The most valuable resource of all is those who have come before. With that in mind, we asked artistic and managing directors of established TYA companies all over the country to offer up some advice to the NEXT generation. They were generous in their responses. Some of our respondents founded the company they are currently with, and some have simply been around long enough to offer up some words of wisdom.
Planning your first season . . .
Make sure your first season clearly reflects the aesthetic and artistic vision that you want your company to embrace. This is your opening statement of what you want to share with the community, not just what you want to sell them.
David Saar, Artistic Director, Childsplay Theater
Tempe, AZ
Hmmm - I think community connection is very important. Find out what type of show might satisfy your board, your supporters - what do they want? Commission a playwright to write something about the community as part of the season; cast some local well well- known actors or actresses; work with an adult theatre company; involve a bunch of kids or the local ballet troupe. Find a way that your company becomes an indispensable part of the community.
Also, of course, quality wins out. If you consistently do really good and innovative or committed work, you'll develop an audience -- maybe slowly, but persistence pays.
Our first season included a 'serialized adventure' of a tiny woman racer named Nyfrm the Sprite (played by Jeanne Averill). Audiences had to come each month to see Nyfrms's new adventures! One thing I remember most from those early scripts, however, was a carnival barker named HERNDON HAINT HIMBLEDY who ran the FABULOUS FREE FAIR (which was not) whose best quote was "Stay in one place long enough and the crowds will come to you!"
Worked for him and worked for us - though we've morphed considerably over the years.
Ric Averill, Artistic Director, Seem-To-Be-Players
Lawrence, KS
Try to really scope out the needs and desires of the audience in your particular community. We have surveyed schools, parent organizations and individual households in addition to having as much "face time" with potential theatergoers (of all ages) as possible. Also, research the successes in similar communities around the country. Actually, this is advice for old artistic and managing directors as well - the search for work that reflects fair, entertaining and enlightening representation of youth (or any age group) on stage never ends for anybody. Also, find work you love as well!
Rosemary Newcott, Artistic Director, Theatre for Youth, Alliance Theatre
Atlanta, GA
As a new artistic director, you must be responsive to what your audience is expecting or accustomed to (if you are taking over the helm of an existing theatre). However, you must also make sure the season carries a show or two that reflects your unique artistic vision for the theatre, whether that is in new play development or innovative staging techniques. This approach also educates your audience about the artistic work you can do which reaches beyond their expectations.
J. Daniel Herring, Artistic Director, StageOne
Louisville, KY
Since I didn’t have to plan my first season at Lexington Children’s Theatre (it was already chosen when I got here), I had the opportunity to get to know a little bit about the community before I had to pick my first season. I think that experience proved vital to our successful start. If at all possible, get to know as much as you can about your community and your potential audience. With that knowledge in hand, the goal is to strike a balance between selections that will be good for your artistic soul and good for the bottom line.
Larry Snipes, Producing Director, Lexington Children’s Theatre
Lexington, KY
Assembling a Board . . .
Don't ask your friends. Shop for strong volunteer leadership to work with you in the process. Build the board carefully and slowly.
Get experienced, outside assistance in establishing board guidelines.
Determine what you need. Pursue individuals who meet your needs profile, who agree to embrace, support and advocate for the mission of the theater, and who accept the responsibilities and expectations of your board.
Define clear boundaries between your job as the professional leadership, and theirs as volunteer directors.
Carve clear job descriptions that make it clear who does what. Make sure you have an annual review at which time your professional performance is evaluated. The basis for your evaluation should be your job description, and progress toward goals that you set annually. (Be sure you have a job description, by the way!) Make sure your evaluation criteria are aligned with that of the group who evaluate you.
Get personnel policies in place as early as you can. A lawyer is important on this committee. Make sure you're part of the process. Policies need to work for you and must also protect employer and employees.
Take an active role in board recruitment. Nurture those relationships! They are your partners, not your adversaries or "necessary" figureheads. Board relations will take time you don't think you have, but it's worth every minute you invest in the process.
Carol North, Artistic Director, Metro Theater Company
St. Louis, MO
Get people who understand and believe in your vision and artistry, not just “good, important names.”
David Saar
From my experience, the best board members usually know very little about theatre and have no interest working on productions. What they do know and appreciate is the value of the arts to the creative growth of young people. The best board members know that they are there to help an irreplaceable community asset flourish. I really like to have a few young, up- and-coming community leaders on the board. They are the volunteers that are hungry and have something to prove. One last thing - no matter how large or small your board, remember that the vast majority of the work will be done by a minority of the members.
Larry Snipes
Funding challenges . . .
The biggest challenge was transforming from an organization that paid artists by dividing up the pot at the end of each day to one that offered artists a sustainable living wage. Our big break came with an eight-week school tour funded by the Kennedy Center’s Imagination Celebration that introduced us to a whole range of area schools who consequently formed our touring base in the next season. The word spread. From a management perspective, our state Arts Commission funded an initiative called SOS (Small Organizations Survival) that paid half the salary for a full-time managing director for three years.
