A Roadmap to Managing the Performing Arts

By Laura Colby

Based on 30+ years of experience in artist management, this book is a savvy collection of advice, learnings, and practical resources for successfully working in performing arts management.

Many arts management books focus on hypotheticals and conceptual situations--so what's a burgeoning artist manager to do when things get real? This book serves as the practical guide to build a meaningful and sustainable career in arts management, including basic building blocks of the field, along with many skills and guiding principles that have proven successful during economic downturns, industry shifts, and completely unexpected events. Filled with tools and templates, the book defines crucial aspects of arts management, such as equitable contracting, artist agreements, and fee structures. It also provides insight for filing visas to bring international artists into the United States, and peers into the future of the performing arts to assess current power structures in the field to reach toward equity in each and every role.

With this book, new and aspiring arts managers and administrators will gain a real-world education and long-lasting inspiration as they develop their careers and come to understand how the performing arts touring world really works.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1041219873
• ISBN13: 9781041219873
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 172 Pages