Andrew Dickson's feature today about the new generation of directors leading British theatres is a terrific snapshot of some of the changes currently under way – but it only tells part of the story.

It's not just those in the top jobs who are changing, but the whole way in which theatre is made and distributed, how it's written about and critiqued, its relationship to the communities it serves, and where it sits in theatre culture.

Many of the most exciting British artists and companies have absolutely no desire to work in a mainstream theatre building, let alone run one. There are plenty who find working on the outside more stimulating, and some of the best work is being done in participatory and community settings, or with children and young people. Purni Morell's appointment to a London's children's theatre, the Unicorn, could have as much an effect on British theatre as Vicky Featherstone's to the Royal Court, for all its redoubtable history.

It's no longer the case that theatremakers begin their careers touring, or on the fringe, and hope to end up running the National Theatre. Much of their most interesting work is being made outside conventional buildings, although sometimes it's done in collaboration with them. The appointment of Lorne Campbell – an enabler and collaborator – to Northern Stage is as exciting as that of his predecessor Erica Whyman to the RSC, where Gregory Doran is acutely aware that the RSC must reflect on its role if it's not to become a museum. One problem for those taking top jobs is that the interests of their particular institution sometimes differ from the interests of the wider theatre ecology.

The challenge faced by another new artistic director, James Brining, at West Yorkshire Playhouse (WYP), and others running regional rep theatres, is how to use those buildings in a way that reflects how 21st-century theatre is being made. WYP's Transform seasons show that experiment in action. It's not a question of abandoning those buildings – some of them only recently built – but involves abandoning old ways of thinking, and finding ways in which they can best serve audiences and artists.

The theatre-without-walls model may work very well for the National Theatre of Scotland and National Theatre Wales owing to the geography, social, and political makeup of Scotland and Wales, but it doesn't mean that it would suit all. The focus, I'd argue, should be more on bringing together a community. The Kaleider model in Exeter is well worth watching, particularly at a time when local councils and authorities are cash-strapped yet looking for ways to increase well-being and quality of life for those they serve.

This must mean more open doors, more collaboration and more generosity and sharing of resources, as well as smarter use of technology to create different platforms. The last decade in British theatre has been hugely exciting. Despite difficult funding times ahead, the next 10 years could be every bit as thrilling. But that will only happen if we remember that the grassroots theatre is as crucial as those at the top of the food chain, that no institution – however august and integral to theatre history – is more important than audiences and theatremakers, and that the landscape of British theatre will look different in a decade's time than it does now. It's better to embrace change and manage it, rather than find it forced upon us.