ICCT Board vows to keep theatre going

ICCT - At a sometimes somber, sometimes energized meeting Monday night, the Iowa City Community Theatre Board informed its members they were in bad financial shape, but vowed to regroup and make the theatre solvent again. At the public meeting, Treasurer David Roe informed the members that ICCT currently has almost $22,000 in liabilities, with only a little over $1,000 in the bank. Because of the financial situation, ICCT had considered canceling their next show, the musical Wonderful Town which is to be performed at the Englert in February 2010. The show will go on, but only because director Ben Bentler and ICCT member Ed Kottick having taken on the task of raising the money for the show. Kottick reported at the meeting that they are halfway to their fundraising goal. The final two shows of the ICCT season are Bend in the Road and Chapter Two. Both will be presented at the ICCT space on the Johnson County Fairgrounds.

The meeting was chaired by Patti Mott, who was chosen to replace Luis Sierra as board president after Sierra resigned two weeks ago. Mott has a long history in the Iowa City theatre community, having won the ICCT Board Award in 1961 and founding the Young Footliters in 1982. The membership elected two new board members to replace Jeff Shields and Janet Schlapkohl, both of whom had also resigned from the board. Gene Troyer and Ken VanEdgon were unanimous choices to fill the one and two year positions respectively. Also present at the meeting was Nancy Mayfield, the Development Director for the Englert Theatre, who made it clear the Englert is still supportive of ICCT and wishes to continue a dialogue about how the two groups can work together. ICCT was a early supporter of the Englert, donating $40,000 to the Save the Englert campaign.

Mott made it clear to the membership that it was time to start over, to make a fresh start, and under her presidency, things would be better. She added, "But a litle prayer wouldn't hurt."

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