Download Theatre kingston Strategic Plan 2010-2013

THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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Strategic Plan — 2010-2013
Planning the journey for a professional theatre company on its
way to becoming the resident theatre company at Kingston’s
Grand Theatre; the manager of a creative, collaborative
performance space in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster; and a mentor
to young, emerging and aspiring actors in the region.
Contents:
Executive Summary ..................................................
3
Theatre Kingston’s Mission & Vision for 2010-2013 ..
5
Values and Guiding Principles ...................................
8
Goals ........................................................................
9
Situation Analysis / Context for the Plan ..................
11
Programming Strategies ...........................................
16
Facilities, Equipment, Operations & Administration ...
19
Financial Sustainability ............................................
24
Strategies for Brand and Audience Development ......
28
Key Relationships and Partnerships ..........................
30
Transition plan through to September 2012 ..............
32
Appendices (on Branding and Fundraising).....................
33
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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 2010, Theatre Kingston. All rights reserved.
THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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Thank you!
Theatre Kingston gratefully acknowledges the following organizations. Their support
has made this Strategic Plan 2010-2013 and its related initiatives possible.
Funding is made possible by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council’s (Compass Grant)
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
Consulting Support Provided by 8020Info Inc.
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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Executive Summary
Theatre Kingston was founded in 1990 and
launched workshops, theatre classes and productions. In
1998, it moved into the Baby Grand, and began offering a
full season of productions (with occasional expeditions to
other venues in Kingston and Toronto). It now also offers
Children’s Drama Club, summer Children’s Drama Camp,
and collaborates with Queen’s with the Barefoot Players.
Mission Summary: To produce stimulating and intellectually provocative
theatrical work at a high level of professional competence; draw from/enrich the
Kingston community; facilitate theatrical development and collaborations; foster
Canadian theatre; and provide outreach and an educational theatrical resource for the
community.
Values/Guiding Principles are described on Page 7. They include a focus on
challenging work, the highest artistic standards, social art in the community,
professional connections, and the development of local theatre artists.
Most Canadian cities Kingston’s size are home to a regional professional
theatre company. This is not the case in Kingston for a variety of reasons. One is the
proximity of Kingston to Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Another is the lack of a
professional theatre tradition.
The Board of Theatre Kingston launched its strategic planning project at a
time when many new developments are underway that will significantly reshape
Kingston’s cultural landscape: Forces for change and new opportunities arise from new
developments at the Tett Centre/Queen’s Performing Arts Campus; the Grand
Theatre; and the recently approved Kingston Culture Plan.
This plan imagines a journey for Kingston’s professional theatre company
that follows three movements -- building capacity and laying the foundation for future
growth and stability (2010-2011); expansion of its role as a resident theatre company
at the City’s premier venue (2011-2012); and, broadening its scope to incorporate a
new home in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster (2012-2013).
Key programming/artistic goals include: high-quality professional
productions of scripted Canadian plays; social-engagement projects; and an Emerging
Playwrights group.
Theatre Kingston’s approach to artistic development will have a strong focus
on Kingston; individual and communal identity; unique theatrical creation between
professional artists and community members -- artist/community collaboration; mentoring
a community of artists; more shows and youth programs; more active partnerships; use of
new space; new play development; and, eventually, a full-time Artistic Director and
General Manager.
Over the next two years, Theatre Kingston will continue establishing its
place as the first choice for those theatregoers in the Greater Kingston area who are
best served by theatre which challenges and engages them intellectually,
imaginatively and aesthetically.
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
Page 4 of 35
Over time, Theatre Kingston plans to build a stronger organizational brand
that will become synonymous with stimulating and intellectually provocative theatrical
work at a high level of professional competence; social engagement with the
community and mentorship in the region.
Audience Development tactics will include: active word-of-mouth; media
partnerships; winter option for Firehall Theatre audiences; cooperative marketing with
the Thousand Islands Playhouse; site-specific promotional tactics; use of social media;
ambassadors/ advocates; joint marketing with the Grand Theatre; artist outreach; and
community outreach and engagement.
This plan places a heavy focus on building active relationships and
partnerships, including those with the City of Kingston, Grand Theatre; Tett Centre
and its other tenants; Queen’s University and other educational groups; other theatre
companies; arts agencies, foundations and government.
Theatre Kingston’s new facility at the Tett Centre Arts Cluster will be a
black box theatre space. The performance space will be just under 1200 sq/ft. with an
additional 400 sq/ft. approximately for back space and offices.
All current offices and administrative will be housed in the Tett. The office
will be used for the day to day operation of Theatre Kingston and co-ordination of the
space, plus some space will double as a box office for public shows at that location.
Theatre Kingston’s use of the Baby Grand 2010–2013: The Baby Grand
will be the performance space for our main season shows. The Tett will be used as
rehearsal space, drama club location use, and summer camp venue. Alternate
presentations will also be held at the Tett such as Loose Lips shows and avant-garde
presentations
Governance: The Theatre Kingston Board will be expanded by three
members and a new Advisory Resource Group will be created. Staffing will, in time, be
expanded to full-time with a more active role for volunteers.
By the end of a five-year period of growth, we hope to engage our Artistic
Director and General Manager on full-time contracts and have hired a part-time
administrative support and publicist. Plans are also identified for volunteer
recruitment and roles for interns and student co-op placements.
Highlights of the company’s new plan for financial sustainability include: a
more balanced revenue mix, more active fundraising, increased/more secure grants and
funding; expanded drama camps; a strong capital campaign; more vigorous annual
fundraising; increased ticket sales; new space rentals; and careful risk management -having money in hand before making commitments.
Financial Projections indicate ambitious growth from an annual budget of
$135, 394 to an estimated $180,100 in three years time. A special capital campaign will
address Capital requirements for the Tett Centre fit-out of $140,000.
This plan anticipates a number of pressures and demands that will apply
during the transition period and is preparing workplans to implement strategies to deal
with them.
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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Theatre Kingston’s Mission and Vision for 2010-2013
Theatre Kingston:
New ways to tell great stories. Inventive ● Engaging ● Exciting
Theatre Kingston is a not-for-profit professional theatre group and a registered charity (which
for legal purposes retains its original name of “The People’s Theatre Kingston”). It also
operates a Children’s Drama Club, summer Children’s Drama Camp, and collaborates with
Queen’s University to manage the summer Barefoot Player’s Theatre Camp.
This corporation was organized and formed for the following purposes:
1.
To produce stimulating and intellectually provocative theatrical work at a high
level of professional competence
2.
To produce work that reflects, draws upon and enriches the Kingston
community in all its diversity;
3.
To facilitate the theatrical development of artists and audiences within the
region, as well as cross-disciplinary collaborations;
4.
To foster and promote Canadian theatre; and
5.
To provide outreach and an educational theatrical resource for the community.
It may be taken as a given that Theatre Kingston desires to produce professional theatre of
consistently extraordinary or superior quality. This goal is matched by a commitment to longterm audience development and sustainability as a well-managed, securely funded organization.
Strategic Plan Vision: Three Years — Three Stages
This plan imagines a journey for Kingston’s professional theatre company that follows three
movements -- building capacity and laying the foundation for future growth and stability;
expansion of its role as a resident theatre company at the City’s premier venue; and,
broadening its scope to incorporate a new home in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster.
2010-2011 — Laying the Foundations for Development & Sustainability
Over the next year, Theatre Kingston will focus on laying the groundwork for its future
transition. It will more clearly distinguish Theatre Kingston as a professional theatre
company and continue building the foundations for increased capacity in marketing,
fundraising, operations, and relationships with partners in the theatre community.
Our first priority is producing our own work at a level of quality recognized and commended by
peers, audiences and the critical community. Programming will focus on presenting plays
socially relevant to today's audiences in Kingston; fresh explorations of the human condition;
the best plays of the contemporary theatre; works that reach out to a diverse community; and
bold new interpretations of the classics. The range of future productions will be typical of past
history and start to explore possibilities for salons, cabarets, performance art, multidisciplinary
works/ productions, collaborations with the Modern Fuel contemporary art gallery and others.
The company will continue to play several important roles:
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
Performing and producing works
Presenting works (including joint and reciprocal productions)
Creating works (often in collaboration)
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Mentoring individuals, aspiring professionals, emerging companies and
community theatre groups to create a community of theatre artists
Providing leadership in relationships with the City of Kingston/Grand
Theatre/Baby Grand, with future fellow tenants in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster, with
Queen’s University and its arts campus, and with the cultural community.
