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IT’S (ALMOST) SHOWTIME Desert Foothills Theater continues to plan for upcoming season

Laura Latzko >> The Entertainer! T he COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the arts in different ways, but many local organizations have still been pushing forward.

Founded in Scottsdale in 1975, Desert Foothills Theater has a forward-thinking approach despite having to cancel the end of the 2019-20 season.

“I think we are in great shape,” says Terry Temple, who started as managing director in December 2019. “The future is bright for Desert Foothills and for the arts in general in the community, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

There will be changes because of his leadership style and because of COVID-19, but the goal is to bring programming that will best serve the community.

“There are people who a little more cautious,” Temple says. “They love this place, and they want it to succeed. We are just trying to convince them that we are all in this thing together. We’re going to make this work. It’s going to feel different. It’s going to look different. I’m going to put my influence on this place. Some people are going to get on board and some people are going to challenge it a little bit, and that’s OK. That’s how it should be. I love that people care about what happens here.”

He and his new staff have been communicating regularly via Zoom,

FaceTime and phone chats. The plans they are making will impact this next season as well as future years for the theater company. REMODEL

The DFT started the first phase of a remodel of the theater space in the FCFHolland Community Center, where it has produced shows.

The next step is to raise funds for the project. The remodel would create a modular theater space for smaller productions inside the community center.

The new space will also offer professional-level lighting and sound, a backstage area for the actors, moveable seating that can be adapted to shows and rehearsal, and set construction areas. With the space, the center and the theater company will be able to offer more programming.

“What we are proposing gives us so much more flexibility in our scheduling and the types of shows we can do,” Temple says. “It also changes the nature of what the Holland Center can provide. They can do different types of presentations and concerts. This is a mutually beneficial repurposing of the center.” NEXT SEASON

This next season, the theater company will offer a variety of programming, including well-known classics, youthfocused shows, Broadway hits and intergenerational productions.

The shows and dates have not yet been announced and are contingent on COVID-19 guidelines.

Many of DFT’s productions will take place at the Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center, with which it has a longstanding partnership.

This past season, the company canceled three shows that were already in production, including “Godspell,” “Steel Magnolias” and an original work

by local playwright Andrea Markowitz called “Fair Game.” Plans are in progress to put on these shows next season.

“It actually made the planning of the upcoming season a little easier, because there are three shows that were canceled that I certainly want to bring into the next season,” Temple says.

Th ere may be some changes in cast, but many of the actors plan to return.

“People are ready to get back on stage,” Temple says. “Th ey want to do it safely. Th ey want to do it in a sensitive way to their families and communities, but they are itching to get back onstage.”

Moving forward, Temple hopes to showcase more works from local playwrights, through full productions and readings. Readings would allow community members to provide feedback on works that are in progress.

“I want them to feel DFT is a place where they can bring ideas,” Temple says. “If we can put it on stage and we can support the arts and the artists in the community, we are here for them.

“Th ere are people around this community that are marvelous at that, that just know theater and can help them to develop their works.” FINANCES

Many companies have struggled due to COVID-19, and DFT is not immune. However, the company is in a good fi nancial state, despite having to cancel shows. Having the support of the Foothills Community Foundation helped the theater in weathering tough times.

During COVID-19, the foundation asked the theater company not to do any fundraising.

“We are not doing any active fundraising so that people can focus on those that are most aff ected by loss of jobs and on food banks,” Temple says.

Temple and his staff have found small ways to get ahead in fundraising eff orts, such as working on grant writing.

“I took an approach to really look at our expenses and make sure we were being good stewards of the money we had, that we were spending money well and that we were plugging the holes where we didn’t need to spend money,” Temple says. “We take it very seriously to be good stewards of the money that our donors, our patrons and our sponsors have blessed us with.”

Temple says part of this is that all of his staff, himself included, have been involved in running the theater. This can mean doing small tasks like taking out trash or moving tables and chairs.

“We get done what needs to be done, and there are no egos here. If it needs to get done, people are stepping up, from the executive director to me to everybody on the team,” Temple says. COMMUNITY FOCUS

Moving forward, DFT will focus on engaging the community. Th is involves getting feedback and involvement from community, governmental and educational leaders, especially from Cave Creek, North Scottsdale and Carefree.

