JACKSONVILLE COMMUNITY COUNCIL, INC.

1045 Riverside Avenue - Suite 180

Jacksonville, Florida 32204

(904) 356-4136

A Report Prepared by the Study Committee on

THE ROLE OF THEATRE JACKSONVILLE IN THE COMMUNITY

Dr. Richard Bizot, Chairman

August, 1979

THE ROLE OF

THEATRE JACKSONVILLE

IN THE COMMUNITY

/'

THE ROLE OF THEATRE JACKSONVILLE IN THE COMMUNITY

INTRODUCTION:

The trustees of Theatre Jacksonville commissIoned the Jacksonville CommunityCouncil, Inc. (JCCI) and the Arts Assembly of Jacksonville to study TheatreJacksonville and its role in the community.

This study is a departure for JCCI: Theatre Jacksonville requested andpartially financed the study, and the final report is for the use of its Boards.

The Theatre Jacksonville Study Committee was chaired by Richard Bizot, Professorof English, Department of Language and Literature, University of North Florida.~n the course of organizing the study committee, Dr. Bizot met informally withJCCI Executive Director Dick Bowers, Arts Assembly Executive Director Trinita

Petersen, and Theatre Jacksonville Board of Trustees Chairman Bud Smith.

Themanagement team consist'ed of:

Dick Bizot, ChairmanBill AdamDale Clifford

Marilyn JacobsStan MurphyJo Rumrel.!

Staff:

RichardBowers JCCI

Carol S. Miner ..0 JCCI

TrinitaPetersen Arts Assembly

Additional members of the committee were:

John Alexander

Judy Ba"tchelder

Joyce BizotRebecca Cairns

Margaret D'Ange1isConnie Davis

"Richard DavisCharles Dixon

Harriet Dodson

Dale Edelberg

Ginger FraileyNorman A. Howard

Lillian Johann

Mary JonesJulian Kozicki

Mary Kozicki

Kathleen Linehan

Joseph MikulasBobbie-Sue MillerElizabeth ~brrow

Ro bert Richard

Frances Simmons

Elizabeth Taylor

The study committee held its first meeting on December 3, 1978 at TheatreJacksonville, where Executive Director Bob KnQwles briefed co~~ittee membersand guided them on a tour of the facilities. Except for a break at Christmas,the committee met almost weekly through" April 1979 to gather facts. Weekly

meetings were held in May and June to discuss and agree on the final report.

The committee decided on three major directions for study: consultation with

resource persons, documentary research, and a computer-assisted survey ofTheatre Jacksonville members.

-3-

Three hundred sixteen (316) questionnaires were completed and returned.

The responses to two questions, which asked. for open comment on why a member

supported Theatre Jacksopville and (in the few cases where appropriate) whya member did not plan to renew, were tabulated by hand. The responses to

the other questions were coded and processed 'by computer. Various forms of

cross-referencing were made possible by the use of the computer, enablingthe committee to determine if opinion could be correlated with demographic

information. For example, the committee wished to know if openness to

ideas of change was a function of age or length of membership; and was able

to check for such possible correlation on all questions asking for opinion

or preference. A copy of the questionnaire, and summaries of the data

. derived from computer printouts and from the hand tabulations, areappended to this report.

Community Theatre: In Jacksonville and Nationally

Theatre Jacksonville's name changes have reflected the theatre's changing view

of itself and its role. With its incorporation as the The Little Theatre, the

loosely organized Community Players joined the national'Little Theatre move-

ment at its interwar height. By 1972 that movement was largely moribund, and

representatives of various theatre organizations congratulated the group onthe decision to change names. David Weiss, President of the Southeastern

Theatre Conference wrote: "'Theatre Jacksonville' indicates that your theatre

is a theatre serving the entire community and reflects the changes that are

occuring throughout the American scene".

Theatre Jacksonville was first organized at a historical turning-point in

local amateur theatre in the United States. The Little Theatre movement,

begun at the turno~ the century by idealists who hoped to provide a

culturally and socially responsible alternative to the "low-brow" profess~ional theatre of the day, altered its character and broadened its base after

World War T. Rather than from the prewar cultural and intellectual elite,

leadership and participation began to come from the middle classes; and with

that change came some dilution of the "high culture" and educational focus.of the original movement.

