Celebrating Women’s Equality Day: Women Leading, Creating, and Making Space for What Comes Next
On August 26, we recognize National Women’s Equality Day. Women play essential roles across the performing arts and cultural industry, from leading organizations and managing venues to shaping the spaces where artists, audiences, and communities come together.
To mark the day, we asked some women we know that are shaping the industry—both on the TheatreDNA team and across our broader network—to reflect on their careers: what brought them to this work, what they’re proud of, who has inspired them, and what gives them hope for the future of performing arts spaces.
Their answers offer different perspectives, with a common thread: there is no single path into this industry, and there is plenty of reason to be excited about where it’s going.
Here’s what they had to say!
Dacquiri Baptiste
Vice President / COO, Orpheum Theatre Group (Memphis, TN)
What is one piece of advice you would share with the next generation of women entering our industry?
Don't just learn the art, learn how the building runs. I spent my first decade in the industry on the artistic and fundraising side, but it was choosing to also master operations, facilities, and events that opened doors I didn't know existed. Women are often steered toward the "supportive" roles, don't stop there. Raise your hand for the budget conversations and the contract negotiations too. That's how you go from contributing to the art to leading the institution that houses it.
What gives you hope or excitement about the future of performing arts spaces?
I'm excited about performing arts spaces growing more into becoming true community anchors, not just venues people pass through for a show. So much of the work ahead is about asking: how do we serve our cities, not just host events in them? When a venue shows up for its community, through access, education, and partnership, it becomes something people feel ownership over. That's what gives me hope: arts spaces are increasingly seen not as separate from community life, but as central to it.
Sara Beatty, CVP
Vice President of Programming and Education, Marcus Performing Arts Center (Milwaukee, WI)
What inspired you to pursue a career in the performing arts / cultural industry?
One of my earliest memories is of watching a production of “The Nutcracker” at a regional theater. That pivotal moment gave me a glimpse into a world of untold possibilities. I enjoyed performing in high school and fell in love with stage management in college where I was determined to become a high school teacher. While I enjoyed teaching, I found myself pulled back toward the arts and I ultimately pursued an MFA in Stage Management. From there I managed to build a career out of making organized chaos seem effortless. From stage management to production management, to now as a VP of Programming and Education, each day has been a master class in problem-solving, collaboration, and expecting the unexpected. That combined with an industry of people who care deeply about their craft, it’s near impossible not to love the challenges and camaraderie that the performing arts have to offer. Every day is a new day, and that’s what I love!
What is one moment, project, or accomplishment in your career that you’re especially proud of?
In my first couple of years at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, I served on the planning committee for the Future Stages Festival. It is a festival that gives youth performers from the metro an opportunity to perform on a world class stage. Arts education has always been important to me and helping to create an opportunity for young people to experience the power of live performance, and for them to imagine themselves as part of the future of arts was such a joy to witness. While I have moved venues, I’m proud that the festival lives on, continuing to inspire the next generation of artists.
What is one piece of advice you would share with the next generation of women entering our industry?
Don't forget to reach back and help lift up the next woman behind you. I have been fortunate to have incredible women throughout my career who generously shared advice, offered encouragement, opened doors, or simply reminded me that I wasn't navigating challenges alone. Those relationships have been invaluable. I try to pay that forward whenever I can, whether that's taking a meeting with a young woman who found me on LinkedIn, making an introduction, or giving a well-deserved shout-out when I see someone doing exceptional work. We rise higher when we support one another, and our industry is stronger when women champion other women.
Who is another woman in the arts or beyond who has inspired you, and why?
I have to give a shout out to Laura Sweet, who graciously agreed to mentor me several years ago. Laura is accomplished, helped me build up my network, but above all else is a cheerleader, and don’t we all just need someone to cheer us on in this crazy career!
What gives you hope or excitement about the future of performing arts spaces?
Since this feature is tied to National Women's Equality Day, I'd be remiss not to mention one trend that gives me tremendous hope: I'm seeing more women entering the performing arts field and, importantly, more women stepping into leadership positions. The arts are strongest when there is a diversity of voices being represented and it’s exciting to see females leading venues, shaping programming, and influencing the direction of our industry.
Teresa Koberstein
Founder & Principle, Assembly Arts (Portland, OR)
What inspired you to pursue a career in the performing arts / cultural industry?
From the moment I saw my first live performance, I have been moved by powerful storytelling. This is true from anything I saw on stage as well as on screen or in a song. The way that artists engaged my imagination as a young kid has only increased through adulthood, compelling me to take part in whatever way I can to shape how the arts impact other people too. Everything I do from business planning to market research is rooted in this quest.
What is one moment, project, or accomplishment in your career that you’re especially proud of?
I am most proud of launching Assembly Arts! Quitting my day job and launching a business was a wild and fulfilling endeavor and I am so proud of how far it's come.
What is one piece of advice you would share with the next generation of women entering our industry?
Let your curiosity and imagination lead you wherever you want to go.
Who is another woman in the arts or beyond who has inspired you, and why?
My master's thesis in grad school was largely inspired by an article that the late Diane Ragsdale wrote in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Her writing inspired me to fuse critical thinking with an engaged imagination and encouraged me - us all - to approach our practices with deep curiosity. In 2009 she wrote "If the fine arts are to survive as a living, creative, and significant force in American life, arts institutions need to radically recreate themselves," and I have been thinking about that ever since.
What gives you hope or excitement about the future of performing arts spaces?
What gives me hope is thinking about all the artists whose work will be transformed by the ways in which they use these spaces. I can't wait to see what they create!
Falynn Schmidt, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP
Principal & Senior Strategic Partnerships Director, OTJ Architects (Atlanta, GA)
What inspired you to pursue a career in the performing arts / cultural industry?
My introduction to the arts comes from three amazing women in my life: my grandmother, my aunt, and my mother. My grandmother took me to my first play, my aunt studied art history, and my mother was a Navy nurse. You may wonder what being a Navy nurse has to do with the arts, but it was my mom who inspired me to study architecture.
My mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 30 and began using a wheelchair soon after I was born. When I was eight, she built us a new house, custom-designed for accessibility. Watching that process shaped how I see the world. It taught me that what we build determines who gets to participate in it, who has access to a place, and who doesn't. That’s what led me to study architecture, and eventually, to focus my work on performing arts and cultural spaces, places where inclusivity is paramount.
What gives you hope or excitement about the future of performing arts spaces?
What’s inspiring me right now is the momentum toward making performing arts spaces more accessible, not only for patrons, but also for performers and technicians. We still have a long way to go, but the direction is encouraging. Good design is inclusive design: when we design for access from the start, we invite more people to participate in and enjoy the arts, not as an afterthought, but as the foundation.
We’d also love to hear from you. Who are the women who have shaped your career, your organization, or your experience of the performing arts? What questions would you want to ask the leaders of today, or what advice would you share with early career and aspiring professionals? Share your stories with us on LinkedIn.
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