Building a market for theatre in Kingston by educating audiences, building
relationships with donors and granting agencies, and developing employment
opportunities for local theatre professionals.
2011-2012 — Resident Professional Theatre Company at the Grand Theatre
The second year of this plan focuses on continuing the transition to formally become the
Resident Professional Theatre Company at the Grand Theatre in Kingston.
Discussions with the City’s Cultural Services Department have identified many mutually
agreeable benefits to building a closer relationship. There is substantive agreement on
programming philosophy, setting the stage for a collaborative approach to programming while
maintaining the independence of the company’s artistic direction.
Theatre Kingston is in a position to assist the City/Grand Theatre with audience development,
theatre expertise and programming. There are several anticipated benefits for the company:
stronger, joint marketing to help sell more tickets;
better opportunities for preferred performance dates;
better joint coordination of theatre seasons and productions presented by
touring companies;
minimized programming and logistical conflicts;
collaboration on public education and audience development; and
improved access/working relationships with the City’s premier venue, the
Grand Theatre.
The Baby Grand will be the venue for Theatre Kingston productions, but the brand will be
based on the programming, not the venue. “Our” home will be in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster
when it opens in 2012.
During the 2011-2012 period, Theatre Kingston will be focused on building capacity and laying
the groundwork for its transition to operations in the Tett Centre. Particular attention will be
given to relationships (with Queen’s University, for example, which will complete its adjacent
arts campus on the site in 2013), fundraising capacity, governance and planning for the new
facility.
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
Consulting Support Provided by 8020Info Inc.
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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2012-2013 — Transition to a New Home in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster
By the end of this three-year plan in 2013, Theatre Kingston will have completed its transition
and be consolidating its growth and capabilities, maturing as a professional theatre company
providing leadership for the region. Some features of the vision for Year 3 of the plan include:
Focus on two performance venues — 1) the Baby Grand/Grand
Theatre for Theatre Kingston performances and presentations; 2) the new
performance space in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster, co-located with the new Queen’s
Performing Arts campus, for purposes of creating new works; collaborating with other
theatre groups and mentoring younger and/or emerging actors. Other venues may
also be employed for certain Theatre Kingston productions when appropriate.
A broader range of programming and theatrical activities enabled by
the new Tett theatre/performance space and growing financial, marketing and
organizational capacity.
income.
Increased stability in administrative operations and growth in earned
Photo: 8020Info
The J.K. Tett Centre Arts Cluster: Theatre Kingston’s future home in 2012.
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
Page 8 of 35
Values and Guiding Principles
Our goal is to create work that is challenging and maintains the highest artistic standards possible.
As professional theatre practitioners, we see our role being to promote the art form in the
community. We believe that by providing high-calibre productions together with education,
mentorship and community engagement opportunities, we can achieve this goal.
Theatre Kingston continues to move towards
programming that includes both high quality
professional productions of scripted Canadian plays
and social engagement projects that provide
disadvantaged groups within the community to have
a theatrical voice.
Providing professional artistic direction for each one
of our offerings ensures that we can maintain the
highest performance standards, which our audiences
expect from us. In this way too, we can offer quality
mentorship to local actors on their way to becoming
professionals. Kingston struggles to maintain a
population of emerging artists as the city offers few
opportunities for young people to hone their craft. This is especially true with aspiring theatre
professionals who regularly flock to Toronto where more opportunities present themselves.
Kingston is home to a vibrant arts community that includes nationally and internationally
recognized writers, musicians, filmmakers and visual artists. As the preeminent professional
theatre company in Kingston, Theatre Kingston is in the unique and honoured position of
having connections to each of these cultural communities by virtue of the collaborative nature
of our work. In this regard, Theatre Kingston has, historically, served the cultural community
of Kingston as a convenient laboratory, where experimentation and the articulation of new
ideas and approaches to performance and presentation is nurtured.
As well, being a social art form, Theatre Kingston recognizes the potential of theatre as a tool
for community outreach and engagement. We are dedicated to the creation of theatre in
Kingston that reflects the personalities and concerns of our community with a particular focus
on those whose voices are silenced because of poverty or prejudice.
Theatre Kingston – through the Barefoot Players and in cooperation with Queen’s – provides
affordable access to theatre for hundreds, if not thousands, of area children and their families.
This program is so successful that we have implemented an eight-month school year
Children’s Drama program to our list of activities, with future plans to include a Teen training
program.
Theatre Kingston is a dedicated arts organization that fosters the development of local artists
and theatre artists by creating work that is collaboratively created, addresses social issues and
aims to educate as well as entertain.
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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Goals That Support Theatre Kingston’s Vision 2010-2013
The following goals indicate the approaches and objectives that Theatre
Kingston will follow over the three years to realize its shorter-term vision.
√ Summary of Goals for Programming, Artist and Artistic Development
Theatre Kingston continues to move towards an equal partnership within the organization of
presenting high-quality professional productions of scripted Canadian plays and socialengagement projects that provide diverse groups within the community a theatrical voice.
Our recently devised artistic model is to present a season of 3-4 plays and, concurrently, to be
creating a Community Arts project on a 2-year cycle, teaming artists with local community groups.
Our intention over the next three years is to begin and maintain an Emerging Playwrights
Group that, we hope, will bear new Canadian works to be presented in our MainStage season.
√ Goals for Audience Development/Marketing/Profile/Brand
Over the next two years, Theatre Kingston will continue establishing its place as the first
choice for those theatregoers in the Greater Kingston area who are best served by theatre
which challenges and engages them intellectually, imaginatively and aesthetically.
One priority involves a specific opportunity for audience development -- providing a winter
option for the Thousand Island Playhouse’s Firehall Theatre-goers, which includes a high
proportion of Theatre Kingston’s target demographic. A second priority audience would include
residents who are not yet aware that this option at a professional level exists in Kingston.
Theatre Kingston will employ a variety of communications channels effectively to reach
out to, engage and develop current and new audiences. These channels (described in more
detail in a later section) include active promotion through word-of-mouth techniques, media
sponsorships and partnerships, site-specific street-level marketing tactics, social media, online
and other electronic contact, and developing a cadre of advocates and ambassadors for the
company. Community outreach will be continued with social engagement projects like I Said
I and The Garbage and The Flowers. Outreach to artists with build on forums like the Loose
Lips Salons.
Collaboration that builds on a cooperative relationship with the Thousand Islands Playhouse
is another priority. There is potential for future joint marketing ventures with that company to
appeal to a broader range of Kingston resident than we currently reach, as well as people
outside our region. Cost-effective joint advertising to potential audiences we have in common
in larger markets, along with more co-productions and joint presentations are additional
options.
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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√ Goals for Financial Sustainability
To make our operations increasingly self-reliant, we are committed to moving towards a
balanced revenue mix: one-third Box Office/Advertising revenue, one-third
Sponsorships/Donations, and one-third Government Grants/Funding.
Our budgets over the past few years indicate our revenues from fundraising and donations
making up only 8 and 10% of our revenue. We’ve received approximately 50% of our
revenue from grants. Box office and other revenues range from 30 to 40% of total revenue.
Our goal is to increase our fundraising capacity over the next three seasons to approximately
15% of our revenue. With the stronger marketing influence of collaboration with the Grand, we
expect to raise our box office revenue as well.
Our move to the JK Tett Centre for our 2012/2013 season will give our fundraising campaign
more focus. Donors will identify with bricks and mortar and will be able to see their donation
at work. We will launch our capital fundraising campaign in the fall of 2011.
Our annual fundraising plan includes the following:
Doing a yearly “ask” for donations from single ticket and subscriber/package buyers.
Developing a targeted campaign focused on 100 identified high-end donors.
Making it easy for people to donate through Canada Helps on our website.
Our goal by 2013 is to have three board members working on our fundraising campaign.
This will be part of an overall effort to increase Theatre Kingston’s capacity to maximize sales,
attract full support from funders and raise funds directly from supporters and sponsors to
enable the organization to grow and seize new opportunities that arise.
√ Goals for Organizational Capacity/Staffing/Governance
We currently have 7 excellent board members that bring a variety of expertise to the table,
and are passionate about our company. We plan to recruit three more board members
over the next two years, attempting to identify at least one who has an interest in helping with
our fundraising plan.
Also intend to create a new advisory resource group – one that includes a variety of
prominent people in our community with particular types of professional expertise,
philanthropic or community experience and/or contacts. Aside from a personal commitment to
theatre and the success of Theatre Kingston, members of this group would not be formal
members of the Board or a committee, but would be expected to make themselves available
as advisory resources from time to time as required.