Since then, but increasingly since another explosive period of growth after

World War II, controversy over the "proper" role of community theatre hascontinued. Critics of the contemporary situation argue, as does Edward L.

Kamarck in an article in Arts and Society (fall-winter 1971), that community

theatre now bears a "distinctive stamp of mediocrity" imposed by "hobbyist"participants, and characterized by "inadequate leadership; a constant diet

of trivial plays; a lack of discipline and dedication; untrained performersand technicians; and lack of conbict with the mainstreams of theatre art."

Its defenders argue that !good community theatre adds "zest and vigor to theAmerican theatre."

Part of the continuing controversy over the role and nature of communitytheatre comes from the differences between the aims and values of amateur

and professional theatres. But it also reflects a concern for the element

of "community", which is difficult to define. Critics of Theatre Jackson-ville, like critics of community theatre nationally, charge that too often

"community" is defined as a narrow group of white middle-class theatre

goers whose resistance to change stifles attempts to experiment with plays

and to reach out to other groups in the community who do not normally

attend or participate in theatre.

Since the cost of theatre, like everything else, is increasing, community

thea-tres have increasingly asked for aid from various federal, state and

local governmental agencies. The role of public monies adds to the pressure

to define "community" as expa-nsively as possible.

Jacksonville has three academic theatres: Jacksonville University has atheatre department which produces a'regular season; Florida Junior College

and the University of North Florida do not have a full-fledged department,and produce irregularly.

Artistic Director Andrew Arnold of Open Theatre informed the committee

about that group as part of a panel discussion on theatre in Jacksonville.

He explained that Open Theatre's facilities, also located in San Marco,are in an old building with makeshift facilities that seat only 100

people. After about a year of operating in the red, Open Theatre has been

marginally in the black since the success of "Bluebird" in December 1978

and "Boys in the Band" in 1979. Open Theatre has recently applied for

grants, but has been operating "on gate receiPts and contributions to date.

Only the musicians are paid, although the group hopes to be able to paysome staff as income increases. Open Theatre produced eleven adult plays

last year, did several children's productions, and also offers its facilities

to other artists (representational as well as performing) in a series of'

"Evenings with the Arts". It has sponsored a variety of theatre classes"aswell. Its repertory is uncensored, and Arnold feels that Open Theatre, as

an "alternative theatre", does not compete with other theatres for itsaudience.

A Company of Players, a non-profit professional theatre organization, beganin 1976. .Its aim, according to Managing Director Rebecca Cairns, "is to

provide quality children's theatre and workshops in theatre for all ages."

The company serves Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Baker and Nassau counties. In

1979 A Company of Players will inaugurate a summer repertory season. Most

performances are followed by an audience-participation workshop. The

regular workshop program offers classes on a variety of theatre subjects,

including the recently-developed ACOP'S Kids, for 8-14 year olds. Its

funding comes from corporate contributions, foundation grants, the Fine Arts

Council of Florida, and the City of Jacksonville. A Company of Players

has three professional staff members: managing director, artistic director,and business manager. Actors are contracted on a part-time basis.

Jacksonville has one profit-making professional theatre, the Alhambra Dinner

Theatre (other dinner theatres have opened and closed in the past). The

Alhambra presents traditional dinner theatre repertory, using "name"

stars and a paid cast, both equity and the lower paid non-equity local

actors. Most Jacksonville "theatre people" do not feel that the Alhambra

competes directly with the amateur theatres. However, there was some

indication that there may be an unwitting "competition" with Theatre

Jacksonville for repertory given the constraints on choice of plays

expressed by Theatre Jacksonville members? Theatre Jacksonville members have

indicated their interest in continuing and improving as a community theatre.(See section. on Repertory -for fuller discussion).

Assessing Theatre Jacksonville's role in the "educational, literary, intell-ectual and cultural advancement of the members of the organization and of the

community in general" is difficult because it begs such important questions as

definition of the community and of a satisfactory repertory. With 2400 sub-

scribers, Theatre Jacksonville regularly reaches only a small percentage of

the population of Jacksonville.

