2026 New Year’s Message from PACT Executive Director

What will be New, in 2026?

A recent exchange with a friend invited me to reflect on what newness the New Year would hold for me. Will it be more of the same? Where are there glimmers of something shiny?

We can be an industry that can be both overly focused on Newness, and also resistant to it. We are constantly being asked to adopt or adapt to changes thrown at us. Sometimes those are familiar, sometimes unlooked for, and often, for me, they can feel draining. In the midst of being pulled in so many directions, we often don’t need ‘more’.

But something New can spark freshness and seed possibilities. It’s not tarnished from our past experiences, but rather informed and enhanced by them. It could be a resolution, a renewed practice, or a revolutionary idea you want to try, but something new will (re)ignite energy to be explored by the curious. And we all got into this business because we were curious. What will be New for you and your team? 

For PACT, we will be visiting a new region for the first time with our conference this spring – full of new relationships and new contexts to learn from. We will be launching new partnerships that we believe will deliver value to our members. We are undertaking a new project, and advocating for a new funding program. And we will be starting the work of delivering on our new strategic plan. 

Some of these will be more successful than others, I’m sure. But I’m challenging myself to approach each of these with openness, wonder, and optimism. Without those pieces, it will just be ‘more of the same’. That is not what we are about, nor why we do this.

In the year ahead, as you experience those successes and challenges – new or familiar – please feel free to reach out to me, our team, or our board, to keep us updated. We want to know and stay connected. We may not have speedy solutions, but we are here to walk with you.

As you start 2026 I want to reiterate something we know in our hearts. What each of you contributes matters a great deal. It matters a great deal to your communities, and to all of us as a sector.  Sharing new stories, asking new questions, engaging new audiences, building new connections, sparking creativity – theatre matters a great deal. Please never forget that.

I look forward to seeing what newness is in store for us all in the year ahead.

Sincerely,

Brad, PACT Executive Director