INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any Qrpe o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zed) Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 THEATRES THAT WORK: A STUDY OF SUCCESSFUL GROWTH IN SMALL REGIONAL THEATRES IN AMERICA DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Vincent Anthony Landro, B. S., M. A., M. F. A. ***** The Ohio State University 1997 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Alan Woods, Adviser \ I Dr. Joy Reilly Adviser Dr. Wayne Lawson Department of Theatre UMI Number: 9731663 UMI Microfonn 9731663 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Vincent A. Landro 1997 ABSTRACT At a time when regional theatres are struggling to balance their artistic growth with institutional survival the need to understand why certain regional theatres succeed and others fail has never been greater. Moreover, the almost total concentration of researchers on the larger theatres at the expense of the smaller ones that now make up the majority of American regional companies has seriously skewed our understanding of the growth dynamics and management decision-making characteristics of the newest generation of artistic leaders. The purpose of this study is to offer a fresh examination of how and why successful small regional theatres become and, more important, remain successful. It assesses not only how small companies—defined here as members of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) who have reported operational budgets of less than $900,000-have adapted their goals, operations, and growth choices to the realities of limited budgets and stubborn deficits between 1990 and 1995, but also how they have turned these conditions into long-term stability. The study uses two methods of primary research to investigate the presence of systemic levers of successful growth. The first method is a national survey of small theatres that provides a core data base from which to analyze ffnancial and audience figures from 24 respondent theatres and compare these results to the annual TCG reports. My analysis further compares these small theatres to one another according to subset categories of budget size and age of company. Second, the study examines organizational history and management decision-making for common underpinnings in origin, leadership style, and operating procedures among three case study theatres: The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Horse Cave Theatre, and Riverside Theatre. The results of this investigation suggest that (1) our assumptions and expectations about the growth of regional theatre that have been inherited from the 1960s and 1970s obscure rather than help explain the accomplishments of these theatres; (2) successful small theatres exhibit a wide variability of annual growth rates and constantly changing growth profiles that are significantly different from the national averages and from one another; and (3) successful small theatres have been successful primarily because they have effectively adapted to the challenges of major growth decisions rather than succumbing to them. The study argues that a new definition of success needs to replace the old mythology of idealistic expectations and that such a definition should be based upon an analysis of the systemic issue of growth rather than symptomatic variables, such as critical success, increased budgets, or audience development. Finally, the study offers a basis for rethinking how small regional theatres function and suggests that any solution to the problem of defining growth should include an appreciation of the fragmentation, complexity, and contradictions inherent within this special universe of companies. Ill ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am very thankful to the many people who have made this work possible. I especially give my thanks and appreciation to Steve Bevans of The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Warren Hanunack of Horse Cave Theatre, and Jody Hovland and Ron Clark of Riverside Theatre, who so generously gave their time and encouragement during my visits to their theatres. I also wish to thank my adviser. Dr. Alan Woods, and the members of my committee. Professors Joy Reilly and Wayne Lawson, for their guidance and support. IV VTTA 1961................................................................ B. S. Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 1972 .................................................................M. F. A. University of Texas, Austin, Texas 1972-1981 .......................................................Assistant Professor of Theatre, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, and Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, Vermont 1985 ................................................................. M. A. Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 1985-1992....................................................... Marketing Director, Pittsburgh Dance Council, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, and Gretna Productions, Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania PUBLICATIONS Vincent Landro, “Growing Into Crisis, The Dangers of Growth in Regional Theatre.” Theatre Studies. (Spring 1995), 27-43. FIELD OF STUDY Major field: Theatre TABLE OF CONTENTS Eâge ABSTRACT.................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................ iv VITA..................................................................................................................................... V LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................ viii CHAPTERS: 1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................... 1 2. THE MYTHOLOGIZING OF THE AMERICAN REGIONAL THEATRE .... 25 The 1960s............................................................................................................... 33 The 1970s ............................................................................................................... 43 The 1980s ............................................................................................................... 60 The 1990s............................................................................................................... 74 Conclusion.............................................................................................................. 83 3. THE ART OF MEASURING GROWTH: TWENTY-FOUR SMALL REGIONAL THEATRES............................................................................................................91 Methodology...........................................................................................................97 Measuring Growth .............................................................................................. 104 Aggregate Growth Trends....................................................................................106 Searching for Subsets ........................................................................................... 118 Budget Size Subsets ............................................................................................. 119 Age Subsets ........................................................................................................... 125 Summary and Conclusions...................................................................................133 VI Page 4. THE PARADOX OF SUCCESSFUL GROWTH: THREE CASE STUDIES .... 141 The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble ...................................................................... 145 Horse Cave Theatre.................................................................................................164 Riverside Theatre.................................................................................................. 183 Conclusions..............................................................................................................202