STAF’s Creative Director/CEO & Dr Amitabh Rai of the School of Business and Management at Queen Mary University of London, talk to Prof Pascale Aebischer at Pandemic and Beyond about PLD.
Performing Leadership Differently (PLD) was a participatory action research project investigating racial inequality and class privilege in theatre and performance. Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it explored alternative leadership models and talent pathways for working-class, Black and people of colour creatives and arts administrators.
The research was led by Dr Amit Rai at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), working with Dr Will Essilfie. Something To Aim For (STAF) was the project’s key engagement partner, providing production, engagement and specialist support.
Key findings
The findings were organised around three connected themes:
Exclusion
The research uncovered the unjust and unequal treatment of Black, working-class and people of colour creatives in the arts sector. It found that multicultural schemes and policies could become little more than lip service, tick-box exercises or crisis management when underlying structures remained unchanged.
Access to knowledge, organisational know-how, funding and professional networks could all reproduce exclusion. This could lead to tokenism and leave Black, people of colour and working-class creatives under-supported within the sector.
Resistance
Participants shared forms of resistance relating to leadership, representation, mentorship, resource-sharing and whistleblowing.
The research identified approaches to leadership in which power was shared rather than held by one individual. Mentorship provided knowledge, advice, empathy and solidarity, while organising and resource-sharing helped people build networks and develop alternative ways of working.
Radical care
The findings presented radical care as a form of resistance and an essential condition for sustainable change. They highlighted the importance of care infrastructures, attention to wellbeing and protection against burnout.
The research also recognised the value of knowledge gained through lived experience and informal practice. Having time and space to “dream and imagine” enabled participants to reflect, recuperate and consider other possibilities for the sector.
Funded by UKRI - Arts and Humanities Research Council and the School of Business and Management, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
Winner of QMUL’s Impact Award for Excellence in Research.