Webinar Recap: Strategic Partnerships in Chicago – Lyric Opera and The Joffrey Ballet
February 10 (Replay at end of page)
This week we were fortunate to host leaders from two of the country’s leading performing arts institutions, who have developed a mutually beneficial partnership over the past two years: Lyric Opera of Chicago and Joffrey Ballet. In our conversation, we learned how their collaboration came to be, the various opportunities and challenges they found in building their relationship, and advice for arts organizations considering similar initiatives.
Beginning the Partnership
To start, we asked each member of our panel to describe how the working relationship between Lyric Opera and Joffrey Ballet came to life. Anthony Freud explained how, when he first arrived in Chicago as General Director ten years ago, Lyric did not have this idea of collaboration in its “DNA” as an arts organization. With a goal of collaborating with as many Chicago organizations as possible and a familiarity with Ashley Wheater’s work at Joffrey Ballet, Anthony set up a meeting where the two leaders brainstormed about a collaboration in an opera where dance and song carry equal importance. The perfect production for this project was Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, which Lyric produced and which featured The Joffrey, directed, choreographed and designed by John Neumeier, the legendary director of the Hamburg Ballet, who originated from the Midwest and whose dancing career began at Lyric. This artistic project led to discussions about a wide-ranging collaboration.
Ashley echoed the positive experience of producing Orphée et Eurydice, emphasizing the beauty of bringing various artistic disciplines to the stage. In particular, he was motivated to create something very specific to the Lyric Opera and Joffrey Ballet communities, and to Chicago as a whole. Neumeier was the perfect choice to create a unique vision for this work.
Drew Landmesser of Lyric Opera shed some light on the more logistical aspects of continuing the partnership after the Orphée et Eurydice production, which involved both companies sharing use of the theater space at the opera house for performances. Some of the trickier areas to navigate were organizing a mutually beneficial performance schedule and negotiating contracts for The Joffrey using the Lyric Opera Orchestra for its performances.. Fortunately, the two organizations were coming together out of the desire to collaborate, rather than a necessity to do so — a mindset which made these challenges surmountable.
Finally, Greg Cameron of Joffrey Ballet described an even earlier instance of collaboration between the two organizations, which set a strong foundation for their current partnership. When the NFL draft came to town right as Joffrey was in need of space to perform their large-scale Cinderella, Lyric Opera offered their well-equipped theater. Though Joffrey eventually found a way to use their originally planned space, the conversation with Lyric Opera afforded the boards and staff of both organizations the opportunity to get to know each other. This led to a discussion around what a partnership might look like. Once certain logistics were agreed upon (such as Joffrey Ballet being able to perform The Nutcracker annually), the two companies signed a seven-year license agreement. For Greg, it was important in a successful partnership that both organizations “lead with mission,” which he believes to be very true for both Lyric Opera and Joffrey Ballet.
The Partnership Sharing Agreement
Drew walked us through the details of the agreement, specifically around which operational aspects beyond the stage the two organizations share. While the collaboration started primarily as a rental of theater space, the leaders soon saw potential for much more. Now, Joffrey Ballet also is able to use the Lyric Opera’s rehearsal rooms, and, in using the stage, have access to high quality rigging and lighting systems that will enhance their performances. The two companies are also now combined within one Tessitura system. Overall, these elements serve both the staff and artists of the two organizations, as well as heightening the audience experience.
Getting Board Support
Anthony explained that both organizations had a combination of key challenges and opportunities that made this type of partnership possible — and attractive to both boards. The opera world as a whole has experienced a decline in ticket sales over the past several years; for Lyric Opera, leaders took this challenge as an opportunity to add ballet performances into a season that may previously have been too crowded for regular incoming seasons of ballet. The company owning its own building provided additional flexibility in terms of business and artistic planning. Finally, there was some overlap in board members between the two organizations, which meant a strong sense of alignment between boards.
“The more info you give your board the more on-board they are.”
