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THE OAKVILLE BEAVER November 30, 1994 Coulter admits it‘s tough for centre to sustain itself (Continued from page 14) Arts Centre are enshrined within the Parks Department," Coulter explained. "To some degree, at least, Oakville defines itself by these features. This is what the people here and Recreation expect and value." "We have to find creative, imaginative ways to keep that going," he added. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, in combined English and Drama, the Oakville resident has been on staff at the Centre since 1980, when he was hired as Technical Director. He‘s been Theatre Manager since 1987. It is interesting to note that for the first 10 years of its existence, from ‘77 to ‘87, the Oakville Centre had N N6 bf o o. o. No m bf. . . f. . . 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The rapid turnover is not lost on Coulter. He says he learned from the mistakes of some of his predecesâ€" sors and he thinks the Centre has gained some stability under the continuity of his leadership. "We‘ve obtained some of the things we needed â€" staffâ€"wise and renovationâ€"wise â€" by being, not only resourceful, but patient," he said. Essentially, what the guy has going for him is ‘good attitude.‘ "If we have lemons," he said, "we make lemonade." He‘s approachable, flexible, positive â€" and profoundly dedicatâ€" ed to the performing arts in this community. He treads a fine line, however, in trying to satisfy all of the Oakville Centre stakeholders, which include not only general audiences, but community theatre groups, professional theatre groups, his own staff, and municiâ€" pal taxâ€"payers as represented by Town Council. Still, after seven years as manâ€" ager of this 500â€"seat facility, he maintains the job is as interesting, challenging, and rewarding, as ever. He and his wife, Maryâ€"Ann (whom he met working at the Centre), and children â€" Gerrit and Madeleine â€" have made Oakville their home. They‘re here for the duration. And though a large part of Ken‘s life is devoted to the Centre, he really enjoys just being a dad and working around the house, getting involved in church activities, and reading. He also W Front Bucket Seats With Console Automatic Transmission With Electronic overdrive W Sport Appearance Package W Keyless Remote MTilt Steering THE NEW ~ FINANCIAL VEHICLE. Earn 5% on the purchase of a new GM car or truck. Applications available at your nearest dealer or TD Bank branch. *Used under licence. The GM card is a tradeâ€" mark of Genera! Motors Corporation @Roadside MASSISTANCE 24 HOURS A DAY ON 1995 MODELS Available 24 hours a day. Professional help is only a phone call away. 365 days a year. (Some charges may apply. See dealer for details.) belongs to the Rotary Club. "I like the idea of the Theatre Manager going to meetings with the banker, the real estate agent, and the grocer," he observed. "I think the key to the success of the Arts Centre is to weave itself into the fabric of the community." When I interviewed Coulter, he was in the throes of another annual budget. He was wondering how he could best apply his artistic creâ€" ativity and resourcefulness to the challenges of money management. He was pondering the further establishment of corporate partnerâ€" ships with artistic endeavors, and "new ways of doing business," like attracting big name entertainâ€" ers by offering services in lieu of fees. This is how he got the Famous People Players, after all. With any luck, his next coup will be children‘s entertainer, Fred Penner. Children‘s entertainment at the Centre has often been superlative. But while there are many excitâ€" ing and fun aspects to his job, Coulter continues to do battle with one eternal dragon. With all his education, he admitted, "Nobody ever taught me how to make a theâ€" atre pay for itself. It‘s tough." Paradoxically, the reason it is so tough is that Oakville has s thriving performing arts communiâ€" ty. Each year, about 25,000 Oakvillians come through the back door of the Centre to ‘participate‘ as singers and dancers, actors, musicians, stagehands, and so on. Fully 80% of the communityâ€" based performances here are subsiâ€" dized by the Town. The facility is wellâ€"used. Over 200 performances are given in the main hall annually; plus, meetings and receptions in the lobby; classâ€" es and more intimate performances in the Studio Theatre. But while about 60,000 paying patrons come through the front door, the revenue produced is only slightly over half of the Centre‘s annual operating budget. It‘s worrisome. One bright light on the horizon, the Theatre Manager said, is the Oakville Summer Theatre â€" a proi fessional musical theatre troupe, which will make its debut at the Centre in the summer of ‘95; There will be three different shows performed in repertory, 68 perfor: mances in all, similar to theé Stratford and Shaw Festivals; though of course, on a smallet scale. "That‘s going to be a tremenâ€" dous step forward for our theatre," Coulter predicted. That said, the Theater Managet is convinced the Centre needs a fresh outlook in other areas. | "Maybe, it‘s time for us to reinâ€" vent the way we do business here," he said. "The policies and values of 1977 when the theatre was built may well need some adjustments to cope with our curâ€" rent circumstances." To that end, he has sought the permission of Town Council to review the mandate of the Oakville Centre and the 11â€"memâ€" ber Board of Directors. The issues are complex. Coulter is anxious to point out, however, that bottom line, the performing arts have long been part of this town‘s lifestyle. "The compelling things about Oakville are heritage, harbours, and culture," he said. "The Centre influences our quality of life. It‘s community glue." Parentâ€"CnHiLo Centre Bazaar The Oakville P-hild Cetre Kerr Street held its annuâ€" al bazaar on the weekend. Helping out during the fundraiser were Julie Forte and her helper Rachel Wells, 4. December 1 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. GORDON KORMAN signing (Photo by Riziero Vertolli) his hilarious new book Why Did The Underwear Cross The Road?