Organizationally, we aim to be employing our Artistic Director and General Manager on
full-time contracts and have hired a part-time administrative support staff and
publicist operating out of an office/rehearsal space at the end of a five year period of growth.
Our anticipated programming at the Tett Centre will require a committed group of volunteers.
Over the next two years we will be identifying roles for volunteers and will be designing a
volunteer recruitment and recognition program. We will also be looking at opportunities
we might have for student intern and co-op placements.
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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 2010, Theatre Kingston. All rights reserved.
THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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Situation Analysis / Context for the Plan
Company History
Theatre Kingston was founded in 1990 and launched workshops, theatre classes and
productions. It went through a few name changes (Theatre Beyond, The People’s Theatre
Kingston) until 1998 when it became Theatre Kingston, moved into the Baby Grand, and
began offering a full season of at least four productions a year (with occasional expeditions to
other venues in Kingston and Toronto).
Theatre Kingston is known for high quality and innovation. Past productions include two
bilingual plays in association with the local French theatre company, Les Treteaux de Kingston,
five co-productions with Gananoque's Thousand Islands Playhouse, and 16 world premieres.
We generally employ two professional (members of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association)
artists per show. While our goal is to employ an average of 2 CAEA artists per show, we have
on occasion produced productions with a full Equity complement (Forms of Devotion – 2009).
We also aim to employ aspiring professionals who have not yet joined the association, and all
our artist and technical personnel are paid.
The Barefoot Players, the student young company launched in 2000 in association with Queen's
Department of Drama, has become a local summer mainstay, reaching more than 5,000 children
and families annually through workshops and performances in schools and parks.
The company also runs a weekly drama club for children that trains participants throughout
the school year and culminates with full performances for family and friends.
In 2007, renowned theatre practitioner Kim Renders was hired as Artistic Director with a
mandate to return the company to its roots of social investigation and artist/community
integration and collaboration. Kim is a highly respected actor, director, writer, designer and
teacher and is a faculty member of Queen’s University’s Drama Department. She has written
and directed several Theatre Kingston productions. Most recently, she was directed by CAEA
member Anne Hardcastle in the Kingston premiere of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical
Thinking.
Over the past few years, Theatre Kingston has reintegrated itself into the fabric of the city
with projects such as I Said I and A Moveable Feast, giving a theatrical voice to disadvantaged
and diverse groups across the region. These community productions provide individuals and
organizations with the opportunity to work with professional artists in the creation of theatre.
We are committed to promoting theatre by, for and about the local community and developing
Kingston’s theatre artists and audiences alike.
After almost 20 years, Theatre Kingston continues to create theatre that distinguishes itself by
its professionalism, artistic innovation and dedication to the voice and spirit that is uniquely
Kingston.
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
Page 12 of 35
Forces for Change: Opportunities and Challenges
The Board of Theatre Kingston launched its strategic planning project at a time when many
new developments are underway that will significantly reshape Kingston’s cultural landscape:
The Grand Theatre, home of the Baby Grand where Theatre Kingston
stages its productions, recently completed a $17.1-million-dollar renovation.
The City has just completed a Kingston Culture Plan, a masterplan to
guide development of the arts in the city. The Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and a
team of leading consultants delivered a plan that is unique to Kingston and can be
used to foster the conditions needed to support culture. It articulates a sustainable,
authentic, long-term vision for cultural vitality in Kingston and identifies possibilities
for connections between cultural organizations and other stakeholders as well as
opportunities for collaboration.
The City is proceeding with its $11.3-million renovation/reconstruction of
the JK Tett Centre to create a new arts cluster where Theatre Kingston will be a
principal tenant.
Queen’s University will soon begin design and construction of The Isabel
Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, a world-class teaching and performance
venue for students, faculty and artists. It will be co-located on the Tett Centre site
where Theatre Kingston will have its performance/rehearsal space.
Context:
The professional theatre market in Kingston and area
Most Canadian cities Kingston’s size are home to a regional professional theatre company. This
is not the case in Kingston for a variety of reasons. One is the proximity of Kingston to
Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Another is the lack of a professional theatre tradition.
The city has been home to several attempts to produce professional-calibre work, including
Jim Garrard’s Kingston Summer Festival, and Rogue and Peasant Theatre. Community and
amateur theatre groups, however, have been the true benchmark that the community uses to
represent the art form.
Theatre Kingston makes use of professionals from the Thousand Islands Playhouse as
directors, designers and production managers. We actively engage in collaboration with local
writers, other companies and have brought in productions from Toronto. The company
provides advice to and mentorship of small student run companies, but in recent years has not
had an active relationship with amateur, community and recreational companies.
The Ontario Arts Council currently looks at Theatre Kingston in the context of other small
companies that exist without “homes” or permanent facilities. These include Studio 180
(Toronto), Theatre Smash (Toronto), Third Wall (Ottawa) and Crows (Toronto).
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Context:
Kingston Culture Plan
From: http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/culture/masterplan/index.asp
The Kingston Culture Plan, approved by City Council Sept. 21, 2010, will shape the cultural
development of the Kingston community over the next ten years. It is a plan that identifies a
vision for cultural vitality in Kingston and how to achieve it. (And it is available at:
http://www.cityofkingston.ca/pdf/culture/KingstonCulturePlan_2010.pdf )
The Kingston Culture Plan was informed by a number of existing City plans and priorities, and
guided by advice and feedback received from key stakeholders and the public. City staff and
Canadian Urban Institute specialists worked with the community over several months to
identify a shared set of needs, aspirations and values that will continue to make Kingston an
exciting and exceptional place to live.
The purpose of the Kingston Culture Plan includes the following aims:
Articulate a sustainable, authentic, long-term vision for cultural vitality in Kingston;
Develop a list of strategic directions, initiatives and recommendations for action as
well as a timeline for their implementation;
Identify possibilities for connections between cultural organizations and other
stakeholders as well as opportunities for collaboration among City departments to achieve
municipal/community strategic objectives.
The Kingston Culture Plan considers culture to be made up of values, vibe, and virtuosity —
and the interplay between them. Values are the memories, stories, ideas, and beliefs that you
want to tell your children or the world. Vibe is the activity and energy that spills out onto the
street — the lived culture of a place that is experienced in local shops, restaurants, patios,
public squares and sidewalks. Virtuosity is about seeking excellence in various modes of
creative and artistic expression.
Cities around the world are exploring the relationship between cultural vitality, economy, and
quality of life. Today, many cities are finding that their wealth is created less through
manufacturing and more through the creation of knowledge and ideas. Planning for cultural
vitality matters because of the opportunity it brings to improve and enrich the experience of a
place.
This plan sets out a vision and well-defined framework within which Theatre Kingston’s
strategic plan will unfold.
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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Page 14 of 35
Context:
J.K Tett Centre “Arts Cluster”
From: http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/culture/tett/index.asp
The City of Kingston is working toward redeveloping the J.K. Tett Centre at 370 King Street
West, and intends to re-open it as the J.K. Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning in 2012.
Renovation of the facility is expected to get underway in early 2011 with work being
completed by Fall 2012. This will be Theatre Kingston’s future home.
The Tett Centre project will create an "arts cluster" — a unique destination that brings
together artists, students and the community, accessible to Kingston residents and area
visitors alike. It will be developed in collaboration with Queen's University, which will feature
the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on the site along with a recital hall and
theatre, rehearsal space, a screening facility and classrooms.
Creativity and learning will be the main focus of the arts cluster and, to this end, the Tett will
offer an exceptional range of creative activities designed to appeal to people of all ages and
artistic abilities. Participation will be a defining element of this arts cluster: everyone will be
encouraged to engage in creative activities in ways that are meaningful to them.
Work on the re-development of the J.K. Tett Centre began in 2005 when the City of Kingston
hires Artscape Inc. a Toronto firm with broad experience in developing and managing arts
clusters or multi-tenant art centres, to develop a feasibility study to guide this project.
Subsequently the project has involved extensive public consultation with a broad spectrum of
stakeholders and the wider community over numerous years.
In July 2006 City Council approved the sale and purchase of the former Morton Brewery site to
Queen's University, which included: the Stella Buck Building, the Tercentenary Lodge, the
building previously occupied by the Domino Theatre and the surrounding property. At the
time, the City retained ownership of the J.K. Tett Centre to be re-developed as an arts cluster
in recognition of its recent history.
