With a little help from my friends

When a very talented Australian dance company recently asked me to elaborate on the “very juicy carrot” of the possibility of international co-productions I had dangled before them, I admit I felt a pang of guilt at having mentioned something that could perhaps take years to achieve. On the other hand, it is not entirely impossible. But why do companies want to have international commissions and co-producers? After all, this company has no trouble raising national funding to create its own productions.

Isn’t it enough to simply organise an international tour? Doesn’t this in itself create sufficient publicity and recognition?
Well, the answer is simply “No.” Having several international organisations putting their names to your new production is very attractive to artists. It shows a great deal of confidence in those artists’ future productions. It raises their profile on the international stage, and: the company is no longer a one hit wonder.

Why co-producing?

So, having dangled the juicy carrot, how can it be achieved? My initial reaction was to put things into perspective and to be realistic. Why is it so hard to get international co-producers involved in a new project? A ...