The computer-assisted survey of Theatre Jacksonville members produced a

demographic profile. The most striking fact about members is their age:

56.2% are over 55 years of age; a little over 81% are over 40. Members

tend to be long-time Jacksonville residents (61.5% have lived in Jack-

sonville for 20 or more years). As might be expected, the membership is

largely middle-class, college educated. (For further details of the survey,see appendices A, B, and C).

Structure of Theatre Jacksonville:

1. Board of Trustees

This five member Board (one member replaced annually by vote of thetheatre membership) must assent to any action on the theatre's pro-

perty and to the annual budget; it holds and controls the use of twoTrustee Funds. The first is the Building Fund, into which the cor-

poration is to pay "an amount equal to the annual depreciation reserveon the fixed assets of the corporation, but not less than $2300 each

fiscal year." (Bylaws, Art. IV, Section 7a). For some years, with

the Trustees' agreement, these monies were not paid in as specified,

but were used for operating expenses and for maintenance and repairs.

Theatre Jacksonville now.owes some $60,000 to its Trustees, although

the Trustees have re~ently forgiven this debt. The Theatre buildingis currently in need of remodeling, according to its officers, but

the Building Fund lacks the necessary capital.

The second, Reserve Fund, comes from '!an amount as may from time to

time be determined by the Board of Trustees not to exceed $2.00 for

each Adult membership." (article IV, sec. 7b)

In many other theatres and art organizations, the Trustees not only

control certain funds, but, most important, are influential persons

who are expected to lend their prestige to efforts to secure large

private donations and increase membership. According to its members,Theatre Jacksonville's Board of Trustees does" hit its own pocketbook"

and pull influence strings in a crisis, but is not rea'lly or regularlya fund-raising body.

In addition to its financial role, the Board of Trustees has on occasion

ventured to offer advice on theatre policy. At a meeting on 18 November

1969, the Board made a list of 14 "observationst ideas, and thoughts"

which it sent to the entire membership.

Tom Nehl suggested that members of the Board of Directors ought not to bedirectly involved in the theatrical end of its activities, because of con-'

flict-of-interest problems. Yet- Sherwood Lohrey stated that hal£ of

Theatre Memphis' 30-member board is active in production.

3. Executive Director

The current Executive Director, Bob Knowles, has a nine-month contract with

the Board of Directors. He is salaried, and also receives as compensation

a small percentage of theatre receipts. In a telephone conversation withcommittee chairman Richard Bizot, he stated that his contract describes

his job as follows: "The Director's responsibilities shall be artistic

control of the theatre and day-to-day management of financial responsi-

bilities of the Theatre." He noted that his contract also says: "Selection

of plays and date to be mutually agreed upon by the Board of Directors and

the Executive Director." However, in the matter of repertory and casting,

the current bylaws give Theatre Jacksonville committees the initial dec-

ision power, with artistic advice from the director. The Executive

Director does not meet regularly with the Board of Directors, although he

may address the directors on his request. He does meet regularly withthe Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

The Executive Director, with the Technical Director and volunteers,

handles all of the details of mounting the nine-month season's produc-

tions.(Any summer programs must be implemented without him, as hiscontract does not cover the summer months.) The members of Theatre

Jacksonville consulted as resource persons agree that the Director's

control of repertory reflects his contract language, not the bylaws.

On casting, the other area of artistic control, a committee makes the

decisions although the Director has a veto. The other directors who

served as resource per.sons for this study stressed that a directo~'s

artistic c?ntrol must be total, and noted that it might include theformulation of special projects and programs as well as the regular

season. Several added that a resident Executive Director might work

with a guest director for some productions or projects. They ~bjected

to tying a part of the director's salary to receipts because they

thought it would tend to hinder his sense of freedom to make a creative

artistic statement with productions. If the Board wished to reward the

Director for a good seasons they said, it should give him a raise or abonus.

