Book-It Repertory Theatre Strategic Plan 2009-2012

Book-It Repertory Theatre Strategic Plan 2009-2012

Above: Jane Austen’s Emma, 2010; photo by Adam Smith. Cover: Jane Jones and Jim Gall in Ellen Gilchrist’s Rhoda: A Life in Stories 2005; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

Contents

4

Foreword

5

Plan Background & Plan Structure

6

Book-It Repertory Theatre Organizational Background

8

Mission, Vision & Values

11 Executive Overview: Objectives, Growth Initiatives, Staff Additions & Planning Initiatives 12 Objective 1: Create and produce the most exquisite and profound art in the Book-It Style™.

13 Objective 2: Broaden our visibility, deepen our relationships with patrons, and measure our work’s tangible and intangible impacts.

14 Objective 3: Expand our education programs.

16 Objective 4: Develop our human resources.

17 Objective 5: Create stable and consistent earned and contributed income streams.

19 Objective 6: Establish a home venue that is large enough to support Book-It’s mission and vision.

20 Objective 7: Secure the Book-It Style™ as the leading form for artistic excellence in narrative theatre.

21 Objective 8: Build and sustain an effective, committed, vital, and visionary Board of Directors.

24 Appendix I — Book-It Repertory Theatre Production History 27 Appendix II — Book-It Repertory Theatre Board and Staff

3

Foreword

Book-It Repertory Theatre celebrates its 20th Anniversary Season in 2010. This is both cause for celebration and an opportunity to promote Book-It locally and nationally, cementing its reputation as a leader in the narrative theatre movement.

The Book-It Style™ is a product of 20 years of collaboration, experimentation, and development that has yielded over 65 worldpremiere stage adaptations of great literature.

Prominent among Book-It’s many artistic and critical successes are The Cider House Rules (produced in the Book-It Style™ by Seattle Repertory Theatre; directed by Jane Jones and Tom Hulce), Pride and Prejudice and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. The Cider House Rules, after sell-out runs in Seattle, was produced at the Mark Taper Forum and in New York, garnering enthusiastic national coverage and acclaim.

Pride and Prejudice has gone on to successful productions across the country and Lady Chatterley’s Lover received rave reviews when it played at ACT Theatre, and marked a turning point in increased foundation funding for our work.

Book-It is a mission-driven theatre company deeply connected to the Seattle community and is a national pioneer of narrative theatre.

This strategic plan, written at this landmark anniversary in the Company’s history, lays the groundwork for Book-It’s future growth, the preservation of Book-It’s artistic legacy and the promotion of the Book-It Style™ to secure the Company’s strength and leadership in the field well into the future.

4

Plan Background

Plan Structure

Book-It created its first strategic plan in 2002. This plan was updated in 2005. By 2007 many of the objectives of the original strategic plan had been completed, and it was decided that the plan should be rewritten.

The new plan was started in the summer of 2008 by the Strategic Plan subcommittee of the Board of Directors that included both Board and staff members. After several months of workshops and feedback from the Board, staff, and other friends of Book-It, this plan was adopted by the Board of Directors in April 2009.

Book-It’s values are organically connected to its mission and the traditions upon which the Company was built. These include collaboration, intimacy, diversity, and accessibility.

The shared commitment of the Board and the staff to the mission and values is reflected in Book-It’s Strategic Plan.

Martin Buchanan and the cast of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, 2000; photo

by Matthew Lawerence.

The purposes of this Strategic Plan are to: • Present Book-It’s goals and direction to the community • Serve as a guide for the Board and staff to measure progress • Provide a context for setting priorities and allocating resources

Jennifer Sue Johnson and Michael Patten in Lady Chatterly’s Lover

by D.H. Lawerence, 2001; photo by Matthew Lawerence.

5

Book-It Repertory Theatre – Organizational Background

Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities, 2007; photo by John Ulman.

6

Book-It began as an artists’ collective in 1987, adapting short stories for performance and touring them throughout the Northwest. From its origins as a dedicated group of volunteer artists interested in exploring the immense wealth of story, language, and character that exists in contemporary and classic literature, the company has matured into an innovative professional performing arts organization with a budget of over $1,000,000, a home at the Center House Theatre on the Seattle Center campus, a staff of 21, a mainstage season of four – five shows each year, a subscriber base of 1,600 patrons, and a flourishing educational program, Book-It All Over.

