A History of Nashville Children's Theatre: 1977-2019
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Belmont University Belmont Digital Repository Education Theses School of Education Fall 11-4-2020 A History of Nashville Children's Theatre: 1977-2019 Robert Roberts [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.belmont.edu/education_theses Part of the Arts Management Commons, and the Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons Recommended Citation Roberts, Robert, "A History of Nashville Children's Theatre: 1977-2019" (2020). Education Theses. 2. https://repository.belmont.edu/education_theses/2 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at Belmont Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Education Theses by an authorized administrator of Belmont Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A HISTORY OF NASHVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: 1977 - 2019 A thesis submitted to the Department of Education at Belmont University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION Nonprofit Leadership By Bob Roberts BS, Middle Tennessee State University, 2002 Approved: Date Thesis Chair Date Faculty Member Date Professional Mentor A HISTORY OF NASHVILLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE: 1977 - 2019 A thesis submitted to the Department of Education at Belmont University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF EDUCATION Nonprofit Leadership By Bob Roberts BS, Middle Tennessee State University, 2002 Acknowledgements & Dedication I would like to sincerely thank my thesis committee for their guidance and support through this project. The Committee Chair, Dr. John Murray, has especially provided valuable insight at every step of the way. My graduate advisor, Dr. Joy Kimmons, has not only been a great supporter of this project, but also helped me to keep on-track with other school and graduation commitments along the way. Professor Shawn Knight has meanwhile provided enormous support by his willingness to step-in mid-process and take-on this committee role in addition to his multitude of theatrical responsibilities; he has been a great friend in general and an excellent RPG partner, as well. I am deeply grateful for the contributions of the many project participants, both directly and indirectly, in my research over the past year-and-a-half. In chief, thanks are owed to the interviewees who selflessly provided their time, their honesty, their memories, and their feelings regarding NCT. Many were already my friends prior to this process; others I feel fortunate to now count as friends. Many others who were not directly interviewed, yet still contributed materially to my research, have been invaluable as well. In particular, I appreciate the leadership of Nashville Children’s Theatre for their cooperation in allowing me to sift through and organize their dormant archives. Also, I am deeply indebted to the previous thesis work by Betsy Manley and Frances Daniel, whose prior research preserved valuable information which otherwise would have certainly been lost forever. I would like to express thanks to my friends and family for their support over the last two-and-a-half years as I’ve worked towards my degree. The support, friendship, and patience they have shown me has been immense and can never be adequately repaid. In particular, thanks are owed to my parents, as well as Megan Adams, Cory Hutcheson, Ann Allan, Alicia Fuss and Colin Peterson, Catherine Birdsong, Kathryn Colegrove, my NCT family, the B.C. gang, the Belcourt emotional support network, Amanda Scales, my Belmont NPL cohort, and Alma the Wonder Dog. This work is dedicated to three individuals who are no longer here to see it, and I truly wish each of them were still with us. First and foremost, this work is dedicated to Scot Copeland. The story of NCT during this period is inextricably intertwined with the story of Scot, and I can only hope to do justice to both here. His willingness to give me a chance as one of Lorna Turner’s successors has determined much of the path that my life has taken in the last decade; without that opportunity, I would neither be writing this thesis nor probably even be pursuing this degree. His one life has improved the lives of countless others through his works, through his actions, and through his words. Secondly, this thesis is dedicated to Dr. Richard Hansen. As my advisor and professor during undergraduate studies at MTSU, and later as my personal friend, Dr. H taught me the value of diligent research and always probing more thoroughly into the subjects of my writing. He was also an inspirational wit who provided many of us with laughter far more times than I could ever count. I was proud to have him as a member of my thesis committee until his unexpected passing earlier this year, and I regret he did not live to see this finished product. I hoped, with this thesis, he would be proud of how I used the research skills he taught me, and I still hope that now. Lastly, this history of Nashville Children’s Theatre is dedicated to Charles “Trey” Webster III, who has no business being gone so soon. Trey began volunteering at NCT when he was too young to get paid for his time; at first, he came to earn service hours for his Boy Scout rank advancement (he was initially working toward Star, but also reached Eagle by the age of 14), but continued volunteering simply because he loved it. I hired Trey to be a part of the Dragonkeeper team as soon as he was 16, and he was always an exemplary employee and person. He made the absolute most of his brief 18 years. His love of learning, of helping, of arts, and of caring for others represented the best of what NCT’s art hopes to promote, and I was as proud of Trey as I am of the theatre itself. To Scot, Dr. H, and Trey… this is written in your honor. Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to collect a formalized history of Nashville Children’s Theatre (or NCT), a nonprofit arts organization, between the years of 1977 and 2019. Previous theses by students at other universities have recorded NCT’s history prior to 1977, but much of the company’s evolution during the time since has only been kept via a loose oral tradition amongst employees, an oral tradition that becomes increasingly distorted and destroyed as staff members and volunteers come and go from the organization or pass-away. This thesis project collected memories from 18 individuals who worked for, volunteered with, performed at, or otherwise came into contact with Nashville Children’s Theatre during the above-stated years; interviews were conducted to collect stories and to probe matters of the theatre’s history which have become unclear over time. Questions included how the participants first encountered NCT, what their favorite memories of the organization are, why they left the organization (when applicable), and several other topics specific to their role and their period of interaction. This thesis also sorted through long-neglected archival materials of the organization, attempting to both organize them and synthesize their information into the narrative formed by interviews. The narrative covers how NCT went from a volunteer-led, largely-amateur theatre in the 1970s to a completely professional organization in present day through evolution of its management and volunteer structures; strategic planning for growth of its programs, staff, and facility; and facing organizational threats with creative solutions. Keywords: Nonprofit, theatre, volunteer, leadership, management structure, strategic planning, Nashville, governance, organizational growth i Table of Contents Chapter 1 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………..1 Review of the Literature ……………………………………………………………………………………………….2 Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4 Chapter 2 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6 Findings Regarding the Organization’s History …………………………………………………………………………..6 NCT: 1931-1976 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Junior League Projects .…………………………………………………………………………………….6 Early Seasons of the Junior League Children’s Theatre ……………………………………..7 An Independent and Formal Organization ………………………………………………………..8 Outreach to Nashville Schools …………………………………………………………………………..9 The NCT Ice Cream Carnival …………………………………………………………………………….10 Development of the Seasons and Early Educational Programming ………………….11 NCT’s Growing Reputation, Credibility, and Attendance …………………………………14 A Home of Their Own …………………………………………………………………………….……….15 The Beginnings of a Professional Staff …………………………………………………………….17 NCT’s Growing Influence in the Industry and Community ……………………………….19 The First Change of Professional Leadership ……………………………………………………20 Significant Obstacles Emerge for Attendance ………………………………………………….22 Dr. Kartak, Organizational Change, and the Nashville Theatre Academy …………24 A Period of Programmatic and Organizational Growth Begins ………………………..27 Moving Beyond the Building …………………………………………………………………………..29 A Time of Success and Optimism …………………………………………………………………….30 NCT & NAT: 1977-1985 ………………………………………………………………………………………………..31 Subtle Changes Manifest Throughout ……………………………………………………………..32 The Invitation(s) to Europe ……………………………………………………………………………..34 A Change of Identity ……………………………………………………………………………………….36 The Eventful European Tour of 1978 ……………………………………………………………….38 ii The “Really Rosie” Question ……………………………………………………………………………40 Accolades for NAT …………………………………………………………………………………………..40 A Period of Leadership