca.org.au/members/login.php> [signature_249193979] <https://paca.org.au/resources/touringcharter/> I acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, on whose land I live and work, and pay respects to their Elders past and present. If this email arrives in your inbox out of hours, I don't expect you to read, action or reply to it outside of your working hours.

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APAX Team Meeting
by Samantha Hortin March 12, 2026

March 12, 2026

Hey team, APAX team meeting minutes here: [https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/assets/fluentui-resources/1.1.0/app-min/assets/item-types/24/docx.png]APAX Meeting Minutes – 12 March 2026.docx<https://apacaperth.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/APAX/IQDaK_RCjUjzSqfZAvffXWWEAfP_8m…> Kind regards, Samantha Hortin (she/her) Administration Coordinator | PAC Australia | (08) 9221 8992 | paca.org.au<https://paca.org.au/> Boorloo / Perth GMT+8 [cid:7157133d-556c-4399-b362-7ffef1e9d6b3] I gratefully acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, on whose lands I live and work, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. If this email arrives in your inbox out of hours, I don’t expect you to read, action or reply to it outside of your working hours.

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New Email Signature
by Claire Holland March 12, 2026

March 12, 2026

Hi All Please find attached and linked here<https://apacaperth.sharepoint.com/:i:/s/PACAustraliaCore/IQAsqov0GVHzQ43rQe…> new email signature post APAM. The image should be hyperlinked to: https://apax.org.au/ If everyone could please update as soon as is possible that would be greatly appreciated. Please find mine below as an example – please note that formatting wise it should be around the same width as the end of the PAC Australia phone number and no longer/larger. I am relinking email signature guidelines here<https://apacaperth.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/PACAustraliaCore/IQAMcA3tzDK9RYTO0P…>. Thanks, Claire Holland (she/her) Marketing and Communications Lead | PAC Australia | (08) 9221 8992 | paca.org.au<https://paca.org.au/> Meanjin / Brisbane GMT+10 [cid:image001.gif@01DCACA2.B5FBF4E0]<https://apax.org.au/> I gratefully acknowledge the Jagera and Turrbal people, on whose lands I live and work, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. If this email arrives in your inbox out of hours, I don’t expect you to read, action or reply to it outside of your working hours.

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Timothee Chalamet - value and perception of Ballet and Opera
by Katherine Connor March 12, 2026

