Lights out for BoarsHead Theater

Lansing Community College board of trustees votes down potential partnership with closed Equity theater

Posted

The curtains closed on BoarsHead Theater Monday night as theLansing Community College Board of Trustees voted not to pursue a proposedpartnership with the now-bankrupt company.

“We’re dead,” said BoarsHead interim director George Orbanafter the vote.

By a vote of 4-2 the LCC trustees rejected a union withBoarsHead, which closed its doors last December in the face of declining ticketsales and high-profile personnel shake-ups.

LCC Dean of Liberal Studies Michael Nealon presented thefindings of his feasibility study to establish a residency for the theatercompany, but a post-presentation discussion showed both supportand skepticism among the trustees.

LCC Board Chairwoman Deb Canja saw the possible benefits,although she wondered if it would be absolutely necessary for BoarsHead tomount four shows in its first season at LCC. “Could we do two?” she asked.

Nealson responded that because BoarsHead is an Actors Equitytheater, it might be “hard to be recognized” by the theater union with only twoproductions.

LCC President Brent Knight spoke in defense of BoarsHead,which would have had to generate approximately $112,000 in ticket sales and$150,000 in grants and gifts to sustain the partnership.

“Currently, BoarsHead is defunct, they are bankrupt. We’renot rescuing anyone,” he said. “The BoarsHead people are working hard toreconstitute themselves to once again be a viable theater company in Lansing.Without us, they’d have to go back to the drawing board.”

Questioning the presentation’s suggestion that LCC theaterstudents would benefit from working alongside professional actors, directorsand technicians in BoarsHead shows, LCC Board Vice Chairman Edward Woods IIIasked pointedly, “If BoarsHead was still viable, would these same opportunitiesbe presented to our students?”

Woods expressed concern about the $15,000 LCC would bepaying for what Nealon termed “assets that BoarsHead would still need to handoff,” as well as the estimated $86,000 per year LCC would supply in in-kindcontributions to house the theater and provide support for its shows. He addedhe had not heard from any students who saw the partnership as an opportunity.

“I’m sorry about what happened to BoarsHead,” Woods said. “Ithink it’s an outstanding community treasure. But as much as I’m sympathetic totheir condition, I’m having a hard time supporting this proposal.”

LCC Board Secretary Robin M. Smith, who was monitoring themeeting by phone, also said she saw possibilities in the partnership, althoughshe worried that “it seems we are bailing out mismanagement at BoarsHead.”

Trustee Jerry Hollister — whose father, David Hollister, isa BoarsHead board trustee — asked when LCC would need to purchase the $15,000of BoarsHead assets. “Why do we need to take action on this now?” Hollisterasked.

Orban responded BoarsHead has three off-site storage unitsin which a substantial amount of costumes, props and equipment are beingstored. The rental fees on the units are past due. “If somebody doesn’t paywithin the week, those items will be sold at public auction,” Orban said.

The rent is 60 days past due, Orban said after the meeting.

Trustee Robert E. Proctor said Nealon’s presentation wasn’tpersuading him. “I’m not here to talk you into or out of it,” Nealon replied.He said LCC already has a budget for performing arts of “over a quarter of amillion dollars, just for student shows, over 50 performances.”

Whereas some student shows can be put together on ashoestring, an Equity theater has much bigger needs, Nealon said.

“We can’t look an Equity theater in the face and say,‘Here’s $200 to do a show,’” he added. “There’s rules, there’s regulations,there’s protocol. You can’t do it.”

LCC Board Treasurer Larry Meyer, acknowledging he has a seaton the BoarsHead that predates his joining the LCC board, recused himself fromthe vote. Woods praised Meyer for “dealing with integrity” throughout theentire process of the BoarsHead discussion; Canja called Meyer “veryscrupulous” in his approach to the situation.

In the end, the vote came down to two yeas — from Canja andtrustee Thomas Rasmussen — and four nays — fromWoods, Hollister, Smith and Proctor.

“I’m heartbroken,” Orban said as he left the meeting. “Butwe move on.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here




Connect with us