Donna Walker-Kuhne, an audience cultivation specialist and former marketing director for the Public Theater in New York, addresses readers on two levels in Invitation to the Party: Building Bridges to the Arts, Culture and Community. At its most rudimentary, this book is an instruction guide to bridging the gaps between performing arts organizations and multicultural audiences who are typically uninterested in the work they present. What makes this book a compelling read, however, is that Walker-Kuhne invites the reader behind the scenes to see specific audience cultivation strategies she used to help the Dance Theater of Harlem grow from a relatively misunderstood African-American ballet company into one of the most reputable arts institutions in the country. We're shown the context of specific events and inspirations that inspired their use, and also how —— and why ——— different approaches ended in frustration or triumph.

After laying out and explaining various audience cultivation tools she has used, Walker-Kuhne walks us through her approach to helping the Dance Theater of Harlem and the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival reach a wider audience. Readers will be privy to Walker-Kuhne's experience of the resistance and misconceptions different cultural groups have about certain art forms, such as ballet, Shakespeare, and theater. Throughout the narrative, the personal nature of Walker-Kuhne's writing makes the reader feel like we're learning along with the author, instead of being instructed by her. This supports Walker-Kuhne's theory that you must show your common humanity to interest other human beings in the art you're presenting.

Invitation to the Party will be helpful not just to arts organizations seeking to improve their audience base, but also nonprofits or corporations seeking to foster cultural groups who will benefit from a practical, tried approach to audience cultivation.