Inside the Actors Theatre
Published On: August 30, 2010
She loves to relate the story of the theater being in its 47th season.
“This is my dream job. I wanted to be here, because Louisville values the quality of the arts,” she says. “And what I do has an impact on people’s lives.”
Louisville is atypical when it comes to the support of and focus on the arts. This is the 35th year for Humana’s Festival of New American Plays. The plays originate from cities across the United States and 20 different foreign countries. Bielstein credits the success of this event with quality team members. “This is why we are able to attract top talent. It’s the longest running corporate partnership in the arts.”
Actors Theatre is a non-profit organization with many facets. The $9 million budget includes 20 productions a year, 10 more compared with organizations with similar budgets. Jennifer calls it “efficiency.” There are 1,000 volunteers and 40 interns who make this possible. They receive contributions from more than 1,000 donors. The theater is funded by ticket sales, patrons, corporations like Humana, and local, state, and federal governments.
“It takes a whole community to do what we do,” Bielstein says. They reach out to the community educating children through matinees. The New Voices Program exposes high schools to the arts with team building and playwriting opportunities.
Forty members sit on the board of directors and 100 staff members. The interns come from all over the country to participate in building sets, fundraising, and, of course acting.
Work on the Humana Festival requires extensive planning. Reading as many as 2,000 plays begins in April and continues to October for the following Spring productions. The main stage series includes comedy, drama and the classics. Annual productions are “Dracula,” “A Christmas Story” and “A Christmas Carol,” the second longest running play in the country.
Artistic Director Marc Masterson says his position is a “fun sandbox to play in,” because of the wide variety of plays produced including Shakespeare, contemporary and comedy. Being a good collaborator requires vision and passion and being a good listener. “I always strive to be better, to inspire and guide and not dictate.”
The current schedule includes “The Kite Runner,” “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Second City — It Takes a ’Ville,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and concludes with two productions from the Humana Festival.
Visit www.actorstheatre.org or call 502-584-1205.
All rights reserved. No part of this service may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of SouthComm, Inc. except that an individual may download and/or forward articles via email to a reasonable number of recipients for personal, non-commercial purposes.