In addition to artistic direction, Theatre Jacksonville's Executive

Director is responsible for day-to-day financial management and admini-

strative details. Both he and participants in the open mee~ing pointedout that his duties include everything from artistic conceptions to

taking program copy to the printer, and answering the telephone onoccasion.

-J..J-

Theatre Jacksonville members said that volunteer actors would not be as

willing to commit their time for a longer run. However, Sherwood Lohrey

and Andrew Arnold said' they had no trouble. getting actors to commit them-

selves for longer runs, and added that a play could be well-prepared withfour weeks of rehearsal.

The casting committee is charged with selecting the cast for each play,

subject to the Director's veto. Without exception, the resource personsoutside Theatre Jacksonville stated that a casting committee should handleadministrative details of auditions, but the artistic director should be

a "hopefully benevolent dictator" (according to Sherwood Lohrey) over thecreative aspects of a production, including casting.

6. Repertory

The repertory committee selects the plays to be produced each season,

in consultation with the Director and subject to the approval of the

Board of Directors~ Among the issues brought to the study committee's

attention were the role of the director in this process, and the role

of self-censorship in choosing and revising scripts.

The Directors who served as resource persons maintained that the Director

must also be a dictator (subject to his Board of course) on repertory-

Sherwood Lohrey and Howard Milman suggested a guest director for plays

the resident director chose not to direct. Repertory committee chair-

person Ernie Mastroianni says that in actuality, Theatre Jacksonville's

Executive Director does have a veto, but his role in the process as

. described in the bylaws is not consistent with that description.

Theatre Jacksonvitle practices self-censorship, both in the choice of

repertory and in the use of "expurgated" scripts for some plays thatare produced. Open meeting participants stated that their audience will

not tolerate certain language, and pointed to a drop in membership after

presentation of Neil Simon's "The Gingerbread Lady" in 1974. Theiraudience, participants say, want to be entertained, not to be shockedor made to reflect.

Resource persons agree that traditional audiences are sometimes shocked

by the "new freedom", and that some members do drop out as a result. How-

ever, they add, well-done experimentation can usually attract more members

than it loses. None of the directors who served as resource persons, from

Jacksonville or elsewhere, utilize expurgated texts. Sherwood Lohrey saidthat Theatre Memphis' production of "Equus" this year, which includes nude

'scenes and w~s presented separately from the subscription series because

of that, made a $25,000 profit and attracted a new, younger audience tothe theatre. .

Consultants from other theatres stressed that repertory changes can be

made gradually, but agree that a.theatre must take risks in order toremain alive. Theatre Memphis presents bo.th a regular subscription

series of seven plays, including musicals, comedies, drama, and classics,

and a separate selection of experimental or more modern plays under

volunteer guest directors approved by the management, and sold by in-

dividual tickets. Sherwood Lohrey said this approach worked well.Some Theatre Jacksonville members indicated interest in "storefront"

productions which might serve the same purpose.

The survey data indicates that while Theatre Jacksonville members are

satisfied with the kind and quality of plays produced, they are sign-

ificantly more satisfied with the quality'than the kind of plays. Well

over half of those surveyed thought the theatre should consider presentinga more varied repertory. Favorable responses were especially strong

among the youngest and oldest members and from those who had lived in

Jacksonville less than two years or more than 20.

7. Membership and Publicity

Season subscription rates have been $20 for the past seven years, butmembers' res~onses to the survey indicate willingness to accept in-creased prices (see question #16). Resource persons from other theatreshave observed no problems with gradually increasing subscription rates.Resource persons from other theatres cited energetic (and frequentlyprofessional) organization as the key to such efforts, and emphasizedthat a subscription-based theatre should "sell out", rather than re-,serving seats for the gate. "No-shows" will always leave some seats forguests, and the publicity of a sold-out season enhances interest in thetheatre. This view is strongly supported by Danny Newman in his book,Subscribe Now.

Lack of publicity has consistently been a problem for Theatre Jacksonville,

according to members at all levels. Community theatres else~here report

that cooperation from local media is invaluable.

