中英表演艺术论坛上海浦西洲际酒店 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum

中英表演艺术产业和教育论坛 2015 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum For Industry and Education

2015 中英表演艺术论坛上海浦西洲际酒店 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum

FORUM REPORT

创建更强的协同效应 Creating Stronger Synergies

该论坛得到中国文化部、中国驻英大使馆、中国上海国际艺术节中心、英国文化、媒体和体育部、英国文化协会的大力支持 China Shanghai International Arts Festival Supported by the Ministry of Culture P R China, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the UK, China Shanghai International Arts Festival, the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sports UK, the British Council, China

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Executive Summary

1. The 2015 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum took place on the 19 October 2015 under the auspices of the 17th China Shanghai International Arts Festival1 (CSIAF).

2. The Forum was co-organised by CSIAF (supported by the Ministry for Culture in Beijing and the Cultural Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in London), and the British Council in China (supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in London).

3. The 2015 Forum programme theme was “Creating Stronger Synergies” with a particular focus on exploring ways to strengthen Sino-UK Performing Arts Collaboration undertaken between arts organisations in both countries.

4. The one-day forum was split into two main parts: the morning looked at learning from past and existing experiences using eight Sino-UK performing arts collaboration case studies; the afternoon focused on future priorities discussed in small groups facilitated jointly by arts leaders from both countries.

5. Senior officials from the UK and the Local Shanghai Government, representing the Ministry of Culture, supported the Forum and its objectives and overall mission to create stronger synergies through their keynote address presentations.

6. Just over 70 invited performing arts leaders and managers attended the Forum. Given the Chinese Presidential State Visit to the UK, which took place at the same time, the participation of Chinese top arts leaders and government officials was excellent.

7. Key lessons and experiences were shared in the main morning session. Fourteen organisations shared their experiences of seven case studies undertaken separately. The case studies were priority self-review SWOT analyses (See Annex 3 for more on the case Study methodology). These were analysed independently2 of the organisations involved and a number of learning points fed back to the collaborating organisations.

1 http://www.artsbird.com/en/enaaf/enafjj/20120606/13530.html 2 By the UK Forum Facilitator, Jannette Cheong and another independent Consultant/Advisor Graham Marchant

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8. The case studies were both an opportunity to value the tremendous range of initiatives being undertaken, as well as to share lessons from these experiences. The idea of using a high priority SWOT analyses as a self-review tool was seen as a development tool. Each case study pair shared their specific learning experiences with the Forum through short presentations. These learning experiences ranged from the positive examples of the strengths, such as:

a. Choosing the right partners to match the scale of the ambition/vision

b. Providing international showcasing and development opportunities and reaching out to new audiences

c. Exploring new ideas for cross-cultural and cross-generational productions

9. They also shared lessons learned from issues or on-going problems, such as:

a. Both parties not fully understanding, appreciating and planning for the size and scale of the collaboration undertaken

b. Communication difficulties and/or the lack of a shared cultural awareness – leading to management difficulties

10. The afternoon discussions produced a number of concrete suggestions and recommendations for arts leaders in both countries to consider in their future work:

a. Consider ways to develop new talent, such as establishing (more) ‘incubation centres’

b. Examine the development of Arts Education as the key to developing audiences and artists of the future

c. Explore the challenges, the importance, and the differences of business and funding models. For example, marketing practice (including the use of social media – which is particularly strong in China) in engaging with potential audiences

d. Ensure government, corporations and civic society recognise that art matters by demonstrating the positive social, cultural and economic benefits.

e. Identify and understand the development needs of Art Centres: the wide stakeholder base that supports them, the organizational and operational structures, capacity and capabilities needed to run and manage them and the development of the artistic vision that drives and leads them

f. Establish the function of technology and how it feeds into the arts: use technology to make better art, and then use technology to sell it once we have it

g. Appreciate how we define and respect Classics. ‘Museumise’ or ‘Modernise’. Treat every classic piece as a new piece of work, and educate

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why a work is a classic by understanding the context for the work – and respect what that ‘context’ provides and means to such work.

11. The 2015 Forum provided reflection on Sino-UK Performing Arts Collaboration, but it was also an important form of Sino-UK Collaboration in itself – a forum where ideas and views on particular issues were prepared, exchanged and debated by key arts leaders and managers who carry the responsibility for nurturing, supporting, developing and delivering performing arts in the two countries. It was recognised that the value and benefit of such a Forum comes only from the quality of the contributions of those who participate and, ultimately, whether the shared lessons and experiences enhance the work undertaken in the real world of performing arts collaboration.