Most recently work on this project has included a Call for Tenants by the Arts Advisory
Committee that resulted in the nomination of 11 prospective tenants to occupy the J.K. Tett
Centre for Creativity and Learning when it is completed. An updated Business Plan, J.K. Tett
Centre for Creativity and Learning was also approved by City Council in March 2010 and
funding for this project was subsequently approved in April 2010.
Tenants: In May 2009 City Council approved the nomination of the following organizations as
tenants to occupy the J.K. Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning when it re-opens:
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H'Art School of Smiles Inc.
Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners
Kingston Photographic Club
Kingston School of Art
Kingston Suzuki Music Association
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
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Kingston Arts Council
Kingston Lapidary and Mineral Club
Kingston Potters' Guild
Kingston School of Dance
Modern Fuel Artist Run Centre
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Theatre Kingston
Context:
Queen’s Arts Campus/ Isabel Bader Centre for Performing Arts
Queen’s University will soon begin design and construction of the $70-million Isabel Bader
Centre for the Performing Arts, a world-class teaching and performance venue for students,
faculty and artists.
Co-located on the Tett Centre site where Theatre Kingston will be located, it will enhance the
teaching of the creative arts in one of the finest education facilities for the arts community
that will promote collaborations among Queen’s and Kingston-area arts groups and encourage
regional cultural tourism. The Centre will house a world-class concert hall, sound studio and
recording facilities, a large lobby with exhibition space for local and regional artists, an art
gallery, waterfront café, studio theatre, screening room and rehearsal hall.
The new complex also includes instructional space for the departments of music, art, film and
media and drama that significantly improves facilities for students, faculty and staff. The space
for the academic departments would be in the reconfigured interior of the Stella Buck and
Stable (former Domino Theatre) buildings.
Context:
Grand Theatre
One of the main cultural venues in the greater Kingston region, the City of Kingston's Grand
Theatre serves as the prime performing arts venue for hundreds of professional and amateur
performances annually including ballet, modern dance, theatre, variety, musicals, comedy and
more. Extensive multi-million-dollar renovations have recently been completed for the
theatre, which first opened in 1879.
Many local arts organizations — such as Theatre Kingston, the Kingston Symphony Orchestra,
the Kinsmen Club, Queens Musical Theatre, Kingston Meistersingers, Rogue and Peasant
Theatre and Dramatic Impact — use the Grand to stage their productions. The Springer
Lounge features the work or local artists. The Baby Grand Studio features local developing
theatre artists and unique, avant-garde and innovative productions in other performing arts
disciplines. Theatre Kingston uses the Baby Grand space for its performances, and is building a
more collaborative role with the Grand Theatre as an emerging resident company.
Vision Statement: The Grand Theatre is a community-based, professionally managed civic
asset that builds and fosters cultural vitality in Kingston. It creates a partnership of the City of
Kingston and the community that sees arts and culture as an important component of
everyday life in the City of Kingston. The Grand Theatre also facilitates and supports
presentation and production, community development, artist support and the creation of
partnerships and collaborations.
Among its other ambitions, the Grand Theatre will be governed to elevate the community's
sense of what it is capable of being.
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Recently the Grand Theatre’s Advisory Board has been reviewing the role of the theatre in the
community, with a focus on cultural leadership, artist and audience engagement and
programming. These provide new opportunities aligned with Theatre Kingston’s strategic plan.
Programming Strategies
Programming Objectives:
Our objectives for our main stage productions continues to be to
present theatre of a high calibre as well as to provide professional mentorship
opportunities to Kingston artists with the province’s experienced theatre practitioners.
The 2010-2011 season will feature The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls;
L’Homme invisible / The Invisible; and Good Bones.
Our community arts/social engagement projects directly link
Kingston artists with diverse community groups. Outstanding examples from the
recent past include productions of The Garbage and the Flowers and I Said I.
Our Theatre for Young Audiences company, the Barefoot Players, in
association with the Queen’s Department of Drama, provides affordable theatre access
to everyone in the city, touring through local public schools, parks and libraries. It also
provides an opportunity for aspiring theatre artists to gain experience in theatre
administration and production.
Our drama club and camps provide arts education opportunities for
young people in the community. The drama club runs during the school year and
concludes with a fully staged public production at Queen’s University’s Convocation
Hall Theatre presented before 600 Limestone School Board elementary students.
Approach for artistic direction, growth and development
We believe that it is our responsibility to develop and promote theatre by,
for, and about Kingston and the surrounding region.
We aspire to develop a unique approach to theatrical creation that
explores not only the fullest potential of the art form, but also the complex
relationship between individual and communal identity. To this end, we are
constantly seeking out new collaborations that will help to build bridges between
diverse communities, as well as foster pride and intellectual excitement.
We are encouraging the development of a unique method of theatrical
creation that brings artists from different disciplines together with community
members to create art that is challenging, educational and engaging. Working with
people from diverse backgrounds, combined with a distinct approach to play creation,
produces work that not only maintains the highest standards of artistic excellence, but
also preserves the integrity and distinct voice of the participants.
In this way, we have revisited the notion of theatre as a means of social investigation
and artist/community integration and collaboration. As a result, Theatre Kingston
continues to weave itself into both the social and artistic fabric of the city by
developing projects such as I Said I, community collaboration) and the Garbage and
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The Flowers (a collaboration with visual, sound and spoken-word artists.) At the same
time, the company has maintained its loyalty to its established audiences by
presenting award-winning scripted work like Goblin Market.
Artistic Objectives:
Theatre Kingston looks forward to increasing the number of shows we can
present in a year from three or four to five.
We also see ourselves expanding our children and youth training
programs.
The new rehearsal and performance space (through the Tett Centre) is
expected to provide additional revenue for the company, help us mentor fledgling local
theatre companies, and build upon existing relationships with other Kingston Artists
(for example Modern Fuel and Apple Crisp Music) toward new and exciting artistic
collaborations.
Organizationally, we aim to be employing our Artistic Director and General
Manager on full-time contracts (2013-14) and hire a part-time administrative support
staff (2012-13) and publicist (2012-13) operating out of an office/rehearsal space.
Type and range of new programming at the Baby Grand and at Tett Centre:
Emerging Playwrights program: intended to foster professional level, supervised playwriting
from New Generation playwrights within the community with the intention of allowing the
city’s voices and stories to be added to the Canadian canon, and opportunities for these plays
to be presented by high-level artists.
Skill workshops for all ages and interests: by securing a permanent home at the Tett Arts
Hive we hope to make available visiting artists to mentor/teach the city’s artists as well as
providing “interest” workshops for the people of all ages within the community at large.
We are committed to putting more of our energies into our Loose Lips Cabarets. These
evenings of readings and presentations of new works by artists from various disciplines and
stages in their careers have been extremely successful in the past, and we intend to make
them even more relevant in the future. Hosting the Loose Lips Cabarets not only strengthens
the presence of Theatre Kingston in the public eye, but also reinforces our positive influence
on emerging artists.
Full-Time Staff: by providing full-time employment to our staff, we create the foundation of a
professional theatre environment and the premier ambassadors within the city for the
promotion of theatre as an integral part of the cultural map in the region.
Mentoring and creating a community of theatre artists
Artists are selected both on the merit of their work and talent, as well as their relationship to
the local community. We are firm believers in supporting and fostering local talent and
our casting/hiring practices reflect those beliefs.
We are making a concerted effort to attract theatre practitioners with strong Kingston
connections to engage with us to enhance and strengthen – not only our work – but also our
local artistic community. We believe the best incentive for a young artist is to have the
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opportunity to sit down with an established artist with whom they have a natural connection
(i.e. background). In this way, we are trying to establish and foster a vibrant theatre “scene”
in Kingston.
Theatre Kingston is committed to the regular development of new plays, with a special
commitment to local playwrights. We actively solicit new scripts and provide feedback and
readings to playwrights.
Through our artist/community projects and Loose Lips Cabarets we are providing an
opportunity for a variety of artists to meet and to collaborate and also to bring their art into
our community. We believe that this is a symbiotic relationship: the artist brings culture into
the community — the community provides inspiration to the artist.
As the pre-eminent professional theatre company in Kingston and in operation during the
school year, Theatre Kingston has developed a solid mentoring relationship with students
from Queen’s University. We have created dozens of jobs and learning opportunities for
Queen’s students – mainly in the area of stage tech and stage management, but we have also
hired students in apprentice performance positions working along side mid-career and senior
professionals.
Our apprentices benefit greatly from their experience with Theatre Kingston and many have
gone on to pursue professional careers in theatre in Toronto.