8. Physical Plant

The Theatre building, located on San Marco Boulvard, is owned outright

by Theatre Jacksonville, Inc. All resource persons connected withTheatre Jacksonville said that it is structurally sound, but needs

renovation. Production-related changes, such as bigger space for

building sets, new facilities, and more rehearsal space, seemed to be

less important to members and officers that remodeling fot audience.

The lobby should be expanded and should include a women's restroom, they

note. The present women's restroom is upstairs adjoining the greenroom, and since there is no elevator, elderly or incapacitated female

playgoers have difficulities. If ,the Theatre receives federal funds

directly or indirectly, Federal 504 regulations will require physical

and program access for handicapped persons by May of 1982.

TOTAL RESPONSES 324

THEATRE JACKSONVILLE SURVEY

Thank you for your help. This survey will enable the study group to makerecommendations regarding the future role and scope of Theatre Jacksonville.Please disregard the numbe~s in the left-hand margin. They are for computeruse only.

1. How long have you lived in Jacksonville? (Please check one.)

2. How many t~tal seasons have you been a member (subscriber) of TheatreJacksonville? (check one)

22.6% lliI fewer than 2 years

27.6 rnJ 2-5 years

23.2 . [J] 5-10 years

17.3 ~ 10-20 years

4-1

-2-3-4.

-5

3.

9.3 [1QJ more than 20 years

For the present season, what is the total number of Theatre Jacksonvillemember~hips in your household? (check one)

5-1

-230.8 %[22] one

64.2 ~ofJ two

-3

-4-5

3.1

1.60.3

~ three

W four

CiJ more than four

4. Please check all of the following organizations of which you arecurrently a member or active supporter.

6

7

8

9

29.9%

7.4

10.2

6.8

10

11

12

37.316.0

3.1

3.113. I. 17.'

m Jacksonville Symphony

~ Cummer Gallery of "Art

i 331Jacksonville Art Huseum

~ ..Museum of Arts and Sciences

~ Channel 7

~ Stereo 90

,10 !Opera Company

110 I Jacksonvi11~~..1

of Jacksonville

Zoo

1 ....

3-1 2.8% IT!fewer than 2 years

-2 7.5 [1!J 2-5 years

-3 13.0 5-10 years.-4 15.2 @] 10-20 years-5 61.5 more than 20 years

40-1

-2

-3

41

42

43

44

45,46

47-1

-2

-3

10.

lOA.

9. Do you think that Theatre Jacksonville's facilities should be used,

schedule permitting, for musical performances?

11. 5%

26.5

62.0

9A.

6§JNo

[§]] Unsure

11941Yes (If yes, please answer question 9A.)

If your previous answer was "yes," please check all of the categories

of musical performance which you would like at Theatre Jacksonville.

Do you think that other kinds of live performances (i.e., other than music)should be presented at Theatre Jacksonville, schedule permitting?(check one)

. 13.3%

31.2

55.5

[TI]No

[2]] Unsure

U1] Yes (If yes, please answer question IDA.)

If your previous answer. ~vas "yes," please check all of the following

categories of live performance which you would like at Theatre Jacksonville.

Like Not Sure Dislike

Chamber music l§] m Ill]Recitals (voice or .instrumental) [§ [R] MJ

Jazz 11071 [ill WChoral music 11351 !RJ riD

Other (please specify): _H. m JXJ

Like Not Sure Dislike

48 Dance M§I Ii§] W49 Mime m 6JJ W50 Poetry readings m .W [l8]51 . Lectures .1iillI ElliJ W52 Puppets or marionettes [W Iii] W53 One-person shows 11131 lIT] W54,55 Other (please specify): m

fURVEY OF THEATRE JACKSONVILLE MEMBERS

Summary of Findings

The survey was designed to provide two general kinds of data: 1. Informationabout the members of Theatre Jacksonville, and 2. Opinion about a variety of

questions related to the Theatre. A composite of the first kind of data pro-vided a demographic profile of the current membership. The second kind ofdata indicates degrees of satisfaction which members feel toward TheatreJacksonville's current activities, as well as feelings, pro, and con, with

regard to a wide range of additional or alternative activities which theTheatre might wish to consider in the future.

