Comments

1
how about cutting mr. coleman and bringing in an artistic director from the PORTLAND COMMUNITY?
2
It really doesn't bother me that much.
I have always felt they hire too many out of town actors/equity actors. I of course will be lambasted for this but perhaps this is a budget area that could be trimmed a bit. They follow a lort agreement that does nothing to benefit the non union actor with really good chops unless you are that lucky one in twelve(or something like that.) Equity does not mean quality. Before you come to the conclusion I am an actor who didn't get cast, I have never auditioned there and don't feel the need to. I do fine elsewhere. Cast your talent on how good they are not on which card they carry.
3
Sounds like a great plan!
4
No theatre of its size casts more local talent than pcs. Maybe people should stop bitching and support their local theaters. All of them.
5
hey stephen, whynot, and toyman-

would you maybe be a little gentler for, like, just a day or so? we over at PCS are more unhappy about this than you are.

stephen: mead and megan were not "unceremoniously dumped"... chris coleman, with a wavering voice and tears in his eyes, stood in front of the entire staff and told us this was the hardest thing he ever had to do in his professional life. it was about as ceremonious as a layoff can be.

toyman: you're right that PCS's adherence to the LORT agreement does little to directly benefit the non-union actors of portland, but the truth is that theatres are not in the business of being good for actors, they are in the business of being good for audience members. of *course* there's great non-union talent. and there are great theatres in which those actors work. looks like you're one of those actors... you do fine elsewhere by your own admission. so ease off, please.

sorry if i sound a little coarse. this was a rough day and i don't like being kicked while i'm down.

thanks
sam kusnetz
6
Sam, you beat me to it. I had just composed this for pdxbackstage, but I'm going to post it here instead... or maybe in addition to.

MM

+++++

Mead and Megan's loss will be deeply felt at PCS and in our community at large, as both lose the place where they most broadly shared their great, great gifts with us, and with the theatregoing public.

I know that passions will run high at this news, and there will likely be some hotly-held opinions about who is to blame for this; certainly the comments on Stephen's site bode darkly in this regard.

And I sure understand the anger, and I sure respect folks' right to express it here; I support Stephen's right to write about it and commenters' right to comment.

Ours, though, is a complex web of community, and so as you amass along the borders of opinion, supposition, fact and fancy, remember: there are plenty of folks who read this who also work at PCS and who are both living with the loss of their friends and co-workers while striving as hard as they know how to support this arts organization with their professionalism, and their own good craft. Keep them in mind as you work this through, can you, and contemplate how their own community rending their own employer from limb to limb may make a difficult time even more difficult for them.

I also wonder how savaging the organization serves those who've had to leave, too; what I know of them does not include a taste for blood in that way.

Yes, I work for PCS as an independent contractor, and of course I'm grateful and pleased to be doing it. And though it is not my intention to speak on behalf of folks working there, I'd write these words whether I was occasionally there or not... because every time I walk through those doors on 11th Ave, I see the faces of people I so admire, and who I know are devastated by this. These same folks need to go to work tomorrow and keep on doing what they do, and speaking only for myself... I don't want to make that any harder for them.

I don't have an opinion about Mead and Megan leaving PCS that's attached to "rightness" or "wrongness" that is the least important and least interesting part of the tale. What I feel about all of this is just plain sad. For them. For us. For art.

MM
7
Take it easy on PCS? Please!!!! I am a local theatre artist who, like too many others, was layed off from my day job a few months back and still can't find a replacement. I sympathize with the folks who lost their jobs but I DO NOT sympathize with Sam or Mary and their candy-assed suck up to Coleman and his sychophantic underlings who remain at The Armory. Any tears that he may have shed were those of fear that he would be torn limb-from-limb. As for those who must go to work on 11th ave I say that most of them agree that Coleman has squandered any good will he may have had by his awful track record there. Better they work to oust him, and a few others. Better they not feel sorry for themselves and work to salvage the PCS. There is no room for sentiment off the stage in this situation.
8
I can see both sides of this debate, but I would like to second the motion that Mercury staff refrain from using uninformed and erroneous characterizations of newsworthy events, such as your inflammatory phrase, "unceremoniously dumping." We get enough of that kind of sensationalism from Matt which diminishes his credibility -- we don't need it from you too, Stephen. Thanks!
9
that bites. Haven't been to a PCS show since they moved to the armory, though.
10
i'm sorry, bridgeburner, but fuck you.
11
who could have predicted drama in this thread, of all places?!
12
We go to many shows a year. Any diminishment of PCS is sad indeed. Hang in there.