12. Overall, the Forum achieved its main objectives and respected the key principles:

a. Discussions were able to reflect and respect the different cultural values, as well as appreciate the challenges this presented

b. The Forum added value through its sharing of lessons and experience, and through this, new relationships were forged and existing ones strengthened

c. The case studies reviewed enabled a sharing of good practices, which was also continued in the small group discussions

d. The Forum structure allowed everyone to build on their current knowledge of each others countries and be forward-looking to support and search for more sustainable collaboration models and examples

e. And finally, that both the case studies and the discussions attempted to challenge and stretch our thinking regarding the role of the performing arts in strengthening international collaboration and understanding.

13. This report covers an account of the case study experiences, and the output and outcomes from the small group discussions.

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The Forum Report

Introduction

1. The 2015 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum took place on the 19 October 2015 under the auspices of the 17th China Shanghai International Arts Festival3 (CSIAF). The Forum was co-organised by CSIAF (supported by the Cultural Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in London, and the Ministry for Culture in Beijing), and the British Council in China (supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in London).

2. The 2015 Forum programme theme was “Creating Stronger Synergies” with a particular focus on exploring ways to strengthen Sino-UK Performing Arts Collaboration undertaken between arts organisations in both countries and in line with its four broad objectives:

a. To build on existing strong performing arts links between the UK and China

b. To further improve industry and education collaboration

c. To explore ways of ‘growing’ new audiences

d. To consider the influence of performing arts on national and international cultural development.

3. Mr BEI Zhaojian, Deputy Director-General, Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV, and Ms Sarah HEALEY, Director-General, Department for Culture, Media and Sport gave opening addresses and provided a wider policy framework for the Forum. They emphasised the importance of 2015 as an important turning point in strengthening cultural relations and praised the concrete activities already taking place across the arts, and the value and importance of these to both countries in this first UK- China Year of Cultural Exchange4. In addition, it was emphasised that coming together to share ideas boosts our understanding of each other – so that we can base our impressions more on facts and less on out-dated assumptions. The Forum moderator thanked them for their contributions, especially Sarah Healey who travelled out to Shanghai specifically to support the Forum on behalf of the Department for Culture Media and Sport.

4. President ZHANG Zhe, CEO and President of the Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Centre, and Sir Nicholas KENYON, Managing Director of the Barbican Centre in London gave keynote addresses setting out the challenges that we face and

3 http://www.artsbird.com/en/enaaf/enafjj/20120606/13530.html 4 See more on the first UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange at http://www.britishcouncil.cn/en/programmes/arts/2015YOCE

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some of the fundamental questions we would explore through the day, and the key principles that were established for the Forum:

. To respect the cultural values of both countries

. To add value to existing collaboration to support high quality deliverables in the performing arts

. To share good practice in performing arts collaboration

. To build on current knowledge and be forward-looking in order to support longer term and more sustainable collaboration models/examples

. To challenge and stretch not only those who attend the fora, but also current and future thinking regarding the role of the performing arts in strengthening international collaboration and understanding..

5. The speakers praised achievements to date between the two countries and expressed support for the opportunity to have such in-depth discussions on matters important to creating even stronger synergies in the performing arts.

6. The Forum Programme (See Annex 15) explored this in two ways:

a. In the morning, by focusing on the question: ‘Where are we now?’ - learning from past and existing experiences using eight Sino-UK performing arts collaboration case studies6 which included a SWOT analysis process for seven of the eight case studies undertaken prior to the forum, and an independent analysis of the generic lessons drawn from these.

b. In the afternoon, by focusing on the questions of ‘Where are we going?’, ‘How will we get there?’ and ‘How do we know if we have been successful?’ - looking to the future through focused discussion of key topics of interest gathered during the planning period from exploratory meetings in both countries7 and turning these into specific tasks during the three in-depth, small group discussions.

7. Sixty-nine selected performing arts leaders, government officials and arts managers participated in the Forum. (See Annex 2 - List of Participants)

8. The costs of the Forum were shared between CSIAF (main sponsor for accommodation, local transportation, venue, logistics etc.), the British Council, a private sponsor (KT Wong Foundation for a networking lunch) and participating arts organisations (who covered their own international travel costs). The CSIAF led the organization and management of the Forum supported by the UK Forum’s independent consultant and advisor.8

5 Please note that all annexes have been compiled in a separate document /link 6 See the Case Study Section of the main report 7 See list of key questions and tasks 8 Jannette Cheong

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Main Forum Outcomes

The Case Studies

9. Fourteen Chinese and UK arts organisations shared key features9 and their experience of eight specific Sino-UK Performing Arts Collaborations. Seven case studies undertook the priority SWOT analyses (see Annex 3 – The Case Studies).