The following is a highly selective summary of the most important findings

produced by the study. A copy of the 1434 page computer printout, containingthe complete results of the study, accompanies the original of this report as

Appendix C.

Demographic Information

The fact about Theatre Jacksonville's members which most insistently calls

attention to itself is age. A clear majority of members (56.2%) are over 55

years of age. Fully 81% are over:40. See survey question 21 (code D16)

A majority of members (61.5%) are long-time residents of Jacksonville (20+ years).

See question 1 (code C3).

A majority of members have never been involved with the Theatre in any way exceptas a member of the audience. See questions 5 and 6 (codes C15-C26).

Presently 88% of the current members plan to renew for next season.

question 18 (code DIl). .

See

However, half (50.2%) of the current members have been members for five years

or less - not necessarily continuously. See question 2 (code C4).

Almost 65% of the respondents to the survey are female. Whether 65% of allmembers are female is uncertain. It is possible that, among married couples,

wives responded to the survey more frequently than husbands. See question 19(code D14).

Over 67%of the respondents are married. This figure is not very reliable,

since some widows and widowers identified themselves as "Married" some as "Not

Married". See question 20 (code D15).

Over 80% of the members have attended college; nearly half (41.1%) have a college

degree; and better than one in five (22.4%) have done 1 or more years of post-

baccalaureate w~rk. See question 22 (code D17).

More than two-thirds (67.1%) of the respondents live South and East of the

St~ Johns River: Souths ide to Mandarin, Arlington to the Beaches. Riverside,Avondale, and Ortega. The ZIP Codes with the most .members are:

Ortega Area .......................

17.8%15.613.112.710.87.2

3220732217322113220532216

. 32210

San Marco and near Souths ide ......

San Jose/Mandarin area ............

Arlington .........................Riverside/Avondale ................Southside.........................

Survey - 3 ~

Overall, Theatre members are open to expanded use of its facilities.Questions related to expanded use were of three kinds: the staging oftheatrical performances, the staging of non-theatrical performances, andadditional activities not primarily performance oriented.

Seven questions related to expanded use for theatrical performances.

Three of these related in one way or another to a summer season. Three

related to the use of the theatre by other theatre groups (including oneof the summer season questions). One question asked about matinees, anotherabout a longer regular season.

There is distinct enthusiasm for a su~mer season: 74.9% of the members said

they would attend summer performances at Thea,tre Jacksonville; only 10.3%. said they would not. See question 11, first category (code C6l). With theproposition that Theatre Jacksonville should have its own sumner season,

nearly half (49.6%) of the respondents AGREED or STRONGLY AGREED, and another

22.6% said it was WORTH CONSIDERING. See question 15, eight proposition(code D4). With the proposition that the Theatre should allow another

company to present a summer season at Theatre Jacksonville, 37.2% AGREED or

STRONGLY AGREED, and 38.9% said it was WORTH CONSIDERING. See question 15,

ninth proposition (code D5). The favorable responses to all three questions

related to a summer season ranged between 72% and 76%. Unfavorable responses

were equally consistent, at 10% to 15%.

The consistency of responses cited in paragraph above lends support to the

committee's inclination to include WORTH CONSIDERING responses in a "favorable"

category, along with AGREED and STRONGLY AGREED.

There is surprisingly strong support for the idea of other theatre groups

presenting plays at Theatre Jacksonville.

The favorable responses Fanged from 70.5% (q~estion 15, fourth proposition:

code C78), to 74.1% (que~tion 11, first categpry; code C56), and to.76.l%(question l5~ ninth category; code D5). The range of unfavorable responses

to these three questions was 19.4%, 7.5% and 14.8% respectively.

There is some support for lengthening the regular season: 41.1% AGREED orSTRONGLY AGREED that it should be lengthened, and 24.1% said it is WORTHCONSIDERING - for a combined favorable rating of 65.2%. Only 24.8%DISAGREED or STRONGLY DISAGREED. See question 15, sixth proposition (code C80).

There is less support for matinees: 42.7% said they would attend them, 34.0%

said they would not. See question 11 fifth category (Code C60).

