The Nuts and Bolts of Being a Performing Artist
A crash course in running a successful and sustainable business as a performing artist.

Taught by performing artist and educator Seth Lepore

Do you have a show that is performance-ready but you don’t know what the next steps are? Have you ever thought about touring a performance but the logistics seem just too daunting? Do you shiver when you think of your art as a brand? Does the marketing of your art feel too overwhelming to even start? Do you wonder why you didn’t learn any of the business skills that it takes to be a full time performing artist in school?

Join performer, educator and constantly touring artist Seth Lepore for an intensive workshop on the Nuts & Bolts of Being a Performing Artist, covering essential topics like self-producing, insurance, networking protocol, fiscal sponsorship, presenting organizations, grants and funding. Based in Western Massachusetts, Lepore tours his solo theater shows across the country on a variety of different performing arts circuits.

All too often students graduate from BFA and MFA programs in performance with absolutely no business skills under their belt. This crash course goes over the building blocks of running a successful and sustainable business as a performing artist. As a working artist with a background in arts administration, Lepore uses a creative yet pragmatic approach that serves both right and left brain thinkers alike. Participants will have the opportunity to network with other artists and develop marketing pitches that stray from feeling “selly”.

“You don’t need to fall on your face through a long process of trial and error.”, Lepore says. “I want to help performing artists in the dance, theater and music fields from making uninformed mistakes and wasting their most valuable resource: their time.”

This one day workshop is perfect for BA and MFA students in the performing arts (music, dance and theatre) as well as professional artists who are looking to expand their business skill set. Participants walk away with key information, implementable tools, time-saving resources and a set of new colleagues that they can network with to build a proper foundation to be a working artist.

“Seth draws from a wealth of knowledge in a humorous, accessible way. He is able to address the unique fears and stigmas associated with being “an artist” by offering tangible, effective strategies, and he does this in an encouraging yet realistic manner using up-to-date information to help students successfully navigate the world of the arts.” - Sarah Steward, Career and Community Engagement, Naropa University

“I can honestly express that I learned more about creating a sustainable artistic business during Seth’s seven-hour workshop than I did during six years of graduate study... I do believe that Seth’s workshop (or extended seminar) should be offered in all M.A. and Ph.D. programs in performance studies.

Seth’s approachable demeanor and fun attitude make his work seem effortless, whereas the contents of his workshop explicitly communicate the opposite. Thus, students are… uplifted by Seth’s spirit and the optimism and possibility he transmits.” -Nico Wood, Ph. D candidate, Southern Illinois University

“Seth brings the same incisive wit and observation to his teaching that he brings to his monologues, articulating best practices from his own experiences, but also leaving room for further discussion, other tactics and new approaches. Part of the value of this course lies in the hard-won knowledge and experience that Seth imparts, but also in the affirmation that it is indeed possible, with work and planning, to get out on the road and make a go of it.” - Carl Atiya Swanson, Director of Movement Building at Springboard for the Arts, St. Paul, MN

“[Seth] always understood one of the strangest aspects of what we do: that there’s no such thing as a business decision that isn’t also a creative decision, and vice versa… this is one of the best crash courses you could find.” - Womb With a View blog, Twin Cities Daily Planet