Shotgun Spotlight: Jennifer King

There's so many things that come up in what you have to say.

One is the hustle it is to have a life in the theater.

You're doing education here.

What I hear you talking about with your Sonoma County is that the classes that you were teaching that got you that money to pay your rent.

And for those of you who don't know, the education programs at most theaters, that's the part of their organization that makes money.

You know, the Berkeley Playhouse, they lose money producing plays.

They make money with those summer camps.

They make so much money with the summer camps.

The same with Berkeley Rep, you know? And clearly, we make so much money with our education program.

Anyway, everybody gets a laugh

here.

But, like, the education is a big part of, like, how we're able to, you know, we're having these lives in the theater because there are people that want to learn and have those experiences.

What I've learned through my experience being the head of theater at Napa Valley College is that we're always looking for those new audiences.

And what I'm learning more and more is audiences isn't built on initiatives.

Yes, part of it, but it really is built on relationships.

So the impact that I've noticed is when I've met students and they've gone through a program and they keep coming back, either to participate as directors or assistant directors, but their love of theater is built over time, not just because I gave you a ticket to a show.

That's right.

So I'm giving a little bit away, but it's now how do we do that as theater companies? How do we develop those long-term relationships

Yeah.

And tell me, okay.

I'm getting too ahead.

No, no, no.

This is the conversation that we should all be having right now.

I think this is the conversation that too many theaters are not having is they've forgotten the part about their role in the community and the relationship they should be having, not just with their artists, but also with their audiences.

Yes.