The article is based on the Core Narrative, a practical and hands-on tool that helps translate artistic intent, visions, and values into a shared language about your project. It supports greater confidence in your identity and helps you be better understood by funders, partners, audiences, and collaborators—without compromising the artistic content.
We recommend working with the tools in the following order:
- The Strategy House – creates an overview and shared direction
- Core Narrative – articulates your identity and story
- Stakeholder Analysis – maps your key relationships
Together, the three tools form a foundation for your further strategic work:
First overview → then narrative → and finally relationships.
A core narrative is your strategic guide to who you are as an organisation. It is not a project description, press release, or grant application—but it helps you consistently formulate such texts.
The core narrative is your strategic expression of the organisation’s identity.
It provides clear, coherent answers to:
- Who are we?
- Why do we exist?
- What do we want to change?
- How do we do it?
- Why is it relevant to others beyond ourselves?
Why is a core narrative important?
A clear core narrative makes it easier to:
- Make choices about projects and collaborations
- Communicate consistently with funders, partners, audiences, and the press
- Build a recognisable brand in a complex field
- Stand stronger in an industry where many create strong art—but few can explain their distinct significance
The five building blocks of your core narrative
- Point of departure – where do you come from?
- Driving force – what can you not help but work with?
- Distinct approach – what characterises your practice?
- Ambition – what change do you want to create?
- Relevance – why does your work matter to others?
How to work with a core narrative
Work your way towards your core narrative
Each participant writes:
We exist because...
Read aloud, find common denominators, and write one common sentence.
Answer:
What themes do we always return to?
What preoccupies us outside of projects?
What would we do even if no one saw it?
Collect 3–5 keywords.
Fill in together:
We are not … but we are …
Answer:
Who needs what we do the most?
How does our work change things for them?
Write one sentence:
Our work matters because...
Enter your answers here:
We are [who]
We exist because [why]
We work with [what]
In a way that is [how]
To create [what change]
For [who].
Rewrite it so that it sounds like you.
A strong core narrative is characterised by the following qualities:
- It can be spoken aloud without sounding like strategy jargon.
- It can be understood by people outside the field.
- It can be used as a compass when deciding whether to say yes or no.
About the article
This article was developed by the Development Platform for Performing Arts (UP) based on professional collaboration with Karen Lorenzen (Operate) and on the experiences and evaluations of participants in UP's Performing Arts Strategy Lab initiative, which is supported by the Bikuben Foundation. The article was written in an editorial process where UP used ChatGPT to structure, formulate, and summarise the content.