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When DavidBinderwasasked
to applyforthepositionofartis-
tic director at the Brooklyn
AcademyofMusic—asprawling,
three-theaterartscomplexwith
annualrevenueof$50million—he
didn’t thinkhehada shot.“Who
wouldn’twantit?”hesays.But
unlike colleaguesupforthejob,
Binder hadn’tspentdecadeswork-
ing in anartsinstitution.
Insteadhe’dworkedasa pro-
ducer ofBroadwayhitsincluding
HedwigandtheAngryInch, orga-
nized theHighLinefestival(withDavidBowieascurator),and
guest-directedtheLondonInternationalFestivalofTheatre.
But fora 158-year-oldinstitutionwith700,000annualvisi-
tors and 260 employees,a freshperspectivewascrucial.BAM
is in themiddleofanambitiousexpansion,addinga visualarts
spaceandupdatingitstheaters,asit competesinanincreas-
inglycrowdedfieldforNewYorkers’timeandmoney.The
Shed,a $475millionmultidisciplinaryexhibition-performance
space,openedatHudsonYardsthisyear,andthelionlike
LincolnCenter—withitsworld-classvenuesfortheater,dance,
music,andopera—continuestobethecity’sstandard-bearer.
So whenBinder’sappointmentwasannouncedinFebruary
2018, hewasputinthepositionofchartinga new,andevery-
one hopedunique,directionforBAM’sartisticfuture.
“To dothisjob,youhavetohaveenormousculturalcurios-
ity acrossjustabouteverydiscipline,”saysKatyClark,BAM’s
president.“OneofthethingsthatstoodoutaboutDavidwas
his abilitytogoacrossgenresandbeopen-minded.”Hisassign-
ment: Hewtotheinstitution’soriginalmissiontobethehome
“for adventurousartists,audiences,andideas,”allwhilebring-
ing starsandfreshtalenttoa localandinternationalaudience.
Binderstarted 18 monthsagoona part-timebasis,shadow-
ingoutgoingexecutiveproducerJosephMelillo,who’dbeen
therefor 35 years.WhenBAM’sfallseasonkicksoffonOct. 15
with theNextWavefestival,Brooklynites,andanyoneelse,
will get toseeBinder’svisioninaction.“Ialwayswanttofind
the widestaudienceformywork,”hesays.Thestrategyis
simple:variety.AtNextWave—co-sponsoredbyBloomberg
Philanthropies—IrishchoreographerMichaelKeegan-DolanTHE ARTS Bloomberg Pursuits October 7, 2019willpresenthisacclaimed 2016
interpretationofSwanLake, an
ebullientproductionthatdraws
onIrishfolklore;a monthlater
thefestivalwillpremierea theat-
ricalversionofTheEndofEddy, a
coming-of-agenovelbyEdouard
LouisthatscandalizedFrancewith
itstalesofpoverty,homophobia,
andbullying.
Whatthataudiencelookslike,
orshouldlooklike,isa trickier
question.BAM’smissionpriori-
tizes“engagingbothglobaland
localcommunities.”Butevenasit pursuesdiversepatrons
withsubsidizedticketsales,increasedaccessibility,andout-
reachprograms,thesurroundingcommunityhasgentrified.
Thirtyyearsago,DowntownBrooklynandFortGreene,
BAM’sneighborhood,werepredominantlylow-income.(The
latterwasthebackdropofthe 1986 SpikeLeefilmShe’sGotta
HaveIt.) Butinthepastdecade,intandemwiththeBrooklyn
CulturalDistrictdevelopmentproject,luxurycondominiums
andrentalshavesprunguparoundBAM’scampus.Onenew
buildinginFortGreene, 475 Clermont,hastwo-bedroom
apartmentsthatask$5,995a month; 230 Ashland,which
willsoonhousetheBAMStrongexhibitionspace,hasa two-
bedroomcondominiumlistedat$1.4million.“Ofcourseit’s
greattowelcomenew,affluentpeopletoBrooklyn,”Clark
says.“Butthatdoesn’tchangeouraspirationtobea place
foreveryone.”
Binder’ssolutionis topresent“themostexciting,adven-
turousartistswholeaveanimpressiononuslongafterwe’ve
experiencedtheirworkandwhomakeusexperiencetheworld
differently,”hesays.ThatcouldinvolveSimonStone’scon-
temporaryrewriteofEuripides’Medea, ora filmseriesthat
explorescontemporaryArabcinema,bothofwhichmight
appealtothosewho’dinitiallycometoBAMfor,say,Madonna’s
MadameXtour,whichrunsthroughOct.12.“Hopefully,if
you’reatheater person, you end up coming to see dance. Or
maybe you’re a dance person, and you end up seeing film.
“We can speak to a lot of different audiences,” Binder adds.
The trick is to get “different communities to be in the same
room for the same things.” <BW>David Binder wants to awaken new audiences to a
158-year-old outer-borough cultural institution. By James Tarmy
Photograph by Alec KuglerWhen the Stage Is Brooklyn
Binder outside BAM