The Perpetual Assumption
Most theatre mission statements go something like this:
"Theatre Y brings really kick-ass theatre and theatre outreach to population Z."
Or, you could do sort of a MadLib mission (with a nod to Shami McCormick for the idea):
"[Organization] strives to [verb] [noun] to an [adjective] [group of people] so that [noun] can experience the fullness of life."
Something like that. In the theatre we are often faced with difficult programming decisions that balance our artistry and mission directives against our need to generate earned income through ticket sales. Most of us have also realized that so go ticket sales, so often go donations. Let's call this the "Patsy Cline-Marat/Sade Effect".
What creates the need to balance earned income against mission is the not need to produce this season, but to produce the next season - and the season after, etc., ad nauseum. But nowhere in our missions does it state "Theatre Y strives to [verb] [adjective] [noun] for our [adverb] [noun] audience forever."
But that's exactly how we behave.
Obviously, there are innumerable salient arguments about why one should plan at least a little perpetuity - but when it comes to making the really hard choices year in and year out - how do you evaluate and mediate between mission and revenue? Does your organization have a vision statement, non-negotiable value, or criteria that ultimately decides which way the wind will blow if the choice were between the artistic vision and integrity of your theatre and its ultimate fiscal dissolution - the fabled "final season"?
Generally, it will never come down to that. Instead, you'll experience mission creep until you are unrecognizable to your former ideal - or you'll experience a slow crushing debt that is your patronage telling you "thanks for the memories, but we'll take our business elsewhere" until one day you owe more than your board can stomach and you go.
But if you had to create an over-arching framework to guide those decisions, what would it look like? Would you include the word "perpetual" in your mission? Would you include "...or until our five-year trailing average capacity drops below 60%" in your vision statement? Or would you just keep on ranchin' till the money runs out?
"Theatre Y brings really kick-ass theatre and theatre outreach to population Z."
Or, you could do sort of a MadLib mission (with a nod to Shami McCormick for the idea):
"[Organization] strives to [verb] [noun] to an [adjective] [group of people] so that [noun] can experience the fullness of life."
Something like that. In the theatre we are often faced with difficult programming decisions that balance our artistry and mission directives against our need to generate earned income through ticket sales. Most of us have also realized that so go ticket sales, so often go donations. Let's call this the "Patsy Cline-Marat/Sade Effect".
What creates the need to balance earned income against mission is the not need to produce this season, but to produce the next season - and the season after, etc., ad nauseum. But nowhere in our missions does it state "Theatre Y strives to [verb] [adjective] [noun] for our [adverb] [noun] audience forever."
But that's exactly how we behave.
Obviously, there are innumerable salient arguments about why one should plan at least a little perpetuity - but when it comes to making the really hard choices year in and year out - how do you evaluate and mediate between mission and revenue? Does your organization have a vision statement, non-negotiable value, or criteria that ultimately decides which way the wind will blow if the choice were between the artistic vision and integrity of your theatre and its ultimate fiscal dissolution - the fabled "final season"?
Generally, it will never come down to that. Instead, you'll experience mission creep until you are unrecognizable to your former ideal - or you'll experience a slow crushing debt that is your patronage telling you "thanks for the memories, but we'll take our business elsewhere" until one day you owe more than your board can stomach and
But if you had to create an over-arching framework to guide those decisions, what would it look like? Would you include the word "perpetual" in your mission? Would you include "...or until our five-year trailing average capacity drops below 60%" in your vision statement? Or would you just keep on ranchin' till the money runs out?
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