BPAC has heard from some impressive executive talent as they work towards beefing up their Board.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON. May 3, 2013  We are not hearing very much from the folks over at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.  They advertised for people interested in serving on the Board – the closing date for that was March 15th.  The Board has not said how many seats they need to fill.

We have heard of at least one very qualified individual who has served the city with distinction in the past.  Our understanding is that the initial interview has yet to take place but when it does the applicant intends to interview the Board as much as be interviewed for a Board seat.

In the world of show business they are called “dark night” – those occasions when there is nothing going on in the building.  The Performing Arts Centre has too many of these.

Sometime later this month the Brenda Heatherington, the Executive Director who has given notice to her Board that she will leave her position in July, will announce the fall line-up – which we understand is pretty strong.

No word from the Board on how they intend to search for her replacement.  There is some buzz in the community that it should be someone from within the community, which could be a mistake.

The position to be filled needs considerable clarification before it is advertised.  Does BPAC want an artistic director? Does it want an administrator who has a sense of what the community wants in the way of entertainment?  Doe it want someone who puts on the type of programming that is profitable or does it want someone who is going to grow the appetite and interest level of the community for performing arts?Does BPAC want an artistic director? Does it want an administrator who has a sense of what the community wants in the way of entertainment?  Doe it want someone who puts on the type of programming that is profitable or does it want someone who is going to grow the appetite and interest level of the community for performing arts?

Burlington has next to no experience in growing the appetite for performing arts.  Heatherington brought a strong reputation for being able to build an audience but “appears” to have lacked the business acumen the Board felt was needed.  Finding someone who can develop audiences and find the kind of entertaining talent to do that and get them to this city at a reasonable cost and then also have the business smarts to keep the revenue line where everyone would like it to be is no small task.  There are very few of those available in this country.  Should we find one – that person will probably be able to walk on water as well.

There are some tough days ahead for the Performing Arts Centre as it builds a board of directors that can make the decisions that have to be made and learn more about public responsibility and transparency.

Getting a beefed up Board in place is the first critical step and then creating a search team to find the new Executive Director follows.  In the meantime someone has to run the place on a day-to-day basis.  We are going to see another whopper of a deficit next year.

Burlingtonians can be understanding and tolerant but they insist on being informed.  Hopefully there will be at least one champion on the revitalized board that will insist on telling the people paying for the place what is going on.

Your city council has two of its members on the Board.  Mayor Goldring and Councillor Craven have been close to mute when it comes to informing the other council members in public as to what is going on.  They are failing to do their jobs .

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