Beyond the Box Office: Arts Groups Find New Ways to Generate Income

By VINCE STEHLE

In recent years, leaders of non-profit arts groups have heard a constant refrain from their supporters in the business and foundation worlds: Become more self-reliant by becoming more entrepreneurial.

For some groups that have answered the call, the experience has been profitable. But others have found that running a business is easier said than done. For them, the lure of big profits has led to wasted efforts, lost money, and disillusionment.

Some of the most successful