March 12, 2026

Hi guys, For anyone following along with the Timothee Chalamet story about Opera and Ballet, two really good reads in the attached. Conscious that the SMH article is behind a paywall - if you don't have an Age, Brisbane Times, or SMH subscription you'll only be able to read it if you haven't already used your free articles for the week, so have cheekily copied the text below. Timothée Chalamet says nobody cares about opera. Opera Australia would like to thank him [Alex Budd] Alex Budd<https://www.smh.com.au/by/alex-budd-p538ln>Opera Australia CEO I'd like to thank Timothée Chalamet. It's the least I can do. In a recent interview, the Oscar nominee suggested that opera and ballet are art forms people are trying to "keep alive even though nobody cares about them any more<https://www.msn.com/en-au/music/news/opera-and-ballet-worlds-clap-back-at-t…>". It was quite the achievement. In a single sentence, he managed to do what our marketing team spends weeks trying to achieve: getting the world talking about opera. Opera, after all, has been pronounced dead so often it should qualify for frequent-flyer points to the underworld. And yet the corpse keeps selling tickets. Across Europe alone, more than 13 million people attend opera each year, filling tens of thousands of performances. Opera Australia has more than a million tickets on sale this year - with many performances already sold out. A curious way for society to show a complete lack of care for an art form. The deeper misunderstanding, though, is not about numbers. It is about relevance. Opera survives because it tells uncomfortable truths about human behaviour, and often the parts we would rather not talk about. Take the works in our current season at Sydney Opera House. Madama Butterfly tells the story of a 15-year-old girl, underage by any modern standard, drawn into an arranged marriage before being exploited and abandoned by a visiting naval officer. Hansel and Gretel is essentially a warning to children about the predatory nature of strangers offering sweets. Turandot is a brutal study of power, trauma and the dangerous mechanics of desire. Eugene Onegin explores male pride so fragile it leads to a pointless duel and needless death. If these plots dropped on Netflix tomorrow, they would be praised as fearless explorations of exploitation, youth suicide, violence, ego and the wreckage human beings leave in each other's lives. Later this year, with our friends at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre - another organisation that appears to care about opera - we premiere George Palmer and Leah Purcell's The Drover's Wife<https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/opera-australia/2026-season/drovers-wife>, a major operatic adaptation of Purcell's extraordinary retelling of Henry Lawson's story. It is bold First Nations storytelling confronting colonial violence, survival and the Australian frontier with the heightened emotion only opera can deliver. Hardly the work of an art form clinging nervously to the past. This week Opera Australia announced the appointment of Amy Lane as director of opera, part of a new generation of creative leaders shaping where the art form goes next. Artists like Lane are redefining how opera looks, whom it speaks to and how boldly it engages with the world around it. With leaders like her stepping forward, the future of opera should impress not only Chalamet, but quite possibly his children and grandchildren. Which brings me to the more interesting part of this conversation. Chalamet is just 30 years old and recently declared he would not want to work in opera. That's perfectly understandable. Operatic performance requires years of specialist training, extraordinary musicianship and a level of discipline that makes many creative pursuits look like a casual hobby. But we are not suggesting he should sing. We are inviting him to attend. At 30, he qualifies for Opera Australia's under-35s program, a small conspiracy (or special access) designed to introduce the next generation to opera. His generation. The one increasingly filling our theatres, often arriving curious and leaving converted. So, to say thank you to Mr Chalamet, when he next finds himself in Australia, there is a standing invitation for him and a mate to join us at the Sydney Opera House, that rather famous little building on the harbour he may have seen in photographs. Come sit in a theatre full of strangers while a story about love, pride, power and regret unfolds on stage with an orchestra beneath it. He suggested nobody cares about opera. We suspect he might be surprised. That is, of course, if there are any tickets left.

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FW: Immigration lawyer contact?
by Katherine Connor March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026

Random q from Circa below - anyone have any leads? Katherine Connor | Executive Director | PAC Australia | +61 (0) 419 428 412 | paca.org.au<http://www.paca.org.au/> From: Danielle Kellie <dan(a)circa.org.au> Sent: Tuesday, 10 March 2026 2:33 PM To: Katherine Connor <katherine(a)paca.org.au> Cc: Elanor Nunn <elanor(a)circa.org.au> Subject: Immigration lawyer contact? Hello! Quick question - Do you know of any immigration lawyers who have experience with getting longer working visas/residency for circus trainers rather than performers? My colleague Elanor is having lots of fun trying to find information. Thanks, Dan Danielle Kellie (she/her) Circa Executive Producer / Chief Operating Officer Circus that moves the world. Quality. Audacity. Humanity. e dan(a)circa.org.au<mailto:dan@circa.org.au> w circa.org.au<http://www.circa.org.au/> m +61 417 713 942<tel:+61417713942> Meanjin/Brisbane: GMT + 10 Circa is based in Meanjin (Brisbane) on the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal people. We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the many lands on which we create and perform. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

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Team Meeting
by Samantha Hortin March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026

Hey team, Meeting Notes linked here: PAC Australia Core Notebook<https://apacaperth.sharepoint.com/:o:/s/PACAustraliaCore/IgB8tjSxyg-WRY4oyb…> Kind regards, Samantha Hortin (she/her) Administration Coordinator | PAC Australia | (08) 9221 8992 | paca.org.au<https://paca.org.au/> Boorloo / Perth GMT+8 [cid:c525618e-08f3-4ec7-8c3c-a7e3204fb191] <https://apax.org.au/> I gratefully acknowledge the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation, on whose lands I live and work, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. If this email arrives in your inbox out of hours, I don’t expect you to read, action or reply to it outside of your working hours.

