gravenhurst opera house

Gravenhurst Opera

House:

Planning the Future

Draft Final Report, 2014-15

Consulting Process for the

Gravenhurst Opera House

1. An Environment Scan

2. Strategic and Business Plan

3. Marketing Plan

Introduction

• Culture is the fourth pillar of community sustainability. Gravenhurst’s future will depend to a large degree on the municipality’s investment in culture.

• Culture drives social, economic and environmental success.

• Annual subsidies to the Opera House are required for maximum community program impact and to maintain it as a well-preserved, technically up-to-date theatre facility and community resource.

Janis A. Barlow & Associates 3

1. ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

4Janis A. Barlow & Associates

Key Market Conditions

• FT Population – 12,000

• PT Seasonal Residents – 12,000

• Growth – 5.4% (2006-2011)

• Muskoka – 60,000

• Tourism – 2,400,000 (2012)

• “Mono-Culture”

• 12.6% have a University degree

• Incomes and education lower than

Ontario average


A subsidized range of popular and educational performing arts programming is warranted

for this community.

History of Gravenhurst

• First settled in 1861

• Now caters to tourists and cottagers

The Gravenhurst Opera House:

• Built in 1901 as a Town Hall Centre

• Municipally designated historic site

• Hosted concerts since 1947

• Restored in 1972

• 1972-1993 – Muskoka Theatre Summer Festival

• Renovated to Ontario Fire Code in 1994

The Opera House is a valuable Town historic asset.


Muskoka Theatre Market (Supply of Venues)

Venue Driving DistanceSeating Capacity

50-199 200-399 400-799 1,500 +

Studio Theatre,

Orillia Opera House

29 min 108

Trillium Court,


- 150

Port Carling Memorial

Community Centre

25 min 268

Rene M Caisse Memorial

Theatre, Bracebridge

19 min 303

Main Stage,


- 320

Algonquin Theatre,

Huntsville Place

33 min 408

Gordon Lightfoot Aud.,

Orillia Opera House

29 min 700

Casino Rama 29 min 3030


The GOH has a competitive advantage in its seating categories.

Current User Groups (Licensee Demand)

• Muskoka Concert Association

• Dragonfly Theatre Productions

• Muskoka Fine Films

• Chamber of Commerce

• Town Presents – ie. Youth at Heart,

Smile Theatre, Mayor’s Tea

• High Schools

• Tour Promoters

• Probus

• Rotary

• BIA

Janis A. Barlow & Associates

Audience Survey (Demand)

The GOH box office system is segmenting more audience

information. A 2014 survey resulted in 162 responses.

• In the past year, the majority of respondents attended events at

the Opera House 1-2 times.

• Audiences are most inclined to attend music, theatre and tours

by professional artists.

• Occupational sectors of audience members include Manager,

Administrative staff and Educational Services.

• Cost is one barrier to audience participation.

• There are requests for more children’s programming.

9

GRAVENHURST MANDATE - Official Plan

Community Improvement Goals

• To develop a more attractive, safe and efficient

community. . .

• To provide for the continued social and economic viability of

the Town of Gravenhurst.

• To provide an environment that is attractive to new

investment in the Town of Gravenhurst.

• To encourage ongoing maintenance, rehabilitation,

upgrading . . . of the physical environment, and within a

framework of sound fiscal management.

The Opera House is an example of town goals fulfilled.


The Gravenhurst Economic Development

Strategic Plan – 2014-2019

Expectations of the Gravenhurst Opera House:

Properly supported and leveraged, the Opera House can:

• be an important attraction for the creative classes;

• create jobs & career enhancement, especially in the arts;

• foster an entrepreneurial and creative culture;

• invigorate community pride, and;

• increase the number of visitors and seasonal residents

while improving everyone’s quality of life.

The Opera House is a key strategy in economic plans.


Typical Municipal Cultural Institutions

Municipal Roles in Cultural Practice

• Serve individual citizen needs for expression through

community recreation facilities and programs.

• Support culturally specific space for amateur and pre-

professional development.

• Ensure a professional calibre of facility and presentation

to showcase ideas and serve the public interest.


Spectrum of Cultural Practice

• Recreation is leisure-time activity pursued for

refreshment of body and mind.

