Meat grinder

Regent board looks into the abyss, again

Volunteer Regent Theatre directors face tough questions on saturday. (L-R) Bob Schroen, Alan Whiteley, Jane Moon, Peter Blendell and Dewey Larratt-Smith.

This is a sad story. A story that has been told before and seems destined to be told again and again. Only the names and faces change.

The beleaguered remnants of the current Regent Theatre board sat for more than an hour on Saturday morning fielding questions from a mostly unhappy crowd at the hallowed venue. Earlier in the week the board had dismissed the theatre’s only staff person, General Manager Sharon Jarvis. Her partner Michael Reason had been a volunteer helping to run movies at the theatre. When Jarvis was ousted, Reason quit as well.

Many are unhappy with manner by which Jarvis let go, the circumstances of her dismissal and the void her departure will leave in the operation of the theatre. Meanwhile the volunteer board has struggled to retain members, staff committees and attract new members.

In a prepared statement, Acting Chair Jane Moon said that while Jarvis had done “a lot of good work” at the theatre, there had been a “serious erosion of community connection” under her tenure.

“Many businesses, organizations and sponsorships have departed,” said Moon. “The board came to the conclusion that Jarvis did not have the skills to enable the Regent to be sustainable.”

Another board member, Peter Blendell, painted a picture of a deteriorating relationship between the general manager and the board. He said volunteers both in operations and on the board had departed because they could not work with Jarvis.

“We felt it was necessary to part ways with Sharon to maintain the sustainability of the theatre,” said Blendell.

Many in the audience weren’t buying it. Marianne Malachowski has a long track record of volunteering in the community and particularly at the theatre. She scolded the remaining board members for their handling of the matter. “I am really disappointed,” said Malachowski. “This was done with no class at all.”

Malachowski felt that Jarvis was bringing in good entertainment to the community and that declining sponsorships was likely due to current economic conditions.

“You represent the community,” said Malachowksi. “You have to remind people that they are part of this community theatre.”

Many of the questions followed a similar theme—challenging the board to explain the details and circumstances of the general manager’s dismissal. Many of these questions seemed fuelled by online chatter and speculation— stoked somewhat by comments by Reason.

Blendell, speaking on behalf of the board, refused to be specific respecting the privacy and legal rights of the general manager. He simply repeated that volunteers were walking away, the relationship between the board and the general manager had deteriorated, and that the problems were mostly behind the scenes.

Peter Lockyer moderated the 90 minute grilling of the board.

“Work was not being done,” said Blendell. “We had to take action.”

Steven Draper said he suspected the dismissal was precipitated by a clash between strong leadership and strong management. He admonished the board for failing to use tools such as online social media to reach out to the community.

“There is no reference to the board on the Regent website,” said Draper. “I don’t think the board knew what Sharon and Michael were doing to promote the Regent through social media.”

Not all the comments were critical of the board. John Hill tried to put the task of the current board in context for those in the audience.

“I’m one of the 100 or so people still living who have served on the Regent Theatre board,” said Hill. “I can tell you it is a very challenging job.”

Another former board member John Burns, echoed these sentiments.

“It feels like déjà vu,” said Burns, who has actually served on the Regent board at four different times. “It’s an extremely complex job and at times I don’t think staff understood the authority and responsibilities of the board.”

The truth is the Regent Theatre has been a meat grinder of volunteers for a long time. Each crisis brings forth new energy, new enthusiasm and fresh ideas while shedding good, well-meaning and talented people.

Money is at the root of many of the theatre’s woes. The Regent is chronically underfunded and carries a very large debt.

Neither the movies or the stage productions generate enough revenue to keep the Regent afloat. This makes fundraising and sponsorships critical to the health of the theatre. When they slip—the theatre grinds out more volunteers and staff.

Former Stirling Festival Theatre Creative Director Caroline Smith urged the board, members and the community to step back and figure out what they want the theatre to be.

“You have to decide who you are,” said Smith. “Are you Stratford or a community theatre. You have a tremendous opportunity here, but communication is key. Without it nothing else works.”

Smith offered her assistance. “I’ll become a member,” offered Smith.