This relationship the company has fostered with Queen’s University is not unlike that found in
other urban centres across Canada where professional theatre companies work with theatre
learners to help advance their skill sets and prepare them for a career in the field. Take for
example, Blue Ridge Rep. Theatre in Victoria (University of Victoria), Factory Theatre (U of T,
Ryerson) Soul Pepper (George Brown) and Theatre Beyond Words (Brock University.)
Partnerships:
Kingston is home to a vibrant arts community that includes nationally and internationally
recognized writers, musicians, filmmakers and visual artists and we are in the unique
and honoured position of having connections to each of these cultural communities by virtue
of the collaborative nature of our work.
Over the past three years alone, the company has worked with local Indie bands: The
Gertrudes and Swamp Ward Orchestra, visual artists: Katherine Christenson and Lisa Figge,
film-maker: Clarke Mackey, sound artist: Matt Rogalsky. Last year we established an
important link with the Kingston WritersFest.
With our artist/community collaboration projects, we seek out groups that have not been
represented in our theatres, either on stage or in the seats. By including them in our work
and adding their stories to our cultural fabric, we are building a link for them to the city’s
cultural core. We hope to make strides towards de-stigmatizing the idea of theatre and
making it relevant to a wider portion of our population.
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Facilities and Equipment -- Expansion at the Tett Centre
Theatre Kingston’s new facility at the Tett Centre Arts Cluster will be a black box theatre
space. The performance space will be just under 1200 sq/ft. with an additional 400 sq/ft.
approximately for back space and offices.
Moveable risers can be arraigned to any configuration. The space will be
totally fitted out with performance lights and sound.
The many exits and entrances will allow the space to be used for other
applications -- lectures and conferences as well as a general public gallery
The entire building will be up to safety codes and accessibility
requirements as demands by the Province of Ontario building code.
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All current offices and administrative will be housed in the Tett. The office
will be used for the day to day operation of Theatre Kingston and co-ordination of the
space, plus some space will double as a box office for public shows at that location.
Coordination/relations with Queen’s: With close proximity to the future
Queen’s Art Centre, rehearsal space can be used as an overflow for the QAC future
complex. It may well be needed, as all indications point to a drop in venues for
Queen’s rehearsal facilities in the coming years.
Theatre Kingston’s use of the Baby Grand 2010–2013: The Baby Grand
will be the performance space for our main season shows. The Tett will be used as
rehearsal space, drama club location use, and summer camp venue. Alternate
presentations will also be held at the Tett such as Loose Lips shows and avanteguard
presentations.
Fitting Out the New Space:
Building a theatre out of the new Tett Centre is not expected to be unusually difficult
technically. The company will be given an empty space and is ready to fill it up. Staff will be
directly involved with the planning, working with the City of Kingston’s Project Manager.
Theatre Kingston will require certain construction components that will be provided in the
initial construction phase of the City’s renewal of the Tett Centre:
Bring in sufficient electrical service to power the theatre’s light grid and for
general usage. The City is expected to provide the type and size of power service
required at little or no cost to Theatre Kingston.
Plumbing requirements for Theatre Kingston’s space must be addressed.
The space does back onto a public washroom, so careful advance planning should
mean further expense for the City to provide the little plumbing requirements will be
negligible.
The ceiling height of the performance space is critical for the obvious
reasons. Once again, it is expected the City will provide this in consultation with our
technical people.
Theatre Kingston will be responsible for meeting the following interior construction
requirements:
Construction of interior walls (for change rooms/office/bathroom)
Installation of light pipe grid and all associated electrical requirements
Installation of a sub-floor (only concrete floors exist now), office and
change room floors, and a finished stage floor.
Installation of a standard array of light and sound equipment
Improvements to provide finished office and change rooms
The balance of anticipated capital expenses involve the purchase of stage seating, risers, light
instruments, sound equipment and other items to fit out the performance space.
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Operations & Administration
Residency at the Tett Centre will allow Theatre Kingston to extend its youth training programs to
accommodate the growing interest the community has in these programs. Weekend morning
programming as well as extended summer programming will be possible. An expanded
educational component will not only provide needed revenue for the company, but will have the
added benefit of promoting the company and our artistic leadership within Kingston.
Residency within the Tett Centre will allow Theatre Kingston the opportunity to physically
support fledgling companies and aspiring theatre professionals by providing affordable and
well-maintained rehearsal and performance space. Revenue gleaned from these rentals will
in turn go back to benefit both Theatre Kingston and these young companies, by helping to
finance larger or additional productions creating, in turn, professional performance
opportunities for these local theatre artists.
Having a dedicated venue will also provide us with the means to create an arts “drop in”
centre of sorts where artists can meet for a drink, talk with other artists and network.
Governance and Operations:
Our current board members bring valuable expertise to our company:
Our board chair, Barbara Linds, recently retired from a 35 year career in
the union movement. Her theatre board experience includes 5 years as a board
member with Young Peoples Theatre and board chair at Nightwood Theatre.
Vice-chair Hollie Stewart is an arts marketing and communications
professional who has worked for the Thousand Islands Playhouse and is Administrative
Director for Cantabile Choirs.
Secretary Ellie Sadinsky is Director of University Communications at Queen’s
University.
Treasurer Lester Webb is the Manager of Systems and Technical Services
at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.
Board members at large include Rick Cairns, a retired school teacher with
a long musical and dramatic career in Kingston; Queen’s University Drama student
and former Barefoot Players member Talia Acker; and Brooke MacKenzie, a graduate
of Queen’s University Department of Drama and a second year law student at Queen’s.
We are actively engaged in recruiting three new board members over the next two years,
attempting to identify at least one that has an interest in fundraising and donor development.
We are currently creating an advisory resource group that will include prominent
community members who are both passionate about our work and bring valuable expertise to
our company. Individuals who have agreed to date include Tim Fort, Head of the Drama
Department at Queen’s and former Theatre Kingston Board Member; Rob Wood, strategic
planning, research and marketing communications consultant; Shelagh McDonald, Executive
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Director, Eastern Ontario Regional Innovation Network; and Diane Kelly, Legal Counsel for
Queen’s University.
Staffing:
At present both our Artistic Director and our General Manager are employed on a part-time
basis. We also engage our Business Manager on a part-time basis. They are all responsible to
the Board. Our Finance committee includes the Business Manager, Board Chair and Treasurer.
By the end of a five-year period of growth, we hope to engage our Artistic Director and
General Manager on full-time contracts and have hired a part-time administrative support
and publicist. Once we move into the Tett, it will become clearer what kind of staffing
structure will be most suitable to our increased programming and administrative needs.
We are currently exploring an ongoing relationship with St. Lawrence College, which will
provide the company with the resources of interns and co-op placement students.
Over the years Theatre Kingston has had a core group of volunteers who assist us in a
variety of ways. Our board members contribute many hours of their time, both in board
activity and also supplementing the work done by our paid staff. As in all not-for-profit
theatre companies, staff contribute many hours of unpaid labour.
It is expected that parents of children in our Drama Club contribute to the club’s operation
by volunteering to work on costumes, hospitality, props, publicity, and communications. In
addition, we are offering high school students the opportunity to earn their community service
credit by volunteering with the Children’s Drama Club.
We will be developing a volunteer program, with a core group of volunteers, in time for our
move into the Tett Centre in 2012. We will require a group of volunteers to assist with
administrative duties, as well as a core group of volunteer ushers. Our plan is to develop a
volunteer recruitment and recognition program over the next two seasons.
The prospective Tett Centre tenants have been meeting for over a year as the plans for
restoration of the building have developed. At present we are involved in discussions with
respect to the creation of a new not-for-profit organization that will be responsible for running
the facility. Once that organization has been established and a board created, staff will be
hired to run the facility and to coordinate facility-wide relationships. We are actively involved
in discussions about governance of this new entity.
Knowledge, expertise, partnerships and networks:
Our board and staff bring a wide variety of skills, knowledge and expertise to the company.
Our Artistic Director is widely recognized by her peers and the public as a brilliant actor and
director, as well as for her innovative community based artistic collaborations. Our General
Manager brings technical and production skills to the company. Our Business Manager has a
long history providing business administration to a variety of not-for-profit arts organizations
in Kingston.
Our board members bring expertise in administration, information technology,
communications and marketing to the company. With the addition of an advisory group, we
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will be able to expand the knowledge base available to the board to legal, technical, and
strategic planning advice.
Our partnership with the Grand Theatre provides us with both marketing advice and access
to a wider audience for our promotional materials. Our partnership with Queen’s University
connects us with theatre professionals as well as professionals in all arts disciplines.