Five questions related to expanded use for non-theatrical performances. Two

of these related to musical performances; two related to live, non-musical

performances; one related to films. In all five categories, ,there was a

significant degree of indecision: "Not Sure" received anywhere from 26% to37% of the responses.

62% of the members said the facilities should be used, schedule permitting, formusical performances"; 11.5% said .they should not. 60.3% said they would

attend concerts at the Theatre; 13.0% said they would not. See question 9

(code C40) and question 11, third category (code C58). '

Survey - 5

\ .K significant fact is that 48.3% of the members would be willing to pay anincreased membership fee to support those increased activities at the Theatre

of which they are in favor. 15.3% ~aid they would not; 36.5% were unsure

whether they would or not.

Two questions elicited opinion about the San Marco location of TheatreJacksonville. When asked, "Is your attendance ... dependent upon its SanMarco location?" 70.1% said "No", 29.9% said "Yes". But when asked to

respond to the proposition that the Theatre should "present productionsin locations other than San Marco", only 18.5% AGREED or STRONGLY AGREED,whereas 37.0% DISAGREED or STRONGLY DISAGREED. 26.6% thought the idea

WORTH CONSIDERING - so the combined favorable rating was 45.1%. See

question 13 (code C63) and question 15, seventh proposition (code D3).

Cross-tabulating for sex, far more women (38%) than men (14%) are dependent. upon the San Marco location. Cross-tabulating for age, 40% of members over55 are dependent on San Marco, whereas fewer than 20% of those in all other

age categories are so dependent. Of those dependent on San Marco, 75%are over 55. Cross tabulating for length of Jacksonville residence and

length of Theatre membership, dependency is directly proportional to

longevity.

THE ROLE OF THEATRE JACKSONVILLE IN THE COMMUNITY

R E COM MEN D A T ION S

This committee's findings and conclusions all point to the fact that Theatre

Jacksonville's current situation is static, and that the organization as a

whole lacks a clear vision of its role and direction in the community. Yet

without a vision, a set of goals that transcends a production season, any

changes in the current structure and practices would merely be "tinkering,"

and might even work at cross purposes. Thus, the committee's specific

recommendations must be considred in light of Theatre Jacksonville's responseto one crucial recommendation:

Theatre Jacksonville's Bo~rd of Trustees, Board of Directors,

and other individuals who are important to the organizationshould discuss and arrive at a statement of Theatre Jackson-

ville's philosophy and long range goals. Those goals should

then be formulated into a long range plan, which should include

the specific short term goals and policies that will help Theatre -

Jacksonville achieve its long range goals. These objectives will

require hard choices regarding:

(1) structure and lines of authority within the Theatre

(2) financial planning

(3) fund raising

(4) length of season

(5) repertory

(6) membership strategy(7) utilization of facilities, and

(8) the Theatre's role in the community

These choices should be based on the most effective way of fulfilling the

philosophy and long range goals of the Theatre, with careful assessment of

the costs and risks of each step.

If the philosophy and long range goals reflect a desire for growth, then

the committee recommends consideration of the specific policies, steps and

objectives outlined in the following paragraphs.

The roles of the two boards must be clarified. The committee was not persuaded

that there was a need for both trustees and directors. Merging the two as a

single Board of Trustees, whose executive committee could act for the entire

Board between meetings, would make the structure more efficient and clarify

responsibility. The combined Board should be a working Board, with each member

assuming responsibility for areas such as committee work, fund raising and

public relation~.

The Board must exercise its- policy-making role carefully and conscientiously.In order to plan for implementation of the Theatre's long range goals, it should

meet regularly with the professional staff who wil~ assist in implementation.

Annually, the Board should carefu~ly evaluate the Theatre's progress towards its

long range goals and reevaluate short term goals and plans.

Recommendations - Page

~Because it is the oldest and financially strongest community theatre, Theatre

Jacksonville is also well-equipped to serve as the convenor and facilitator

for furthering the cornmon goals-of area theatre groups. Theatre Jacksonvillemight host monthly meetings for representatives of all the groups. It mightalso consider increased cooperation with the. academic theatres, both through

artistic internships and through internships for arts management and publicadministration students from area colleges and universities.

