Performing Arts Creative Enterprise: Approaches to Promoting Entrepreneurship in Arts Higher Education

The UK government has recently established the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) to promote entrepreneurship in higher education, across all subject disciplines. This article considers the UK government's policy initiative from the perspective of a new project supporting tutors in the performing arts sector, who are working to ‘bridge the gap’ between arts education and professional artistic practice. The article explores, in particular, fundamental issues such as: what is distinctive about cultural entrepreneurship and how can it be taught? It also discusses the role of higher education institutions in developing relationships with the creative industries sector and in developing training and support systems for aspiring professional artists.