David Saar
My favorite anecdote about a funding crisis happened early in my second year. At the time, we had two boards. One was a volunteer board made up mostly of women who helped with all aspects of the theatre operations. (I was the only full-time staff member at the time.) The other was made up of area “business leaders” that were supposed to help with fundraising and organizational development. We were coming to the end of the year and were facing a small operating deficit. At a joint meeting of the two boards, our treasurer, who was on the volunteer board, reported the expected shortfall. When she finished her report, the president of the “business” board leaned across the table and picked up his little squawk box microphone. He looked at the “volunteer” board and said “Well, now, just what are you ladies going to do about that?”
Larry Snipes
Nashville’s public school system gained new leadership and direction just two years after I joined the company, and the NCLB testing requirements came into play shortly thereafter. At the same time, several large, new cultural destinations opened in the city, drawing in teachers with severely limited field trip opportunities. Since 1931, NCT’s operations have been closely tied to Nashville’s public schools, and we lagged in developing our family programming. The changes in area schools forced us to expedite our plans to expand our family programming. As we move forward, the continued growth of our family audiences is central to our plans, and we’re also exploring other opportunities for earned revenues as we expand our facility. In creating your theatre, you have the opportunity to develop a budget plan that focuses on family audiences from day one, with additional/secondary programming for schools. In light of the funding issues and testing requirements in schools today, that would be a very forward-thinking plan.
Allison L. Dillon, Managing Director, Nashville Children's Theatre
Nashville, TN
What I know now that I wish I’d known then. . .
Get help wherever you can! Don’t be afraid that other’s input might taint the clarity of your vision. Success depends on recruiting the enthusiasm of a whole community, not just the artists involved in the creation of the art.
David Saar
I've come to realize that if you're in a small to mid-size community (under 200,000 people) it's very hard to build a big enough donor base and audience base to survive exclusively on home shows. The bigger theatres have huge income from bussing children into their facilities. In a smaller community the only route to survival is successful touring.
Ric Averill
That they don’t call it show “business” for nothing. Be prepared to handle the business side of your company. If that side fails, all the “great art” in the world can’t save you.
Larry Snipes
It’s a marathon, not a sprint! While this may seem obvious, it’s easy to forget that fact as you’re forging through your first few seasons with your company. You’ll have big plans and big ideas, and it’s important to work toward those goals. Keep in mind, though, that the plans and ideas are only going to get bigger and better as you go along. Save some energy for the 26th mile — it’s going to be many years down the road.
Allison L. Dillon
My biggest mistake in those early years . . .
My biggest mistake at first was focusing exclusively on the artistry and not giving enough time or attention to the other half of my job — engaging the larger community.
David Saar
I wish I had understood the necessity of a production TEAM instead of doing so much myself. I wish I had driven to have more directors and designers involved in all aspects of development.
Ric Averill
In my youthful exuberance and eagerness to mold LCT into “my vision” of a theatre for young audiences, I managed to offend a founder of the theatre who also just happened to be one of the largest arts supporters in our community. That lack of understanding of organizational history and my failure to appreciate or consider other valid “visions” and passions took almost fifteen years to rectify. Happily, we managed to win back her support and she became the lead donor to our capital campaign. So, having learned a difficult lesson, I now listen carefully, think twice and hopefully speak with at least a tacit understanding of both sides of the issues at hand.
Larry Snipes
One thing I've learned ...
People are the heart of what we do, and good relationships are the foundation of our mission. Surround yourself with wonderful folks whose passion aligns with yours, yet who bring to the work what you don't have. Good people will provide and feed ideas, launch creative inspiration, nurture your soul.
Internal interpersonal issues are also the hardest part of the work, year after year after year. Dealing well with people takes inordinate amounts of time, even when everything is going well. Don't underestimate this as you plan what you will be doing!
When your own instinct tells you a person is starting to drag you down, undermine your best effort, or unwittingly sabotage the work, find a way to move on without them. "Energy vampires" can do serious damage and take inordinate time and energy -- time and energy that you need to put into pursuit of your goals.
My Best Advice . . .
Make sure your mission articulates compellingly what sets your organization apart from others and what makes you special and worth supporting. Your artistic endeavors must have a credible degree of interest and demand to justify your existence.
Joan Briccetti, Managing Director, Metro Theater Company
St. Louis, MO
Plant the seeds for what the organization is going to grow into in the future.
Gather around you as many friends as you can possibly muster, sell them on your project and lure them into as much volunteer assistance as you can possibly wring out of them. You're going to need a lot of professional advice in all those areas that are not your own strengths. Find the best people available to guide you through those voids.
As founding directors, always review all bank statements personally and sign all checks. When you can hire a bookkeeper, never give signature authority to that person.
Be prepared to hear "no" a lot.
Barter, barter, barter. It saves a whole lot of money.
Be flexible, and take part in community activities. Being a good networker is truly essential in most locations. If you're willing to help someone else, they'll almost always come back to help you, too.
Keep your message (mission) as clear and simple as possible.
Always hire the best talent you can possibly afford.
Look for people who like to multi-task...who knows when you will ever be able to afford the one-track genius?
Be prepared to work to the point of exhaustion for at least the foreseeable future. Starting a new organization is a huge sacrifice and I think the person or persons at the top have to be willing to set the pace and make the most substantial sacrifices of anyone.
Be open, listen to advice and never think you have all the answers.
Robyn Flatt, Artistic Director, Dallas Children's Theater