Temple—who owns Temple Music and Performing Arts in Scottsdale with his wife—hopes to create a family environment.

“Th at is my focus, to bring back triedand-true theater that appeals to this community, where youth feel at home and families can perform together,” Temple says.

Volunteers will be an integral part. Temple served at the national director for the Survival School, an organization that helps to train nonprofi ts reliant on volunteers. He has found it is important to not just bring volunteers into an organization but fi nd ways to best utilize their talents.

“I think that we have to treat people well and plug them into a job that matches their gifts,” Temple says.

SUMMER CAMPS AND MASTER CLASSES

Th is summer, DFT plans to off er summer camps and master classes with Broadway performers for small groups of youth.

“All of that is contingent on guidelines and making sure we are safe place to enter back into,” Temple says.

Th e community’s wishes will also guide the theater company’s off erings in the summer and upcoming season.

“Th ey may move along quicker or less quickly than the guidelines, and we’ll respond to that. We will get creative with ways to reach out and stay connected to them,” Temple says.

He says he hopes to continue to expand on opportunities for youth to learn and perform. Temple has directed around 50 productions at theaters and schools across the Valley, including the DFT’s recent “Th e Pirates of Penzance Jr.”

For his daughter, being part of the DFT cast for “Hairspray” helped her grow as a performer. Th e experience gave Temple an even greater appreciation for the local theater.

“We fell in love with the community, their approach to theater. She still connects with friends from that show, and I still connect with the parents involved in that show and the staff at the time,” Temple says. “We made a connection to this place. It is coming full circle to come back here and take the position as managing director.”

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Bridgette M. Redman >> The Entertainer! P assing by the Arizona Theatre Company’s website or Facebook pages, patrons might be inclined to think Arizona’s state theater is busier than ever despite its dark stages.

They’ll also notice its only persona has changed in its very character.

Artistic Director Sean Daniels says the pandemic forced them to improve their online presence.

“A couple months ago, our online presence was just bad,” Daniels says. “It was very transactional. We were just using the internet to sell. Everyone knows that’s not how it works. You have to engage. You use it for a place to learn. Now, everyone is online for hours a day. It would have taken a long time to do what we have done. I can’t give (my staff) enough credit.”

They created four rooms where artists create and talk about art. Each week, they produce two podcasts that tie the content together.

“We looked back at what is the organization we always wanted to be but never had the time,” says Jasmine Roth, the director of education and learning.

Artistic Programs Director Will Rogers made sure the content was diversified. The rooms are named The Green Room, The Rehearsal Room, The Black Box and The Classroom.

“As long as we kept our eye toward filling each of these rooms, we would have diverse content,” he says. THE GREEN ROOM

The Green Room is where ATC members chat with national and local artists. Videos feature past performers sending messages and short performances to Arizona audiences.

Samples include: • Brenda Jean Foley singing two songs from her home. • Brandon Espinoza, who played Cliff in the recent production of “Cabaret,” performing a song that was cut from that musical on his ukulele. • Ben Scheuer, a singer-songwriter, performing “Weather the Storm.” • Channel Bragg and Cyndey Trent sharing their experience of working at ATC.

Each of these videos lets ATC artists connect with audiences.

“People want to feel they are closer to the work we do and the individuals who make it happen,” Daniels says. THE REHEARSAL ROOM

The Rehearsal Room is where artists explore plays, musicals and topics that affect artistic communities. The content here encourages conversation around art.

Some examples include: • Carly Grossman, who starred in the ATC production of “The Music Man,” talks about her experience as an intern as a UA student. She then sings “Making Love Alone” by Bernadette Peters. • Roth and Rogers host a podcast on gender queerness and theater with co-host Maybe Stewart, a playwright, director and stage manager who has worked at ATC and throughout the Valley. • Daniels hosts a podcast with Chris D’Arienzo, the writer and creator of “Rock of Ages,” talking about the musical and the new piece that will premiere at ATC. • Acting intern Austin Killian discusses his experience on “The Legend of Georgia McBride.” • Actor Kevin Cantor presents a digital prologue to “The Legend of Georgia McBride” prior to the online streaming of the show. THE BLACK BOX

The Black Box room is the stage where there are play readings, online workshops of plays and musicals, livestreams of performances, and community conversations around performances.

