Running Theaters, Second Edition

Best Practices for Leaders and Managers

Duncan M. Webb

• Publisher: Allworth
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781621537298
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Médias et arts de la scène
• Subtopic: Arts de la scène et monde des affaires

Advice Culled from Interviews with More Than One Hundred Experts in the Field In Running Theaters, management consultant and author Duncan M. Webb reveals the best practices that consistently lead to successful theater operations. Culled from surveys and interviews with theater managers and experts in crucial functional areas, this guide provides important tips for all people who work or want to work in regional, campus, and community-based theaters. Updated to reflect changes in the field, this second edition includes information on recent programming trends, marketing in the digital age, and the evolving role of theaters in economic and community development. Chapters discuss topics such as:

• Front- and back-of-house operations
• Managing nonprofit and commercial renters
• Building and managing a board of directors
• The financial management of theaters
• The necessary skills and attributes of a successful theater manager
• The unique opportunities and challenges of operating historic, outdoor, and campus-based theaters.

Every theater manager needs this invaluable guide filled with the proven strategies of managers, staff, and volunteer leaders covering virtually every aspect of running a theater—from drawing audiences and fundraising to facility development and community involvement.

CHAPTER 1

The Theater Manager’s Job and the Operating Context

What does it take to run a theater, and to do it well? Or, to put it another way, what is the job description for a successful theater manager? Here are a couple of recent job postings for PAC leaders. I’ve taken out references to specific facilities. The first one is for a large nonprofit performing arts center.

The President & CEO will partner with and report to the board of directors in advancing the programs, visibility, and impact of the Center. This includes leading strategic planning and community engagement activities, overseeing marketable and meaningful programs, spearheading revenue enhancement and capitalization efforts, embracing educational and outreach activities, cultivating employee commitment and longevity, and guiding overall business operations for long-term sustainability. As both an aspirational and inspirational public leader, the President & CEO will be the organization’s primary spokesperson in clearly communicating the Center Experience, advancing its public image, and increasing brand awareness regionally and nationally. The President & CEO will identify key stakeholders, cultivate meaningful relationships, and exemplify an organizational culture embedded in collaboration and community service.

Roles and responsibilities include:

• Drive the creation of a new strategic plan and community engagement process, determine capitalization needs, and ensure a mission-based approach in achieving the overall vision.

• Explore the regional market, political landscape, and demographic trends to identify a course of action that addresses future projects and programs.

• Create collaborative alliances and partnerships that result in future services for an array of diverse and inclusive audiences.

• Welcome opportunities to celebrate programs and support educational activities.

• Embrace entrepreneurial approaches beyond traditional business models.

• Perform other strategic visioning and program oversight responsibilities as needed.

• Communicate major initiatives and serve as the organization’s primary spokesperson to the community, donors, media, political leaders, and other stakeholders.

• Collaborate with community influencers, government officials, and arts advocates in attaining beneficial community outcomes.

• Convey relevant, concise, and timely information to the board so it can fulfill both its policy and decision-making responsibilities.

• Collaborate with the Board Chair to support board members in fulfilling their governance roles and ambassador responsibilities for the organization.

• Guide and support the talents and connections of the board, inspire their involvement, and ensure strong fiscal support for the organization.

• Develop opportunities for board prospecting, cultivation, and recruitment in alignment with active participation and commitment to the organization’s mission and programs.

• Guide board member orientation, education, and engagement with appropriate committee support to maximize their commitment.

• Determine ways to celebrate the successes of individual board members and the collective board, recognizing their voluntary contribution of time and their investment in the organization’s future.

• Perform other community engagement and board governance responsibilities as needed.

• Lead the strategy for and oversee the implementation of how to best increase philanthropic annual, capital, endowment, and other financial resources.

• Increase corporate sponsorships, foundation support, and government investment in the Center.

• Oversee a marketing and communication strategy that maximizes ticket sales, rental revenues, paid tuitions, and other earned revenues.

• Ensure effective short- and long-term financial plans with accountability for accurate budget development, reporting, and monitoring.

• Advocate for arts funding and policy with elected city, county, state, and federal officials.

• Perform other revenue maximization and financial resiliency responsibilities as needed.

• Oversee, advise, and guide key executives in entertainment, operations, finance, development, marketing, and education and outreach areas.

• Recommend staffing structures, facilitate employee retention strategies, and maintain an environment where diverse individuals provide various skills, abilities, and cultural competencies to achieve common goals.

• Mentor an experienced team of professionals who deliver the high-quality experience expected by audiences and artists alike.

• Design management accountability measures that also address questions and concerns in keeping with a safe work environment.

• Embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion as a key factor in future audience development, board participation, and workforce vibrancy.

• Perform other executive leadership and mentoring responsibilities as needed.

And here is the posting for a university-based performing arts center:

The Executive Director (ED) of the Center will report directly to the University’s Chief Financial Officer, who reports directly to the President of the University. The ED will have overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Center. This individual will work with University leadership on the development and implementation of strategies designed to help the Center achieve its programmatic and financial goals within an operating plan and budget formally approved by the University. The ED will maintain a high professional profile at the university, in the community, and at regional and national cultural presenting organizations, building relationships to benefit the Center and the University in terms of finances, audience development, and local, regional, and national visibility. The Executive Director will:

• Oversee all activities that impact the use and rental of the Center, maintaining an overall vision for quality programs that reflect positively on the Center’s brand.

