Stanley Center for the Arts Representatives Selected to Speak at National Conference in Cleveland, Ohio
Date Posted: August 5th, 2009
UTICA, NY (August 5, 2009) The Stanley Center for the Arts announced today that it was honored to have had two of its key staff members selected to present workshops at the League of Historic American Theatres' (LHAT) Focus 20/20: Your Theatre, Your Town - 33rd Annual Conference and Theatre Tour in Cleveland, OH, July 15-18, 2009. The Stanley's Executive Director, Ron Thiele, and Theatre Manager, John Faust, both hosted information sessions at the conference which gathered more than 250 theatre officials and management experts from around the nation to evaluate industry progress, share experiences and plan new strategies for cultural and economic development through downtown theatres.
Executive Director Ron Thiele was a key speaker and presenter of a workshop titled, Using Federal Historic Tax Credits to Help Finance Theatre Rehabs - Impact on Organizational Structure, Budgets and Operations. Thiele has been instrumental in administering and overseeing the Historic Rehabilitation and New Market Tax Credit programs that helped to subsidize over $6.8 million in funding for the Stanley Theatre's $23 million renovation and expansion project. The Stanley's tax credit utilization program is unique and most complicated in the nation. Thiele provided information regarding the challenges, benefits, and changes that theatre officials and management structure can expect when utilizing this financing tool. Darlene Smolik, Plymouth Soundings, LLC and Douglas Banghart, Holland and Knight LLP, both nationally recognized tax credit experts and tax credit consultants for the Stanley, co-hosted the session with Thiele.
Stanley Theatre Manager John Faust co-hosted a session entitled, Volunteers in the House: Recruiting, Training and Retaining Front of House Volunteers. Faust provided advice on motivating volunteers and developing team spirit in addition to topics such as scheduling, creating training manuals, and other tools used in volunteer administration. The Stanley has boasted a volunteer program for over 30 years and currently has over 200 volunteers that perform a number of duties at the Stanley including serving as ushers, concession workers, capers, tour guides, and support for mass mailings.
Executive Director Ron Thiele commented, "Historic theatres like the Stanley and the arts in general have become a source of major stimulus to local economies as well as downtown and regional economic development. The League of Historic American Theatres conference provides the ideal forum to share experiences and strategies that theatre officials can bring back to their own regions in an effort to enhance quality of life in their cities. The Stanley and its management staff are privileged to be regarded as a significant contributors in this information sharing session and look forward to exploring and implementing strategies learned from it national colleagues."
The Stanley recently announced its 2009-2010 season of performances all made possible through the newly renovated and expanded facilities. The public is encouraged to help the theatre continue to grow by supporting the Stanley Seat Sponsorship Endowment Campaign as well as through our pARTnership campaign that provides early ticket buying opportunities and many other new benefits! The Stanley invites community members to Live on the Edge of Your Seat!
To learn more about the upcoming season or theatre and how you can become a volunteer or pARTner visit the Stanley online at www.StanleyCenterForTheArts.com or call 724 - 4000 today.
About LHAT
Founded in 1976, the League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT) is an international, not-for-profit membership association that promotes the rescue, rehabilitation and sustainable operation of historic theatres throughout North America.
Recognizing issues and challenges unique to operating historic theatres, the League focuses on programs that serve to sustain them, including educational programs, publications, specialized services and an annual conference and theatre tour.
