In July 2020, we launched AAPPAC Let’s Talk! – a series of virtual conversations to discuss key topics surrounding COVID-19 and how it has impacted arts organisations within Asia-Pacific and beyond. The series explored the many shifts in resources, business models, mindsets and strategies that were made in response to the pandemic.
Since then, the Let’s Talk! series has evolved to become a regular virtual platform where both members and fellow colleagues in the arts get together to hear from distinguished speakers and panelists discuss about a diverse range of issues in the performing arts. Check out recordings and discussions from our past Let’s Talk! Virtual Conversations below and keep a lookout for upcoming sessions here!
- 2026 - Building & Reimagining - Insights into upgrading & building new performing arts spaces
- 2024 - Embedding Access & Inclusion in the Performing Arts
- 2025 - Digital Transformation in the Arts: What Now?
- 2022 - Future Forward
- 2023 - What is Arts Education?
- 2021 - Digital: Unpacked!
- 2020 - COVID-19 and the Performing Arts
Friday, 28 August 2026
3pm - 4pm (Singapore Time, GMT+8)
Via Microsoft Teams
Register to attend here: https://nam.dcv.ms/IBKIEuTMPy
As performing arts venues around the world evolve to meet changing artistic, audience and operational needs, many organisations are embarking on ambitious new builds, major refurbishments and large-scale upgrades. With millions at stake in these projects - how does one balance competing stakeholder priorities across budget, programme, and design ambition? What ways are there to anticipate risk and challenges over long delivery timelines?
In this AAPPAC Let’s Talk! Fireside Chat, Frank Yeung, Head of Theatre Planning, Performing Arts at West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WestK) and Kenny Wong, Technical Director and Consultant and former Head of Technical Theatre at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay share practical insights, key takeaways and lessons learned from recent venue development projects they have managed. Moderated by Paul Tam, Executive Director, Performing Arts (WestK), these recent case studies will give participants valuable perspectives on planning, design, stakeholder engagement and project delivery that can help inform ongoing and future capital projects across the performing arts sector.
After the Fireside Chat, participants will also hear from WestK’s conference planning team about the exciting programme that will be featured at this year’s AAPPAC Hong Kong Conference from 6 – 9 October.
Find out more about the speakers here.
Let's Talk! 2024 - Embedding Access & Inclusion in the Performing Arts
The performing arts have made significant headway in becoming more inclusive and accessible for its artists and audiences. Venues have undergone massive refurbishment projects to construct more accessible facilities, and many have also introduced a range of access friendly features within their programmes including Sign Language Interpretations, Captioning, Relaxed Performances, Tactile Tours, and more.
As these initiatives start to become a mainstay in our operations and programming, we do need to ask – what impact have we made to the people whom we hope to serve? What are some of the barriers that still exist? What more should we be doing?
This year’s AAPPAC Let’s Talk! Session - Embedding Access & Inclusion in the Performing Arts takes time to reflect on our ongoing journey in building a more equitable performing arts ecosystem for all.
Speakers
- Jodee Mundy OAM (Creative Lead, Alter State / Creative Producer, Access and Inclusion, Arts Centre Melbourne)
- Paul Adams (Access Project Manager, Royal Opera House, London)
- Janette Lin (Sustainable Team Leader, National Theater & Concert Hall, Taipei)
Moderated by Angela Tan (Executive Director, ART:DIS, Singapore)
Let's Talk! 2025: Digital Transformation in the Performing Arts: What Now?
Date: Thu, 31 July 2025
Time: 11am - 12.30pm (Singapore Time GMT+8)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation in performing arts organisations around the world was catalysed by our need to connect, create, and simply survive. Arts centres invested in digital infrastructures and capabilities for online presentations, artists adopted digital tools to create and collaborate, and digital marketing/engagement took a stronghold in our outreach efforts. With live presentations making a full comeback today, what role does digital have in our work as arts centres moving forward? Was the digital revolution merely a stopgap measure? How can we leverage on our new capabilities in technology to enable broader audience engagement, greater operational efficiencies, and artistic innovation?
