News

51% of indie artists considering a career change, says new report

Theatre Network Australia’s latest survey of independent artists reveals that mid-career artists are more likely than emerging or established artists to be retraining or leaving the industry.

6 Dec 2022 9:00

Richard Watts

A stylised image of an online survey, depicting an iPad against a blue background. A person's finger has marked a red tick in one box on the tablet.

Performing Arts

TNA’s 2022 ‘This Is How We Do It’ report is based on responses from 297 indie artists across the country. Image: Shutterstock.

This Is How We Do It, a new survey of independent performing arts practitioners, has revealed that 51% of them are either actively undertaking a career change or seriously considering doing so.

Theatre Network Australia’s 2022 report, based on responses from 297 people across the country, shows that 19% of respondents are exiting the arts industry altogether, while 32% are undertaking a partial or related career change.

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Richard Watts

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts