Theatre companies, like all institutions, can have very individual, widely differing operational cultures. Broadly speaking though, they tend towards one of two types: Fear based, and Trust based.
I once heard a Danish politician talk at a Saint Hans bonfire. She said that we must learn to trust our politicians. An American politician accompanying me was horrified. He considered trust to be completely anathema to the democratic political process. Scepticism, a watchful critical eye and accountability are essential in the unequal power relationships of Politician to the Public, of Leader to the Led. And that must be understood as a form of respect. The alternative? Well, we have seen what that leads to.
Trust is something that occurs between two entities, the Truster, and the Trustee. For it to have meaning though, it should be mutual, reciprocal, a common understanding, eyeball to eyeball. Which is why it can't be mediated or negotiated by a third party.
Trust can take years to build and can be lost in a day. It is this fragility that makes it so beautiful.
Trust is something that one can hope for, not demand.
Trust is something one can allow for, not demand.
Trust is something one can nurture, not demand.
Trust is an emotional response, intimately bound to the integrity of the individual.
One can demand obedience. One can demand solidarity. Perhaps even respect. But not trust.