10. These covered a wide range and variety of Sino-UK related collaborations in the performing arts. The Case Studies were a demonstration and celebration of Sino-UK Performing Arts collaboration – ie working together, creating high quality art, having a strong artistic vision of what is possible, and most importantly for the Forum - learning from this. The cases studies were illustrated examples of:

a. Developing major co-productions in drama and opera - Case Study 1: National Theatre of China and the National Theatre of Great Britain (War Horse), and Case Study 6b: National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Royal Opera House (Andrea Chenier)

b. Developing industry and education partnerships to provide opportunities for new audience development through ‘immersive opera’ in China, and to showcase the training and development of UK young talent - Case Study 2: Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Group and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

c. Supporting the development of new talent in contemporary dance in China - Case Study 3: Tao Dance Company/ Ping Pong Productions and Sadler’s Wells Theatre

d. Exploring co-creation opportunities in non-spoken theatre - Case Study 4: Tianjin People’s Art Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland and Vox Motus (Dragon)

e. Highlighting the importance of festivals to create and develop new audiences and provide opportunities to explore new ways of viewing, appreciating, understanding and creating art – Case Study 5: Shanghai Concert Hall and the Southbank Centre (‘Listen to the 20th Century’, a four-day festival celebrating 20th century classical music)

f. Supporting the need to fill professional training and skills gaps, and provide sustainable capacity and capabilities development in the performing arts industry in China, through high quality continuing and professional development (CPD) training for production, stage and arts management – Case Study 6a: National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Royal Opera House

9 See Case Study Key Features at [insert link]

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g. Industry and education partnership that illustrates the impact of industry-led learning and participation in reaching out to, and educating, audiences of the future – Case Study 7: Scottish Opera and the Confucius Institutes of Scotland (Warriors! project) using opera to introduce the Chinese Language and Culture in 26 regions of Scotland to 121 Schools and almost 10,000 children, whose performances were appreciated by over 17,000 parents and members of families

h. Demonstrating the need for a new approach to the translation of classic works for the theatre through the production of new theatrically viable, audience accessible, actor-friendly translations of Shakespeare’s plays and Chinese Classics – Case Study 8: Greg Doran shared his thoughts and vision on this major initiative as part of his introduction (by video) of this RSC-led, long-term cultural exchange project. (The pilot project is a translation of Henry V and involves the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre). (NB: Introduction only included, as this major initiative is still at an early stage.)

11. The SWOTs were analysed independently10 of the organisations involved, and a number of learning points fed back to the collaborating organisations. This part of the exercise was primarily for the benefit of those involved in the case study – they were undertaken honestly, and principally out of the public glare to optimise benefits.

12. The case studies provided an opportunity to value the tremendous range of initiatives being undertaken as well as to share lessons from these experiences. The idea of using a high priority SWOT analysis as a self-review tool, along with other project evaluation methodologies, to monitor progress and address any on-going matters of interest or concern evidently was seen as a development tool, as each case study pair shared their specific learning experiences with the Forum through short presentations. These included such positive examples of the strengths, as:

a. Choosing the right partners to match the scale of the ambition/vision

b. Providing international showcasing and development opportunities and reaching out to new audiences (including for young professionals and students about to embark on international careers)

c. Exploring new ideas for cross-cultural and cross-generational productions.

13. There were also lessons learned from on-going concerns, such as:

a. Both parties not fully understanding, appreciating and planning for the size and scale of the collaboration undertaken

10 By the UK Forum Facilitator, Jannette Cheong and another independent Consultant/Advisor Graham Marchant

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b. The lack of high quality translation skills on one side (more often the UK side) from the beginning of the collaboration

c. Other communication difficulties and lack of shared cultural awareness – leading to management difficulties.

14. However, it was clear that all case studies had also either found or identified numerous opportunities during the course of the collaboration and there was clear potential for future benefits to be shared – such as embedding skills exchange into the collaboration, and sharing (and better understanding) different and similar cultural values and developing brands and talents together. And, there was an awareness of some of the most critical threats that needed to be considered, such as:

a. Sustainability of the collaboration - maintaining relationships and programmes

b. Maintaining high international quality and standards

c. A lack of continuity - Losing leaders (at all levels) committed to cultural exchange.

15. All the case study representatives were thanked for their generosity of spirit in not only undertaking the exercise, but most importantly for sharing the outcomes of these experiences at the Forum. The exercise allowed others to find out more about on-going projects and initiatives, but also to consider their own experiences and challenges of similar complex collaboration initiatives.

16. These specific lessons shared provided an opportunity to learn from each other in order to support the sectors’ aim of achieving higher quality collaboration in future.

Generic lessons

17. The generic lessons presentation picked out common areas of interest (variety and diversity; common purpose; leadership, management and communications; and time), the importance of vision, quality and trust, and the central elements and relationship between: art, funding and people.

