Thank you to all of you who have been sticking with me on this exploration of the future of the Arts in Waco. After spending some time a few weeks ago taking a look at the past of the organization and seeing what brought it to its current state, the past two weeks have seen me detailing my step-by-step plan for a new vision and business plan going forward.

Now, it must be appreciated that the changes that I'm proposing are by no means small. Truly, I'm proposing a fundamental change to the Waco Performing Arts Company's mission. I've explained before that the WPAC is a presenting organization. That means they don't create the shows that play at the Hippodrome Theatre. Rather they contract with shows that are touring the country to come to Waco and then facilitate that presentation. At its heart, my proposal is that the WPAC expand its operations from solely presenting to also co-producing performances from a wide variety of performing Arts groups in Waco. They'll be responsible for helping to schedule, sell tickets, manage technical needs, and administer the performances. What this means is that the organization as it currently exists is going to have to adapt. It won't look exactly like it did before. So Step Four for the WPAC is to reorganize their operations.

The first change that must be made to the WPAC is in programming. In recent years, the WPAC has been best known for presenting Broadway musicals. That time has past. Big touring Broadway musicals, while popular and of very high professional quality, don't fit on the Hippodrome stage and don't fit in the WPAC budget. (I've already gone over the financial and physical impossibilities in another post.) Moreover, the decision to remove the popular Broadway shows from the WPAC's programming is a bit of a line in the sand. A modern performing arts center is needed in Waco, and until it is constructed, Waco shouldn't have to make do with seeing those great shows crammed into a space that can't accommodate them. This goes back to my earlier point about not settling for good enough when it stands to cost you getting what you really need.

But there are still a great number of shows with good variety and high quality that the WPAC can continue to present. The children's series can and must stay. And in the past, the Broadway shows were supplemented by various special events. Those will now take center stage for the WPAC's programming. That means shows with minimal set and tech requirements and a price point between $10k - $15k. Shows like this season's Celtic Crossroads and Take 6, or past shows like Second City, Defending the Caveman, Five by Design, and Michael Martin Murphey. A variety of music and comedy with some small-scale theatrics thrown in as well. It won't be as aggressive of a schedule, but with the calendar filled in by all of the other performing groups in town, it shouldn't be perceived as a light schedule either.

The next change is in administration. With such a change in priorities and activities, the focus of the leadership of the organization is going to have to shift from primarily programming and audience development to primarily community building and grant writing. Although leadership will always have to deal with a broad spectrum of issues, it will require a shift in resources and focus to keep all of the various performing groups together, cooperating, and happy. It will also require a more diverse funding scheme than currently exists. This is a different kind of administration, but with the new operational model I think it is a sensible shift in focus.

The next change is in staffing. This is largely in response to the administrative changes. Before, the staff consisted of a full-time Executive Director, a full-time Technical Director, a full-time Box Office Manager, a part-time Office Manager, and a part-time Education Director/House Manager/Box Office Assistant/Everything Else. That staff is going to have to contract a bit and restructure. The new operations will still require a full-time Executive Director and a full-time Technical Director. But that Executive Director will primarily be responsible for Administration and Development, as detailed above. The Box Office should reduce hours so that it is only open two days a week plus show days. All ticket-buying traffic should be sent to the website with all other customer service being handled on the designated days. That would allow a contraction of positions to create a full-time position of Box Office Manager/Marketing Director/Education Director. The fourth and final position would be the part-time Office Manager to handle billing, scheduling, accounts receivable, and facility rental. That smaller staff should be able to handle the new demands of the organization until another growth step is achieved at a later date.

The final change to examine is the change that will have to come to the WPAC's Board structure. The current Board of Directors functions fine for the WPAC, but with the organization serving as an umbrella for a large number of other organizations, a sub-Board will need to be created with representatives from all of the different groups to coordinate scheduling, facilitate resource sharing, and unify advocacy positions for mutual self-interest. Although it wouldn't be invested with the authority to make final decisions affecting the WPAC and the Hippodrome, they would be viewed as an advisory Board to the WPAC with their input being very highly valued. Other interested parties should probably be considered for seats on this Board as well, such as a representative of the City and the Greater Waco Arts Council. This kind of broad Arts participation is exactly what Waco needs and is precisely what is currently missing.

So that's Step Four: reorganizing the WPAC's operations. And as I said above, these changes aren't minor. Some of them are not only difficult in and of themselves, but they require altering the 20+ year mission of the WPAC. But it is a focused and nimble organizational structure that would be prepared to tackle the diverse needs of such a collaborative framework. I'll be back soon with Step Five as we work towards a new vision for the Arts in Waco coming to fruition.