ROCHESTER –
When Cheryl Marshall initiated the successful effort to save the financially-troubled Meadow Brook Theatre in 2003, the beleaguered troupe's group sales manager hardly expected to find herself sitting in the managing director's chair five years later.
Yet that's precisely the role the board of directors of The Theatre Ensemble at Meadow Brook Theatre asked Marshall to fulfill last November after the previous executive team was unexpectedly dismissed.
The ousters were a bold and surprising move that stunned Michigan's theater community, and the silence emanating from Wilson Hall at Oakland University ever since has been deafening. Patrons and thespians alike were left to ponder the fate of Michigan's largest professional theater, and anxiety levels within the theater community remained high even after the 2008-09 season was announced. "I just hope that all the rumors and such can be put to rest," Marshall said. "We are here and we are working. The lease is extended, and we are still hiring Michigan actors."
The never-explained departures of artistic director David L. Regal and managing director John Manfredi have been the subject of much gossip over the intervening months, yet Marshall shed little light on the subject. "Basically, the former administration and the board of directors had artistic differences, and they decided to part company with one another," she said.
Marshall initially agreed to serve as the troupe's acting managing director. But on July 1, the board made her title official. "It's a lot of work," she admitted, "but it's a lot of heartfelt work, because I've been here a long time."
The Ohio native, who once planned to become a public accountant, joined the staff as a part-time employee in 1996 and now oversees a near $2 million budget. But, like most Michigan arts organizations, Meadow Brook is struggling. "Well, the finances are probably as good as everybody else's," she said. "Theaters have taken a rough hit. We are in the red, but less so than we were in November. We've come out quite a bit since then."
Why? Because of "The Little Sisters of Hoboken," who replaced the previously announced "Man of La Mancha" on the schedule this past spring. "We got a big boost with 'Nunsense' with Cindy Williams," Marshall said of the frothy show that generated snickers from area thespians, but plenty of cash from eager theatergoers. "That show provided us with a lot of necessary sales. Changing shows was a big turning point for us."
Meadow Brook patrons evidently agree, as subscription levels are already nearing 90 percent of last year's levels, while group sales and sales of Flex-Tix are also up considerably. "And once people find out that Cindy Williams and Eddie Mecca are both coming for 'Kong's Night Out' (in February 2009), I anticipate we'll get a bump in sales, as well," Marshall predicted.
Leadership
When word of the executive-level changes at Meadow Brook began circulating last fall, many within the theater community feared an earlier plan considered by Oakland University officials to turn the theater into a touring house managed by Joseph Nederlander would be resurrected. Others believed the seemingly rudderless theater was doomed to shut down altogether, and the lack of any visible movement for nearly a year to announce permanent replacements only strengthened those concerns.
Behind the scenes, however, Marshall was working closely with newly-appointed Artistic Administrator Travis Walter and Associate Director Terry W. Carpenter to keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly.
One responsibility that usually falls to the artistic director – choosing the upcoming 2008-09 season – became the job of a play selection committee, which consisted of the three executives and members of the board. "We knew the basic formula we wanted was a mystery, a comedy, a musical, a thriller and all that," Walter recalled. "We had several choices for each category. We all read them and came back with our feedback."
And the result? "We've got new stuff in there that's never been seen in Michigan," Walter said.
Added Carpenter, "I think the process worked very well."
Selecting the new artistic director will fall entirely to the board, however. To do that, Marshall said, the board has hired the Detroit Executive Service Corps, a management assistance consulting service for nonprofit organizations. "We'll have a national search," she said. "But we won't have (an artistic director) for this season. And probably, the play selection committee will meet again and select the next season. So whoever does come in will already have a season in place."
None of the current administrators know what criteria the board is using for its search. "They may be looking for someone who's more of a business person than just overseeing the artistic side," Carpenter theorized. "The old phrase is, 'Every artistic decision is a financial decision, and every financial decision is an artistic one.'"
Walter agreed. "A lot of theaters are going to a 'producing artistic director' and wiping out the managing director altogether."
But all Marshall knows for sure is that the board will "take their time in order to get someone who fits the needs of this theater and the community."
Plenty of work
With no clear answers from the theater's management over the past 10 months, anxious artists were left to question the viability of their careers here in Michigan. (Since its founding in 1966, Meadow Brook has traditionally been the state's largest employer of union actors and technicians.) But they needn't worry, the three leaders say.
"The bulk of our hiring is local actors," Marshall said.
In fact, the troupe will stage more larger-cast shows this season and will have more Equity contracts than there were in recent seasons. "So there is work here," Carpenter said.
But theater administrators also have to listen to their audience, Walter explained. "We've had patrons say 'If I see this person in one more show, I'm walking out.' We're not a (repertory) company, so we do want to (present) a variety of faces," he said. "And some of the people we're hiring from out of town are old Meadow Brook favorites who live elsewhere, but who are coming back to their roots."
A positive future
With an annual budget of $1.9 million, a good working relationship with its landlord (the recently renegotiated lease is renewable every year), and an reenergized staff, the Rochester-based non-profit theater is poised to launch a successful season Oct. 8 with "Murder by Poe" directed by Walter. "I hope the audience loves the show as much as we do," the director said. "They haven't seen anything like it. I think they're going to be blown away."
One positive sign that pleases Marshall is the return of some former subscribers after a few seasons away. "And that's a good thing. When I first started here, every seat in the theater was filled," she said. "So if (former patrons) left for any reason, come back and give us another shot. They just might find out they like it."
"And if they've never been here," Carpenter added, "try us – you may be surprised."
