Theater Profile: Performance Network
Successful year gives way to an expanded Network in 2004/05
Who was it that said, "You have to keep re-inventing yourself every couple of years in this business in order to keep people excited about what you're doing"?
No, it wasn't some Wall Street guru – although it sounds like something an M.B.A. would say. Rather, it was Carla Milarch who, with David Wolber, sat down recently with Curtain Calls to reflect on their first year as leaders of Ann Arbor's Performance Network.
What a year it was – and what a year ahead they have planned!
Milarch and Wolber assumed leadership of the theater last year following the unexpected resignations of Johanna Broughton and Daniel C. Walker. The two were not strangers to the Network; both had long histories with the theater, and each had been mentored by Broughton and Walker to eventually assume their roles.
"I count [the season] as our first major triumph for a number of reasons," Milarch, the group's artistic director, said. "First of all, because of the way we were able to transition as smoothly as we did. I think that's a credit to our predecessors, as well as to us. We've gotten a lot of kudos about how [people] couldn't even really tell that things were different."
Secondly, she added, "I think we did really great shows. We got a lot of award nominations, and we have a lot of very, very happy directors, actors and designers who are eager to work here again.
"And we managed to please our audience."
So much so, that 85 percent of subscribers have already renewed their seats for the upcoming season – and that was achieved prior to sending out the company's general season brochure.
"Judging by that, it feels like we had a very successful year," said Wolber, who serves as the theater's executive director.
Almost immediately upon assuming the Network's reins, the two encountered their first major challenge: significant reductions in state arts funding.
"We were really worried about our own cash flow situation," Milarch said, "but we made an appeal to our supporters, and they rallied to our cause."
In fact, Network donors generously contributed twice the amount the theater usually receives in annual gift-giving.
Ticket sales throughout the season, however, were uneven – although the Network met its overall budget objectives.
"A few shows didn't do well," Wolber admitted. "But others did quite well."
A national presence
This past month saw the Network head to Chicago with 24 actors, directors and playwrights from around the country for the National Showcase of New Plays sponsored by the National New Play Network. Staged readings of 18 plays were presented, including the much nominated "The Home Team" by Kim Carney – which received its world premiere at the Network this past fall.
"That was a nice way to end the season," Wolber said of the experience. "Several artistic directors came up and said how impressed they were with the productions we were doing there."
Milarch even received a congratulatory e-mail from the literary manager of the esteemed Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis complimenting the Network's talented ensemble.
"It's a nice reminder of how well we stack up against other theaters our size around the country. We really are on par with theaters our size and much larger than ours," she noted.
The trip has already borne fruit: Several theaters have expressed interest in staging Carney's script, and a few actors might now have opportunities to broaden their horizons elsewhere in the country.
And in 2005, the Network will participate in the "rolling world premiere" of "Ice Glen" by Joan Ackermann – a show that will be staged by three separate companies around the country through a grant received from the Continued Life Fund.
It's all about networking, Milarch believes. "One of our goals over the next five years is to continue having that national presence so that we can really represent Ann Arbor on a national level and represent Michigan as a culturally viable place to live and work."
Main Stage season
Longtime patrons of the Network will notice a broader than usual selection of plays for its 2004/05 season.
And that's by design.
"We look for the best plays that offer a variety of theatrical experiences to our patrons," Milarch said. "If you're not constantly cultivating your audience, then you're not serving the longevity of the art form."
So this year patrons will see a Tennessee Williams play ("Summer and Smoke"), a heartwarming musical ("She Loves Me"), a world premiere ("The Stillness Between Breaths") and a freewheeling adaptation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" ("Humble Boy").
And because the Network feels a real connection to the LGBT community, the season also includes "Boston Marriage" by David Mamet and "Take Me Out" by Richard Greenberg.
One change this year will be a full week of preview performances – a plus for budget-minded theatergoers: Preview tickets will cost only $20.
The Moshe Pit, TreeTown and more
This month will also see the addition of a second stage at the Network – a space Milarch calls an "hommage" to the troupe's original location.
"We've taken our rehearsal hall and painted it black, and we figured out that with some strategically places risers and light trees, we can put together a 40-seat performance venue there," Milarch said.
Called The Moshe Pit, the space will be home to smaller, edgier shows. Its inaugural production will be "Laura's Bush," expected to open around Oct. 1 for a limited run.
A Saturday series for children will also debut this fall, featuring shows staged by its Children's Theatre Network. Acting and improvisation classes for children and teens are also planned.
Two popular, longtime programs at the Network will see changes in 2005.
The annual Fireside Festival – at which new plays receive staged readings – will move from winter to summer. With it will come a name change. "The Bonfire Festival?" Milarch somewhat joked.
And with declining ticket sales for the second year in a row, the TreeTown Festival will be cut next summer from 13 weeks to five to make room for "Take Me Out."
With a successful season behind them and an expansive season before them, the no-longer-rookie executives seem confident about what lies ahead for their organization.
"It's going to be a very good season," Wolber said.
Milarch thought for a moment, smiled and bravely laughed, "There is that looming question: What if we're wrong?"
For complete information about Performance Network's 2004/05 season, call the box office at 734-663-0681 or go online to www.performancenetwork.org.
