Sneed: That actually doesn’t particularly bother me. Art is a very emotional and subjective field, and the wonderful thing about artists, and the craftspeople who contribute to the making of art in a collaborative endeavor like theater — is that they are not in it for the money. They are in it because they are passionate about it. Some of them are in it for the applause, sure. There are all sort of reasons people are in it. But the fact is artists, and the people who work for arts organizations, are incredibly passionate about the art, and they are emotionally and spiritually invested in it. And when the art doesn’t go the way that they personally believe that it should go, it can be a very deep wound. And I have been them. I have been pissed off at some artistic director and glad to see that person go. So I completely understand. I mean, you make these hard choices, and you hurt people deeply. I think the reason some people are worked up over this is because they care so deeply about CSF, and about theater in general, and they have very strong feelings about what kind of work should be done, who should be hired, who’s good, who’s not. And since that is so subjective, there is no right answer to that. There is only informed opinion.
Moore: But it’s also very personal, and I know that you care about what people think about you.
Sneed: I do.
Moore: So let’s talk about the Arvada Center. You have already expressed why the job appealed to you. But what are your goals for this position, and do you already know about any areas that are going to change?
Sneed: One of the things I have learned from my leadership jobs is that there is a danger in moving too quickly before you fully understand the organization, and the culture of that organization. One of the questions the Arvada Center asked me throughout the process was, “What would you do the first six to 12 months on the job?” It’s a good question, and what I said, and what I intend to do, is to listen and learn. The Arvada Center is a very complex organization covering all of the art forms and the humanities as well. And so I think I really owe it to myself, and to the city and the staff, to make sure I really understand how it works. I want to learn what people feel works well about it, what people feel doesn’t work well about it, and try to get information that is as widespread as it can be. I certainly would like to look closely at the sales information, but that only works with theater. It doesn’t work with the art galleries. I would like to see what further surveying of the community might need to be done. “What does the Arvada Center do well? What does it not to well? Is there a general consensus about the answers to those two questions? And then, how do we move forward?”
Moore: Will you be seeking out any suggestions from your predecessor, Gene Sobczak?
Sneed: We had some conversations very early on in the process, but I think there is a danger in talking too much to the predecessor before you have the job. I certainly would like to hear more from Gene. He’s become a friend. I already have gotten lots of feedback about how wonderful it is that he has created these artistic partnerships.
Moore: You mean between the Arvada Center theater division and the Creede Repertory Theatre, the handicapped Phamaly Theatre Company and your own Colorado Shakespeare Festival?
Sneed: Yes.
Moore: I can only imagine that those will continue.
Sneed: At least until I see some reason why they shouldn’t. I want to look at the data. I want to look at sales. I want to talk to people. I want to talk to the partners, and I want to think about what new partners might be out there.
Moore: What lessons did you learn from opening “Twelfth Night” at the Arvada Center last spring before taking it to Boulder to open the 2012 Colorado Shakespeare Festival season?
Sneed: We were extremely happy from our side. It did all sorts of things for us. It allowed both organizations to spend less money on pre-production. But it also freed up rehearsal time for us. One of the reasons 2012 was more successful for us than ’11 and ’10 was because we were able to buy more rehearsal time for the other shows because “Twelfth Night” was already rehearsed.
Moore: One of the problems you were always trying to figure out was having enough money in the budget to pay for adequate rehearsal time. Did you ever solve that nut, or is that always going to be an issue with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival?
Sneed: We solved it partially, and the co-production of “Twelfth Night” was one of the main ways we did that. We’re not there yet, though. CSF still needs more rehearsal time.
Moore: One question I’m sure everyone in the theater community is wondering is what your relationship with Arvada Center artistic director Rod Lansberry is like. I am assuming it’s a positive one, given your partnerships.
Sneed: I have a great relationship with Rod. I was in there first as a guest director, totally independent of the CSF, for “The Lion in Winter.” And then with “Twelfth Night,” we were peers because we were co-producing. He was respectful, positive and supportive. It was great.
Moore: Do you anticipate his role will change in any way?
Sneed: No. Who knows years down the line, but everything works really well right now.
Moore: The greatest demarcation of Gene Sobczak’s time as executive director of the Arvada Center may have been his decision to change the programming focus of the theater division to emphasize big, Broadway musicals that people not only were going to want to see, but were going to be willing to pay $70 to see, starting with “Les Miserables.” And people have responded. At the same time you were going through your three-year economic freefall at Colorado Shakes, the Arvada Center was setting box-office records, even with the most expensive seats in town outside of the touring Broadway shows. So that formula seems to be working.
Sneed: And that’s why I am not inclined to mess with it. Here’s the thing about the Arvada Center: I don’t perceive that there is big stuff in need of fixing. And I would never presume to know how to fix it from Day 1. I think it’s really a matter of fine-tuning. Even before I was hired, the City of Arvada was looking at structure. I think Gene started this process. Looking at the organization as a whole, how it’s configured and all of that. I am going to be externally focused as much or as more than I am internally focused. The one thing that I do know that everybody thinks the Arvada Center can do better at is fundraising. Because the City of Arvada provides a big chunk of funding, and because (the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District) provides a big chunk of funding, they have not put as many resources into other kinds of fundraising as I think everybody agrees they could. So I think there are untapped resources in the area of development. That’s one of the things that I had success with at CSF, and I will be bringing to Arvada. Figuring out how to have more strategic partnerships with donors and foundations and other organizations.
Moore: You are known as a theater guy. So what is your message to Arvada Center patrons whose primary cultural interests are elsewhere?
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