Operational Planning:
Our core programming has been well documented in other parts of this plan. Our operations
from 2012 on, with our move into the Tett Centre, will expand to include renting our
performance/rehearsal space to small theatre companies and others for performances,
rehearsal and meeting space. We may also be running our own box office or partnering on
ticket sales with other organizations in the Tett/Bader complex.
Our strategic planning process has provided us with a series of goals and timelines as we plan
for our move to the Tett Centre. Our next step is to identify key areas of work for the board
and staff, and to map out a plan for each of these areas.
Each board meeting will include a focused discussion on one key area of work, and will include
outside resource people. Our October meeting will focus on marketing; our November, on
fundraising.
Over the next two years we also intend to review our policies, procedures and organizational
standards. The attached checklist will guide our work in this regard.
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Financial Sustainability
Revenue, Funding and Fundraising Strategies:
In order to take on the lease of a studio theatre/rehearsal space at the Tett Centre in 201213, Theatre Kingston needs to grow its budget so that it is a larger and financially more stable
organization at the time that it takes on the responsibility for the lease payments.
To meet this target Theatre Kingston over the next two years (no later than the 2012-13 fiscal
year) will need to develop all parts of its income stream with the following initiatives:
To make our operations increasingly self-reliant, we are committed to
moving towards a more balanced mix of revenue sources: one-third Box
Office/Advertising revenue, one-third Sponsorships/Donations, and one-third
Government Grants/Funding.
Theatre Kingston will need to secure Canada Council funding. Over the
next 18 months a concerted effort will be made to communicate to staff in the Theatre
Section of the Canada Council for the Arts, the impact on the local community of the
work that is currently done by Theatre Kingston, the quality of the work we currently
do, and the positive effect the new Tett Centre space will have on the company’s
development.
The company will also need to convince the Theatre Department of the
Ontario Arts Council of the importance to move from Annual Operating Grant funding
to Multi-Year Operating Grants and to increase that level of funding to at least
match the annual municipal grant.
The company will expand the summer camp to a minimum of 3 weeks
in July and expand the Drama Club to two evenings per week. Both of these
services will remain profitable to the company.
Plan and carry out a successful capital fundraising campaign to furnish
and equip the Tett facility. Theatre goers and community leaders will be asked to
support the bricks, mortar and equipment purchases. Following the capital campaign
they will be encouraged to continue their support as donors to the annual operating
campaign.
Develop an annual fundraising campaign directed at individuals that
will contribute significant operating income covering the production costs of at least
one production.
Develop a production sponsorship schedule for each season in order
that each production has a sponsor contributing sufficient funds to pay the cost of the
Director.
Promote increased ticket sales by restructuring Theatre Kingston’s
marketing effort to work more closely with the advance ticket sales campaign run by
the Grand Theatre and make more efficient use of web marketing and radio while
reducing dependence on costly print ads and posters.
Establish a consistent level of subscription, group and single ticket sales
that enables Theatre Kingston to plan productions based on 65% average paid
attendance over a three-week run.
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When the workshop space at the Tett facility is complete, Theatre Kingston
will rent space as a rehearsal/studio/workshop location to other smaller theatre
groups. This income will help cover the costs of operations and also increase the
awareness of the facility in the community.
Cost and risk management strategies:
Theatre Kingston will make commitments to undertake capital
improvements to the Tett Centre space and to purchase capital equipment only when
sufficient matching capital income is confirmed. This could impact the completion date
of the project, however potential donors and funders for the capital campaign will also
be driven by the urgency of the company’s needs and the project’s deadlines.
If capital funding were limited or delayed, Theatre Kingston could still use
the Tett space for office, rehearsals, Drama Club and some limited audience workshop
presentations on a basic level with a limited capital investment.
Any delay in the City’s construction completion timetable would impact on
Theatre Kingston’s ability to rent out the Tett space, however the company will not
take on debt to renovate the Tett Centre.
Theatre Kingston will need to be cautious in making financial commitments
during the development and move to the Tett Centre, working on the basis that
revenue is secured before the matching expense can be undertaken. The exception to
this approach is a commitment to rent the Tett Centre space from the City of Kingston.
The City is planning for rents below market rates and Theatre Kingston will have to
sign a lease in order to qualify for capital improvement grants.
Theatre Kingston currently has an effective financial management system
and will closely monitor the Tett space budget commitments and overall company
costs on a regular basis.
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Budget Estimates: 2009-2010 projected through 2012-2013
The People's Theatre Kingston Inc.
Estimate
Year End 200910
Budget
TOTAL 20102011
Budget
Budget
TOTAL
2011- TOTAL 20122012
2013
REVENUE
Box Office Sales Revenue
Total Box Office
$
38,393.00
$
33,950.00
$
36,925.00
$
44,000.00
Other Earned Income
Total Other Income
$
16,499.00
$
17,100.00
$
17,800.00
$
19,300.00
Donations and Fundraising
Total Donations & Fundraising
$
14,731.00
$
20,250.00
$
26,500.00
$
30,000.00
GRANTS
Total Other Revenue
$
79,500.00
$
50,500.00
$
61,000.00
$
86,000.00
TOTAL REVENUE
$
149,123.00
$
121,800.00
$
142,225.00
$
179,300.00
EXPENSE
Performance Space
Total Performance Space
$
16,732.00
$
13,300.00
$
14,350.00
$
20,600.00
Drama Club/Summer Camp
Total Drama Club & Summer Camp
$
10,399.00
$
12,000.00
$
12,000.00
$
12,000.00
Marketing & Promotion
Total Marketing/Promotion
$
16,572.00
$
17,900.00
$
21,400.00
$
23,400.00
Administration - Fees & Salaries
Total Admin Fees & Salaries
$
19,030.00
$
24,550.00
$
32,000.00
$
42,500.00
Production Payroll Expenses
Total Production Payroll
$
39,736.00
$
44,505.00
$
42,060.00
$
48,060.00
Total FR Expenses
Total Fundraising
$
335.00
$
250.00
$
750.00
$
1,000.00
Production
Total Production Expenses
$
13,593.00
$
11,450.00
$
11,950.00
$
11,950.00
Royalties/Scripts
Total Royalties/Scripts Expense
$
5,825.00
$
3,300.00
$
3,950.00
$
4,200.00
TOTAL EXPENSE
$
$
135,394.00
$
$
137,645.00
$
$
149,350.00
$
$
180,100.00
NET INCOME (LOSS)
$
13,729.00
$
(15,845.00)
$
Budget - Operations
General & Adm inistrative Expenses
Captial Costs
See Capital Budget
(7,125.00) $
(800.00)
** NOTE: Theatre Kingston’s legal entity, as noted above, is The People’s Theatre Kingston Inc.
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Capital Budget - Theatre Kingston
Development of Tett Centre - Studio Theatre Facility
Revenue -
2011 - 2012
Grants
- Trillium Foundation
Donations
- Individuals
- Corporate
- Foundations
$
$
$
96,000.00
96,000.00
$ 96,000.00
$
$
$
$
14,000.00
7,500.00
22,500.00
44,000.00
$ 44,000.00
$ 140,000.00
Total
Expenditures
Salaries & Benefits
- Production Manager $100/wk x 50 wk
- General Manager $50/wk x 50 wk
Administration
- Postage and courier
- Printing & Copies
- Travel expenses
Capital
- Stage Floor - materials & installation
- Seating
- Risers for seating
- Lighting Grid - installed
- Lighting Equipment - Lighting Board - Sound Equipment
- Cable & connectors (Sound & Lighting)
- Interior construction
- Black Curtains
- Office Equipment - Desk/Chair/Filing Cabinets
- Office Equipment - Lighting
Contingency on Equipment Cost Inflation @ 5%
Project Evaluation
- Consultant - 2 days
- Printing & Photos
Total
Theatre Kingston Strategic Plan
$
$
$
5,000.00
2,500.00
7,500.00
$
7,500.00
$
$
$
$
300.00
300.00
500.00
1,100.00
$
1,100.00
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
10,000.00
7,500.00
15,000.00
15,000.00
12,500.00
5,000.00
7,500.00
10,000.00
20,000.00
15,000.00
5,000.00
1,000.00
123,500.00
6,175.00
129,675.00
$
$
$
1,200.00
525.00
1,725.00
$ 129,675.00
$
1,725.00
$ 140,000.00
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Strategies for Theatre Kingston’s Brand and Audience Development
A brand can be developed for products, services, experiences, causes, communities, and
organizations, even a single individual. And a well-built brand is valuable in at least two ways:
It stands for a promise to those you and your brand serve (much the same as your
reputation), and it helps them hear your message and find you more easily in an overcommunicated world. Often a brand also involves identity and relationships. It is a complex
mental construct that has meaning for the person relating to the brand.