In this year’s AAPPAC Let’s Talk!– Clarissa Oon (Head, Digital & Content Marketing) at Esplanade –Theatres on the Bay speaks to Brenna Hobson (Director of Programming) and Jade McKellar (Chief Customer Officer) at Sydney Opera House in a Fireside Chat to unpack some of the existing opportunities and challenges arts centres might be facing in their digital journey today, and what strategies to adopt to enable success and relevance in a digital age.
Unconventional Performance Spaces - Why, What, How?
As the way we present work changes alongside our audiences' ever-shifting expectations in the way they want to experience the arts, we need to reconsider how our physical spaces can adapt to these growing needs. Hear from a diverse panel of theatre planners and venue owners on their motivations and processes in creating/designing Unconventional Performance Spaces, as well as the opportunities and challenges that it brings to the table.
Speakers
- James Nowell & Amanda Brecknell (Theatre Consultants) | CharcoalBlue
- Ivan Heng (Founding Artistic Director) | W!ldRice
- Austin Wang (Director) | Taipei Performing Arts Center
- Moderated by Kenny Wong (Head, Technical Production) | Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
2023: What is Arts Education? - Perspectives & Approaches (4 August 2023)
“At a time when challenges related to climate, peace, education and the future of our societies are converging, our need for the power of art – and for it to be made accessible to all through arts education – is stronger than ever” – Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, International Arts Education Week 2022
With the rise of creative economies in an increasingly divided and polarised world, the growing need to build creative capacities, cultural awareness, and mutual appreciation and understanding amongst communities and nations has brought Arts Education to the fore. Driven by a complex ecosystem of artists, educators, policy makers, cultural institutions, and schools, the arts have become both a subject and a tool for learning, extending its value beyond the stages and galleries into classrooms and everyday life. This year’s AAPPAC Let’s Talk! explores the intersections of arts and education and considers the role of the arts centre and the artist in defining and charting the way forward for arts learning and learning through the arts.
Speakers
- Damien Boyle – General Manager of Monash University Performing Arts Centres
- Khairina Khalid – General Manager of Teater Ekamatra
- Raymond Wong – Deputy General Director of National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)
- Moderated by Kenneth Kwok, CEO of Singapore Symphony Group (SSG)
Find out more about the speakers and moderator here: Arts Education - Let's Talk 2023 Infosheet
With the challenges brought about by COVID-19, 2020 has been a transformative year for the performing arts. The sudden widespread adoption of technology in the way we create, produce, and present work has propelled many artists, arts centres and presenters into an unfamiliar digital world. We have had to reconsider notions of liveness, find new ways for artists to continue to present work, adopt strategies and infrastructures incorporating digitalisation, or curate new digital interactions to connect with our audiences and communities on this entirely new stage. Digital: Unpacked! is our series focus for 2021. Over the next few Let’s Talk! Sessions, we will be inviting speakers and panel experts to dive deep into what technology has brought to the performing arts, how it has enabled us and impacted the way we work, connect and collaborate with each other.
Digital: Unpacked! #1 - Past, Present, Future (21 May 2021)
The first session of the series in 2021 brought together artists, arts groups, and performing arts venues and associations who shared their respective experiences, learning lessons and successes in navigating the digital sphere and unpacked what the digital would mean for us and our audiences as we move forward. The Secretariat also shared updates on the current climate for the performing arts in the Asia-Pacific region based on an AAPPAC Survey conducted in late April 2021.
The Panel for the 1st Session included:
1. Charlotte Nors (Managing Director, Singapore Repertory Theatre)
2. Lin Ting-Chun (Programming Director, National Theater & Concert Hall, Taiwan)
3. Katherine Connor (Executive Director, PAC Australia)
The session was moderated by Chng Hak-Peng from the Singapore Symphony Group.
Digital: Unpacked! #2: Creating Eco-systems for Creation & Presentation of Art/Performance with Technology (13 Aug 2021)
Session #2 of our Digital Unpacked! series discussed ways in which artists, arts institutions, technology companies, research partners, and funding bodies can collaborate to enable new ways of creation, presentation and outreach through the incorporation of technologies and digital strategies such as AR/VR, 3D Visualisation, and more. We delved deep into the innovative ways in which technology has changed how we create and engage with our audiences and discussed the challenges it has brought about.
