Your suggestion that Twenty:20 cricket might have lessons for the arts is spot on (Platform, AP177). And how refreshing it is to think that the arts might learn from other sectors without having to reinvent the internal wheel. Twenty:20 cricket has indeed transformed the sport, not just in the UK but worldwide. It has brought in new sponsorship and new audiences across the globe, despite huge opposition from the establishment to its introduction. Yes, the arts could learn a thing or two. Gains for cricket have included an immediate boost to audiences; dramatic change in audience profiling to include families and youngsters; much-increased media coverage; and opportunities for transition from Twenty:20 to the real thing (i.e. Test cricket). And this example shows that if such initiatives are carefully managed, the risks of dumbing down are minimal. As long as there’s still attention to the old-style product (Test cricket), the traditional audiences will continue to be satisfied.
It may be that the arts are further along this road than we realise. We’ve seen the development of site-specific work, event theatre, a whole range of our own Twenty:20s, without compromising our Test series. The change needs managing, but in the arts we’re increasingly accomplished at that. The main risk we run is of overkill in the early stages. Perhaps AP would host a gathering of interested parties at Lord’s or Canterbury? We could watch this transformation in cricket in action, and discover what other lessons these two sectors can learn from one another.