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WCPI
Board President Fred Schmidt also introduced performing arts marketing veteran
(and UW-Green Bay graduate) Katie Green as the organization’s executive
director. Katie has wide-ranging experience in marketing, promotions, sales,
and management strategies. Her background, experience and talent are a good
fit for meeting the Weidner Center’s needs. She immediately pledged
to bring “high quality, fresh entertainment” to the Weidner
that appeals to and enriches the community. These announcements came one year to the day after I spelled out a new operating model for the Weidner, a model made necessary by a changing market for the performing arts here and across the country. We no longer could sustain the financial losses resulting from even the more successful Broadway runs. Instead, we returned to a “roots” model in which, as a foundation, we would offer fine arts programming provided by campus and community groups. I am so grateful to a task force of community leaders that provided guidance for the long-term future of the Weidner Center. The task force was led by Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce President Paul Jadin and Dan Ariens, president of the Ariens Company. The group advised us that the Weidner Center Presents model — with the independent nonprofit entity assuming risk for touring artists — is the most appropriate way to build on our foundation. |
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also want to thank UW-Green Bay Vice Chancellor Tom Maki and Weidner Center
General Manager Brock Neverman and his staff for their steady hands during
this period of transition. They kept things moving in the right direction
in the face of complex and difficult business and programming changes. Reactions to our recent announcements have been uniformly positive. From comments I received at various holiday gatherings to local newspaper editorials (the Press-Gazette said the new approach merits applause), the community is taking a positive, yet realistic, view of the Weidner Center’s future. Of course, it is up to the people of Northeastern Wisconsin to help create the Weidner’s successful future by attending shows, serving as volunteers, and providing sponsorships and philanthropic support. It is, after all, the community’s Weidner Center. I look forward with great enthusiasm to being a partner in this community collaboration. A year ago, I said the challenge we face together in ensuring the future vitality of the performing arts throughout the region was as big as the challenge of bringing the Weidner Center into being in the first place. Based on what I’ve seen and experienced in the past month alone — as a first-time performer, university chancellor and avid patron of the fine arts — I am more confident than ever that we are up to the task at hand. As always, thank you for helping us connect learning to life. .
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