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COMMON VARIETY PURPOSE

LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE, MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION

Variety/diversity a. Performing arts projects are among the most complex of art forms involving a wide range of artists, technicians, leaders and managers. This makes ‘international’ performing arts collaborative projects among the most challenging arts and cultural projects to establish, manage and deliver.

b. Collaboration comes in all shapes and sizes – ‘one size does not fit all’ – and variety (and diversity) is the ‘spice of life’ – the type of initiative and collaboration is limited only by our imagination, creativity and artistic vision (as demonstrated by the small but wide ranging case study selection)

Common purpose c. Identifying a ‘common purpose’ particularly at the beginning provides a sound foundation for a good collaboration and needs to be reflected in the design, planning and implementation (including contractual and financial agreements). A ‘common purpose’ can serve different perspectives, and it can evolve, but the latter may bring additional risks

Leadership, governance, management and communication d. There are cultural differences and practices in leadership, governance, management and communication, and in project management styles (e.g. expectations re lead times, workload management, quality and professional standards to be delivered - to name a few) all of which have an impact on collaboration. For example, such differences may slow the pace of development and delivery; affect day-to-day effectiveness and efficiency and thereby cause organizational or personal strain; or even come close to undermining the initial artistic vision and strategic interests of the collaboration (even when there are Chinese speakers on both sides); and in relation to linguistic challenges – make one party more reactive than the other.

Time e. Having a sense of timing and timeliness is likely to provide the collaboration with a stronger framework for delivery. When is the right time for a project to flourish? If too early, both parties may not be ‘ready’ for the collaborative

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challenge; if too late - both parties may not obtain the full benefit of the collaboration and may not be equally motivated.

f. Timeliness is more effective when considered at the beginning of the collaboration, for example: having the right person, in the right place, at the right time creates least stress. Also, slow reactions or follow through can result in the loss of critical moments and the impact may dissipate because of the length of time taken. And, being ahead of time can be the most challenging, but if successful may have the greatest impact in the development of, for example, new work, new opportunities and new audiences.

g. It is not a perfect science, it is more of an ‘art’ to achieve the balance you need for successful results, especially when there are different cultural expectations of ‘what happens in our time’ and what we mean by ‘time’ and ‘how we use time’ – and everyone is challenged by ‘time travel’ - working at a distance can be enervating and testing for even experienced project managers.

Vision, quality and trust

ARTISTIC VISION & COMMON PURPOSE

TRUST

QUALITY PROFESSIONAL WORK STANDARDS

h. The ‘Art’ (especially implementation of Artistic Vision) – is fundamental

i. There are some astonishing levels of trust underpinning a number, if not most, projects. Without trust, projects do not survive. Generally, trust comes from the belief in the artistic vision of the project, and the quality of work (often previously) delivered as well as the high reputations of the organisations concerned. Trust, without the belief in the artistic vision and building on evidence of past artistic quality, may be misplaced and high risk.

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ART

FUNDING PEOPLE

Art, funding and people j. Without art of the highest quality being supported and enabled, the core purpose is often weak and unable to sustain a long-term future

k. Without appropriate funding it is difficult to achieve that high quality engagement. Project funding estimates need to be sufficient and realistic for collaboration to survive (both fit-for-purpose, and value-for-money). Agreeing the project budget and project costing needs to be part of the contractual agreement at the beginning of the collaboration – no matter how hard it is to come to that agreement.

l. People are fundamental to the success of projects. Without (the right) people (artists, technicians, educators, expert translators, front and back of house leaders and managers, and our audiences), we could never create the great art that is important for culture and societies to not only survive, but thrive... what we do now and in our lifetime is our inheritance – the legacy of our age.. But it is a continuous process and it is also important to remember that people move on, and succession planning (at all levels) and sound processes that support (especially long-term) projects will underpin lasting good working relationships and cultural exchange and also sound project and contract management.

m. Having the right person(s), in the right place(s) at the right time(s) involves careful consideration of the nature of the collaborative challenge and the common purpose, matched to proper planning and appropriate resources (both capacity and capabilities) for high quality project implementation. The challenge (as many have discovered) is to not underestimate what can be achieved, and also what will challenge us, in our quest to achieve that high quality engagement.

n. Three further thoughts:

i. More sustainable benefits and added value can come from, not only good individual relationships, but also finding sound opportunities for strategic organisational, national and international collaboration

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ii. There would be benefit to both countries if more UK Chinese speakers were encouraged into the arts to balance and improve cultural engagement

iii. Regular review of activities (at fixed periods of time determined at the beginning of a project) can provide the professional reflection needed to achieve even better ‘fitness for purpose’ for all collaborations. This will assist, not only, good project management, responsibility and accountability, but also, celebrate the success of what is going well and continually make use of both positive and negative learning from, and about, the collaboration.

