Curtains Up on the Real Villain: Why the System is Broken and What the Arts Actually Need

published on 02 December 2025

When we set out to create our PSA, “It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way™,” we wanted to confront a truth rarely spoken aloud in theater, and in so many workplaces beyond it.aw

Too often, blame gets cast like a bad script:

  • Leadership not caring enough.
  • Artists being “difficult.”
  • Boards being out of touch.
  • Administrators, board members, whole organizations called out as the source of the problem.

But the spotlight is pointing in the wrong direction. What our PSA reveals (and what those of us inside these spaces know deep down) is that the real villain isn’t any one person, group, or organization. It’s the broken system we’re all forced to perform and survive within.

Our intention -- on stage, on screen, and in every conversation stemming from this video -- is to break that cycle of blame and finger-pointing. To show that the exhausted artist, the overwhelmed leader, the supportive funder, and the board member who loves the magic, all are doing their best inside a system built on scarcity, burnout, and impossible trade-offs.

No one sets out to be the villain in their own story. But the system keeps pushing us into impossible roles.

And if we want a creative industry, and a culture, that’s sustainable for everyone, we cannot keep just funding what’s visible under the lights.

This article, and our PSA, is for anyone who cares about the future of the arts: artists, leaders, board members, funders, policymakers, and audiences. Whether you work in the industry, support it, or are simply moved by what you see on stage, you have a role in shaping a creative culture that truly serves us all.

We have to admit: The system is the villain. And we must fund an overhaul so it’s possible for people to truly live and thrive inside it.

The Numbers Don't Lie (And They're Devastating)

Let me be clear about what "broken" actually looks like:

44% of performing arts freelancers earn less than the living wage -- and that number jumps to 47% for women, 49% for Asian workers, and 55% for workers with disabilities. In New York City, 57% of artists made under $25,000 last year, and 81% of them were trying to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world on household incomes of just $20,000.

Let that sink in. These are household incomes. Not individual. Household.

Meanwhile, 32% of performing arts workers say over half their hours are unpaid. And when they do get paid? The median? Around $40,000 annually, while the average single adult in America needs $57,000 just for basic survival.

But here's where it gets worse: 70% of creative professionals experienced burnout in the past year. Among musicians, 57% have had suicidal thoughts. 93% of UK crew members have witnessed or experienced workplace misconduct. And 4 out of 5 theater workers have considered quitting.

This isn't sustainability. This is a slow-motion collapse.

We Keep Funding the Curtain, Not the People Behind It

Here's the truth no one wants to say out loud: Funders love what they see on stage. Boards applaud the magic. Audiences leave inspired.

And then they go home. And the artists? They go to their second job. Or their third. They juggle childcare with no support. They work through panic attacks because "the show must go on." They stay silent because speaking up means you're "not committed" or "difficult to work with."

We've been funding productions. We've been funding buildings. We've been funding galas and donor dinners and beautiful season brochures.

But we haven't been funding the humans.

And now? Foundation funding dropped 25% in 2024, falling below pre-pandemic levels. The Trump administration has rescinded over $27 million in NEA grants, leaving organizations scrambling after they'd already spent the money. State-level arts funding is down 10%. Corporate giving? Plummeting.

The money that was there, the money that was never enough to begin with, is disappearing. And we're still asking people to "do more with less," to be "grateful for the opportunity," to keep the magic alive while they're breaking.

And now, there’s another crisis looming. We’re not just seeing grant cuts and shrinking corporate budgets: the very era of “megadonors” is ending. Two of the world’s leading arts funders just passed away. According to the New York Times, there’s no new generation stepping up at the same scale, and individual donations to arts institutions fell by more than 30% just last year. The gap isn’t being filled; it’s widening.

What does this mean? We can’t count on a handful of philanthropists to rescue us. The “hero benefactor” model is as unsustainable as the rest of our broken system. Without structural change, the very foundation of arts funding is dissolving beneath us.

The Real Crisis? We're Losing Voices We Can't Afford to Lose

This isn't just about theater. This is about who gets to tell our stories.

When only the wealthy can afford to stay in the arts, we don't just lose talent. We lose entire perspectives. Entire communities. Entire truths.

And here's the most dangerous part: we've confused passion with exploitation. We say, "You're lucky to do what you love," as if love pays rent. As if love covers medical bills. As if love is a substitute for dignity.

It's not.

The U.S. arts and culture sector contributes $1.2 trillion to our economy, supporting over 5.4 million jobs. But its power is much more than numbers: it nurtures empathy, democracy, creativity, and critical thinking -- the invisible infrastructure that holds society together.

When creative professionals leave the field, it doesn’t just impact theaters or museums as institutions. Entire communities lose jobs, revenue, and local culture. Every lost artist or staff member means a neighborhood business, restaurant, or retail shop loses income. When arts workers are ground into dust, communities lose vibrancy, identity, and the sense of possibility the arts uniquely provide.

What We Actually Need to Fund

As much as I love a good arts party, we don't need another gala. We don't need another "innovative pilot program" that pays poverty wages with a shiny title.

We need a systemic overhaul. And we need to fund it like we mean it.

But let’s be honest: the onus cannot be on the people inside a broken system to fix it, or to carry the consequences for its failures. Artists, leaders, and staff have already given everything just to keep the doors open and the lights on. Telling those who are most stretched to also become the revolutionaries misses the point and only compounds their exhaustion.

What we need now is for those with real influence to step up: funders, policymakers, board members, and cultural decision-makers. If you’re in a position to write the checks, set the budgets, approve the grants, or shape policies, then this is your invitation. The structure of the system is yours to change.

Here's what that looks like:

1. Living wages for ALL theater workers — no exceptions, no unpaid hours. We have to demand funding models that cover humanity, not make leaders choose which essential need to ignore.

2. Leadership development that equips people to actually lead. Directors and managers are handed conflict, trauma, and impossible logistics with zero training. Leadership can’t be a solo act, and yet the system too often treats it as one. (That's why we built STAGES™.)

3. Funders and policymakers who support sustainable, gig-based realities. Stop asking organizations to "make it work" with budgets designed for failure. Fund the infrastructure of care, not just the show.

4. An end to the "grateful suffering" narrative. Replace "You're lucky to be here" with "You deserve to be safe, paid, and respected."

This Isn't About Blame. It's About Change.

Artists blame leadership. Leaders blame organizations. Organizations blame funders. Funders point to audiences. Boards point to budgets.

Everyone is pointing. And meanwhile, people are leaving in droves.

But here’s the hard truth: the people inside these systems aren’t the villains. They’re hostages, holding up a structure that was never designed to hold them.

It’s time to stop expecting those who are already burned out to fix it with more resilience, hustle, or “passion.” Instead, let’s collectively ask: What kind of system do we actually want to build? And who among us will use our power and resources to build it?

Because it doesn't have to be this way.

Join the Movement for Safer, Braver, More Sustainable Creative Workplaces

  • If you’re a funder or policymaker: ask what it would really take to fund humanity, not just productions.
  • If you’re a theater worker or leader: you deserve safety, dignity, and a living wage. Use your voice. Join us.
  • If you’re an audience member or donor: advocate for funding that supports the people behind the magic, not just the show.

👉 Watch the PSA. Share it with every funder, board member, leader, and artist you know.Let’s stop funding the broken system, and start funding the people who make the magic possible.

🎬 Watch "It Doesn't Have To Be This Way"™

#ItDoesntHaveToBeThisWay #TheSystemIsTheVillain #LivingWageNow #STAGESFramework #LeadershipDevelopment #ArtsAndCulture #TheaterCommunity #FundTheHumans

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