Irene Green Shares Her Vision for the Future of External Relations at Children’s Theatre Company
A new Director of External Relations has joined the ranks of the world renowned Children’s Theatre Company, Irene Green, and she is ready to build on the success of those who have come before her. The Zeal Review spoke with Green about her plans moving forward and how she can help further CTC's mission.
What follows is that conversation:
ZR: First off, congrats on the new role. What is it about Children’s Theatre Company that drew you to want to take on this role?
IG: Thank you for the well wishes and for interviewing me. There are three reasons that drew me to CTC: the people, the vision, and the institutional weight of the company. The staff at CTC are a dynamic, skilled team and I'm honored to join their ranks. The vision of CTC to create a better world with, for, and through young people is incredibly compelling. I have pointed my career toward serving the public good through nonprofit theater. The civic infrastructure CTC provides to do that with a focus on investing in young people creates the conditions for all at CTC to leave a legacy for the next generation. What could be more powerful than that? Finally, Children's Theatre is an anchor arts institution for the Midwest. The opportunity for positive impact on the local community, the region, and the field of professional theater is enormous ---as you can see from CTC's history. It's a significant responsibility and a huge privilege to join the work of this company that is a cornerstone in the region's cultural life.
ZR: You have a proven record of helping to boost attendance of productions and even subscription/membership programs across many venues, what is something that you are excited to implement at CTC that can help bring more young people to the theater from across the Twin Cities?
IG:As I'm stepping into the role, my first priority is to learn a lot more about the current operations that underpin the excellent work CTC is already doing. That said, I do believe deeply in authentic community engagement, and building meaningful relationships with individuals, families, parents, and community groups to understand how CTC can serve them best will be part of the joy of the job. Listening to the audience is an active, ongoing process, and being responsive to what we are told will help guide us toward audience growth and satisfaction.
ZR:Having worked around the country in a variety of roles, what has been the most rewarding experience thus far in your career?
IG: I had the opportunity to join Northern Stage in Vermont at a very particular point in the organization's lifecycle: the founder had recently left and the company was at a pivotal point when its future was very open and also, precarious. As a leadership team of four, we inherited a community of passionate theater goers who were hungry to have a world class theater to call their own. That coupled with Northern Stage's history of producing theater in the region for well over ten years were both crucial ingredients we were able to leverage to fundraise, build and occupy a new theater within 24 months of our arrival in New England. Once the new theater was built, we were really able to lean into economic deliverables for our town, into education programs that changed the lives of young people in the area, and into making art that took people's breath away.
ZR: On your first day/week in the role, what do you hope to accomplish?
IG:My goals for the first week or two are simply to build relationships with staff and board, and understand the operating landscape. To me, this looks like meeting with department heads and hearing directly from the team about what's working well and where they see opportunity. I hope the discovery process allows me to arrive with more questions than answers, and to earn the trust of the people who make CTC run.
ZR: Marketing and communications are even more vital now in the social media space, can you give us any insight to how you will tackle those spaces to increase visibility and engagement?
IG: I've been thinking a lot lately about how powerful word-of-mouth advertising is...and how to galvanize those who have incredible experiences at the theater to recommend CTC to their friends and family both in person and online. Also, I know CTC is invested in communicating its values, identity and culture, and so looking for ways to clearly share those stories alongside programmatic marketing will be critical and will help folks connect to the DNA of CTC as well as the performances and classes offered.
ZR: Fun question: What is your go to dinner spot when you don’t want to cook at home?
IG: My eight year old daughter is always lobbying to go to Snuffy's Malt Shop, so that is definitely a family favorite. They have a malt flavor of the day, and the chai tea latte milkshake was one of the best desserts I can ever remember having!
The Zeal Review thanks Irene for her time and wishes her all the best in this new role.
