Introducing the art of theater to the community can be a costly venture.
Take, for example, the upcoming Iola Community Theatre production of “My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto’s Musical Tale.”
From everything such as rights and royalty fees for the scripts and music to the lumber and fabric costs for the musical’s elaborate set, next week’s show will cost about $20,000 to produce, said Dee Sell, ICT trustees president.
“It has wound up being our most expensive production ever,” he said.
But while the costs to put on such a show have increased, income has slowed substantially.
Sell estimated the number of ICT donors is down by 25 percent, and the amount donated from the community is about half what normally comes in.
“I fear that we will fall short of our hope to at least ‘break even’ for the season,” Sell said.
Sell figures the current economic woes gripping the country, and to an extent, southeast Kansas, coupled with population loss in Allen County, have much to do with the drop in donations.
And that’s not counting the Community Theatre’s fixed expenses, such as utilities and insurance for the ICT Warehouse on South Jefferson Avenue.
“Those are the things people don’t necessarily want to help fund,” Sell said. “They may want their donation to go to a specific portion of a show.”
But every dollar helps, he said. The trick is finding ways to stretch dollars further, while continuing ICT’s mission: to foster, encourage, coordinate, establish and publish the performance and exhibition of the creative arts in Allen County, Kansas and the surrounding area, and to encourage, develop, strengthen and enrich the cultural life of the Allen County area.
“We may not have a professional performance for the community,” said Richard Spencer, ICT board member and “My Son Pinocchio” director. “But we can get pretty close at times.”
The goal for the Bowlus production is to bring in two-thirds of the ticket revenue for the season.
Because the Community Theatre is entirely volunteer, any budget cuts must come solely out of future productions, Sell noted.
“Our actors, musicians and technical people are all volunteers looking for a creative experience,” he said.
Donations help give that opportunity
THE COMMUNITY Theatre also will perform “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” an adult-themed musical comedy looking at love and relationships through a series of vignettes, which runs Feb. 25 and 26 and March 2-4 at the ICT Warehouse.
The season wraps up in late April and early May with “Dixie Swim Club,” a comedy dealing with former female swim team members who get together annually through their golden years. “Dixie Swim Club” also will be at the ICT Warehouse.
In addition, the warehouse will be the set of a number of “One Night Stand” performances, all of which are free and open to the public.
Past performances of musicians, magicians and other performers have drawn an enthusiastic response from the community, Sell said.
“If somebody wants to put on a show, or has an idea, we want to hear them,” he said. “We’re a community theater, and the community should be in bold and underlined.”
SPENCER ALSO noted a drop in hopefuls auditioning for the upcoming musical, to the point that he had to reset supporting characters as females because of a lack of males in the play.
And only two adults auditioned for a pair of adult roles.
Sell is eager to hear from the community.
“We want to know what they want,” he said. “We’re open for suggestions.”
He rejected summarily one notion voiced by a patron, that the ICT shows favoritism to some repeat actors.
In fact, one of the Community Theatre’s policies is to cast first-time performers in front of repeaters if their acting abilities are otherwise identical.
“If we have two candidates for a role, we’ll take the newcomer every time,” Sell said, in order to give more people a chance to partake in local theater.
He concedes a part of the drop in participation is because community theater warehouses have opened in recent years in Chanute, Garnett and elsewhere in southeast Kansas.
“In years past, performers from those communities came to us,” Sell said. “Now, they don’t have to. They just stay home.”
Spencer and Sell also are eager to find folks willing to commit to behind-the-scenes work, such as stage setup, running lights or providing other technical assistance.
Carpenters, painters or other laborers also are vital components, he said.
Learning about the production necessities is a part of the learning process, Spencer said, pointing to “My Son Pinocchio,” where a pre-teen child and woman — neither of whom has performed on stage — will control the sound for the musical.
Spencer pointed to the gaggle of actors and support personnel at Thursday’s rehearsal.
“I see two teachers, a health care professional and several wonderful children,” Spencer said. “That’s a pretty diverse background.”
IT’S NOT ALL doom and gloom.
Sell noted that “My Son Pinocchio” is being sponsored by the Whitehead Family Trust, as well as several local businesses, all of whom are mentioned prominently in the musical’s programs. Individual donors also are listed.
“All we can do is say thank-you as often as we can and try to give them a good show,” Sell said.
Those looking to donate or otherwise support ICT may do so by visiting www.iolacommunitytheatre.org.
“Our names and phone numbers are available on the Web site,” Sell said. “We’re easy to reach.”