• Cultivate relationships with various users to ensure a supportive environment that encourages their continued use of the facility.

• Partner with producers to bring a wide selection of entertainment, including Broadway touring, family, and educational programs, while collaborating with University departments and local arts organizations to create synergies and support mutual goals.

• Plan, schedule, contract, and evaluate a diverse array of programming activities.

• Develop, implement, and update a strategic plan for the Center, consistent with the University strategic plan, articulating mission, values, and goals as the foundation for program and facility development.

• Continually reinforce a business model that generates a substantial portion of the Center’s revenue from operating as an effective presenter and landlord.

• Act as the public face and voice of the Center, providing leadership locally, regionally, and nationally in the broader arts and cultural community on behalf of the Center and the University.

• Develop substantial ties to the university and other leaders in the community.

• Advocate for and engage with the regional arts and culture community, identifying opportunities for collaboration and partnership while cultivating and maintaining strong working relationships with faculty and university departments, with the goal of increasing campus and community involvement.

• Devise and execute strategies to identify stakeholders and define how key messages will be delivered in order to maximize visibility, brand, and broader and deeper community participation in the Center’s programs.

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the Center to ensure audiences, artists, donors, volunteers, staff, vendors, partners, and other stakeholders have an exceptional experience every time they interact with the organization.

• Carefully manage the Center’s growth and financial resources in order to protect its stability and maintain an ongoing balanced budget.

• Create a positive and rewarding work environment in order to attract and retain skilled employees.

• Facilitate programs and activities to meaningfully engage and recognize volunteers.

• Ensure a focus on facility and equipment maintenance and improvement, safety management, environmental policy, and contractual compliance.

• Confirm that organizational policies, systems, controls, and procedures are in alignment with the Center’s mission and values and are regularly reviewed for efficiency and effectiveness.

The next ED will be a diplomatic, energetic, and collaborative leader who values service to and engagement with the Center’s many university and community stakeholders. This versatile individual will be a strategic and practical thinker with an entrepreneurial instinct, strong interpersonal skills, and a passion for and sophisticated understanding of the performing arts.

Other key competencies include:

• Stakeholder Focus—The commitment to the satisfaction of patrons, resident organizations, university stakeholders, staff, donors, and volunteers, with a high value on multiple stakeholder needs.

• Leadership and Personal Accountability—The capacity to organize and motivate other people with a sense of purpose and direction while being accountable for personal and professional actions.

• Negotiation—The ability to listen to many points of view, identify and understand needs and issues, and facilitate agreements.

• Time and Priority Management—The dexterity to balance timelines and desired outcomes, effectively manage difficulties and delays, and prioritize tasks to stay on schedule.

Each of the ads goes on to suggest necessary qualifications and experience to undertake the position, which tend to include a postgraduate degree; experience in a similar position; great communications and grant-writing skills; knowledge of computers, technical theater, production, and marketing; and the ability to present a positive public image of the facility.

It’s all a little overwhelming. How could one person have all of those skills and attributes and be able to do all of those things? And how could a person ever be trained to take on such a job? Well, the answer is that there are people who are qualified and capable to undertake this work, and they have gained all sorts of skills and training from many areas of the arts and entertainment industries that have allowed them not just to survive as facility managers, but also to flourish.

The other point I’d like to make is that the job sounds a lot more complicated than it used to. Compare and contrast the two postings above with the following one, which I used in the first edition of the book in 2005:

Executive Director: An award-winning performing arts center is seeking a highly qualified arts leader to continue its growth as a major regional arts institution. The executive director oversees, directs, and assures high quality in all operations and functions of the Center, in accordance with the bylaws and reporting to the Board of Directors. The executive director will: direct a sixty-person staff; develop and administer an annual budget of $1+ million; oversee financial and legal compliance and reporting; oversee events, resource development, marketing, and grant writing; provide local and statewide leadership and advocacy for the Center; build relationships with artists, arts organizations, business, government, education, media, members, donors, and program users; and serve as chief spokesperson for the Center.

Another point worth making is that despite the increasing effort going into describing the job and defining necessary and important skills and experiences, many theaters still manage to hire the wrong person. And this tends to happen because the board or search committee often favors someone who is known to the organization and based in the community. Sometimes the local choice works out, but more often it doesn’t. Running a theater is a very complicated job, and the lack of key competencies and relevant experience can quickly lead to disaster.

COMMON ELEMENTS OF FACILITY MANAGEMENT

The language in these job postings is often a bit over-the-top, and I suppose that’s an effective way to discourage all but the most serious of candidates. But it does accurately suggest that the job has many elements that are all quite different and demanding. Let’s consider those elements that would generally be common from facility to facility.

Facility Management

The job starts with the basic responsibility that one has for a physical space, and all that that entails—the condition and maintenance of the structure and systems, a whole set of liability issues, and the need to be a good neighbor. This also includes the increasingly important work around safety and security.

Activating the Facility

The next element is activating the facility, that very challenging effort of bringing programs into the facility, generally under one of the following categories:

Presented Events

These are events purchased by the facility or an organization associated with the facility, promoted locally, and presented in the facility. There is a huge and sophisticated industry devoted to touring arts and entertainment programs that are available to facility managers. We will de...