The State Theater has become a bit of a quagmire. The impression I’m under is that Banko Capital, the company that owns the building, is becoming frustrated - and is eager to sell (even at a loss). The basic narrative, as I understand it, is this: Andrew Elegante was brought in to manage The State. Banko did not put up anywhere near the capital needed to renovate it - presumably, they were holding the property in the hopes that property values downtown would go up, and then they could unload it on someone willing to do all the work it needs. At some point, Andrew stepped down and Trish Gehring took over managing the space. I don’t know the details, but there was conflict (and, I suspect, mutual animosity) between Banko and Andrew. Andrew was happy to move on with his true passion, creating a brew pub out of nothing. He’s done very well with that. Trish mis-managed the theater. I was rooting for her, and I still root for her, but she did a lot of damage to the South Bend arts scene and drove away interest and engagement. She used her position to ban and shun people she didn’t like, creating an ever-shrinking insular in-crowd rather than growing a community of artists and patrons. I remain friendly to her, but she began shunning me (just after she took over as manager of The State) when I posted this: https://facebook/david.guthrie/posts/10101240379656077 It offended her, and she not only untagged herself - she demanded I remove the post. I declined to do so. Since that point, she has not spoken to me (with a few exceptions). For the longest time, she would refuse to acknowledge my existence. As someone who is promoting arts and culture in the city pro-bono, I enjoyed a degree of access at The State - I could walk in to any event, wander up in the balconies to get good shots, leave my cell phone charging behind the concession stand, etc. In exchange for that access, I shared and re-shared events all over facebook, posted photos of people having a good time and performers putting on impressive and engaging shows. I was never paid, never asked to be paid, and have not had any corporate masters that might be upset about what I’m sharing here. Trish did tip me, several times, prior to our falling out. Cash money, to say nothing of the ability to attend shows for free. I really appreciate that. The support dried up when she took offense to my facebook post. I was on a strict ‘no-comp’ list; I was only allowed in the theater on the occasion that I had a paid ticket to an event. I remain on the planning committee that does the Wednesday Movies, but my role there has been very, very muted. I continued to direct business her way and promote the theatre as best I could. After shunning me, Trish banned the Brick House Burlesque (purportedly for leaving used heroin needles back stage, though I’ve found nothing to corroborate - and even were it true, banning a troupe is not a good move for a theater). She also banned Gracie Lange. Each of these conflicts has their own little quirks, and of course Trish isn’t the ‘bad guy’ in any of them - but, collectively, she put personal feelings above business concerns and didn’t have the skillset to avoid having frequent drama like this creep into the theater she was put in charge of. She started offering studio space above the theater, and several of my friends took advantage of it - AJ, Bianca, Jed, Allison… the theater has become a real hub of art and culture, not just an occasional venue. Banko let Trish go, earlier this week. It pains me to say, but I honestly think they made the right call (though I think Banko has done a terrible job of supporting the theater and growing their investment). As of this moment, most of the shows at The State have been cancelled. The screening of Hocus Pocus is still on, and *this month’s* Rocky Horror is happening - tonight - thanks to some finagling. Nathaniel Krause and Hanah Tepe have put up the money for the rights to show Rocky Horror tonight. Theyre eager to sell tickets to recoup his investment. Moreover, the Hot Patooties shadowcast desperately needs a LARGE turn-out tonight. Banko is paying attention to this event, and they’re trying to plan a way forward. My fear is they’ll just shut the doors and put it up for sale. If that happens, it’s our job as the local arts community to help find a buyer eager to develop the theater alongside our burgeoning scene. I think we can pull that off. But there’s the outside chance Banko will try another stab at it - or at least not leave it shut down completely while they look for a buyer. So the show is tonight, at 11:30pm. The tickets are 8 bucks, and thus far I’ve not been able to persuade the folk running the show to soften on that (I really think it’s more important to get asses in the seat than to sell tickets, at this point - and if the asses are there an’ they pass a collection plate, I’m certain Nathaniel will make back the money he spent on the rights). Even if you can’t attend, if you ain’t got money or you’re already committed to the (awesome, awesome) No. Coast Social at McCormick’s (or the show at Swolfies, or any of the other badass shows happening tonight), try to pop by before 11:30. You don’t need a penny, just to hang around - but if you got a nickel won’t you lay your money down. I want to take pictures of our scene - of everyone, all allegiances, all stripes, all cliques, anybody that’s doing awesome things downtown - under the State Theater Marquis. I want to send Banko a message. I want marketing material in the event that Banko shuts the doors - so we can, collectively, help find a buyer for the State that’s more in line with the collective vision of local artists. Trish, I hope you come too. You are loved. It’s okay. And I don’t think it’s ‘airing dirty laundry’ to talk about a major management change at one of the largest venues in town. This stuff matters, and I intend to do whats in my power to make it go right. The fact that nobody is talking about this publicly says a lot about the circumstances. People are afraid and they’re all holding their cards tight. What we need is a public conversation. See ya at 11:30.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 18:00:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015