• Amateur status describes individuals and groups who

pursue a particular activity out of love for it.

• Semi or pre-professional are those who have trained

but are not paid practitioners on a full-time basis.

• Professionals are those who have completed training,

are recognized by peers and/or are paid for services.

The Opera House is suited for recreationalists, amateur groups, semi-professional and professional groups.


A Theatre is:

Labour intensive

Non-polluting

Renewable

Innovative

Equitable

Creative


2. STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN


Gravenhurst Opera House Values

Supporting the vision, mandate

and principles of the Town’s

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Department with:

• High standards

• Accessibility

• Diversity of Programming

• A Welcoming Attitude and

• A Sense of Historical Place


Opera House Goals (Integrating Values)

• To provide a consistently high standard of artist and audience

services to ensure an optimum quality of presentation.

• To ensure accessibility to the Opera House for audiences and local

not-for-profit arts groups.

• To attract Gravenhurst’s annual and seasonal residents, the GOH

will seek to program a diversity of arts events and activities.

• As a cultural cornerstone and ambassador of the Town, the GOH

will be welcoming to all guests and visitor to the building,

• To share and celebrate the sense of HISTORICAL PLACE that

comes alive in the Opera House.


11

- Cultural

- Heritage

- Social

- Infrastructure

- Economics

Fulfilling Individual and Community Needs:

Benefits of the Performing Arts

• Providing significant economic and community impact.

• Serving as partners in social problem solving.

• Expressing ourselves, our community values, identity,

heritage, local and national culture.

• Improving the quality of community life.

• Encouraging democratic and experiential dialogues

• Hearing the alternative voices and perspectives on our

social, economic and environmental conditions.


Performing Arts Participation

Can Reduce Drop-Out Rates, Juvenile

Delinquency, Teen Pregnancy, Racism,

Alienation and Loneliness

Arts in Education stimulate:

. . . academic achievement, social and emotional

development, civic engagement, and equitable

opportunity.

Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math,

reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill.

Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration,

confidence, and teamwork.

Edutopia Magazine, 2009

21

GOH Mission and Core Business Elements

• Who are you? - A Public Service

• Whom do you serve? - Artists (+ Community Interests)

• What do they need? - Access to Audiences and Resources

• How do you serve? - Provide Resources

• Why? - Community Wellness, Creativity

and Prosperity


Proposed Lines of Business

Conditions: Performing arts should be offered on a

cost-recovery, sponsored or funded basis.

Primary Lines of Business:

“Rentals” - to provide facilities and resources to arts groups

Presenting – to complement users and enlarge audiences

Producing – to serve community interests with innovation

Exhibiting Film – to engage a larger audience in the GOH

Education Programs – to engage youth and emerging artists

Ancillary Lines of Business:

“Rentals” - to provide event facilities to community groups

Ticketing Services – to serve community ticketing needs


Programming Strategy

Seek resident companies, rentals and signature series:

• Theatre for Young Audiences

• Popular, Musical and Comic Genres on Tour

• Performance Series for Full-time & Seasonal Residents

• Performances Featuring Local Residents

• Classical Series Sponsored by Local Companies

• Summer Seasonal Programs for Visitors

• Classic Film Series Sponsored by Interest Groups


Seasonal Program and Business Focus

October – April

Rentals

Focus on resident

company use, local

user groups and tour

promoters for events,

education and

entertainment

May to September

Co-Presenting

Focus on featuring a

unique summer season

produced for all

residents and visitors

and a summer arts

camp for youth


Functions of the Arts Management Cycle

1. Artist Relations – to serve the

artist and client groups and

enhance their presentations.

2. Audience Relations – to serve

and develop audiences and offer

hospitality to all.

3. Community Relations – to

promote the value of the arts

and develop resources.

4. Resources – to manage and

provide resources for the artists

and arts groups and ensure the

maximum benefit to the

community.Janis A. Barlow & Associates 26

Typical Delivery of Theatre Operational Goals


Owner

Governance

Executive

Artist Relations

Mgt. & Staff

Audience Relations

Mgt. & Staff

Community Relations

Mgt. & Staff

Resource Management

Mgt. & Staff

GOH 2014: Full-Time Manager and Part-Time Staff


Theatre Manager

Theatre Operations

Assistants (2)

Box Office Administrative Assistants (3)

Theatre Stage Technician

The 2014 staffing structure was inadequate for fulfilling economic

strategies. Town staff assist with IT, accounts, maintenance and

capital improvements. This structure lacks individuals focussed on

community relations, marketing and income development.

