Pre-Civil Debates 2. Photo by Zoe Sweet
View from moderator’s chair pre-debate
Last night The Theatre Centre and Praxis Theatre held #CivilDebates 2: Arts Boards, examining the relationship between Arts Boards and Artistic Directors through debate of the resolution:
Be it resolved that Boards of Directors have the right and responsibility to overrule the Artistic Direction of a theatre company.
Arguing for the resolution was Theatre Centre Artistic Director Franco Boni and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Artistic Director Brendan Healy.
Jini Stolk Creative Trust Research Fellow at the Toronto Arts Foundation, and Gideon Arthurs, General Manager of the Tarragon Theatre, argued against.
Here’s some of the arguments that were put forth as summarized on twitter:
#CivilDebates @francoaboni @praxistheatre– we don’t have problem with Boards but a problem with how we “End” relationships.
— FeverGraph Theatre (@FeverGraph) April 2, 2013
Jini Stolk – Governance defining collaboration process. Key areas are shared: Defining mission, why we exist, sustainability. #CivilDebates
— Praxis Theatre (@praxistheatre) April 2, 2013
@brendan_healy “fear of big business is not a fear that I have I fear the government is taking over arts” #CivilDebates @praxistheatre
— Theatre Centre (@TheatreCentre) April 1, 2013
Talks like these scare @brendan_healy because they risk demonizing boards #CivilDebates
— Carly Maga (@RadioMaga) April 2, 2013
.@gideonartaud term limits is a question in the community. should exist doesn’t always. #civildebates
— Praxis Theatre (@praxistheatre) April 2, 2013
Healy: If you’re part of a board and a concerted majority of board is feeling uncomfortable, chances are there’s a problem. #CivilDebates
— J. Kelly Nestruck (@nestruck) April 2, 2013
.@nightwsimming AD Brian Quirt – Resolution is good. Im voting Yay. Most boards in Canada too cautious don’t act quickly. #CivilDebates
— Praxis Theatre (@praxistheatre) April 2, 2013
. @instantravi asks “Is it the BODs responsibility to continue a company’s vision when the original visionary steps down?” #CivilDebates
— GetReddie (@msrenna) April 2, 2013
.@healeytypes: Can anyone describe a power structure where power is shared and doesn’t rest just with the board? #CivilDebates
— Praxis Theatre (@praxistheatre) April 2, 2013
That is, I’m increasingly of the opinion that Ken Gass was trying to build a subway on Sheppard. #CivilDebates
— Jonathan Goldsbie (@goldsbie) April 2, 2013
Boni: AD should always have their letter of resignation in their back pocket. #CivilDebates
— Glyn Bowerman (@Banquos_Banquet) April 2, 2013
Final “?” from long time board member. Wants to be more than “walking wallet and rolodex”. #CivilDebates
— Praxis Theatre (@praxistheatre) April 2, 2013
After the debate, there was a lot of continued discussion, as debaters and attendees hung out and continued conversations that could not be accommodated by the strict one minute, timed question-and-answer format that shaped the final section of the event.
We changed our voting format for #CivilDebates 2 Arts Boards:
Attendees were polled upon entering the debate as to their position on the resolution. The initial result was:
36 Yea – 10 Nay
After the debate, attendees also registered their position on the resolution as they left. The post-debate result was:
56 Yea – 9 Nay
What does this mean? First of all that some people don’t want to register an opinion if they are uncertain about a proposition. Also, there were more than 65 attendees, so some people don’t want to vote at all. Finally, it indicates that after hearing the debate and the discussion that followed afterwards, more people were swayed to vote in favour of the resolution.
Thanks to all who participated. It was a very *civil* event on what has been a contentious issue.
Welcome to Debate Day #2 – Arts Boards
WHEN: Tonight: Doors @ 7pm, debate @ 7.30pm
WHERE: Right next to the The Theatre Centre Pop-Up, 1093 Queen St. West, at Dovercourt in the Thrush Holmes Gallery
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Be sure to pick up your poker chips on the way in. You’ll be asked to vote on your position as you enter with one chip, the 2nd chip will buy you 60 seconds of speaking time to either make a statement or ask a question, and the 3rd chip will be used as you vote on your position as you leave. Check back here later for the results of the two votes.
*NOTE: We’ve moved into a larger space right next door to the Pop-Up to make sure everyone can get in.
PWYC at the door. No RSVP required.
This evening Gideon Arthurs, Franco Boni, Brendan Healy & Jini Stolk will debate the resolution:
Be it resolved that Boards of Directors have the right and responsibility to overrule the Artistic Direction of a theatre company.
How does the debate work?