All of Book-It’s mainstage and educational work is created using the Book-It Style™, introduced

by Founding Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt and developed by the Book-It Company of Seattle artists. With a signature spare production aesthetic, the Book-It Style™ preserves the complex narrative of the novel; it is shared by all the characters who shift seamlessly in and out of their character’s words and the author’s prose, creating the effect of literally seeing words spring to life on stage. The audience is invited to relish in the descriptive language of the novel—to listen to it actively and to participate imaginatively in the story. It’s an artistic antidote

to our world of truncated sound bites, clipped dialogue, and text messaging—one that creates a powerful communal experience of both literature and theatre that is accessible to all.

Each adaptation results in a world-premiere production of a work ranging from literary classics such as Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, to more contemporary literature, such as Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Yet not every piece of literature we choose has resided on a best seller or Great Books list. We present a diverse range of authors and subject matter, hoping to take some audience members into literary territory they’ve not yet explored.

We highly value local acting and writing talent, showcasing authors such as David Guterson (Snow Falling on Cedars) and Jonathan Raban (Waxwings), whose views of life in the Puget Sound region create a sense of place common to most of our potential audience.

Education has always been an integral component of Book-It, but in 1996 we formalized our educational work into Book-It All Over, designing workshops, residencies, and teacher development opportunities to complement our tours to schools and deepen the impact on the young people we serve. Now in its 13th season, Book-It All Over is a unique model of arts education that addresses reading and writing skills using proven methods outside the scope of traditional classroom curricula, while engaging youth with great stories and professional live theatre. It is one of the largest

arts education programs in Washington State.

Book-It is also active in the community, designing initiatives intended to connect the work on stage to the concerns facing Seattle as a whole; in past seasons these have included forums with authors and experts from related fields, as well as staged readings with community partners such as Save Darfur, Town Hall Seattle, the ACLU, and the Frye and Seattle Art Museums.

Between our mainstage seasons and our educational outreach programming, Book-It has developed over 65 world-premiere adaptations in its 20-year history and serves approximately 87,000 people each year.

Demene E. Hall in Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, 2003; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

7

Mission, Vision, and Values

Sylvester Foday Kamara and Olachi Anamelechi in The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu, 2009; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

8

OUR MISSION To transform great literature into great theatre through simple and sensitive production and to inspire our audiences to read.

OUR VISION To be a nationally known theatre arts center where Book-It’s partnership of theatre, literature, and education nourishes the literacy and artistic vitality of our community.

OUR VALUES Book-It Repertory Theatre is an organization devoted to creating art that transforms and inspires.

Through our efforts to uphold the artistic vision of the Company, to honor artists’ voices, to carefully steward the fiscal resources entrusted to us by our supporters, and to improve literacy in our community, we are grounded and guided by our most fundamental values.

Simple and sensitive: We create new work that reflects simple, economical production values and honors actors’ and authors’ voices.

Inspiring: We produce both classic and new works of literature that invite our audiences to engage their imagination and inspire them to read the original book.

Communal and collaborative: We collaborate between artists, staff, volunteers and board members, to create community impact that is greater than the sum of our parts.

Intimacy: We share an intimate theatrical experience with each member of our audience.

Diversity and variety: We produce new works of many different styles, reflecting cultures and literary genres that explore voices and perspectives from a broad range of human experience.

Risk-receptive: We produce new works and fund new projects that have artistic significance but lessthan-assured economic success.

Supportive: We encourage mentorship of young and inexperienced artists and commit to the cultivation of their theatrical careers.

Commitment to our stakeholders: We deliver new work that is respected, acknowledged, challenging, and competitive, and honor our stakeholders’ investment in us by using our resources wisely.

Dynamic: We achieve excellence and challenge ourselves, better our art form, create new opportunities, stretch beyond our expectations, and set ambitious artistic and financial goals.

Realistic: We are conscious and conscientious about what we can and cannot do.

Accessibility: We are welcoming and inviting to our audiences, artists, and donors, committed to customer service, receptive to new ideas and suggestions, and appealing to a broad spectrum of people—from those who are theatre-savvy to those who are new to the form.

Director Janes Jones works with Sylvester Foday Kamara in rehearsal for The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

by Dinaw Mengestu, 2009; photos by Adam Smith.

9

Ryan John Spickard (foreground) with David Hogan, Derek Lettman, and Carter Rodeiquez (background) in Moby-Dick, or The Whale by Herman Melville, 2009; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

10

Executive Overview

The timeframe for this plan is 2009-2012 This living document will be continually updated during this time as progress is made on plan objectives. There are eight objectives that outline goals and strategies for organizational excellence, sustainable growth, staff development, and targeted planning initiatives.

While some of these objectives represent an evolution of ideas that were part of previous plans, others represent issues that are time-critical. Because of this, each objective has been assigned to either a staff or Board member to steward. These stewards are responsible for managing the execution of the objective and to work with the staff, Board, or other friends of Book-It to further develop and implement tasks.

Objectives 1. Create and produce the most exquisite and profound art in the Book-It Style™.

2. Broaden our visibility, deepen our relationships with patrons, and measure our work’s tangible and intangible impacts.

3. Expand our education programs.

4. Develop our human resources.

5. Stabilize our resources for earned and contributed income.

6. Establish a home venue that supports the vision.

7. Secure Book-It’s position as the leader of the narrative theatre movement.

8. Build and sustain a broad and effective Board of Directors that is prepared to undertake a capital campaign.

Growth initiatives: • Our own venue • Narrative Theatre Festival • Novel Workshop Series • Summer Programs • Master Workshops • Literacy Programs Staff Additions: • Associate Individual Giving Manager • Literary Manager • Assistant Technical Dir./ Production Manager • Artistic Associate • Casting Director • Assessment Specialist Planning Initiatives: • Prepare a Business Plan • Prepare a Capital Campaign Plan • Update Curricula • Expand Curricula to include summer programs, teacher training, literacy and master classes

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OBJECTIVE 1 Create and produce the most exquisite and profound art in the Book-It Style™.

Brian Demar Jones and Ellaina Lewis in Book-It’s first operetta, Night Flight

by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry, 2009; photo by Adam Smith.

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BACKGROUND Each year Book-It creates and produces original adaptations of literature for the stage.

The Book-It Style™ acts as the foundation for making these new and original works for both the mainstage and outreach programs. Given the complex nature of developing and evolving original art, it is imperative that we continue to challenge ourselves artistically, pioneer new techniques and methods for adapting and producing literature as theatre, and maintain and improve the quality of the material we create.

In order to improve the quality of our work and to explore new artistic directions, it is necessary to create, advance and manage each production as an original work of art. This includes more in-depth workshops, which will develop greater access to literature, artists, and national markets.

GOALS—CREATING THE ART 1. Artistic directors to produce a “State of the Art” report for Book-It each year that recognizes achievements, summarizes goals for the year ahead, and unites the Book-It family of artists, donors, and audience members in support of the art.

2. Improve pre-season planning process, including advance rights acquisition, advance script development, and advance workshop process. a. Employ a Literary Manager/Artistic Associate b. Foster relationships with literary agents 3. Institutionalize a Workshop Series.

4. Balance the season selection process so that material choices embrace both artistic risk and marketability to sustain our mission.

5. Stimulate internal crossover between mainstage, outreach, and educational programs to foster cultural diversification among artists and literature.

6. Improve casting capabilities. a. Increase actor salaries b. Increase travel stipends for Book-It All Over artists c. Employ a Casting Director GOALS—ADVANCING THE ART 1. Continue to educate artists to perform, adapt, teach, and direct in the Book-It Style™.

2. Improve, broaden, and deepen community collaborations in order to expand our artistic vision in adapting literature to theatre.

3. Promote and protect the Book-It Style™.

4. Evaluate the need for a company of artists: its scope, responsibility, and connection to the organization.

OBJECTIVE 2 Broaden our visibility, deepen our relationships with patrons, and measure our work’s tangible and intangible impacts.

BACKGROUND Book-It’s roots are in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. This is our core community and we strive to impact it positively through our varied programs.

Our message of inspiring people to read through the arts is intrinsic to the development of a society where each of us wants to live and work. To that end, we would like to reach beyond the avid reader, to the occasional reader and the non-reader, and spread our passion for story-telling though theatre.

Top: George Mount and Annie Lareau in Willa Cather’s My Ántonia, 2008; photo

by Erik Stuhaug.

Bottom: Greta Bloor, James GrixoniLewis, and Rhonda J. Soikowski in J.M. Barrie’s classic children’s tale Peter Pan, 2007; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

GOALS 1. Expand the community impacted by our work. a. Produce shows that are culturally specific and that reach out to culturally diverse audiences b. Expand adult and community outreach and literacy programs c. Pursue opportunities to cross-pollinate with other events and

institutions 2. Increase local community awareness and cultivate our civic presence. a. Create a strategic marketing plan b. Become more active in local community organizations, such as Chamber of Commerce and CityClub c. Reach out to local, state and national political leaders to

encourage them to support the arts and arts education 3. Become a local theatre with a global impact. a. Tour our mainstage productions to other places in the Northwest and beyond b. Produce and plan a cultural exchange program c. Initiate a Narrative Theatre Festival that will include theatres and

artists from around the world who use narrative theatre as an

instrument of telling cultural stories d. Publish our scripts and reach out to other theatres that are interested in learning more about the Book-It Style™ by

teaching workshops and master classes and guest-directing for

those theatres

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OBJECTIVE 3 Expand our education programs.

Students in a West Woodland Elementary Residency; Photo

by Sara Lachman.

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BACKGROUND Book-It’s education program, Book-It All Over (BIAO), is firmly embedded within the founding mission of the organization and is integral to the Book-It theatrical experience. Book-It has offered touring programs to schools and libraries throughout Washington State since its inception in 1988. Using only props that could fit in the actors’ cars, Book-It offered 2-3 person shows and workshops for students. The touring demand grew over the years until BookIt formally founded its educational and outreach program as Book-It All Over in 1996. BIAO toured to 17 venues in its first year. Since then, BIAO has grown to include residencies and teacher training while still presenting touring shows with workshops. Today, BIAO has over 280 annual tours and reaches approximately 65,000 students in cities all over Washington State and beyond.

In order to sustain this growth, BIAO must reach new communities, expand the services offered, create metrics for assessing the program, and ensure that the teaching that accompanies the theatre aligns with current pedagogy.

We must ensure that the educational and learning experiences of every child, teacher, and adult that engages with Book-It are improved through the Book-It Style™. Book-It All Over works toward systematic change in public education.

GOALS 1. Increase reach to more rural communities in the Pacific Northwest region and beyond, in order to ensure that children in diverse communities experience literature brought to life in the Book-It Style™. a. Continue to expand visibility at booking conferences b. Research alternate ways of marketing our touring program in other communities c. Find funding sources to support rural communities’ access to our programs 2. Assess our current programs and curricula around those programs in order to understand our impact and provide complete information on our impact to funders.

3. Build and strengthen the BIAO curricula to align with current teaching and learning strategies and assessment practices in Washington State. a. Find funding to support the building of an assessment program for our residencies b. Contract an assessment specialist to create an assessment system for our work c. Use the data collected to build and improve our curriculum including to adjust

any out-of-date residency practices 4. Ensure artistic quality in all programming to meet standards of artistic leadership.

5. Build a high-quality internship program to both expand our human resources and provide opportunities for up-and-coming artists and administrators.

6. Expand teacher-training programs. a. Create marketing to schools to support in-service days at schools b. Partner with arts advocacy groups like ArtsEd Washington to reach more schools

by facilitating entry into new schools 7. Create and market a summer touring and residency program. a. Evaluate success and feasibility of establishing a summer program 8. Expand educational outreach to the mainstage audience.

a. Define the relationship between BIAO and Page to Stage residency, master classes,

and commissioned works

b. Identify successful ways to connect these programs

c. Identify potential community partners in literacy

A Book-It All Over performance of Francisco Jimenez’s La Mariposa in 2009; photo by Carol Pope.

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OBJECTIVE 4 Develop our human resources.

BACKGROUND Book-It has a small and committed administrative, teaching, and artistic staff that works hard to make Book-It one of the best theatres in Seattle. We honor and applaud their commitment to the arts and to working in the non-profit sector.

In order to keep qualified staff we need to provide outlets for creativity, a userfriendly work environment, and an open-door policy with upper management. We must make all staff members feel like they have ownership in the organization and that their voices are heard. Through flexible work schedules and opportunities for growth and involvement in all aspects of the organization, we feel that we can attract and retain high quality staff, even within our limited financial resources.

We consider Book-It to be a family and treat each other with respect.

GOALS 1. Provide a nurturing environment in which staff may excel. a. Establish competitive employee compensation b. Provide training and education opportunities c. Create opportunities for staff to feel invested in Book-It 2. Formalize an Intern Program.

3. Organize the volunteer program. a. Integrate volunteer coordination management with house

management for a full-time position 4. Develop staff and program infrastructures to support educational program growth.

5. Assess production department needs with a view to augmenting production staff support in the future. a. Hire Assistant Technical Director/Production Manager b. Explore ways to partner with other organizations to share technical

resources and personnel.

6. Begin a succession plan.

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Basil Harris and Stephen Hando in Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant, by John Irving, 2001; photo by Matthew Lawrence.

OBJECTIVE 5 Create stable and consistent earned and contributed income streams.

BACKGROUND Income, both earned and contributed, provides an essential resource without which Book-It’s vision and mission cannot be achieved.

As of the 2008 fiscal year-end, Book-It’s income was 58% earned and 46% contributed. Earned income comes primarily from mainstage ticket sales and BIAO touring fees, and to a lesser extent from other sources such as commissioned work, royalties, and concessions. Contributed income comes from individual, foundation, government, and corporate sources, along with fundraising events, including the flagship Guilty Pleasures event.

Fiscal year 2008 was very successful for earned income, with approximately 90% seat occupancy. Over the years, Book-It has had a consistent history of relying on 50% or more earned income. While the company would like to maintain a high level of earned income, it remains to be seen whether such earned income levels can be sustained over the longer term.

Book-It aims to maximize all opportunities for earned income. For the mainstage, this means maximizing the income-generating capacity of each seat, and generating more income for Book-It by licensing scripts to other theatres and touring our own productions to other venues. For the educational programs, this means maintaining a full schedule of tours, and exploring other ways to generate income using Book-It’s educational style. It also means creating new initiatives that will allow us to earn income based on the Book-It brand, but not directly through our productions.

To grow contributed income, Book-It must increase staff in the development area and ensure that we increase contributed income by maintaining healthy relationships with our donors, as well as increase income derived from special events.

EARNED INCOME GOALS 1. Increase Earned Income from mainstage. a. Reduce the number of comp tickets b. Expand touring (regionally, nationally, and internationally) c. Work to fill every seat and find room to expand number of seats and number of performances if necessary, for example, by adding Wednesday afternoon matinées. d. Explore variable pricing models

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OBJECTIVE 5 Continued Create stable and consistent earned and contributed income streams.

Kevin McKeon and Jane Jones in Pam Houston’s Cowboys Are My Weakness, 2002; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

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EARNED INCOME GOALS, Cont.

2. Increase Earned Income through granting rights to our adaptations. a. Publish more scripts b. Increase number of performances of Book-It scripts by other theatres 3. Increase Earned Income from Book-It All Over. a. Evaluate a Summer Book-It All Over program for children and teens b. Evaluate expanding Residencies and Workshops 4. Increase Earned Income through New Initiatives. a. Narrative Theatre Festival b. Online Retail c. More branded merchandise d. Literacy Programs CONTRIBUTED INCOME GOALS 1. Increase Individual donations. a. Hire Development Associate for Individual Giving b. Establish donor stewardship system that allows staff and Board to identify, track,

and develop individual donors c. Assign Board or staff member(s) to steward leadership level donors d. Target 5-10% increase per year e. Explore “Membership” with subscription donation component 2. Increase corporate donations. a. Strategically recruit Board membership b. Assign Board or staff member(s) to steward corporate contacts c. Recruit strategic partners for each show 3. Make Guilty Pleasures a flagship event that is in high demand and maximizes venue capacity.

4. Optimize and take advantage of more personal and direct fundraising opportunities. a. Collaborate with other organizations b. Look for ways to build fundraising opportunities around the art

OBJECTIVE 6 Establish a home venue that is large enough to support Book-It’s mission and vision.

Giant by Edna Ferber, 2005; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

BACKGROUND In 1987, Book-It’s first home was a small, third-floor walk-up studio on Pine Street in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. In 1990, along with the Pasqualini/Smith Studio, Book-It moved to the Oddfellows Hall. In 1994, Book-It established its first home by renovating a 50-seat black-box theatre at 1219 Westlake Ave. North. By 2000, Book-It had outgrown its Westlake venue and, with community support from ArtsFund and Seattle Center, the Company moved both the theatre and its administrative offices to its current home in the Seattle Center House.

Currently, the Center House no longer serves our artistic and administrative needs.

Performance space inflexibility limits execution of artistic vision. Lack of shop and storage space challenge production capabilities. Staff are crammed into dark basement offices with no access to fresh air. BIAO has limited access to the theatre for loading tours or developing a summer program. Rental and rehearsal spaces are increasingly in demand, forcing Book-It to look for alternative spaces, which may or may not suit the needs of the production. Sharing the theatre with Seattle Shakespeare Company dictates our mainstage season schedule, prohibits any extensions (limiting revenue capacity), and forces us to seek an alternative theatre for our fifth show each season, resulting in higher expenses.

Book-It’s combined need for theatre, office, storage, shop, classroom, and rehearsal space

is pressing. It is time to take a visionary step toward the future in defining a permanent venue that allows for growth. It is imperative that the venue fully and safely supports the artistic and administrative work, provides comfort and convenience to audience members, and, most importantly, establishes a vital civic presence and a deeper connection to our community.

GOALS 1. Establish a Building Committee. a. Evaluate and refine site criteria b. Recruit experts required to

complete scoping and business

plan c. Develop scope, program, budget,

and schedules d. Develop a business plan with the

finance committee 2. Establish a Capital Campaign Committee. a. Recruit campaign leadership b. Develop case for support c. Identify and hire consultant to

complete feasibility study 3. Budget staff and Board resources for duration of project.

4. Budget financial resources for consultants.

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OBJECTIVE 7 Secure the Book-It Style™ as the leading form for artistic excellence in narrative theatre.

BACKGROUND We recognize that the narrative theatre movement is gaining momentum as performing literature for the stage is becoming more and more popular. It is essential to ensure that Book-It and the Book-It Style™ are recognized nationally as this movement’s gold standard for artistic excellence.

In order to stay at the forefront, Book-It must champion this movement and dare to explore new artistic directions. It is equally important to protect that which we have originated: our unique style, our productions, our scripts, and our educational programs. Book-It must articulate and communicate the Book-It Style™ and establish the Book-It brand as the leader in narrative theatre.

GOALS 1. Develop and manage the growing body of work. a. Hire a Literary Manager 2. Produce a documentary video on Book-It and the Book-It Style™.

3. Establish a Narrative Theatre Festival in 2010-11.

4. Tour a show nationally and/or internationally.

5. Develop branding strategies for the Book-It Style™.

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Chiara Motley in Jane Austen’s Persuasion, 2008; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

OBJECTIVE 8 Build and sustain an effective, committed, vital, and visionary Board of Directors.

Hilary Pickles and Kate Czajkowski in Tom Robbin’s Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, 2008; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

BACKGROUND Book-It’s Board of Directors is committed to the mission and vision of Book-It and supports each as ambassadors for the organization.

Currently, the Board is in the final stages of transitioning from a “handson” Board that is involved in some of the day-to-day activities of running the organization, to a Board that provides oversight, guidance, and leadership. This includes fiduciary oversight, guidance to organizational policies and operations, long-range strategic planning, and fundraising leadership. In this role, its current members are an active body of varied community leaders. The Board meets monthly with committees structured to oversee, support, and advise key organizational or strategic issues.

Several elements of this plan require additional expertise, as well as broader local, regional, and national relationships for their success. Other elements of this plan will require increased funding and financial resources. An expanded Board, charged with sustaining the Book-It vision, will provide these resources and leadership; they will be fully supported as effective ambassadors for the organization, and will be essential to securing these greater financial resources.

GOALS 1. Prepare the Board for a capital campaign. a. Training opportunities for Board leadership in fundraising for

capital campaign b. Research local non-profit capital campaigns with Board interviews

of peers for guidance 2. Strategically grow the Board. a. Design Board composition

• Secure participation from diverse economic, cultural, and

ethnic backgrounds b. Identify and create a Board network of connections to use as a

tool in recruitment

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OBJECTIVE 8 Continued Build and sustain an effective, committed, vital, and visionary Board of Directors.

David Hogan in If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home,

by Tim O’Brien, 2002; photo Erik Stuhaug.

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3. Strengthen Board Body of Knowledge. a. Recreate Board committee structure

• Clearly detail committee responsibilities b. Improve Board training.

• Clearly define Board member roles and

responsibilities

• Create system for Board member evaluation

• Create opportunities for fundraising training 4. Strengthen Board cohesion and retention. a. Create mentorship system for introduction of new

members and Board engagement b. Create varied opportunities for Board to interact

with the art and artists c. Establish a State-of-the-Board tradition: an annual

gathering of Board, Staff, and volunteers to

recognize Board service, vote in new members

and outline goals for the coming year 5. Establish a Board structure that includes ad hoc “Friends of Book-It” members who will act as resources, guides and partners in the community, elevating Book-It’s position and mission. a. Invite stakeholders group from Strategic plan:

funders, grantors b. Invite individuals around strategic plan objectives:

artists, writers, educators, students, and partners from other non-profits whose missions intersect

with Book-It’s.

Cole Cook and Brandon Whitehead in the cult classic A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, 2009; photo by John Ulman.

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Appendix I Book-It Repertory Theatre Production History 2009-2010 | Season Twenty A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole Emma, by Jane Austen The River Why, by David James Duncan The Cider House Rules, Part One: Here in St. Cloud’s,

by Peter Parnell, adapted from the novel by John Irving 2008-2009 | Season Nineteen Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, by Tom Robbins My Ántonia, by Willa Cather Moby-Dick, or The Whale, by Herman Melville The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears,

by Dinaw Mengestu Night Flight, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 2007-2008 | Season Eighteen Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie Persuasion, by Jane Austen The Highest Tide, by Jim Lynch 2006-2007 | Season Seventeen Broken for You, by Stephanie Kallos Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens Rhoda: A Life in Stories, by Ellen Gilchrist The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende Top: Kathleen Stoll and Bert Matias in Snow Falling on Cedars

by David Guterson, 2007; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

Bottom: The cast of Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, 2006; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

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2005-2006 | Season Sixteen Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes Little Women Part One, by Louisa May Alcott Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis Plainsong, by Kent Haruf The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton

2004-2005 | Season Fifteen Waxwings, by Jonathan Raban Red Ranger Came Calling: A Guaranteed True Christmas Story, by Berkeley Breathed Rebecca, by Daphne DuMaurier Giant, by Edna Ferber The Awakening, by Kate Chopin 2003-2004 | Season Fourteen Dracula: Jonathan Harker’s Journal,

by Bram Stoker Red Ranger Came Calling: A Guaranteed True Christmas Story, by Berkeley Breathed Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck 2002-2003 | Season Thirteen Cowboys Are My Weakness,

by Pam Houston Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant,

by John Irving A Christmas Memory, by Truman Capote A Child’s Christmas in Wales,

by Dylan Thomas I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,

by Maya Angelou Hard Times, by Charles Dickens Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler

2001-2002 | Season Twelve Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D.H. Lawrence Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant,

by John Irving Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home, by Tim O’Brien Howards End, by E.M. Forster 2000-2001 | Season Eleven Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant, by John Irving Silver Water, by Amy Bloom Sweet Thursday, by John Steinbeck In a Shallow Grave, by James Purdy

Charles Leggett in Hard Times by Chalres Dickens, 2003; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

1999-2000 | Season Ten Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant, by John Irving Double Indemnity, by James Cain Baseball Stories The Last Pennant Before Armageddon,

by W.P. Kinsella Wait ‘til Next Year, by Doris Kearns Goodwin The Dixon-Cornbelt League, by W.P. Kinsella

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin

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Appendix I, Continued Book-It Repertory Theatre Production History 1998-1999 | Season Nine Scary Stories

Subsoil, by Nicholson Baker The Elemental, by R. Chetwyn Hayes

Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant,

by John Irving What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Short Stories by Raymond Carver

Kelly Bouleware, Laura Ferri, and Mary Machala in A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, 1993; photo by Erik Stuhaug.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love The Student’s Wife Intimacy Cathedral

Romance With Double Bass, Short Stories

by Anton Chekhov Romance with Double Bass Anya The Grasshopper

Cowboys Are My Weakness, by Pam Houston 1997-1998 | Season Eight I Am of Ireland

The Drunkard, by Frank O’Connor She Went Gently, by Vincent Carroll The Living, by Mary Lavin

Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant, by John Irving Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D H Lawrence The Beat at Book-It, Works by Beat Writers Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Diana Prima

1996-1997 | Season Seven Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson A Book-It Christmas Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor,

by John Cheever A Christmas Memory, by Truman Capote

Grendel, by John Gardner Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D.H. Lawrence 1995-1996 | Season Six Pages of the Season

A Child’s Christmas in Wales, by Dylan Thomas A Christmas Memory, by Truman Capote

Trains

The Five Forty-Eight, by John Cheever The Train, by Raymond Carver

For Better or For Worse

A Long Walk to Forever, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Here We Are, by Dorothy Parker How To Be A Good Wife, from a 1959 high school home economics textbook A Couple of Kooks, by Cynthia Rylant

1994-1995 | Season Five Eudora, Short Stories by Eudora Welty Why I live at the P.O. Where is the Voice Calling From?

Kin

Book-It’s Holiday Show

A Child’s Christmas in Wales, by Dylan Thomas The Loudest Voice, by Grace Paley

Northwest Voices Girls, by Tess Gallagher Romance Languages, by Alix Wilbur

Roman Fever, Short Stories by Edith Wharton Roman Fever Xingu

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Appendix II Board of Directors & Staff 1993-1994 | Season Four Touching on Love

The Most Girl Part of You, by Amy Hempel Lily Daw and the Three Ladies, by Eudora Welty The Lonesomes Ain’t No Spring Picnic, by Birthalene Miller

Book-It’s Holiday Show

A Child’s Christmas in Wales, by Dylan Thomas The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry The Loudest Voice, by Grace Paley

I Am of Ireland

The Drunkard, by Frank O’Connor She Went Gently, by Vincent Carroll The Living, by Mary Lavin

Better be Ready ‘Bout Half Past Eight, Short Stories by Allison Baker How I Came West and Why I Stayed Better Be Ready ‘Bout Half Past Eight

Seasons One – Three | 1990-1993 Book-It performed over 100 short stories as part of our monthly In-House Performance Series.

Costume Shop Intern, Jocelyn Fowler, works on costumes for Jane Austen’s Emma, 2009; photo by Laine Mullen.

Book-It Board of Directors Mary Metastasio, President Melissa Manning, Vice President Lynne Reynolds, Secretary Kristine Villiott, Treasurer Monica Alquist Steve Bull Jeffrey J. Cain, Ph.D. Lynn Murphy Deborah Swets Elizabeth J. Warman Thomas Zuccotti Book-It Staff Jane Jones & Myra Platt, Founding Co-Artistic Directors Charlotte M. Tiencken, Managing Director Annie Lareau, Education Director Patricia Britton, Marketing & Development Director Larry Rodriguez, Technical Director Gail Sehlhorst, Literacy Assessment Director Rachel Alquist, Box Office Manager Anders Bolang, Production Manager Brady BrophyHilton, Education Associate Tom Dewey, Box Office Representative Nicole Fierstein, Box Office Representative Kate Godman, Grants Associate Sara Lachman, Education Assistant & Development Assistant Sophie Lowenstein, Development Assistant Susanna Pugh, House Manager & Volunteer Coordinator Pete Rush, Costume Shop Manager Jacob Sherman, Box Office Representative Devorah Spadone, Production Stage Manager Bill Whitham, Bookkeeper Rachel Wilsey, Marketing Associate

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