Reprint from the October 2013 Directors Desk
Success...
We have a total of 8 events going on in the month of October. In addition to all that, we have the annual campaign fund drive that begins this month. At the time we scheduled the events for October, there was nothing competing with our events for the month. Nine months later, there are multiple events going during each of those weekends. No matter how much work and planning we do for an event, something inevitably comes along and we have to adapt.
I had a local historian ask me the other day the secret to MHT’s success. My answer was, “Keep moving.” The ability to keep moving, adapting from adversity, and creating something better has served the theatre well from the very beginning. The City was set to tear down the Market House building when a group adapted the old space and created something amazing. They preserved the building by adapting it to a changing environment.
There is a cardinal rule in theatre that says no matter what happens in a scene on stage, you go with it. If you fight “what you are handed” and don’t adapt when a door gets stuck on stage, a character doesn’t make an entrance, or a person forgets their lines, the scene comes to a grinding halt and the show fails. April and I teach both kids and adults to adapt to the unexpected and find a creative way to move beyond that moment in order to keep the life of the play going. The main character in a war movie I just watched the other night had a line that said, “In life and death situations, your best chance for survival is to keep moving.” That phrase resonated with me. We talk about changing lives at MHT. The ability to keep adapting, keep creating, and keep moving no matter what we are given makes us successful on the stage and even more so in life.
In MHT’s history, there has been no shortage of adversity. When a fire in the Market House wiped out an entire season of plays in the 1970s, they did a shortened season and took advantage of the extra time to renovate the theatre better than it was before. When the lighting system self-destructed 2 days before Les Mis opened, the new system we purchased holds more cues than the old system and is more portable, allowing us more flexibility. When an ice storm closed everything in Paducah the opening weekend of a show, we had to combine some performances on the second weekend, working to seat everyone who had tickets from the first weekend. We ended up with packed houses for what was usually a less-attended show during the winter. When the Carson Center opened, the number of competing entertainment events in Paducah increased dramatically. MHT regrouped by moving into a new educational programming niche, and we now serve more youth than any other group in our region. Success comes from embracing challenges, adapting to the new environment, and moving forward.
Adapting, creating, and moving forward requires people to believe in you. You can be a voice calling for change, but if no one believes in you then nothing happens. You as donors have played a huge role in our success over the 50 years of MHT’s history. Your loyalty, generosity, and belief in the power of community have transformed “a little theatre group” into a vibrant organization that touches the lives of thousands of people every year.
This Monday, October 14th at 5:30 pm (on the anniversary date and time of the first meeting of the group who faced the challenges of starting MHT), we are inviting every donor, audience member, performer, or volunteer at MHT to come to the front of the theatre for a group photo and a piece of birthday cake. This will only last about 30 minutes, because we need to “keep moving.” We have auditions for Fox on the Fairway, a rehearsal for To Kill a Mockingbird, and a play selection committee meeting to discuss plays they are reading for next season. MHT’s success is achieved by moving forward to embrace the unexpected challenges and create something better.
Behind the curtain: MHT Board Member Denise Bristol
Denise Bristol wears a t-shirt when she works as stage manager that says, “If you can see me, something is wrong!” It is a tech crew shirt that embraces the idea that theatre technical crews are shadowy figures like Ninjas that move the scenery and operate the controls without the audience ever seeing them. Theatre is supposed to look effortless and magical. Like the Wizard in Oz, we say to pay no attention to the person behind the curtain. In our case, that Wizard is Denise Bristol, who was named Volunteer of the Year a few years ago for all of her hard work behind the scenes.
Elected in 2009 as a Director on the MHT Board, Denise was elected as the Theatre Secretary in 2011. She also chairs the Play Selection Committee. A legal assistant for the Housman Law Firm, Denise has traveled the world. She taught English in a South Korean University and is an avid reader and recumbent bicyclist. Her favorite plays are mysteries and farce comedies. Denise shares her home with her feline children adopted when they were lost or unwanted. When at the theatre, you can usually find her back stage in her black clothing, wearing the tiara that cast members gave her, as she calls the lights, sound, and technical cues for a show.
Denise tells me every year that if she wins the lottery, MHT is in her plans! I have witnessed that Denise doesn’t depend on winning the lottery to enhance her life. She plans out each year how much she needs to pay her bills, then puts money aside for her travels. Denise also makes a generous donation to MHT each year. Denise once commented that until she joined the board, she had no idea how much we depended on donations and grants to supplement our programming and productions. Last year, the theatre operations cost over $500,000 and MHT had to raise $166,000 in contributions to break even.
An incredibly funny and giving person, Denise Bristol has played and continues to play a big part in the success of MHT. She will be walking with several different casts during the Fund Run this month on October 19th to benefit Market House Theatre and our endowment. For Denise, it will be a change from being behind the scenes making things happen. Her toughest decision will be which cast and crew show t-shirt to wear! I think she should wear her tiara with whatever shirt she selects.