The content is ephemeral. It is posted for a time, and then, because of rights and contracts, is removed. It featured a streaming of “The Legend of Georgia McBride,” the show whose run had to be cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From May 11 to May 15, there was a live Zoom reading of Daniels’ play “The White Chip,” an autobiographical story about his recovery from alcoholism. It brought back the cast who performed in off-Broadway a year ago.

While the streaming was free, donations were split between the ATC and The Voices Project, a grassroots addiction recovery program.

“What we’re doing is really inspiring,” Roth says. “In supporting (‘The White Chip’), we are creating all this digital content around it and around recovery and trying to bring awareness for sobriety and recovery. We have two podcasts, a community conversation every day of the five days the show is able to stream.”

She says they wanted people to share this experience to provide support and inspiration for those who are struggling—especially when people can’t get together.

“I’m really proud of us for the way we’re stepping up and making sure people’s stories are heard and giving them a platform and tackling an issue in our society,” Roth says. THE CLASSROOM

The Classroom offers two opportunities. ATC Teens can sign up for programs, or those of any age can attend a Zoom class on Thursdays or watch a YouTube video later.

“Jasmine Roth is our amazing theater educator,” Daniels says. “Every day she is teaching classes—not just for kids. Now, she is teaching adults. It’s progress we would have done over the course of several years, but now we’re doing it. Everyone on our staff has rallied and really made it happen.”

Roth says it’s exciting to bring in offerings that may not have happened otherwise, in part because performers would be too busy.

Also, performers who couldn’t afford to fly in to teach a class for an hour or so can meet with students on Zoom. For example, she brought in Sally Cade Holmes.

“I sent (the students) an Instagram video that was a funny, quirky announcement,” Roth says. “I was on her website saying, ‘I wonder what project she’s done?’ pretending I didn’t know. ‘Oh, it’s Hadestown.’ They freaked out, fangirling so hard.” THE FUTURE

ATC was forced to lay off much of its

staff.

“We had to let 65% of our staff go, which is less than average (among arts organizations),” he says. “Most let 80% go; some let everybody go. We made the choice that we wanted to stay connected to our audience, to still have content, and that takes a certain amount of people.”

He says they’re having to be smart and make tough decisions. With the cancellation of its last two shows, the company lost $1 million. They’re paring down and trying to make sure their employees, artists and technicians have a theater to return to.

The ATC announced its fall season. Dates may shift, but the season will start as soon as it’s safe for audiences.

“We are not going to rush back if it is unsafe for our audience,” Daniels says. “We’re looking at a lot of things we can do. Will our balcony be a social distancing area? Do we want to limit the people who can be in the building? Can you enter the building from anywhere? Will there be masks you can pick up as you come in? It will look different. The most important thing is the safety of our audience and our staff and our artists. We won’t do anything that puts people in harm’s way.”

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STAYING HEALTHY

Nurturing Scottsdale Arts during a pandemic

Bridgette M. Redman >> The Entertainer! F inding a way to provide the arts online during the pandemic wasn’t just something “nice to do,” it was mission critical for Gerd Wuestemann, president and CEO of Scottsdale Arts.

It’s germane to the mission of the organization for its employees, for its patrons, and for all of Scottsdale and those who might tune in to its online offerings.

“We are not just flesh and bone,” Wuestemann says. “We are made up of soul and hearts and minds, and those souls and hearts and minds still need— after all the binge-watching and reading is done—we need community and being connected to others.

“At times like these, the arts serve a critical role in giving the sense of community, not just looking at beautiful paintings but looking at what is happening in the arts, how the arts connect to the community, and looking at who makes the arts happen and that we still feel our arts are fed here in our home communities.”

He praises the Scottsdale Arts team, saying they have all come together, working longer hours, following the aspiration that arts should “spark, amplify, immerse and inspire.”

The online arts programming during the pandemic has followed this model: • Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. • Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. • Scottsdale Public Art. • Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation.

Their website offers the gateway to opportunities to find art experiences in each of those four areas, proclaiming, “Whether you’re looking for an escape or a chance to celebrate our shared humanity, we want to help you make

those connections and share moments full of light, beauty and contemplation.”

Scottsdale Arts was one of the early organizations to cancel a major event, its 50th Scottsdale Arts Festival, in mid-March when 200 artists were scheduled to display their wares. Wuestemann says at the time that had even one person been infected, it would have been unforgiveable.

