<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Photo by Jay Koh courtesy of the Village Theatre  (click to enlarge) The team of Executive Producer Robb Hunt and Artistic Director Steve Tomkins has led the Village Theatre for many years. They’re proud of what the company has been able to accomplish in the last 30 years and are looking forward to another successful season. Photo by Jay Koh courtesy of the Village Theatre  (click to enlarge) The 2007 production of Million Dollar Quartet was extended in Everett and is scheduled to open on Broadway in March. Shown here are Levi Kreis as Jerry Lee Lewis, Rob Lyons as Carl Perkins, Dane Stokinger as Elvis Presley and Lance Guest as Johnny Cash. Photo courtesy of the Village Theatre  (click to enlarge) Brian Yorkey (left) shows off his Tony Award for “Next to Normal.” Robb Hunt (right) was at the awards ceremony to congratulate him. The play, a Village Originals production, received a total of 11 Tony Award nominations and won three. The Village Theatre staff is also very proud because Yorkey was an early Village Theatre Kidstage student. Photo by Jay Koh courtesy of the Village Theatre  (click to enlarge) Ryah Nixon plays lead character Esther Smith in “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Nixon said she enjoys performing for the enthusiastic audiences of Everett. She is seen here with Jason Kappus in an Issaquah performance. Photo by Dan Achatz. courtesy of Village Theatre  (click to enlarge) Tony award winning “Next to Normal” began as a Village Originals Workshop production known as “Feeling Electric” back in June 2005. Amy Spanger was one of the actors helped to develop the production about a family dealing with a mother’s depression and subsequent therapy.

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CONTACT SCBJ Kurt Batdorf, Editor kbatdorf@scbj.com

The Village Theatre has created onstage magic for 30 years and shows no signs of slowing down

By M.L. Dehm
SCBJ Freelance Writer

The story of the Village Theatre would make a great Broadway musical. It's somewhat ironic as New York's fabled Great White Way can already thank the local theatre company for sending them Tony Award winning musical “Next to Normal” and other great shows.

Can “Tony Award winning” and a theatre in Everett, really be connected? Not only are they linked, the connection is growing bigger all the time.

That connection is linked to the diligent local theatre company that manages to produce highly acclaimed professional productions on a shoestring budget and still keep its financial head above water in an age when arts funding is at a low.

On top of that, everyone involved still has a smiling, “Hey kids, let's put on a show” demeanor that belies the hard work, dedication and sometimes downright drudgery that it takes to produce perfection and earn that national acclaim.

The Village Theatre recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. The Everett and Issaquah-based organization is one of the very few professional theatre companies in the country that actually commissions and develops new musicals. What you see in Everett this season stands a chance of making it to Broadway and beyond.

But what most people overlook when analyzing the Village Theatre's success is not just the dedication to the theatre arts. It's the way the organization has survived financial downturns, stayed in the black and still continues to grow. That is a business model worth studying.

Although you're not going to get him to admit it, sources suggest that one key part of those thirty years of success is the financial savvy of founding member and now Executive Producer Robb Hunt. Hunt recently sat on a grant panel for the National Endowment for the Arts.

It was 1979 when the Village Theatre began to delight audiences with their special brand of feel-good entertainment. As an actor as well as a consultant specializing in non-profit organizations, Hunt was handed the producer role early on. At that time, the theatre group was renting a building in Issaquah for their productions, something that took up a large chunk of their budget.

“It seemed like it would be a good investment to own the building that we were in rather than rent forever,” Hunt said. “That became a model for us that first set us apart from other organizations.”
A dedicated space to plan and produce productions gave the Village Theatre a step up over the competition.

Another key player soon established himself on the team. Steve Tomkins came in as artistic director, a role he continues to hold today. Hunt feels that he and Tomkins have always worked well together and that they were on the same wave length.

Something definitely worked. By 1994, the company was doing so well, it had outgrown the original theatre space. A capital campaign was mounted and a 488-seat theatre was built in Issaquah across the street and down from the original building. They didn't sell the old building though. It was retained to become the new works and development facility and also a Kidstage production space.

“The new theatre was immediately quite successful because it was a brand new building, a much nicer facility, and it increased the experience for the audience dramatically,” Hunt remembered. “Subscriptions increased.”

Now there were two facility locations. But the Village Theatre continued to explore and expand. Soon after the new theater opened in Issaquah, David Shaw, a friend of Hunt's, arrived to manage the brand new Everett Performing Arts Center.

Through this connection, the Village Theatre brought their first show to Everett as a roadhouse-style trial. The response from Everett audiences was gratifying. The next season, another show traveled to Everett for a run, then two more the following season.

While all of their traveling shows were well received, it came to the attention of the Village crew that the city of Everett was not having complete success with the Performing Arts Center's original format. It seemed as though the city was constantly putting more money into it. Yet Everett audiences obviously appreciated all of the shows that came their way.

The Village Theatre offered to run the Everett Performing Arts Center and bring their full show season for a run in Everett while still maintaining the Issaquah location. It was a daring proposition but after consideration and consultation, the city decided to give them a chance. An initial subsidy was provided and a contract was signed.

“Now it's pretty self sufficient,” Hunt said with satisfaction. “But that's only been accomplished because season tickets and regular ticket sales keep growing in Everett.”

There is no doubt that the enthusiasm of Everett audiences has a lot to do with those vital season ticket sales. Without them, the theatre could not continue here.