At The Joffrey Ballet, Ashley recounted, there were many advantageous aspects of this partnership to present to the board. The use of Lyric Opera’s state-of-the-art facilities and ability to bring audiences even more of what they wanted to see through the combined schedules were both very exciting. What was most important for securing board approval was to be upfront about these benefits and transparent about any potential challenges — as Ashley said, “the more info you give your board the more on-board they are.”
Working Together
Greg emphasized how the experience of working with Lyric Opera has been overwhelmingly positive. Like Anthony, he mentioned that they only considered this partnership when they were ready, financially and artistically. From there, it was the alignment in philosophies of the two companies that solidified the collaboration. “We have led both institutions with a commitment to growth and transformation, with a spirit of trust and transparency,” he explained, which he has found to be an energizing experience. It also aligned well with their home city of Chicago, which Greg described as a place where the mentality is: “we get more done because we work together.”
Both Ashley and Anthony emphasized the importance of trust in continuing to work together — especially through the pandemic. In fact, having a strong partner has been a huge benefit during this challenging time, when being able to work through unknowns as a team is so valuable. The struggles these organizations have faced together have only strengthened their relationship. This is in no small part thanks to the foundation they built together from the start; as Anthony emphasized: “a relationship can only develop if there is mutual respect and mutual admiration... from day one.”
Surprises Throughout The Process
We asked our guests if they encountered anything unexpected while collaborating. Drew walked us through the iterations they went through to determine a schedule that would work well for both companies. Rather than the European approach, where ballet and opera alternate night by night, they elected to take the more American approach of mounting two full operas, followed by one ballet, and so forth. Summer would then be the time for technical rehearsals. While this made the most sense from a business and logistical standpoint, it left the organizations with a tight schedule. The pandemic has been an opportunity to revisit calendars and see where a less rigid approach may be more mutually beneficial.
All four leaders agreed that having a live performance under their belts will help them determine the changes needed — but even then, a degree of fluidity will be required.
Looking Forward
On the topic of ideas for how the collaboration between Lyric Opera and Joffrey Ballet might expand or change in the future, there was no shortage of creative ideas. Greg sees a lot of potential in the areas of education and community engagement, as both companies are dedicated to sustaining the cultural richness of Chicago and have dedicated training academies already. He also acknowledged the opportunities present in developing joint subscription packages and combined fundraising efforts, especially with some of the crossover support they have already begun to see in donations during this time.
Anthony had a similarly wide-ranging vision for the future of this partnership. As he stated, “I think like all the best relationships, the relationship between Lyric Opera and Joffrey Ballet is intended to be long term — and for it to be long term it has to be evolving, developing, changing constantly.” Being open to learning new lessons from their experiences will be key to keeping the collaboration strong for the years to come.
Final Words Of Advice
To close our webinar, we asked each of our guests to provide a few words of advice to any arts leader who might be considering this type of partnership.
Drew shared that, while a collaboration of this magnitude can be challenging, it is possible with complete honesty from day one.
Greg recommended being honestly open to new ideas and risk-taking. In the past eleven months of uncertainty, arts leaders have had to learn a lot about working without a game plan. Take some of those learnings and translate them into ways to support your artists.
Ashley quoted architect Daniel Burnham: “make no little plans.” He described how Orphée et Eurydice galvanized Chicago and their audiences, acting as a beautiful starting point for the rest of the partnership. Trust, open communication, and honesty about your ideas will help a collaboration go far.
Anthony agreed with his colleagues, and added that there has never been a more appropriate moment to explore these types of partnerships than now. The pandemic has turned our world upside down and we will need to explore the post-COVID world together. Having a partner in this new world will allow you to dream big.
Learn more about the partnership in this interview with the organizations’ board chairs
The Lyric Opera of Chicago and Joffrey Ballet co-production of Orphée et Eurydice is currently streaming on PBS’ “Great Performances.”