The Output and Outcomes of the Small Group Discussions

18. The Forum divided into three small discussion groups for the second half of the day. The Forum size was aimed at around 60 (69 actually attended) to allow for three intensive small group discussions. Senior arts leaders not only contributed to defining the areas of focused interest in the early planning stages of the Forum, they also facilitated the group discussions and reported on the output and outcomes. They praised the quality of the contributions and energetic completion of the focused tasks (See Questions and Tasks: Annex 4). The results (See Annex 5) – were, as a consequence, a focused set of ‘priorities’, possible barriers, possible ways to remove these barriers and success criteria for enhancing Sino-UK Performing Arts Collaboration providing practical and tangible suggestions for the future. The suggestions put forward were:

a. Consider ways to develop new talent, such as establishing (more) ‘incubation centres’ to provide more opportunities for artists ‘to try out their ideas’, ‘to take risks’ and ‘to innovate’ in private, and then, where appropriate, have their work taken out to the public

b. Examine the development of Arts Education in both countries as the key to developing audiences and artists of the future (for example, by undertaking a comparative analysis of each country’s art education delivered in schools and by industry)

c. Explore the challenges, the importance and the differences of business and funding models. For example, marketing practice (including the use of social media – which is particularly strong in China) in engaging with potential audiences to make stronger connections between audiences and artists and art forms (especially the more unfamiliar)

d. Generate new audiences by making art centres welcoming and relevant, ‘don’t pitch a project, pitch an experience’

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e. Make the case to our societies of the power and importance of art. Embed it in our education systems and in our societies and demonstrate the positive social, cultural and economic benefits. Demonstrate this through practical examples such as widening the audience experience in our art centres and clearly identifying and understanding the development needs of Art Centres. In particular, the organisational and operational structures, capacity and capabilities needed to run and manage them (e.g. arts managers, programmers and curators); and the development of the artistic vision that drives and leads them.

f. Establish the function of technology and how it feeds into the arts in both countries and create the format that best allows that function to happen, and helps the content to reach audiences. That is: ‘use technology to make better art, and then also use technology to sell it once we have it.’

g. Appreciate how we define and respect Classics. ‘Museumise’ or ‘Modernise’. Maybe some work is ready for the museum. However, if they are not, let us keep them alive and explore ways to modernise them. Every classic piece was once a new piece of work, we should educate why a work is a classic by understanding the context for the work - so that we can respect what that ‘context’ provides and means to such work.

19. The six facilitators (Group 1: Ms Feng Ying, Mr Alistair Spalding; Group 2: Ms Huang Wenhui, Ms Jude Kelly; Group 3: Professors Han Sheng and Barry Ife); plus President Zhou Yuyuan and Sir Nicholas Kenyon, and finally, Mr Nick Marchand, Director for Arts, the British Council, on behalf of the co-organisers, concluded that the Forum was a rich and rewarding day where people spoke willingly and frankly - putting their ideas forward clearly and forthrightly. It was a great success and planning the structure, activities and questions well-in advance resulted in high quality discussion and outcomes. It is hoped that this will lead to more, higher quality Sino-UK Collaboration in the performing arts using the Year of China-UK Cultural Exchange as a turning point for ‘creating stronger synergies’ between China and the UK in the future.

20. They also offered the following concluding points to add to, and summarise, matters that had come out of the day:

a. That we have to make the case to our societies for the power and importance of art, because we are the people who understand it. We have to embed it in our education systems, in our societies and we have to convince government, corporations and civic society to recognise this. We collectively, globally, as arts leaders, have to take the responsibility to tell others that the arts matter – that is what we are here for. Every session touched on this to a degree, but we have to emphasise that as an arts leader we are the people speaking for our communities

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b. That supporting excellence in all its forms and in as many ways as possible is crucial to the future development of new talent, new work and new audiences. And linked to this, that it is important to create the conditions in which artists can flourish (and fail) in a supportive environment

c. That speed of response, reciprocity and accumulation of marginal gains (small gains that make a larger critical mass) can all contribute to building success

d. That Classics are tested by time, region and history, and it takes time to produce a work of quality, and ‘content innovation’ is what is crucial

e. That learning through co-productions highlights skills deficiencies and provides opportunities for improvement and learning by doing, and producing higher quality productions

f. That audience development is key, but artists should be leading and not following the tastes of audiences (and art managers), but nurturing audiences and managers so that they can experience and present new high quality classics for the future

g. That people, places, funding and education have been central to a lot of the Forum afternoon discussion. We must start with audience development and the need to stretch and lead audiences, by getting them to trust us, and what we offer. We need to consider what ‘Art Centres’ should be today – not places where only the privileged can enter (as they were in the past) but today they should be open, welcoming spaces where participation in the arts is crucial and valued.

