You’re tuning in to Episode 3 of Live Fridays: Behind the Creative Curtain!

In this episode, we sit down with Cathy Loblaw (CEO of Harbourfront Centre) and Weyni Mengesha (Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre) to explore what it truly takes to lead and transform an arts organisation in today’s world.

We dive into their early journeys at Harbourfront Centre and Soulpepper, their philosophies on providing stability as leaders, and how they each navigate criticism while staying true to their values. Cathy and Weyni discuss the balance between community impact and organisational sustainability, how to modernise without losing artistic tradition, and why listening to your audience is essential for long-term success.

The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by female leaders, red flags in arts organisations, the universal traits shared by great arts leaders, and how to maintain originality while still attracting new audiences.

Massive thank you to the University of Toronto Scarborough, ACSMA, Capture Club, and the I.D.E.A.S. Committee for making this show possible!

Thank you to Cathy and Weyni for joining us for Episode 3. Follow their work below:

Cathy Loblaw

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-loblaw-6aa19a44

https://harbourfrontcentre.com/about-us/

https://www.instagram.com/harbourfrontcentre

Weyni Mengesha & Soulpepper Theatre

https://www.weynimengesha.com/

https://www.instagram.com/weynimengesha/

soulpepper.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulpeppertheatre/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soulpepper-theatre-company/

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Introduction

1:30 Cathy Loblaw Spotlight

7:30 Weyni Mengesha Spotlight

11:50 Starting out with Harbourfront & Soulpepper

14:55 Providing Stability as a Leader

20:10 Dealing With Criticism

25:00 Instil your Ideology

28:00 Balancing Community Impact With the Rest

33:00 Modernising Without Losing Tradition

37:00 Listening to your Audience

40:45 Biggest Mistakes They've Made

44:30 Audience Q&A

45:00 Red Flags in Arts Organisations

46:20 Challenges as Female Leaders

47:00 Gaging Future Success

54:00 Universal Traits in Arts Leaders

57:30 Standing Out as an Arts Organisation

1:01:45 Maintaining Originality Whilst Pulling in Audiences

1:06:25 Key Takeaways

1:07:05 Outro

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