The speakers on this panel include:
1. Kay Poh Gek Vasey (Chief Connecting Officer, The MeshMinds Foundation)
2. Sarah Ellis (Director of Digital Development, Royal Shakespeare Company)
3. Kuo Jian Hong (Artistic Director, The Theatre Practice)
The session was moderated by Faith Tan (Head, Dance and International Development, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay).
Let's Talk! #1 - COVID-19: Impact & Responses of Performing Arts Centres (9 July 2020)
COVID-19: Impact and Responses of Performing Arts Centres This first session aimed to facilitate sharing from arts centres in different regions of Asia-Pacific on how they have been impacted by and responded to COVID-19. Speakers were asked to share how their experiences in the past months have changed/shaped their upcoming festivals and programmes.
Panel speakers included:
1. Austin Wang, Director, Taipei Performing Arts Center
2. Sungwan Steve Song, Director of Music Business, Seoul Arts Center
3. Robbie Macrae, Director, Auckland Live and Auckland Conventions
The session was moderated by Douglas Gautier AM, CEO & Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival Centre and AAPPAC Chairman.
Let's Talk! #2: Role of the Arts & Cultural Centre in Social & Economic Recovery (7 Aug 2020)
What is the Role of the Arts Centre and/or Cultural Institution in Helping Work Our Way to Social and Economic Recovery? (in collaboration with Adelaide Festival Centre)
Speakers on the Panel:
1. Douglas Gautier AM, AAPPAC Chairman, CEO & Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival Centre
2. Ken Hayashi, Deputy of General Manager of Aichi Arts Center
3. Dongjin Yoon, Managing Director of The Bridge Company
4. Chris Millado, Artistic Director of Cultural Centre of the Philippines
Moderated by Yvonne Tham, CEO of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Let's Talk! #3: Adapting Business Models to Address an Evolving New Normal (11 Sep 2020)
Session 3's discussion focused on how arts institutions around the world are adapting their business models to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Our panellists hail from Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America, and work across multiple continents. Their institutions represent diverse business structures: national government institutions, independent non-profits, commercial enterprises, and hybrid models. The session explored how each of these institutions is adapting their business structures, including shifting funding sources, challenges of fundraising during a crisis, the role of boards and governments, and how institutions are leveraging new and existing partnerships – institutional, commercial, creative, and community partnerships etc. – to survive and thrive in this new era.
Speakers on the Panel included:
1. Claire Spencer, CEO, Arts Centre Melbourne
2. KIM Chul-Ho, CEO, National Theater of Korea
3. Alice Feldman, Development Manager, Music Works International
4. Lasit Isarangkura, Director of Office of Performing Arts, Ministry of Culture of Thailand
5. Vilma Jurkute, Director, Alserkal Avenue
Moderated by Duncan Pescod (CEO, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority)
Let's Talk! #4 - Future of Int'l Collaborations and Touring in Performing Arts (30 Oct 2020)
As performing arts venues around the world reopen their doors, welcoming the work of local and homegrown artists back onto their stages, the future of touring and presenting international acts remain challenging yet hopeful. The majority of international borders remain closed but are cautiously opening up as governments around the world continue in their efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safe resumption of economic and leisure activities. Performance venues, promoters, booking agencies and artists are exploring new ways to enable international collaborations, present works and connect to audiences beyond their own borders.
In Session #4 of Let's Talk! AAPPAC Virtual Conversations, key players in the industry would share their experiences, including their successes and challenges in creating meaningful and inventive solutions to connect artists to an international audience and how they have facilitated international collaborations and partnerships while navigating through a complicated maze of travel restrictions, border closures and control measures.
Speakers on the Panel Included:
1. Barbara Scales, Founder & President of Latitude 45 Arts
2. Amy Sakai, Director of International Affairs, New National Tokyo
3. Liao Haoqing, Manager of Programming Department, Shenzhen Concert Hall
4. Joyce Chiou, General & Artistic Director, National Taichung Theater
5. Margaret Yang, CEO of Hong Kong Sinfonietta
Moderated by Liz Hawkins, Director of Programming, Development & Venue Sales, Adelaide Festival Centre