h. That the building of a ‘brand’ must be ‘expectation driven’ and clear. Audiences deserve absolute clarity about what they can expect from us.

i. That concerning funding support systems – we should recognize that there is a different balance of ecology between our two countries in certain areas of the funding system (e.g. government and private) and we must learn more about these differences

j. That education in the broadest sense, including the wide range of professional skills (e.g. programming, marketing, production and technical skills) are needed to connect the artist to the audience and to make the journey the most effective. And the most important of all we must focus on - education and creative learning - so that we can unlock young people’s creativity which is the first step in demonstrating to them what we can achieve

k. That the case studies were a fascinating reminder to us of the wonderful diversity of work undertaken between our two countries from pure presentation to cultural exchange; adaptation into a different culture; co- production and co-creation. All in all, they were a fascinating spectrum in terms of collaboration possible and the subsequent exchange and collaboration challenges

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l. That there are a lot of brilliant people in the world creating art, seeing art, promoting art, selling art and funding art and we need to get behind them so that everyone really shares the belief that art can change their lives.

21. In one sense the 2015 Forum was like a mirror – reflecting on what is happening in terms of Sino-UK Performing Arts Collaboration, but it could also be seen as an important form of Sino-UK Collaboration in itself – a forum ‘where ideas and views on particular issues can be exchanged and debated’ by key leaders who carry the responsibility for nurturing, supporting, developing and delivering performing arts in the two countries. The value and benefit of such a Forum comes from the quality of the contributions of those who research, plan, participate and deliver the content, and subsequently whether those contributions can enhance their work, and the work of others, engaged in performing arts collaborations.

22. Finally, the Forum thanked both co-organising organisations the CSIAF, especially Ms Wang Jun, Mr Frank Chen, Ms Sun Zhengzhen, Ms Ling Mao, Mr Tori YU and its many volunteers, and the British Council - especially Mr Nick Marchand and all the staff from the British Council who attended and supported the Forum and the Independent Consultant/Advisor, Ms Jannette Cheong, for their hard work in making the 2015 Forum a success.

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Annex 1 FORUM PROGRAMME

09.00 - 09.20 Arrival / Registration (Tea) (Level 1, Diamond Hall)

09.20 - 09.30 Welcome – Forum Moderator CHEN Xuan Catherine J. WANG, President, the Centre for China Shanghai International Arts Festival (on behalf of the 2015 Forum Co-Organisers) 09.30 - 11.50 FOCUS: Where are we now?

09.30 – 10.00 SESSION 1: PLENARY (Level 1, Diamond Hall)

Key policy and practice priorities and developments for the performing arts for China and the UK

Opening address: ▪ BEI Zhaojian, Deputy Director-General, Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, Film and TV ▪ Sarah HEALEY, Director-General, Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Keynote Speakers: ▪ ZHANG Zhe, CEO and President, Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Centre ▪ Sir Nicholas KENYON, Managing Director, The Barbican Centre, London

10.00 - 11.50 SESSION 2: PLENARY

What have we learned from the case studies of existing Sino-UK collaborations?

Case Study Presentations: (10 mins each case study) ▪ Key representatives for the Case Studies present lessons learned from: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

CHINA UK 1 ZHOU Yuyuan, President, National Martin PRENDERGAST, Director of

Theatre, China Communications, National Theatre of Great Britain 2 Emilie WANG, Public Relations Professor Barry IFE, Principal, Director, Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Guildhall School of Music and Drama Group

3 Alison M Friedman, Director of Ping Alistair SPALDING, CEO/Artistic Pong Productions/ Agent for TAO Director, Sadler’s Wells Dance Theatre 4 LI Dong, Producer, and GUO Yan, Neil MURRAY, Executive Producer, Executive Producer, on behalf of National Theatre of Scotland; Vox

Tianjin People’s Art Theatre Motus) 5 FANG Jing, Vice-General Manager, Jude KELLY, Artistic Director, Shanghai Concert Hall Southbank Centre

6 LI Qi, Director for Human Resources, Alex BEARD, Chief Excutive, Royal National Centre for the Performing Opera House Arts 7 Jannette CHEONG, (on behalf of) Scottish Opera/Confucius Institutes of

Scotland – Learning and Participation Initiative – Chinese Language and Culture (5mins) 8 Gregory DORAN, Artistic Director (by Video) and Pippa HILL, Literary Manager, Royal Shakespeare Company: RSC long-term China-UK strategy, including theatrically viable, actor-friendly, audience accessible translations of Shakespeare’s plays and Chinese Classics (5mins)

▪ Summary of a number of generic lessons – Jannette CHEONG, Independent Consultant Advisor ▪ Q & A and briefing for the afternoon

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12.00 - 13.30 LUNCH

FOCUS: Where are we going? What will prevent us from getting there? How do we know if we have been successful?