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FW: Embargoed - Black Swan update
by Katherine Connor March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026

FYI Katherine Connor | Executive Director | PAC Australia | +61 (0) 419 428 412 | paca.org.au<http://www.paca.org.au/> From: Ian Booth <i.booth(a)blackswantheatre.com.au> Sent: Tuesday, 10 March 2026 2:18 PM Cc: Ian Booth <i.booth(a)blackswantheatre.com.au> Subject: Embargoed - Black Swan update Hi all, hope you are going well. In Black Swan news: – our Artistic Director Kate Champion will be stepping down from her role when her contract comes to an end at the end of the year, after what has been a wonderful time for Black Swan, and me personally. Kate will be programming 2027, and we will start an executive search process soon. Please see the press release attached. We will be sending out the press release late today, and would be grateful if you would keep it in confidence as we contact stakeholders today. Best IB Ian Booth CEO [Black Swan Facebook Page]<https://www.facebook.com/BlackSwanStateTheatreCompany> [LinkedIn]<https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-swan-state-theatre-company/> [YouTube]<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZR3aiBPtPyunEgT00oTTMg> [Instagram]<https://www.instagram.com/blackswanstc/> [cid:image807255.jpg@49BE13B1.DBB76608]<https://blackswantheatre.com.au/> E: i.booth(a)blackswantheatre.com.au<mailto:i.booth@blackswantheatre.com.au> T: 08 6212 9300 M: 0401 429 713<tel:0401%20429%20713> W: www.blackswantheatre.com.au<http://www.blackswantheatre.com.au/> Office: Ground Floor, 176 William Street, Perth WA 6000 Workshop: 5 Yelland Way, Bassendean WA 6054 [cid:image114949.png@F3B570D6.8F24969D]<https://blackswantheatre.com.au/season-2026/meow-meows-the-red-shoes> I pay my respects to the Traditional Custodians across the lands we work and live and acknowledge their Elders past and present. A typical ream of paper takes about 60 litres of water to make. By printing less you’re playing your part to help the environment.

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Missing credit card receipts - please save promptly
by Lynda de Koning March 10, 2026

March 10, 2026

Good morning everyone, A gentle request to please make sure you save any credit card receipts with codes in sharepoint as soon as you've made the payment please. Each month there are a number of missing receipts that Sam has to follow up, and that hold up the monthly financial reporting. The current list is saved here, and Sam will be chasing today. [https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/assets/fluentui-resources/1.1.0/app-min/assets/item-types/24_1.5x/xlsx.png]Feb Missing Credit Card receipts - at 10.2.26.xlsx<https://apacaperth.sharepoint.com/:x:/s/PACAustraliaCore/IQAaYqJZgWT5R7LpbQ…> Can you please check the list and/or make sure you've saved any charges - there are a number of quite pricey payments without receipts. If you need any assistance with how to save receipts, happy to walk you through it, just reach out. Finance folder: [https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/assets/fluentui-resources/1.1.0/app-min/assets/item-types/24_1.5x/folder.png]2025 - 2026<https://apacaperth.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/PACAustraliaCore/IgDx_KydE3kxTLbihF…> Codes: [https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/assets/fluentui-resources/1.1.0/app-min/assets/item-types/24_1.5x/xlsx.png]Job, Income and Expense Codes CURRENT JULY 2023.xlsx<https://apacaperth.sharepoint.com/:x:/s/PACAustraliaCore/IQBAdK33XTwhWFeo-X…> Receipt filename format: Job Code - Account # - Company Name Many thanks, Lynda Lynda de Koning (she/her) General Manager | PAC Australia | +61 (0) 438 860 020 | paca.org.au<https://paca.org.au/> Peramangk / South Australia GMT +9.5 [cid:18555311-4b56-4b8d-aa7b-254aff4d4b02]<https://apax.org.au/> I gratefully acknowledge the Peramangk people, on whose lands I live and work, and recognise their continuing connection to Country. I pay my respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders passed and present. Always was, always will be. If this email arrives in your inbox out of hours, I don’t expect you to read, action or reply to it outside of your working hours.

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