The industry standard for theatres is to fund raise 40 percent of their annual budget. The Village Theatre is forced to fund raise about 50 percent of theirs. They are always looking for more support from the community. Something they would like to see more of from the Everett area are even more businesses purchasing season tickets.

“It's a natural enough process it seems for sports but not for the arts,” Hunt said. “But if you send people to a show they really appreciate it. It's a great experience for them. Our quality is comparable to anything you would see in Seattle yet it is right here in Everett.”

It is also right here in Everett where you can first see a show that may be on its way to Broadway. A great example was the 2007 production of Million Dollar Quartet, the only Village Theatre show ever extended in Everett.

Based on the real life day in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis met up at Sun Records and had an impromptu jam session, the show born in the Village Theatre is currently playing to rave reviews in Chicago and is scheduled to open on Broadway this coming March. Tickets are already on sale for the New York debut.

“People don't quite realize the uniqueness of Village Theatre and the fact that we are developing new musicals from their inception — before a note has been put down on paper — to a full main stage production which is then ready to go,” Hunt said.

People are also not usually aware of the national regard for the Village Theatre that exists in the performing arts industry. Producers come from all over the country to see the organization's annual August festival in Issaquah that debuts six musicals in four days. This year the Village Theatre also hosted a summit for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre.

The company also puts a lot into their Kidstage productions, a unique opportunity for local young people to build critical life skills while participating in the collaborative art of theatre. While not every child that enjoys time as a student in Kidstage goes on to a career in the performing arts, there is no doubt that Kidstage has nurtured some serious theatrical talent.

A prime example is Tony award winning “Next to Normal” writer Brian Yorkey, who started his career as a Kidstage student before moving on to working as an associate artistic director and writing several other productions.

“It was exciting to see him on national television, accepting his Tony,” said Everett Performing Arts Center General Manager Sherill Dryden. It was also exciting for Hunt who was there in person to see Yorkey accept his honor and also for all of those that worked on “Next to Normal” out west when it was originally titled “Feeling Electric.”

The Village Theatre crew know that they are doing something quite unique and their goal is to develop it, promote it and share it. And as with any business, reaching that goal takes lot of hard work and, more importantly, cooperation.

Jay Markham is the production manager for the Village Theatre. His job is to take the vision of the director and coordinate everything from the hiring of designers and technical staff to creating, managing and implementing the budget for the production. He also works to be in compliance with all of the various unions for actors, stagehands, musicians and so on.

“Basically it's one of those jack-of-all-trades jobs where I know enough of every department to be dangerous,” Markham joked.

But he became extremely serious when he started to identify the elements of a successful production.
“It's about communication and getting the right people together to talk,” Markham said. “Theatre is a collaborative art. In order to create theatre you have to be able to work with other people.”
And it takes a lot of people to product some of the spectacular sets that appear on Village Theatre stages.

The current production, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” is a perfect example. Many of the scenes take place in a huge Victorian house set. But that entire house set, weighing 5,000 lbs, has to disappear somewhere when a giant trolley rolls across the stage in another scene. And it's sheer manpower that moves it, at precisely the right moment, as if by magic, without the help of machinery.

“It's definitely a labor of love,” Markham said. “Everybody who is here is striving to do the best they can and better than that. It's about doing shows with heart and with a great group of people.”
Everett audiences have responded incredibly well to the Village Theatre productions — so much so that many of the actors look forward to coming back to perform here again.

“I'm really looking forward to opening ‘Meet Me in St. Louis' in Everett,” said Ryah Nixon, who has a starring role in the production. “Last time I performed with the Village Theatre it was in their production of ‘Aida' and I remember the Everett audiences being a lot of fun to perform for. The cast is having a great time with this show and we really hope everyone comes out to see it.”

Nixon plays the lead character Esther Smith. It's the same character that Judy Garland portrayed in the MGM movie musical.

With well-known songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Trolley Song” and, of course, the title tune “Meet Me in St. Louis,” it's a family friendly production that was well received by Issaquah audiences. Directed and choreographed by Steve Tomkins, “Meet Me in St. Louis” opens in Everett Jan. 8 and continues through Jan. 31.

Other productions scheduled for Everett this season include Neil Simon's “Lost in Yonkers” Mar. 5-28 and “42nd Street” July 9 – Aug. 1. Of particular interest to theatre goers will be the world premiere of a new musical, “The Gypsy King,” in Issaquah Mar. 17- Apr. 25 and in Everett Apr. 30-May 23.

“The Gypsy King” originally started as a Village Originals workshop production. Written by Emmy award winner Randy Rogel, the musical comedy sparkled onstage and was soon added to the 30th Anniversary season schedule for the main stage. Tickets are now on sale for the new musical. It's a chance for theatre patrons to be in at the opening of a world premiere.

There is also still time to order season tickets for the 2009-2010 show season. Subscribers save money on tickets and also receive the best seats available.

“Other benefits include things such as free parking,” Dryden said. Subscribers get a parking pass for the nearby parking garage and discounts at local businesses.

There is also the opportunity of becoming a Village Originals member. These members are able to offer feedback on productions in development. It was Village Originals members that helped to launch “Next to Normal” to its current fame.

Dryden also hopes businesses are aware that the Everett Performing Arts Center is available as a rental facility. The theatre itself as well as the multi-use rooms can be used for conferences, workshops, parties or seminars.

More information about the Village Theatre and Everett Performing Arts Center is available by calling the box office at 425-257-8600 or by going online at www.villagetheatre.org