StageLync Podcast Ep. 89: Building a More Sustainable and Inclusive Arts Future with Erica McCalman

Erica McCalman is a Melbourne-based creative director, strategist, and facilitator working at the intersection of art, climate, and systems change. With a career that spans stage and production management, creative producing, dramaturgy, and large-scale festival work, she has collaborated with leading organisations across Australia’s performing arts sector, including Theatre Network Australia, La Mama Theatre, Creative Australia, Performing Lines, and Artback NT.

In this episode of the StageLync Podcast, Erica joins us to reflect on the evolving nature of the Australian performing arts industry and the cultural systems that shape it. Drawing on decades of experience—from experimental arts and First Nations-led projects to major festivals—she explores what it means to build sustainable creative careers in a rapidly changing landscape. The conversation moves through themes of cultural identity, systems thinking, diversity and inclusion, and the role of the arts in fostering genuine belonging and community connection.