COMMON TIME

WHAT

Common Time is the independent live performance advisory practice of Gus Sharp, working across live performance venues, festivals, touring, and major events in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.

The work sits where live performance outcomes depend on public investment, governance structures, venue operating models, commercial terms, and delivery capacity lining up in practice.

Projects succeed when the operating model works, incentives are aligned, and accountability is clear. Those conditions are hard to retrofit once they are embedded in contracts, buildings, funding arrangements, or organisational structure.

Common Time is often engaged to test the logic, clarify decision rights, and make the structure workable before those conditions are set.

If the work involves artists, audiences, venues, public money, or delivery risk, it is in scope.

HOW

Common Time provides senior, independent advice on live performance and entertainment decisions involving public accountability, commercial complexity, and delivery risk.

Engagements commonly involve:

• Public investment in venues, festivals, or major events requiring a workable operating model and governance structure.
• Venue development, renewal, or redevelopment with unclear long-term operating economics.
• Venue operating model reviews and operational strategy for civic or portfolio venues.
• Major event attraction, retention, or renewal carrying contractual, political, or reputational risk.
• Festival and touring activity that is structurally fragile or highly subsidy-dependent.
• Projects where interests are misaligned or decision rights are unclear.

Typical work examples include:

• Developing business cases for new or redeveloped civic theatres and live performance venues.
• Designing venue operating models, including ownership, management, and programming structures.
• Advising councils and funders on governance arrangements, decision rights, and accountability frameworks.
• Negotiating or reviewing commercial agreements with venue operators, promoters, and delivery partners.
• Testing the financial and operational viability of festivals, touring programmes, and major events.
• Supporting strategic conversations with global venue and event operators.
• Providing independent advice to boards and senior leadership on high-risk or politically sensitive decisions.

The work typically includes business cases, venue operating models, governance design, commercial and partner agreements, and decision support for boards, funders, councils, and senior leadership.

Advisory by default. Delivery support where it adds value.

WHO

I’m Gus Sharp. Common Time is my advisory practice.

I work with councils, boards, funders, venue owners, promoters, and operators on decisions at the intersection of live performance, public investment, venue operating models, commercial terms, and delivery risk. The work spans New Zealand and Australia.

Before establishing Common Time, I held senior roles across major events organisations, portfolio venue operators, economic development agencies, and community arts organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. I trained and practised as a solicitor before moving into senior arts and events roles, and that legal and governance grounding continues to shape how I approach risk, accountability, and decision-making. I give clear, sober and pragmatic advice in a sector that is often hard to understand.

Common Time is often engaged where projects are complex, politically sensitive, or structurally unclear.

Selected clients include:

• Waikato Regional Theatre
• Live Nation
• World of WearableArt
• WellingtonNZ
• Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa