tcBOLD 2020 Theatre Calgary Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020
“Our entire community is being respected in the choices being made. The shows are more cerebral, realistic, less mechanical, more engaging and more relatable than ever before.” patron
Calgarians enjoying Shakespeare by the Bow in Prince’s Island Park, 2015. Photo by Trudie Lee.
Introduction Theatre Calgary is on the rise. Over the past 10 years Theatre Calgary has worked passionately to increase the quality of its productions and to create new, stunning, and unexpected opportunities for audiences in Calgary. In 2014, Artistic Director, Dennis Garnhum drafted a bold vision for the future of the company. Based on his understanding of and commitment to Calgary audiences, he began articulating a journey for a new, expanded vision towards becoming a national stage in Calgary.
tcBOLD 2020 is organized into four sections.
This means to stand amongst the best theatres globally as a leader in innovative, impactful, and diverse programming. This is our vision.
Taken together, the evolution of the artistic vision and the formation of an organizational strategy rooted in strengthening our connection to community, yet focused on a sustainable future, now serve as the bedrock Garnhum’s vision is the artistic cornerstone of tcBOLD. Building for this document that presents on his work, Executive Director, the next phase of Theatre Calgary’s strategic vision and Colleen A. Smith joined the theatre in early 2015 to articulate direction. the next steps in realizing this Alberta’s economy continues to future. After a period of obserchange and many in our provvation, stakeholder consultation ince are uncertain about their and dialogue, she assessed the future. tcBOLD was built on a shared points of connection clear view of the realities of the between the artistic vision and current economic climate, and organizational readiness, to the principle of building steadily map the route forward from an towards a unified vision. organizational perspective.
2 Context 7 Mission, Vision, Values
9 Key Strategic Priorities 16 By 2020
COVER: The cast of The Little Prince – The Musical, adapted by Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D. Reid, World Premiere, 2016. Photo by Trudie Lee.
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Context TEN YEAR OVERVIEW The past decade has been a period of transformation for Theatre Calgary. In this time, the company has undergone tremendous artistic growth and expansion. We have become more diverse and creative in our artistic practices and productions, begun to engage more directly with our audiences, cultivated collaborative partnerships nationally and internationally, and invested in the development and premiere of nine new works. Theatre Calgary audiences have responded to increased innovation and a greater variety of programming. What a thrill it is to see our patrons embrace the unknown of a new play, explore the bounds of artistic risk in the High Performance Rodeo, and celebrate emerging Albertan talent with Shakespeare by the Bow.
Doug McKeag and Stephen Hair in A Christmas Carol, adapted by Dennis Garnhum, World Premiere, 2011. Photo by Trudie Lee.
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As Theatre Calgary dares to continue expanding our horizons, ongoing commitment to artistic excellence at every level extends from hiring the best theatre artists locally and nationally, to making efforts to build an environment that nurtures, supports, and encourages creativity.
The Max Bell Theatre in Arts Commons continues to be the location for our mainstage performances, as it has since 1985. As we embrace and pursue the strategic priorities within tcBOLD, we now recognize that the outcome of these programs and initiatives will better define our spatial requirements for the future. We are committed to focusing on the evolution of artistic content, audience growth, and community engagement as it drives our future definition of ‘home.’ Financially, our team has proudly posted more than a decade of consecutive surpluses and has accumulated an endowment totalling over 75 per cent of our annual operating budget. While the recent economic downturn is challenging our fundraising efforts, we feel confident that as we look toward the next five years, including our 50th anniversary and beyond, we are well positioned to take our place as one of Canada’s most innovative, exciting, and inclusive theatre companies.
THE BIG (ARTISTIC) PICTURE: THEATRE TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE Theatre, by nature, is a constantly evolving art form, adapting to shifts in culture, technology, economics, and our changing society. There are common issues and questions facing artists and companies in Canada today that will be critical to the development of our art form in the future. Foremost among these are: • Diversity and inclusion – we must ensure that our stage is home to artists, stories and creative practices that include and reflect the diversity of our community and country; •A udience and community engagement – in order to expand our audiences and widen our connection to the community, we must find ways to extend our reach beyond our stage through learning, outreach and engagement; • I nnovation in practice and performance – in order to remain a vibrant and relevant force of artistic expression, we must embrace new and original forms of performance and creation.
The future of Theatre Calgary artistically will be closely related to these ideas. We’ve made tremendous inroads in these three areas, but it is just the beginning. As Calgary continues to grow, and our community becomes more diverse economically, socially and culturally, Theatre Calgary has an extraordinary opportunity to become a principal gathering place for participation in the arts, and a reflection of our city and citizens.
AUDIENCES Theatre Calgary has enjoyed the support of a strong subscriber base for many years. Such as our contemporaries, theatre companies’ successes are tied increasingly to their ability to sell single tickets. With 62 per cent of revenue coming from ticket sales, including more than 10,500 subscriptions, it is vital that Theatre Calgary understands our audience – who they are and what motivates their purchase decisions – and develops programs that embrace innovative mechanisms for disseminating and receiving communication. Theatre Calgary has very little data on our audience, as it has been almost 20 years since any audience research or analysis was conducted. Both the company and our audiences have changed during this time. In 2016, Theatre Calgary began audience analysis to develop a clear understanding of our patron base by analyzing current audience data.
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This analysis helps define such parameters as: what percentage of the current database of patrons is active; what the new audience churn rate is; what percentage of subscribers are also donors; and what percentage of active patrons account for the majority of our revenue. In understanding what demographics comprise Theatre Calgary’s audience base and what types of performance preferences are most prevalent, our teams are better equipped to improve audience and patron services, and effectively target our marketing, communications, and engagement strategies.
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ENGAGEMENT It has been said that in the performing arts, engagement is a unifying philosophy that brings together marketing, public education and artistic programming in common service of maximizing impact.
Theatre Calgary volunteers, at Shakespeare by the Bow. Photo by Meghan McMaster.
of the work produced on the stage. Further, the more your community values this work and knows that you value them, the more you will see this reflected in your audience numbers. This necessitates the need to initiate real dialogue with audiences Gone are the days of arts and potential audiences, and organizations creating beautito provide opportunities for ful marketing and advertising learning and interaction amongst materials, purchasing print ads community members of all ages. and investing in direct mail Theatre Calgary must continue to campaigns as their sole efforts share what we believe is importto attract and sustain audiences. ant about the work we create, but Indeed, these tactics are still we must also create opportunities being used – and are necessary – to listen to, understand and but they are inherently one-sided. engage with our community. These campaigns speak to audiPurposefully and thoughtfully ences about what the company reaching out to potential audifeels is relevant, interesting and ences beyond our walls is an important but these efforts don’t integral strategy in gathering have a mechanism to listen back. patrons and guests to our work. Today, success as an arts organization is measured by the impact that you have on your community, your industry, and society in general. First and foremost, it is predicated on the excellence
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The first step is in understanding who our audiences are, and who they are not. The next step is to develop programs and mechanisms to deepen our relationships with them. Early forays into
this work through tc interACTive have proven that this approach is indeed a positive and successful one, and warrants a much more comprehensive, organizational strategy to strengthen the connection to our community to build audiences for the future. As we explore new ways to make experiences more meaningful for our audience and supporters, Theatre Calgary continues to develop enhanced outreach, training and learning programs, and fundraising initiatives in non-traditional and innovative ways. We are beginning a new era of community engagement, whereby we extend the beauty and inspiration of live performance beyond our walls to provide even more Calgarians the opportunity to experience, appreciate, and be inspired by the art of telling stories in their everyday lives.
http://wolfbrown.com/component/content/article/42-books-and-reports/391-making-sense-of-audience-engagement
“Calgary and its cluster of first-class producing theatres may well be an ideal place for the onward future development of Canada's own musical economy. Musicals are the hardest form of theatre to get right, and a city such as Calgary, or others like it, can be essential to the development of new work. They are proud cities with loyal, intelligent and interested theatregoing communities, yet set apart from international critical glare.” Richard Jordan, The Stage (UK)
Participants in the “Draw Me a Sheep, Build Me a Moon” workshop hosted by Theatre Calgary, in partnership with Beakerhead, 2016. Photo by Shari Wattling.
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The cast of Beyond Eden, World Premiere, 2010. Photo by David Cooper.
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tc MISSION
tc VALUES
To stimulate, provoke and delight through ambitious programming created to ignite local, national, and international engagement.
What we value:
tc VISION To stand amongst the best theatres globally as a leader in innovative, impactful, and diverse programming.
Who we value:
EXCELLENCE
INCLUSIVENESS
OUR AUDIENCES
Setting the highest standards of international best practices in artistic expression, audience engagement, stakeholder relationships, and governance.
Striving to reflect diversity in programming, casting, hiring, and board membership, to reflect our global community while taking measures to eliminate barriers that block access to theatre.
We welcome those who have chosen to experience our artistic creations in our theatre and outside our venue as our guests who deserve exceptional service, kindness, and respect in all interactions.
SUSTAINABILITY
OUR PEOPLE
Embracing transparent business practices and communications with all stakeholders in an environment that upholds fiscal accountability as well as promotes continued learning, personal, and professional growth in order to achieve creative, organizational, and financial success.
We recognize the commitment and passion of our leadership, board, artists, staff, crew, volunteers and committee members as integral contributors to the future of Theatre Calgary.
CREATIVITY AND ARTISTIC INTEGRITY Striving to bring the best creative talent to our company, prioritizing the creative capacity and well-being of artists as we produce work that is inspiring, relevant, and bold.
COLLABORATION Developing mutually beneficial relationships with leading local, national and international arts organizations, exemplary community partners, financial supporters, and fostering interdepartmental cooperation through meaningful experiences, and interactions.
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OUR COMMUNITY We respect, value and contribute to Calgary’s vibrant creative energy through our outstanding productions, our support for artists and creators, and our desire to be caring and contributing neighbours.
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Kevin Hanchard, Beryl Bain in The Mountainop, Canadian Premiere, 2014. Photo by Trudie Lee.
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Strategic Priorities Theatre Calgary has three key strategic directions – artistic advancement, strengthening community, and identifying our home – guiding the company forward throughout the next five years. Each of these priorities is further subdivided into objectives and goals to form the basis for annual, measurable departmental business plans.
1. ARTISTIC ADVANCEMENT
3. IDENTIFYING OUR HOME
2. STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY
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“I had tears in my eyes when I left my seat with the realization I was in company with as fine a theatrical organization as exists in Canada.”
Strategic Priority 1:
patron
ARTISTIC ADVANCEMENT Theatre Calgary dreams of standing among the elite circle of dynamic and important cultural institutions in Canada that are recognized worldwide. From an artistic perspective, this means that we must advance our position as a national leader in innovative and diverse programming that explores live theatre – and its impact on audiences and our community.
OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
Enhance our mainstage productions, through our commitment to the highest standards of creation and production, and expanding our creative capacity through partnering with some of the most exciting national and international collaborators from around the world
Expand our artistic Advance our role as a programming and creation leading force behind the to include dramatic creation of original works works that are created and artistic voices in specifically for, and are uniquely Canada through commissioning experienced in a small-scale and creative development of new environment scripts and adaptations
GOAL: Maintain an ongoing collection of existing Canadian and international classics and seek new works that we believe will inspire, provoke, and speak to a diverse array of audiences
GOAL: Establish and develop relationships with local, national and international artists, as well as arts organizations whom we admire and respect, and with whom we wish to collaborate
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Strategic Priority 1: Artistic Advancement
OBJECTIVE
GOAL: Create a unique second
GOAL: Identify, commission
stage series – tc UP CLOSE – that explores the intimate relationship between artist and audience, building into a series as an enhancement to our regular season subscription
and support new Canadian, and international works for the stage that speak to our diverse, changing world, and the evolving experience of theatre audiences
“Visually stunning, emotionally powerful, world class theatre.” Louis B. Hobson, Calgary Sun
OBJECTIVE Build and enhance the base of theatrical talent in Alberta by creating professional development and mentorship programs for emerging and established artists, creators and administrators
GOAL: Strengthen our
GOAL: Develop efforts to
commitment to new professional actors from Alberta through the Shakespeare by the Bow emerging artist program
highlight the skills of local technicians, scenery and costume craftspeople, and other back-ofhouse talent
GOAL: Develop initiatives
GOAL: Increase opportunities to
for professional artists, theatre companies and arts administrators to advance their craft under the leadership of Theatre Calgary staff, visiting artists, and guests
encourage and advance emerging artists through mentorship, and hands-on experience
Shannon Taylor and Tyrell Crews in Pride and Prejudice, adapted by Janet Munsil, World Premiere, 2012. Photo by Trudie Lee.
Strategic Priority 1: Artistic Advancement •
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Strategic Priority 2: STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY Over the past 10 seasons, Theatre Calgary has progressively inspired and entertained audiences successÂfully in a boom economy. The relationships we have developed over time with our patrons, volunteers and stakeholders have increasingly demonstrated a strong interest, curiosity, and eagerness to participate and engage beyond the stage. The current economic downturn has proven that now, more than ever, art and live theatre is a vital part of a strong, diverse, and hopeful community, where good neighbours step up to the plate to make our city vibrant, innovative, and prosperous. Our aim is to become a community gathering space that extends the art of theatre and storytelling beyond our walls. Theatre Calgary will steadily grow our community of supporters, audiences, and stakeholders through various engagement initiatives which will serve to strengthen and grow our audiences for the future.
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OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
Theatre Calgary will undertake initiatives that will enable us to expand our audience base with meaningful programs that reflect the interests, perspectives and values of our current and desired community
Theatre Calgary will develop programs that engage stakeholders in creative expression, exploration, and leadership, often in ways that are mutually beneficial, and that also offers accessibility for a variety of audiences
GOAL: Undertake initiatives to gather knowledge and create a greater understanding of our current audience demographics, patterns, perspectives, and responses to our work
GOAL: Work in partnership
GOAL: Develop programs and
with our artistic and creative community to offer programs that enrich lives through creative, hands-on experiences
GOAL: Develop a digital strategy
GOAL: Develop, formalize and
processes that engage Theatre Calgary board members past, present, and future to ensure the viability of the theatre, and the alignment to the strategic plan
which embraces technology as a means to communicate with and enhance our relationship with a diverse array of audiences and stakeholders
expand programs that enable barrier-free access for all citizens to experience our work and our programs
GOAL: Endeavor to bring Theatre Calgary, our stories and our brand to audiences outside of our mainstage, and to share our successes widely
Strategic Priority 2: Strengthening Community
GOAL: Strengthen connections to individuals and corporations who support the theatre by developing meaningful opportunities to engage with our work, and our people
“Theatre Calgary has a long, proud tradition of delighting and dazzling its audiences. It is a wonderful example of the energy and vitality we have in our province.” Honourable Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta
OBJECTIVE Using the work that we produce for the stage as our inspiration, Theatre Calgary will endeavor to become wonderfully entangled throughout our local community as positive agents for civic advancement and creative expression
GOAL: Expand existing tc interACTive initiatives
GOAL: Strengthen and grow partnerships with other nonprofit organizations focused on the themes inherent in our work on stage in order to contribute to community health, well-being, and prosperity
GOAL: Provide a positive and inspirational company environment that encourages creativity, and community leadership on a local, national, and international level
Jan Alexandra Smith in Lost – A Memoir, by Cathy Ostlere and Dennis Garnhum, World Premiere, 2010. Photo by Trudie Lee.
Strategic Priority 2: Strengthening Community •
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Strategic Priority 3: IDENTIFYING OUR HOME The development of our artistic, community and learning initiatives will inform our evolving requirements as a physical ‘gathering space.’ It is clear that Theatre Calgary – like any thriving company – is changing, and our responsibilities as stewards of this 50-year young organization are to best identify the Theatre Calgary that we need to become in the next 50 years. We will strive to find the best physical home possible for our existing and future artists, audiences, and internal stakeholders while upholding our commitment to exemplary service for all.
OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
Enhancing our existing notion of gathering space to reflect the need to connect more meaningfully with our greater local community, we will explore new spaces to create, perform, and engage with audiences, and provide learning opportunities which will ultimately draw individuals and groups to see our works live on our mainstage
Theatre Calgary will expand and define our artistic and operating program to inspire and achieve support for a second performance, and engagement space
Theatre Calgary will align with public, corporate and individual city-builders who believe in supporting arts organizations and building creative spaces that advance Calgary’s position as an innovative, creative, and diverse global destination to live, work, and play
GOAL: Expand our Shakespeare By the Bow programming and ancillary activities to provide accessible outdoor performances for Calgarians and visitors to Calgary
GOAL: Establish tc UP CLOSE as a Theatre Calgary brand in a more intimate, smaller-scale environment
GOAL: Explore our ability to engage creatively with audiences in non-traditional locations
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Strategic Priority 3: Identifying Our Home
GOAL: Define our role as creative facilitators and enablers in the development of learning programs
GOAL: Grow corporate sponsor-
ship on a program and full-season basis, supporting work that resonGOAL: Define the requirements of ates nationally and internationally a new second space for creation, learning and engagement from GOAL: Use our Artistic Champions a building program and cost program as a public platform perspective to demonstrate the value of the performing arts in our community GOAL: Seek new opportunities and the necessity for investment for public, private and corporate in artistic excellence support with new programs, GOAL: Through creative partnerships, spaces, and locations establishment of a government relations strategy, and increased visibility in city-building initiatives, Theatre Calgary will be identified as an ideal, fiscally responsible, innovative cultural partner for new, large-scale community developments
“Down to the craftsmen and the seamstresses, everything has serious quality here. It’s hard to see any difference between doing the show in Calgary and London. And if I’ve learned anything from producing in Calgary, it’s that there’s no difference in talent, quality or professionalism from anywhere you’ll find in the world.” Nicholas Lloyd Webber, The Stage (UK)
Andrew McNee, Christian Goutsis, Jordan Schartner, Paul Anthony and Erin Wells in Timothy Findley’s The Wars, adapted by Dennis Garnhum, World Premiere, 2007. Photo by Trudie Lee.
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By 2020, Theatre Calgary aspires to: • continue our commitment to • advance our role as a leading the highest levels of artistic force behind the creation of creation and innovation by original works and artistic placing our artists, productions voices in Canada through and audiences at the core of our commissioning and creative priorities; development; • continue our commitment to the highest level of customer service for all of our stakeholders, welcoming them to our city, our productions, and our gathering spaces; • have established collaborative relationships with leading local, national and international artists and artistic companies as a means of creative exchange with our artists and audiences; • expand our artistic programming to include a repertoire of plays created specifically for, or uniquely experienced by, our audience in a more intimate, smaller-scale environment;
Broadcaster and author Jay Ingram reads The Little Prince at Bowness Library as part of the 2015 Celebrity Reading Series. Photo by Shari Wattling.
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• build on our past and current financial success by increasing our public, corporate and private revenue streams supporting growth in artistic and audience expansion activities;
• have a volunteer, employee, audience and board member base that reflects the diversity of citizens of Calgary;
• pursue meaningful yearround training and learning programs and opportunities for emerging and established artists in order to be leaders in the advancement of our theatrical craft; • develop our individual donors as champions of theatre by providing Theatre Calgary with significant support for future programming;
• e mbrace global leading practices in understanding audience trends and purchasing • identify a common gathering preferences in order to extend space for artists, staff and our reach to a wider and more creative personnel to regularly diverse community; interact with one another as part of an inclusive and artistic • establish a digital strategy culture at Theatre Calgary; which embraces the innovative • be one of the most desired use of technology for artistic and organizational purposes workplaces in our industry that as a means of engagement, embraces a positive, inclusive, conversation, dissemination and creative company environand creation; ment in order to retain and attract leaders in our field. • expand programs to enrich the lives of youth and educators through creative, impactful, hands-on experiences in efforts to build audiences for the future;
Photo by Meghan McMaster.
Thank You tcBOLD 2020 was adopted as a Strategic Plan by the Theatre Calgary Society Board of Directors on Monday, September 26, 2016.
Theatre Calgary is a professional non-profit theatre company and a resident company of Arts Commons, operating out of the Max Bell Theatre. It is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and operates within the jurisdiction of the Canadian Theatre Agreement. Theatre Calgary employs technicians under a collective agreement with the I.A.T.S.E. Theatre Calgary 220 9th Ave SE Calgary, AB, Canada T2G 5C4