13.30 – 16.00 SESSION 3: SMALL GROUP WORK (Level 2, Carol Hall – 1,2,3)

Three Groups (see Group Lists) will work on focused questions and tasks

related to Forum key questions (see detailed questions and tasks for small group work)

Group One

. How can future high quality and innovation be ensured? . What funding, business and entrepreneur models work well?

Facilitators: FENG Ying, Director, Central National Ballet of China Alistair SPALDING, CEO & Artistic Director, Sadler’s Well Theatre Rapporteur: Martin PRENDERGAST, Director of Communications, National Theatre of Great Britain

Group Two

. What more can we do to generate new audiences? . What skills and capacities are needed to design and manage new art centres efficiently and effectively

Facilitators: HUANG Wenhui, Head of Department for International Arts Exchange, National Centre for the Performing Arts Jude KELLY, Artistic Director, Southbank Centre Rapporteur: Emilie WANG, Public Relations Director, Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Group

Group Three

. Are we maximising the use of technology, and opportunities for cross- discipline work, in cultivating and engaging new audiences? . How can we encourage the creation of new high quality content and also respect and redefine classical forms?

Facilitators: Professor HAN Sheng, Shanghai Academy for the Dramatic Arts Professor Barry IFE, Principal, Guildhall School of Music & Drama Rapporteur: Neil MURRAY, Executive Producer, National Theatre, Scotland

16.00 - 17.10 SESSION 4: Groups feed back to the Plenary (Level 1, Diamond Hall)

▪ Group rapporteurs feedback key points from the small group discussions (10mins each group).

▪ Facilitated discussion with the Expert Panel of Group Facilitators

17.10 - 18.00 SESSION 5: CONCLUDING SESSION (Level 1, Diamond Hall)

▪ Concluding Remarks on Forum discussions (President ZHOU

Yuyuan, Sir Nicholas KENYON) ▪ Closing Remarks – Nick MARCHAND, Director for Arts, British Council, China, on behalf of the 2015 Forum Co-Organisers.

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Annex 2

FORUM LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

ORGANISATION NAME

China Shanghai International Arts Festival Catherine J WANG (Forum Co-organiser)

Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio, BEI Zhaojian (Keynote Address) Film and TV (On behalf of the Ministry of Culture)

Department for Culture, Media and Sport Sarah HEALEY (Keynote Address)

Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Group ZHANG Zhe (Keynote Speaker)

Barbican Centre Sir Nicholas KENYON (Keynote Speaker)

National Ballet of China FENG Ying (Group 1: Facilitator)

Sadler’s Wells Theatre Alistair SPALDING (Group 1: Facilitator)

National Theatre for Great Britain Martin PRENDERGAST (Group 1: Rapporteur)

Beijing Dance Theater WANG Yuanyuan

British Council CHENG Zhihong

Jin Xing Modern Dance Company Heiz-Gerd OIDTERMANN

K T Wong Foundation Mike GRIFFITHS

National Theatre of China ZHOU Yuyuan

National Theatre of China LI Dong

National Theatre of China LI Congzhou

National Theatre of China WANG Qiuyun

Performance Infinity Joanna DONG

Ping Pong Productions/Tao Dance Theater Alison M FRIEDMAN

Shanghai Ballet XIN Lili

Shanghai Media Group ZHANG Yi

Xinghai Concert Hall of Guangdong Province YING Liu

Yunnan Yang Liping Arts Limited WANG Yanwu

Southbank Centre Jude KELLY (Group 2: Facilitator)

National Centre for the Performing Arts HUANG Wenhui (Group 2: Facilitator)

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Shanghai Grand Theatre Arts Group Emilie WANG (Group 2: Rapporteur)

Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center LI Jing

British Council Nick MARCHAND

British Council Chloe LI

Chongqing Performing Arts Group CO. LTD AI Yingqiu

Henan Art Center Co.Ltd LIU Xiuhua

International Artist Managers' Association (IAMA) Atholl SWAINSTON-HARRISON

Jinhui Communication (Shanghai) Co. LTD SUN Xuchun

K T Wong Foundation ZHANG Yu

Kaifeng Foundation CHEN Huiqin

National Centre for the Performing Arts GAO Ruixue

Neil O’Brien Entertainment, David SHEPHERD

Royal Opera House Alex BEARD

Shanghai Mahua Fun Age Production Co. Ltd WANG Haigang

Shanghai Concert Hall FANG Jing

Shanghai Cultural Square ZHANG Jie

Shanghai Opera House FAN Jiangping

Shanghai Opera House WU Jie

Shanghai Theatre Academy HAN Sheng (Group 3: Facilitator)

Guildhall School of Music and Drama Barry IFE (Group 3: Facilitator)