Hosted by Theatre Centre Managing Director Roxanne Duncan
Moderated by Praxis Theatre Artistic Producer Aislinn Rose
The event will be live-tweeted via @praxistheatre & @theatrecentre. The Debate Hashtag is: #CivilDebates.
Not on Twitter/Don’t want to be? Below is a livestream of the tweets and pictures using the #CivilDebates hashtag, feel free to follow along live from this post.
Click here for a backgrounder on the topic, or here for more information about the debaters. CLICK PIRATE & NINJA for more info on the series and structure.
After a successful #CivilDebate 1 on the Creative Cities theories of Richard Florida, we’re excited to announce the debaters for the second resolution in our Civil Debates series:
Franco Boni:
The Theatre Centre’s General & Artistic Director Franco Boni has led the organization since 2003, and he is currently working on building its permanent home. Franco is a recognized cultural innovator, facilitator and community builder with a demonstrated track record of restoring financial stability and artistic credibility for local art organizations and festivals for over two decades.
He served as Festival Director of the Rhubarb Festival and Artistic Producer of the SummerWorks Theatre Festival.
He is the inaugural recipient of the Ken McDougall Award for emerging directors, and was awarded the Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership in the development of arts and culture in the City of Toronto.
Brendan Healy:
Originally from Montreal, Brendan began his career as an actor, appearing most-notably in Peter Hinton’s production of Greg MacArthur’s Girls! Girls! Girls!, presented at the 2001 TransAmériques Festival.
Since relocating to Toronto over a decade ago, Brendan has established himself as a central figure in the city’s theatre scene and his work has been presented across the country. Notable productions include: Jean Genet’s The Maids, Nina Arsenault’s The Silicone Diaries, Sarah Kane’s Blasted, Martin Crimp’s Fewer Emergencies and Wallace Shawn’s A Thought in Three Parts.
Brendan is a graduate of the National Theatre School’s Directing Program. His productions have garnered multiple Dora Mavor Moore Awards and he is a recipient of the Ken McDougall and the Pauline McGibbon awards for directing. Brendan was the associate artist at Crow’s Theatre before becoming the Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times and he is a regular instructor at the National Theatre School of Canada.
Gideon Arthurs:
Gideon is the General Manager of Tarragon Theatre and Artistic Producer for Groundwater Productions. He is the former Executive Director of the Toronto Fringe Festival. Before that he worked as Company Manager at Soulpepper Theatre and in fundraising at Ryerson University. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, where he was the past chair of the Media Relations Committee and works with the Indie Caucus, and is on the Board for STAF.
Prior board service includes Pleiades Theatre (Secretary), Public Recordings (Treasurer), and the Paprika Festival (President). He has produced and directed numerous independent theatre productions at Fringe festivals, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, FemFest, Uno Festival and Summerworks. He also has two amazing daughters, Olive and Tallulah, who are his primary preoccupation.
Jini Stolk:
Jini was cofounder and Executive Director of Creative Trust, where she worked to strengthen the financial capacity and organizational potential of Toronto’s performing arts companies. As the newly appointed (January 2013) Creative Trust Research Fellow at the Toronto Arts Foundation she hopes to bring those 12 years of experiences and learnings to the City’s wider arts community. Before Creative Trust she was Managing Director of Toronto Dance Theatre, Executive Director of the Toronto Theatre Alliance/Dora Mavor Moore Awards (where she revitalized the half-price ticket booth, T.O. TIX), Associate Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers and General Manager of Open Studio.
She is involved in many community and cultural advocacy activities, and is Chair and a founding steering committee member of the Ontario Nonprofit Network, and a director of the Centre for Social Innovation; Past Vice-President of the Toronto Arts Council and Past-President of Toronto Artscape, Hum dansoundart and Six Stages Theatre Festival. She loved being a member of the steering committee of ArtsVote Toronto 2010. She received the 2012 William Kilbourn Award for the Celebration of Toronto’s Cultural Life, and was a Sandra Tulloch Award and Harold Award winner.
*Stay tuned for more information about this debate as it approaches*
CIVIL DEBATES
Creative Cities Debate
Debate 2: Arts Boards
Hosted by Theatre Centre Managing Director Roxanne Duncan
Moderated by Praxis Theatre Artistic Producer Aislinn Rose
April 1, 2013; doors 7pm, debates 7.30pm
The Theatre Centre Pop-Up, 1095 Queen St. West, at Dovercourt
PWYC at the door. No RSVP required. Cash bar for the thirsty.
Twitter Hashtag: #CivilDebates
Click here for more information about the Civil Debates series in partnership between The Theatre Centre & Praxis Theatre.
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