What is to be done? The responsibility of artistic institutions to their communities and society

Since the Second World War there has been a broad consensus among the Western democracies that a good society should have artistic and cultural institutions which serve as unifying centers of civic discourse, devoted to the public good, driven by artistic standards rather than the marketplace and widely accessible to all. Theaters, in particular, have aspired to be places where communities gather to reflect, debate, and imagine new futures.  

But in the last decades that broad consensus has been shattered by huge political, economic and cultural forces. The rise of tribalism, the staggering wealth gap, the loss of faith in democratic institutions, the deep polarization of our societies has left even the idea of a "common good" in doubt. In such a time, how should artistic institutions respond? 

On this panel, leaders of major theaters discuss how they are navigating these tensions. How should we respond to economic uncertainty, political pressure, and the needs of our community? What changes do we need to make in our work to respond to these new and difficult times? How do we defend the values we cherish without sacrificing fearless artistic innovation?  How can we ensure that, instead of becoming museums to the way things used to be, we can be helping to create a better, more democratic society?