EXCERPTS FROM FIVE DECADES OF WONDER: INDIANA REPERTORY THEATRE

BY DONNA L. REYNOLDS

In 2008 a major economic downturn, soon to be labeled the Great Recession, presented new challenges. “It didn’t feel like a crisis,” Steven Stolen recalled. “We found ways to do things rather than reasons not to do things.” The Theatre created a budget-conscious series, Going Solo. For four seasons, the oneactor plays showcased the works of local artists while helping to keep costs in check. The Theatre experimented with presenting them in rolling repertory and invited audience members to attend all three, even in a single day.

In 2006 IRT’s board hired Steven Stolen, the first managing director in the Theatre’s history to come from the Indianapolis community. An experienced development and arts management professional, as well as a talented musician, Stolen quickly set some priorities. He expanded the development department, deepened donor engagement, refocused efforts to secure corporate sponsorships, and negotiated a more favorable lease agreement with the city. With funding from Lilly Endowment and oversight by IRT’s general manager, Jane Robison, he spearheaded a project to renovate the street-level ticket office to “reveal this great place” and make the Theatre more accessible. Every initiative was designed to ensure financial stability while remaining true to artistic integrity.

Joel Markus was a stage manager at the IRT from 1997 to 2002, then left to take on comparable roles at other regional theatres. In 2006, Janet Allen called him with a new opportunity, this time as production manager, a post he held until 2011. For Markus, it was like a homecoming. He and his wife, Lisa, had met during his first tenure, when she was a member of the audience, and they later married on the IRT stage. All his IRT years afforded him the chance to learn, he said. One of the most enduring lessons, especially applicable to the production manager position, was IRT general manager Jane Robison’s declaration: “Every dollar is a real dollar.” In short, don’t waste a single one.