At the most basic level, a brand is summarized by and recalled through a name, symbol or
mark that is associated with your product or service, to which consumers attach psychological
meaning, giving it extra appeal. On a more actionable level, Theatre Kingston’s brand must
offer a strong, consistent message about the organization and its programming that
differentiates it from others and that target audiences accept as being both true and of value.
It’s an image and feeling that resides within their hearts and minds. It consists of their
perceptions and experiences, some of which you can influence and some of which you can’t.
Theatre Kingston’s brand name or logo can represent all of those feelings, but the name or
logo alone isn’t the brand. The brand is the meaning behind it all.
What Is Being Branded?
A first step in developing branding strategy involves deciding what is being branded, and it is
based on the value that the company has to offer its audiences and supporters. For many, the
appeal of the show is currently determined by the individual production; for others, the brand
is strongly influenced by the venue (the Baby Grand Studio, and potentially the Tett Centre in
the future).
Over time, Theatre Kingston plans to build a stronger organizational brand that will become
synonymous with stimulating and intellectually provocative theatrical work at a high level of
professional competence; social engagement with the community and mentorship in the
region. It will gradually take the foreground, while maintaining close association with
individual production and venue “brands”.
Brands can be built through various strategies based on function (programming), imaging and
experiences. (See Appendix.) Theatre Kingston’s strategy will be to build its brand primarily
through great productions, supplemented by imaging strategies.
Plans for Audience Development:
Over the next two years, Theatre Kingston will continue establishing its place as the first
choice for theatregoers in the Greater Kingston Area who are best served by theatre which
challenges and engages them intellectually, imaginatively and aesthetically.
These are the people who believe theatre provides essential commentary on the world and
who look for productions of a certain nature, even if it means travelling to other centres along
this corridor, like Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal. These people exist in the area, and have been
Theatre Kingston’s core audience since its inception.
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Active Word of Mouth: One of the most effective marketing tools in
Kingston has always been word-of-mouth communication. Increasing our current
audience’s investment in our success by asking them to participate in it by spreading
the word and bringing friends to shows is cost effective and easy to manage. Giving
subscribers one free ticket or a 2-for-1 for any production in the season makes them
feel like we are acknowledging their support, at the same time increasing our
exposure to people likely to become future subscribers. Value added packages (dinner
& theatre packages, subscriber rewards programs offering discounts at downtown
businesses for subscribers and patrons, invitations to exclusive Theatre Kingston
events, newsletters with insider information) for subscriptions and single ticket buyers
enhances their positive associations with the company and gives those associations
more value.
Winter Option for Firehall Theatre-Goers: This priority demographic also
makes up a large percentage of the audience for the Thousand Islands Playhouse’s
Firehall Theatre, which has been drawing well since it opened in 2004. Our company is
poised to become the winter option for these theatre goers, as well as residents who
are not currently aware that this option exists at a professional level in Kingston.
Cooperative marketing with Thousand Islands Playhouse: There is a
cooperative relationship with the Thousand Islands Playhouse, and joint marketing
ventures with that company could be used to appeal to a broader range of Kingston
resident than we currently reach, as well as people outside our region. The idea would
be to use editorials, e-campaigns and direct mail to paint a picture of Kingston and
Gananoque as destinations for serious theatre-goers, winter and summer. Cost
effective joint advertising in select theatre programs in larger centres could reach like
minded individuals who make a habit of spending leisure time and money on theatre
which reflects Theatre Kingston’s style and sensibility. Theatre Kingston should also
pursue more co-productions and joint presentations with the Thousand Islands
Playhouse, to increase awareness of what we offer within that demographic.
Media sponsorships and partnerships with local radio stations including CFRC
at Queen’s and CKWS will help keep the company in front of people consistently. It
might even be possible for Theatre Kingston to have a weekly or bi-weekly appearance
in some media outlets to give the progress of various projects. The company will
continue to build promotional partnerships with retail outlets (Chapters is one past
example).
Site-specific tactics to promote awareness: Other ways to bring Theatre
Kingston to the potential theatre-goers who don’t know what we do will include sitespecific projects around this community, and guerrilla theatre tactics or flash mobs
which are free, attention getting, vibrant and can reach a large number of people at
once.
Social Media and Electronic Contact: We will continue to use Constant
Contact to stay in touch, and periodically offer prizes to be drawn from the names of
anyone who has subscribed or joined our Facebook group that week to increase
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THEATRE KINGSTON STRATEGIC PLAN — 2010-2013
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subscriptions and ‘fans’. An increased presence on Facebook will allow our constituents
to comment on productions and put all their ‘friends’ in reach.
Developing Ambassadors and Advocates: Theatre Kingston has an
illustrious list of supporters with connections to many facets of the cultural community
in Kingston. It will begin to use all communications and materials to advertise these
advocates, and to this end will feature a list of board members names and consultants
on letterhead, press releases, corporate packages and the website. These present
supporters are ideally situated to introduce their peers to Theatre Kingston at opening
nights, and the more intimate ‘salon’ style events we hope to continue to program.
Community Outreach and Engagement: With projects like I Said I and The
Garbage and The Flowers, Theatre Kingston has also begun to establish relationships
with portions of the community that may not have felt included in the cultural scene in
their own community. More community-based projects of this nature will serve two
functions: generate new audiences who would not believe the theatre speaks in a
language they relate to, and give those people a voice to speak in forums not
presently available.
Outreach to Artists: The Loose Lips Salons will continue to provide a
structured moderated environment for Kingston’s artists to come together to share
and support one another a relationship which will be enhanced by the continued
engagement of these arts professionals in future productions, such as The Invisible
Man, programmed for the 2010/11 season. These artists bring with them not only
their varied and diverse artistic vision, but also their own followers who may be new to
Theatre Kingston.
Key Relationships and Partnerships
City of Kingston and Grand Theatre:
This is an exciting time for Theatre Kingston. This is the first year of what we hope will be a
long-term partnership with the Grand Theatre. We are collaborating in the marketing of a
professional theatre season that includes our three productions and four professional theatre
Grand Theatre Presents.
This will provide valuable marketing support for Theatre Kingston, as the Grand Theatre
communications reach more than 10,000 people in Kingston and area.
This initiative will expand the audience for professional theatre in Kingston, as well as
diversifying the theatre audience for the Baby Grand. It will also forge improved links between
the Grand Theatre and Queen’s University.
Our main stage productions will continue to be at the Baby Grand Theatre, in keeping with the
recommendations of the Kingston Culture Plan: ”Prospective tenants like Modern Fuel Artist
Run Centre and Theatre Kingston should ensure that they mount exhibitions and performances
in other venues and program extensively in the downtown core and adjacent neighbourhoods”
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JK Tett Centre:
Our work at the Tett Centre (2012/13) will include workshops, play readings, cabarets and
collaborative works with resident organizations at the Tett, as well as our children’s
programming. In addition we will be offering our space as a fully functional performance
venue for small theatre companies in the region.
In our work with the community over the past four years we have collaborated with local
artists, musicians, film makers, poets and writers on projects such as I Said I and A Moveable
Feast. Prospective tenants at the Tett Centre, intended to be a hub for cultural incubation and
creative collaboration, have already begun to plan collaborations for the future. Theatre
Kingston and the contemporary art gallery, Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre, have a shared
aesthetic in terms of the role of professional artists and community participation in our work.
Our involvement in The Tett Centre will help build connections between cultural organizations.
In addition, it will cement our role as a mentoring organization, creating opportunities for
emerging and established artists in our venue.
Queen’s and other post-secondary institutions:
Over the next few years we aim to formalize our relationship with Queen’s University by
developing closer tie-ins with course curriculum with the Departments of Drama and English.
We also intend to build relationships with St. Lawrence College, Royal Military College and
local secondary schools.
Other theatre companies:
In the past we have developed co-productions with the Thousand Islands Playhouse and Salon
Theatre Productions. We are looking for opportunities to establish relationships leading to
potential co-productions with theatre companies in the region.
We intend to nourish the relationship that began this year with the Macdonald Festival, where
Salon Theatre and our Barefoot Players connected thematically.
Arts Agencies, Council, Funders, Foundations and Government:
Theatre Kingston is supported by operating grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the City
of Kingston Arts Fund. We have also been the beneficiary of project funding from the Ontario
Arts Council, the City of Kingston Arts Fund and the Canada Council.
