You might think that a conversation that was, at least in part, fodder for an article titled “Theatre is in freefall” would have left me depressed and submitting resumes for corporate jobs. So, why am I energized and excited about the future? First of all, I always adore big picture conversations with smart people like […]
Author: Amy Wratchford
Failure to Communicate – A Case Study
Yesterday, I read the American Theatre article on the mess at New Dramatists. I’d like to examine this as a case study on communication (or lack thereof). I started sharing my thoughts on communication a little over a week ago, but boy is the ND situation ever a neon sign highlighting multiple things at once. […]
The Reckoning is Here
I’m taking a quick break from the blog series that grew out of my workshops at SWTC to highlight the signs that the nonprofit theatre reckoning is here; the reckoning many of us saw coming at the beginning of the pandemic…but was blissfully delayed by SVOG funding. Yesterday, I read this article on Williamstown Theatre […]
Stop Whacking the Communication Mole
We’ve discussed why your organization exists, how to build a better board relationship, and the types of brains you need on your Board/staff. Now let’s tackle the issue that I have seen to some degree at every nonprofit organization I’ve ever dealt with: communication. Years ago I read a book (I wish I could remember […]
BRAINS! How to build a Working Board (and staff)
In yesterday’s post, I suggested you build your Board (and small staff) based on the types of brains you need. What did I mean by that? In my ~25 years working in nonprofit theatre, I’ve noticed we tend to have two approaches to hiring: Of course, when you read them written out in black and […]
Board ≠ Parent; Staff ≠ Child
Yesterday, we talked about redefining why your nonprofit theatre exists. Now, let’s talk about redefining how it is led. Here’s the traditional list of Board duties: This list is a good one, but it has led us to build initial Boards of: This is a fundamentally paternalistic model. It shouldn’t surprise us as the whole […]
Excuse me, why do you exist?
This is the first of a series of posts that have come out of a workshop I created for the South West Theatre Conference in Little Rock last weekend. The thoughts contained herein have been informed by a ton of articles read, lectures and workshops attended, and conversations enjoyed over the last few years. Apologies […]
Shuttered Venue Clarity Part 6 – Weekend Reboot
Just when we thought the SBA learned from the unmitigated disaster of the SVOG portal launch on April 8, last night our hopes were once again dashed when they tweeted this: That’s right, they are re-launching the portal on Saturday, the Sabbath for some, a time when others catch even the smallest iota of a […]
Shuttered Venue Clarity – Part 5: Ready for the Reboot
While we wait for the reboot of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) portal, I wanted to share the updates I’ve received from our local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) contact, Sara. I am SO THANKFUL that Sara has been communicative during this time when we’re only getting crickets from the SBA. The first list […]
Shuttered Venues, Part 4 – It’s the Day of the Show, Y’all!
This is going to be a super-fast highlights post. Here’s what we know: The SVOG Portal opens at 12:00 pm EDT You’ll need the Google Authenticator App (App Store, Google Play) on your smartphone in order to register You need to get the SVOG-specific Form 4506-T from the SVOG site You will need TWO versions […]