9/21/25 Assembly Minutes

Welcome and introductions:

Assembly attendance included folx from:

West Michigan Savoyards

Jewish Theatre

Actors Workshop of West Michigan

Lionheart Productions

Leader Theatre

Flatriver Community Players Welcome to Katherine Mayberry from Pigeon Creek Shakespeare. PCS founded by Frank Farrel and a group of GVSU students. Katherine has been the Executive Director since 2009. They are a traveling performance troupe. Their homebase in Grand Rapids is Dog Story Theatre additionally performing at Pleasant Park in Heritage Hill, and other venues across the state. Katherine has a background in both performance and arts administration. Michigan Arts and Culture Council rising leaders.

Creating a framework for collaboration.

Challenges:

1. Loss of funding :(

2. Loss of arts and culture coverage in the press

3. Censorship of art

In business we use the word "market" in the arts we use the word "ecosystem" because we are here to nurture art and not competition. Art is framed as competition/ a product that is for sale. Competition is not so helpful when we're framing this conversation. This can lead to isolation among arts organizations. Siloed orgs have more difficulty serving their missions.

1. Clarity - How does your organization differentiate itself from the others in the ecosystem?

   1. How could we collaborate with other orgs?

2. Courtesy - Professional courtesy is a learned skill.

   1. Share opportunities that are a better fit for other companies

   2. Give up projects that duplicate other peoples work

   3. Highlight other theatres (especially if actors you've worked with are doing other things)

3. Coordination - how do we create things without extra cost?

   1. Reciprocal borrowing agreement for costumes/props

   2. Shared director of independent contractors

   3. Advertisement trade in programs

   4. Shared production calendar document

   5. Mutual agreement to share social media/promotion

4. Collaboration

   1. Co-produce an event/show/festival etc.

   2. Splitting the cost to bring in a visiting artist

   3. Sharing the cost in a performance space/storage space/office space

      1. Bartering if you own a space

   4. Industry ticket pricing / Arts and culture pass

5. Cultivation - how can we create excellence without competition?

   1. Establish a set of consent-based practices

   2. Work together to create opportunities for review to happen.

      1. Write a blog about shows you see (Sometimes you need a review for Grant reporting)

         1. coordinate to get someone to be a Broadway World contributor.

         2. Contributor training for the Rapidian (local news)

         3. Substack for Local Theatre Reviews

         4. Encore Michigan sends reviewers for paid productions

   3. Recommend/share/promote the excellent work happening

   4. Don't gatekeep the great people you've worked with

Action Items

Create Rack Cards with all the local theatres and their logos with contact information to be created and printed in 2026. Put in local businesses/airport/experience GR

West Michigan Theatre Passport

Industry Discount for Tickets?