In the past we received funding from the Trillium Foundation and the Davies Foundation. We
intend to approach both those foundations for future funding: the Davies for production
sponsorship and Trillium for a capital grant to support outfitting space at the Tett Centre.
We will be approaching both the OAC and the City of Kingston Arts Fund for multi-year funding
as well as grant increases. We also intend to apply to the Canada Council for operating funds.
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Transition Planning Through to September 2012
In the course of its strategic planning work, Theatre Kingston has recognized that its strategic
decisions must be supported with well-planned transition strategies as it expands into a future
role with greater scope as the Resident Company at the Grand Theatre and operating out of a
new home in the Tett Centre Arts Cluster.
Some of the key issues to be addressed in workplans include:
Continuing to build on a strong relationship with the City of Kingston
and the Cultural Services Department, which directly affects the company’s role at the
Grand Theatre, Baby Grand Studio, the Tett Centre Arts Cluster, audience
development and funding.
Attention to the company’s transitioning role at the Baby Grand will be
required. While Theatre Kingston expands into its Resident Company role and exerts
more influence on the venue’s overall programming for the theatre season, it must be
mindful of its mentoring and leadership role with other performing arts organizations
using the space.
Change always places additional demands on staff and volunteers.
Strategies mentioned elsewhere must be applied to build capacity to cope with these
demands, and to manage and pace growth in a flexible way that is manageable.
As noted elsewhere, the move to the Tett Centre creates new
opportunities for fundraising as well as friend-raising and profile-building. There
will also be pressures in these areas, which will be addressed in the implementation of
this strategic plan.
Beyond a continuing effort to building Theatre Kingston’s profile and
reputation, care will be needed during the transition to ensure audiences
appreciate and understand the changes as the company’s location and role
evolve.
Community Outreach and Social Engagement are concerns shared by
many of the future Tett Centre occupants – specifically Theatre Kingston and Modern
Fuel Artist Run Gallery. The transition period will be a time to prepare for new
initiatives in this area. The two organizations have already discussed the possibility of
future collaborations involving professional artists working with community groups.
For two years in a row, Theatre Kingston produced a large-scale community arts
project involving dozens of people with the greatest challenges arising from lack of a
central rehearsal venue. With residency in the Tett Centre, projects of this scale will
be more easily facilitated and access to artists and groups more readily available.
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Appendices
Three Types of Brands
Alice Tybout and Gregory Carpenter, marketing professors at the J. L. Kellogg School of
Management at Northwestern University, identify three types of brands based on:
function
image
experiences
The professors note that often brands aren’t clearly defined into one category or another. They
suggest viewing it as a continuum ranging from a focus on the product (or function) to a focus
on the consumer (or experiences). Some brands evolve over time from one category to the
other. We would also suggest some brands have elements of all three types in their appeal,
and understanding where you fit on the continuum is very helpful to making strategy.
1. Based on Function (what you do)
These branded products and services are bought to satisfy functional needs such as washing
our clothes, relieving pain, or transporting our families. Many of our associations with the
brand, and the main reason to buy (attend a production at the Grand Theatre) or not, are
related to the tangible features and basic functions of the product. As such, successful brands
are closely tied in buyers’ minds to the specific product category and they often share many
associations with other brands in the same product category.
While brands based on function must serve basic needs, to be successful they also need to
differentiate themselves from competitive alternatives. Most do so by offering either superior
performance or superior economy.
To build a brand based on function, you must therefore focus resources either on the product,
to achieve superior performance, or on elements of the marketing mix that help you to
achieve superior economy, or price, or an advantage in location/place of transaction.
Advertising is not the basis of differentiation in this category, as it often is for image brands.
Instead, the branding effort should reinforce the connection between the brand and its
functional category (i.e. “best of breed”), and communicate what makes the brand functionally
superior to competing alternatives.
2. Based on Image (how you look)
These brands create value and compete primarily by projecting an image -- something
imputed and intangible. While they may be based on a superior product, these brands are
distinguished from competitors because buyers (audiences) see them as offering a unique set
of associations or images. Brands based on image tend to arise in three different situations:
categories where alternatives are relatively undifferentiated or quality is
difficult to evaluate, such as fine wines, alcoholic beverages or consulting services;
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categories where consumption of the product is highly visible to others,
such as cars, shoes, and clothing;
categories where consumption seems to offer special status or
membership in an elite group, such as exclusive events, gold credit cards, elite health
clubs, cosmetics, designer cell phones, and luxury automobiles.
“Under such circumstances, the images attached to the brand add value in terms of distinguishing
it from other brands, or by serving as a ‘badge’ informing others of one’s group membership or
accomplishments,” the professors write. “In either case, it is the set of images attached to the
brand that defines the brand’s uniqueness and creates symbols that are highly valued by buyers.
Some brands use distinctive product features to create the imagery; others focus their imagebuilding on who uses the brand.
To manage a brand based on image, you must make an emotional connection with the target
audience, creating images that are meaningful and valuable to them. Often this will come
through advertising and publicity. Building an image brand takes time and considerable
resources. You have to be wary, as well, that the association you make doesn’t wither with
time -- for example, if your celebrity endorser retires or runs afoul of the law, or tastes change
so that, say, conspicuous consumption falls out of favour.
3. Based on Experiences (how you make them feel)
Similar to image-based brands, which focus on what the product or service represents, brands
based on experiences focus on how consumers feel while interacting with the product or
service.
“The brand experience is co-created by the brand and the consumer at the time of consumption
and, consequently, it is unique and highly personal. Indeed, such a brand may be experienced
differently by the same individual at different times,” the Kellogg professors point out.
“Products, environments and services are combined to create temporary multisensory
encounters with the brand. These encounters may be recurring or may involve extended
contact with the customer,” they write, pointing to Disney and Starbucks as prime examples.
To manage a brand based on experiences you must focus on creating the brand experience
consistently. That approach tends to be labour intensive, which might mean significant labour
costs, and recruiting must be top notch, since your staff can determine the quality of the
experience.
You must also overcome the possibility of the consumer becoming satiated by the experience
after a number of visits. “Can the third trip to Disney World possibly match the first one?”
Tybout and Carpenter ask. Some would insist that it does, because Disney is a master of
managing experiences, but not every experience-oriented brand is as successful.
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Appendix: Summary Notes on Fundraising Approaches
Aside from fundraising events or earned income, there are many approaches that might be
considered for Theatre Kingston’s fundraising effort: capital/building campaigns, annual
campaigns, sponsorships, government or foundation grants, planned giving, endowments, and
fundraising partnerships.
Prepare Your Case Statement: Early on we plan to prepare a case statement, which will
make the argument for what we are attempting to accomplish, how we intend to reach our
fundraising goal, and inspire and motivate donors to support our cause.
Build Relationships: Effective fundraising especially depends on close relationships with
donors, which take time to develop. Over the next year, groundwork will be the focus -understanding what features of our campaign, organization or program really appeal to the
individual. We’ll also be learning what personal concerns must be addressed.
An engagement can begin with a small ask, as simple as “can I send you some more
information?” Significant relationships often take 18 months or longer to develop. In keeping
with a growing trend, we are prepared for donors to be engaged in our project beyond simply
writing a cheque.
Just as many people never volunteer their time, many never make a charitable donation. A
small percentage of households (typically 3-5%) give two-thirds or more of all charitable
giving. So when identifying potential donors, we will focus on three key attributes:
•
Linkage: Do we have a contact or some other method of personal introduction to the
potential donor? Cold-call letters or phone calls tend to be less effective.
•
Ability: Does the prospect have the ability to give? Do they have the financial means, and
are they also psychologically ready to give at the level requested?
•
Interest: Does the prospect have a significant (preferably passionate) interest in our
organization, activities or cause? Otherwise, gifts (if any) will be small.
Some other useful rules of thumb:
•
We plan on raising at least one third of our goal from 10-15 donors, a second third from
75-100 donors, and the final third from the general prospect base.
•
In a U.S. study, wealthy donors indicated they were most motivated to give by the notion of
meeting critical needs (86%) or giving back to society (83%) compared to leaving a legacy
(only 26%). More than six in 10 said one of their reasons for giving was “being asked”.
•
In the same study, nearly 60% also indicated they would give more money if they were
able to determine the impact of their gifts.
Careful focus, strong relationships, a compelling case, well-structured campaign and followthrough will do much to get our fundraising off to a great start. The rest is mainly hard work!
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