National Theatre, Scotland Neil MURRAY (Group 3: Rapporteur)

Royal Shakespeare Company Pippa HILL

Neil O’Brien Entertainment Beth MORTON

National Theatre Scotland WENG Shihui

Independent Consultant/Advisor Jannette CHEONG

British Council LIU Shengnan

Beijing Dance Theater Jane CHEN

China Shanghai International Arts Festival YANG Jing

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Edinburgh Fringe Showcase Crystal DENG

Kaifeng Foundation WANG Xin

Nian Theatre, Shanghai HE Nian

Dragon Executive Producer GUO Yan

National Centre for the Performing Arts LI Qi

National Centre for the Performing Arts WANG Xue

Seven Ages SHA Qing

Shanghai Concert Hall SHEN Yanshu

Soul Shine Arts & Culture Group Angel XI

Shenzhen Concert Hall Executive Director GUO Xiaolan

Sino-US Performing Arts Organization Crystal YAN

China Media Capital WANG Qingyuan

Sinostars Media (Beijing) Co.,Ltd. Ronald YU

Shanghai Children's Art Theatre WEI Xue

Sino Arts & Culture Communication Kelly ZHOU

Guangdong Wuji Cultural Co.,LtD LIN Zinan Green Mountain Creative Int. Kailan LUCAS

Kaixinmahua (Shanghai) Cultural Communication BO Yi

China Welfare Institute Public Affairs Development & Elsie CUI Research Department

Shanghai Opera House Amy ZHANG

21 中英表演艺术产业和教育论坛 2015 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum For Industry and Education

Annex 3 2015 FORUM CASE STUDIES

Focus Collaborating Partners Type of Collaboration China UK 1 Drama National Theatre National Theatre of Co-production/JT project: War of China Great Britain Horse, NT Live

2 Industry Shanghai Grand Guildhall School of Opera Connect - Immersive and Theatre (Buick Music and Drama opera Education Theatre)

3 Dance Tao Dance Sadler’s Wells Development of new art and Company / Ping work Pong Productions

4 Drama Tianjin People’s National Theatre Co-production: Dragon Art Theatre Scotland, Vox Motus

5 Festival Shanghai Concert Southbank Centre Music and History Festival) Hall 6 Opera National Centre Royal Opera House Training and Co-production: for the Performing Andrea Chenier Arts

7 Learning / Confucius Warriors! The Emperor’s Participati Institutes of Scottish Opera Incredible Army (2015) on Scotland (CISS) Introducing Chinese Culture to (Chinese Expert 121 Scottish Schools Partners)

8 Translatio (Pilot) Shanghai Royal Shakespeare Theatrically viable, actor-friendly, n Dramatic Arts Company audience accessible translations Centre, Fudan of Shakespeare’s plays and University Chinese Classics

NB: Case Study 7 is a collaborative project about China; Case Study 8 began its pilot phase in July 2015 and did not include a SWOT analysis

Inputs:  Partners’ time to undertake a separate Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) priorities analysis (using a common template).

 Facilitator’s time to facilitate SWOT analysis exercise throughout 2015

Processes:  Key case studies identified – primarily steering group members (identification completed end Jan 2015)

22 中英表演艺术产业和教育论坛 2015 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum For Industry and Education

 SWOT analyses undertaken separately (by both Chinese and British partners involved in the case studies, i.e. independent of one another).

 Two independent Consultants analysed the two SWOTs (for every case study) and put together a number of Learning Points. Partners reviewed and confirmed that they are content with the analysis of the SWOTs and that the key learning points for the collaboration can be referred to at the 2015 October Forum

Outputs:  A considered self-reviewed SWOT of the collaborative programme that informs future work

 An independent analysis of SWOTs and learning points to help strengthen future collaboration, reviewed and agreed by the partners concerned

 An independent analysis of generic lessons learned from the case studies shared at the 2015 Forum to assist future Sino-UK Collaborations

Outcomes/ benefits:  Both partners have engaged in a self-review process that enables them to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to their collaboration

 The results of the self-review process will have helped both partners to focus on their development needs to help strengthen the collaboration and/or clarify matters that may be causing difficulties both during the self-review and after

 The self-review and identification of development needs can be used to develop or strengthen future implementation strategies/plans (either/both for the collaboration project and for the individual partners own internationalisation plans/strategies)

 The process of self-review should identify areas of the collaboration that should be regularly evaluated and monitored thereby contributing to improved collaboration, project monitoring and management

 The sharing of lessons learned at the Forum benefits others and ultimately strengthens the respective performing arts sectors.

23 中英表演艺术产业和教育论坛 2015 Sino-UK Performing Arts Forum For Industry and Education

Case Study 1: National Theatre of China and National Theatre of Great Britain