Since that time, the Scottsdale Arts organization has gone into high gear working in totally new ways.

“It took us a few weeks to realize, holy cow, I’m spending 10 to 12 hours a day on the screen, no wonder I’m feeling so worn out,” says Wuestemann. “I’m so proud my team made the shift seamlessly. We miss going to the office and

seeing the smiling faces and having the human spirit between us, but I’m thrilled we were able to do what we do to make sure our facilities remain in good shape and make sure our community is in good shape and get ready for the new season.”

FACILITY IMPROVEMENT

Their work has been focused on three main areas.

First, they’re responsible for a 28-acre campus and a sizable museum that are vulnerable to technical issues. They have strategized to maintain and clean the building with a staff that safely distances. They’re also using this time to update and renovate.

Their second focus is providing virtual access to the arts.

Anyone visiting their website can find a wealth of activities, including interviews with artists, pop art quizzes, peeks into the backstage, and podcasts. They also took their canceled arts festival and made it into a virtual experience.

“That was an incredibly important move,” Wuestemann says. “We had many thousands access it and people peruse those 200 artists’ offerings. People still got to enjoy these incredible artists and artisans. These artists still got to sell their wares to a Scottsdale audience. We’ve had reports from many artists saying ‘thank you.’ The artists had a chance to still make a living. That was another critical part.”

Scottsdale Arts also has, for many years, been contributing to arts

education in local schools. It has been moving much of that now into virtual classrooms.

It also launched its first online exhibition with the Scottsdale Sister Cities Association, “Young Artists and Authors Showcase.” With the theme of “One World: Out of Many, We are One,” the exhibition runs through July 21 at scottsdalelearning.org.

“Kids from around the world contributed,” Wuestemann says. “It shows us that even through crisis like this the extraordinary positive exuberance of kids. I just thought that was a magnificent show and very important for us.”

Finally, the staff has been spending its time figuring out what the future will look like.

“In times like these, it is very difficult to project and anticipate what a new season will look like,” Wuestemann says. “What do we have to do to make people feel safe to return to our venue?”

He says they are booking events in the fall and hoping to reopen the museum in the summer. Wuestemann says they think they will have a full season in September, even if a full house now

means only half of the seats are being used.

They are ensuring everything is properly sanitized. They will provide masks and do temperature checks so people can enjoy the arts in the fall.

“It is important for our community,” Wuestemann says. “They will have a deep desire to reconnect and to have these experiences that we can provide. We need to help rebuild our local economy. I think it is important for us to participate in that. If we create a show, the bars and restaurants will have a good night, the city will get taxes, people will get paid. We’re a part of the local economy, and the sooner we can get back to creating art, the more quickly we can help the economy recovery.”

SCOTTSDALE ARTS DID THE RIGHT THING

Wuestemann hopes when historians look back on the pandemic, three things will come to mind about Scottsdale Arts.

“I hope our story will be one of resolve and resilience,” he says. “Every day I’m proud and thrilled of the extraordinary resolve and resilience of our staff. Our

staff is working incredibly hard. That is the ultimate American spirit. It is what makes this country great. It is what has helped us win world wars and defeat crises and difficulties. This staff has shown that spirt.”

Second, he hopes they will show the story of empathy. He says it’s been incredibly challenging for artists, small arts organizations and small community theaters, which are the lifeblood of a community, to survive. He cited casual gatherings and backyard series, which give people a sense of community. He says it has been important to them throughout the pandemic to support these other organizations.

Finally, he wants Scottsdale Arts to be remembered as an organization that practices good business sense before and during the pandemic.

“We were fortunate compared to many other colleagues and organizations across the Valley,” Wuestemann says. “We’ve kept our whole staff together. There is not a single staff member that hasn’t worked eight-hour days.”

He says they repurposed a few jobs. For example, events staff has been reworking contracts for presenters. However, everyone has continued to work and get paid.

Wuestemann admits that much of this time has been painful for them, but they’ve survived.

“We were on track for a record year for the organization but had to tone it down,” Wuestemann says. “A lot of hard work came apart in a heartbeat and we’ve lost millions, but we had worked so hard and been conservative creating buffers and reserves that we’re not in immediate distress. So, it’s been kudos to the whole staff.”