The .committee suggests that the va lueof the investment in the theatre

property itself warrants a more intensive utilization of the facilities than

is currently ongoing.

The Study Committee also recommends that the Board's policies on the use of

the building be re-examined in order that the th~atre could become a center

of performing arts activity, even if several weeks of rehearsal for each playhave to take place in another location. Such a change could increase theearned income of Theatre Jacksonville and improve its image.

The Study Committee recommends that Theatre Jacksonville, in its discussions

about long term goals, address the issue of the size of the present location.

The population of Duval County has increased from approximately 200,000 in1938 to 600,000 in 1979. If Theatre Jacksonville is to keep up with community

growth, and the Study Committee believes it should, the idea of an expanded

or completely. new facility must be addressed. The Committee recommends ex-

ploration of every alternative in discussing this issue, and would like to putforward the following possibilities. The existing facility could be expanded

. by adding a balcony. A new facility could be built or purchased and renovated,and the existing facility could then be sold, used as an adjunct facility for

Theatre Jackso~ville programs, leased on a long term basis to another theatre

company or companies or managed by Theatre Jacksonville as a community facility

for the performing arts. .

Finally, the committee recomm~nds that the Board, officers, professional staffand volunteers recognize that the Theatre will advance or decline based solely

on the efforts, support and decisions of its leadership and volunteers and not

on this report, which is a catalyst for ideas.

THE ROLE OF THEATRE JACKSONVILLE IN THE COMNUNITY

CON C L U S ION S

Over the past five years theatre in Jacksonville has experienced tremendous

growth, but Theatre Jacksonville, the oldest and best endowed of the area'samateur theatres, has not shared in that growth. Its overall programs have

diminished to the point where the Theatre is no longer fulfilling its corporate

statement of purpose, and has no alternative vision or goals. Its membershiphas stabilized around the 2400 level, and the survey data indicate that it is

failing to reach younger people and those new to Jacksonville.

Theatre Jacksonville's Board of Trustees has tended to confine itself to its

narrowly defined financial role. The Board has not used its financial trustee-ship to affect policy or take a continuing fund-raising role. Neither its role,por that of the Board of Directors, is well-defined. This structural confusionhas left Theatre Jacksonville without a clear sense of goals and priorities,

either artistically or financially.

Theatre Jacksonville is understaffed. The current workload, in quantity and

in the skills demanded, justifies additional staff. The Executive Director's

contract and Theatre Jacksonville's bylaws do not agree on the definition ofhis artistic control. The multitude of non-artistic administrative details

with which the Executive Director is charged demand very different skills from

those of an artistic director, such as the planning and execution of fund-

raising and membership drives, grant-writing, and handling publicity.

Theatre Jacksonville, like other theatres, suffers from a lack of volunteersand those who do volunteer feel "stretched thin."

The lack of volunteers in part reflects a failure to conduct energetic cam-

paigns for broader membership and participation. It may also derive fromthe impression that Theatre Jacksonville is a "closed group", which has not

been dispelled in the community-at-large. A majority of theatre members agreethat Theatre Jacksonville should try to reach a broader community audience.

An analysis of Theatre Jacksonville's repertory since 1961 indicated that ithas changed little, except for the reduction by one play, usually a classic ordrama. Thus, it has become increasingly less representative of contemporary

theatre. The survey data indicates that members favor considering a more varied

repertory.

Theatre Jacksonville's other programs have been reduced in the past years. The

survey data indicates that members especially favor educational and children'stheatre programs.

Theatre Jacksonville's facilities are underutilized, especially during the

summer when the building is.closed. Insurance costs need not be an obstacle

to the use of the facilities by other groups. Shorter rehearsal periods or

holding some rehearsals elsewhere would permit greater utilization of thefacilities. The membership survey indicates support for a summer season and

for a variety of other kinds of performances at Theatre Jacksonville.

Theatre Jacksonville's facilities need renovation and possibly expansion,

neither of which can be accomplished without increased funding and a clear

set of ~oals and priorities.