ON PROGRAMMING OUT-OF-TOWN ACTS

I have a very, very high sense of purpose in terms of supporting Seattle-based artists across all media. But again and again people have been reflecting back: “Bring stuff in from outside and help us get outside Seattle.” I think people are interested in being part of a dialogue, and there is a degree of isolation up here. In the Northeast, you can go to other cities. It’s so much more fluent for stuff getting around. Of course, there are incredible festivals here. I think Seattle and Portland are some of the best music towns in the country, so there are definitely a lot of influences and ideas coming in, but being able to bring in some dynamic group doing physical dance theater—that’s really pushing a new envelope. Then, of course, it’s about looking ahead to trends and what is happening nationally and internationally, which is a lot of what On the Boards does.

I’m already looking at some pieces I’m interested in doing in the next year, like getting a director from New York and a writer from Louisiana, but a cast from here.

ON WALKING INTO THE CONWORKS CONTROVERSY

Consistently, I’m walking into institutions, following the founder: Post-founder stress disorder or something.

People really care about ConWorks, and I think it’s a really important concept that’s highly valued in Seattle. I think people want to see it succeed. I think some people are running forward into the organization and see that this is the time to contribute and step up right away—I love those people especially. And some people, we just fell off their radar screens because we’re all just a bunch of busy people here in Seattle. Other people want to wait and see what happens, which is perfectly understandable.

When people hear what we’re doing, that’ll be the first major step to nurturing a new relationship in the context of what we are now, what we’re trying to do, and who we have leading the vision of the company. But overall, man, I’ve got to tell you—a lot of friendliness. A lot of people will tell me: “I’m a very, very close friend of Matt’s and I’m wary.” But they still talk and share their ideas. For the most part, people see that this is a valuable idea and its time has not passed.

ON DEVELOPING A SUBSCRIBER BASE

Obviously, there are a lot of things you could want walking into an organization that I don’t have, like a developed donor base, a community sense of contributing actively toward the organization, a sense of ownership structure that we can rely on. I’m used to having a dialogue with a community, so when people cherry pick what they see, that’s more like event programming or running a rock ’n’ roll hall.

If you have a subscriber base, if you have a concerted body of three thousand people, you are having a dialogue with them. I think people have always worried that that kind of relationship pushes you to a conservative base. But what I’ve always done in my arts leadership is rebuild an audience that’s extremely progressive. Because I have that base, because I know X many people will come and check out what we’re doing—that’s the support system that lets me go further out into the periphery and take more risks.

ON RELATIONS WITH VULCAN (THE LANDLORD)

Right now we have a five-year lease renewal and we’re asking for that extension. From what we understand, that extension will likely happen. We couldn’t have even asked for an extension until Oct 1—that window has just opened. Assuming that we got the e-mail tomorrow saying “Yee-haw!” we need to start thinking immediately about what’s going to happen to ConWorks in six years. I would like to make sure ConWorks has a permanent home in six years.

Then we’re going to have a big, big vegetarian chili cook-off and I want you to be the judge of it and judge it for dramatic style, originality, and lyricism. And it’s going to be hot.

brendan@thestranger.com