Municipality of Gravenhurst

Department of Recreation, Arts and Culture Services

Arts & Culture Manager

Theatre Manager

Artist/Client Relations

Tech. Director & Facility Services

Client Services Mgr.

Audience/Customer Relations

Box Office and Audience

Communications

Front of House Mgr. & Custodial

Services

CommunityRelations

Marketing & Fundraising Coordinator

ResourceManagement

Finance Mgr.

Accountant

IT Systems

Human Resources

Ownership

Governance

Management

Functions:

Team Members:

New positions – 2 recommended from 2014Existing positions

Functionally Oriented GOH Organizational Hierarchy

Proposed Annual Budget

Expenses % $

Artist & Client Relations / Programming 25% $150,000

Audience Relations / Advertising 8% $48,000

Community Relations / Marketing 2% $12,000

Human Resources 50% $300,000

Facility Occupancy (Utilities, Janitor, etc.) 13% $78,000

Administration 2% $12,000

Total Expenses 100% $600,000

Revenues % $

Earned Revenue

Ticket Sales and Concessions 25% $150,000

Contributed Revenue

Sponsors, Members, Donors 5% $30,000

Government Grants 70% $420,000

Total Revenues 100% $600,000

A $420,000 subsidy for the Opera House is comparable to the Library.

Comparing Municipal Support - 2014

Venue Fly

System

Municipal Grant

/ %

Annual

Budget

50 –

199

200 –

399

400 –

799

Mady Centre, Barrie No $398,900/76% $522,700 120 200

Gravenhurst Opera

House

Yes $405,568/73% $556,939 150 322

Orillia Opera House Yes $539,561/51% $1,054,798 108 700

Stockey Centre, Parry

Sound

No $237,926/50% $477,495 450

Oakville Centre Yes $713,020/35% $2,022,023 485

Janis A. Barlow & Associates31

Seating capacities, # of venues, # of professionals employed, technology

and activity all affect the need for municipal subsidy and the social and

economic impact.

A larger Municipal investment in the Opera House will improve outcomes and income.

3. THE MARKETING PLAN


Marketing Priorities

• Ensure audience database technology (CRM) and data collection is adequate and staff are trained in its use.

• Develop and cross reference audience lists.

• Develop audience communications plans.

• Solicit every community group, school or business in

Gravenhurst with 50 or more members for program ideas.

• Communicate new messages and images to audiences and

potential audiences and seek feedback.

• Seek program partnerships with groups that can sell tickets.

• Choose a signature series that will brand the GOH.

• Work to a three to five year plan!


Summer Market - Theatres Across Ontario


A summer theatre attraction in Gravenhurst has to be artist-driven, professional, distinctive and compelling.

Group Consensus on Next Steps – Nov. 2014

• Present Plans to Key GOH

Stakeholders and Refine

• Develop and Present Public

Message

• Identify Champions and

Leadership Circle for a Friends

group

• Seek Stable Multi-Year Municipal Funding for Staff, Administration and Facilities


Proposed Repositioning

Our medium is theatre

Our strengths are people

Our result is a vibrant community


SUMMARY

• Gravenhurst’s demographics warrant a subsidized theatre.

• The Gravenhurst Opera House is a valuable historic icon.

• The GOH has a competitive edge with its seating capacities.

• The GOH is an example of Town goals fulfilled.

• Properly financed, the GOH is a strategy in economic strategies.

• The GOH is suited for recreational, amateur, pre-professionals and

professional uses under the safe supervision of professionals.

• The GOH has been understaffed and unable to meet economic goals.

• Two new positions are recommended – one has been filled.

• A $420,000 subsidy to the GOH is comparable to the library.

• A larger Municipal investment will improve outcomes and income.

• A summer theatre has to be artist-driven, distinctive and compelling.

37

gravenhurst opera house

Documents