| Since the start of the year, four of northern Arizona’s major arts organizations have undergone a change in leadership. With the arts being one of the our region’s major economic drivers, we wanted to check in with these new executives about their organizations and plans for the future. Today’s Q&A is with Chris Verrill, who took the reins of Theatrikos in February. Below is an except of our conversation; you can read the full interview here. – John Stigmon, President and CEO, ECoNA
How did you get interested in theater? When I was 11 years old, my nine-year-old sister suggested that my grandparents take us to see Dick van Dyke in The Music Man. It was amazing. I’ve never looked back.
You spent 12 years as the director of an English-language theater in China. What was that like? China is the most heavily censored major country in the world. And media is the most heavily censored industry in China. (Well, perhaps following religion.) Theater in China is still regulated as part of the media. It’s not just the censorship of content, but much more crucially, the censorship of business practices. So doing theater in China sure was an adventure. But it was also very gratifying. The Cultural Revolution in China killed the arts. Beijing Playhouse played an important part in reviving theater in China. Audience members came to our shows not even knowing that theater was an art form, thanking us for bringing it back to China. We were the first to teach theater education in Chinese public schools. It’s an amazing sense of pride and satisfaction in making a difference in people’s lives.
This spring, Theatrikos had to deal with a sewer line flood into the basement of the Doris White-Harper Playhouse. How have the rebuilding and recovery efforts gone? Good news: Theatrikos is clean and sanitary and safe to enter. Bad news: Between sewage mitigation, sanitation, lawyers, insurance issues and construction companies, we’ve got our work cut out for us for the next few years. It’s going take a lot of work from the entire community to get us completely back on our feet.
What production is up next for Theatrikos? At Theatrikos, our holiday show Angels in Disguise runs in December. We’re already starting to book company Christmas parties at the theater where employees can have their receptions and see a great show at the same time. We’re set to announce our 2020 season on October 13. We’ve got some exciting, popular shows lined up.
What about long-term plans? We’re launching two new initiatives. First we’ll create a show catered to visitors that’s designed to help drive the economy of Flagstaff. Given the lead time in undertaking such a venture, Route 66 to the Grand Canyon (the working title) will open in April 2021. Unlike our usual shows which change every month, this show will run weekly all year long. The second project, also launching in April 2021, has us working with all arts organizations in Northern Arizona. We’ll work together to launch Canyon Arts Festival; an opportunity for arts organizations to coordinate our schedules and create a wonderful festival that will, not only drive attendance, but again, help the economy of the region.
|
