IMPACT & ENGAGEMENT
Be Part of the Future of Ensemble Arts
The Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) isn’t just evolving—it’s transforming, and we want you at the center of it. The NET Bridge Ensemble and Board invite you to take an active role in NET’s Membership Re-Engagement Pilot, a bold step toward a future where ensemble artists and cultural workers lead the way in shaping the Network.
This is more than just a shift in structure—it’s a call to action. We’re building a member-driven, artist-led future where collaboration, advocacy, and resources are shared across a thriving national network.
We want to do big work with you. Are you in?
Help Us Advocate for the Ensemble Arts Field
We know the power of ensemble and collaborative creation—but to secure funding, policy recognition, and resources, we need the numbers to back it up. That’s where you come in.
Take 5 minutes to complete our Audience & Budget Survey and help us:
🚨 Show funders and policymakers the real economic and social impact of ensemble arts.
🚨 Strengthen access to funding and travel grants for artists like you.
🚨 Prove the field’s reach and value—so we can advocate for more resources.
If we want more funding, more support, and more visibility—this is how we make it happen.
Join Our Listening Tour
NET is conducting a listening tour to hear directly from you—our ensembles, collectives, and individual practitioners.
What challenges are you facing? What’s working? What’s making you thrive? We want to understand what’s needed right now to help shape the final aspects of our membership re-design and document shared successes and strategies across the ensemble arts field.
If you’d like to participate in a 20-minute one-on-one conversation with NET, sign up below. Let’s talk about what’s ahead—for you and for NET.
More Access to Funding for Artists & Ensembles
We know that access to financial infrastructure is one of the biggest barriers for artists and ensembles bringing their most ambitious ideas to life. That’s why NET is launching a fiscal sponsorship program designed the ENSEMBLE WAY—rooted in collaboration, mutual aid, and shared leadership.
This isn’t just fiscal sponsorship as usual. It’s about creating pathways to funding that support innovative, powerful ensemble projects that otherwise wouldn’t have access to traditional funding streams.
We’re still accepting three more pilot members before we open the program to the full field in FY26.
Want to be considered? Let us know.
Who’s in the Field?
Ensemble artists and companies need stronger connections, better collaboration, and greater visibility. That’s why we’re launching the NET Ensemble & Artist Directory—an interactive map that shows the full landscape of ensemble arts and helps members find each other.
Ensemble Directory
This public-facing map and member-only contact directory will help ensembles connect across cities, regions, and the country. Add your ensemble and help us build a living, growing archive of the field.
Individual Practitioner & Artist Directory
Independent practitioners are at the heart of the ensemble field. This directory ensures that makers, performers, activists, scholars, and collaborators can find each other locally and nationally. Add your name and join the movement.
For the past two years, through the NETneXt process, we’ve been listening, learning, and laying the groundwork for this new chapter of NET. We have been rethinking everything from the cost of membership to tiers and points of entry to the foundational question: What is the value of being a NET member?
In light of the massive changes in our field since 2020—and again now in 2025—we can’t just adapt. We need to build something stronger, more responsive, and truly artist-led. This Membership Re-Engagement Pilot (July 2024 – July 2026) is not just a shift in structure—it’s a commitment to ensuring ensemble artists and cultural workers have real, tangible support that impacts their quality of life and sustainability.
NET is only as strong as its members. Tell us what you want from membership.
NET is shifting into something new, necessary, and member-driven. The next era of ensemble arts will be built by the people who step in now. This isn’t just about NET. It’s about all of us. Let’s build the future of ensemble arts—together.