Question: What does the literary department at a theater do? (Not snark. Real question.)
13
None of the comments/statements from PCS staff has even attempted to explain the reasoning behind cutting these particular positions. I'm looking from the outside, but I seriously question the wisdom of these layoffs. They cut the heart out of PCS's mission and eliminate the most cutting-edge and community-oriented programming the theatre was doing.

I'm certain there are other ways and places to trim the budget. Would other staff have taken a pay cut or reduction in hours? How about reducing the marketing budget?

Mead was the staff member most involved in the Portland theatre community. PCS talks a good line about engaging with other theatres and performance orgs, but he's the only one who actually did it in a meaningful way.
14
Just an fyi to 26th Ave, this year's budget was trimmed by $600K, with cuts in all departments, in the early fall as the economy took its downturn and the watchwords for months have been "don't spend" on anything that isn't essential. Staff have also already taken pay cuts (3.8%, i.e. two weeks' salary). Yesterday's losses - which, btw, also included our facilities rental coordinator, who hasn't been mentioned - were very painful.
15
@Blabby, I can tell you for sure that that Marketing department has made cuts. I work in the teleservices department and watched my co-workers get laid off in 3 different rounds of cuts. The last 4 of us (including my direct supervisor), all have been laid off for the past 6 weeks. I am a direct employee of the Marketing Department.


16
26th Ave-

To be clear, we have cut hours, we have cut budgets in every department, and every single member of the organization has taken unpaid furloughs this season. This is the most visible cut but believe me when I tell you that there is absolutely no stone that has gone unturned in our search for ways to be efficient without staff cuts and absolutely no department that hasn't lost someone essential to their daily operation.

I was certainly not in the room when the board and leadership team were making this current round of incredibly difficult decisions, but I know what they are facing- the problem of how to keep one of the top 25 theater companies in the country financially workable in the face of deep downturns in the public's ability to spend money on entertainment and support the arts with individual contributions.

I completely agree with you about the essential role Mead has had as a bridge to the Portland Theater community. We will all feel that loss here at PCS and will be working hard to (inadequately) attempt to fill that gap with our own efforts.

In the meantime, I sincerely hope that Mead's inestimable contribution to the Portland Theater community will continue in some other guise than as the "gentleman scholar of Portland Center Stage." He would like to stay in this community and continue to do what he does best (nurture playwrights). How can we as a community help him to do this?
17
I think saying that "the current situation at PCS is not dire" is a real slap to those getting shitcanned. Tell THEM it's not dire. You can't have it both ways, PCS. You can't tell us in your 10-minute curtain speech that you're not going to retreat in your commitment to quality and you're not going to scale back but move forward and then dump the heart of your organization. It's bullshit and it's disingenuous and it's bravado and it confirms what a lot of us have suspected about PCS for years: image is more important than substance. By firing Mead you are sending the entire national theatre community the clearest signal possible about the financial state of one of the top 25 theatre companies in the country (wherever you pulled that crap from). Adios, amigos.
18
I've asked this everywhere else and I will ask it again here: How big a cut did Chris Coleman and greg Phillips take in salary this year in order to save, or perhaps subsidize, at least ONE PCS job? I understand they both make six figures and that Coleman makes north of 120,000. Perhaps he did shed tears, which is the adolescent route to take. Far more adult would be a cut of 20% in salary which might have saved one job in the Lit. Dept? An answer would be interesting to hear, although I'm sure there isn't one.
19
I think saying that "the current situation at PCS is not dire" is a real slap to those getting shitcanned. Tell THEM it's not dire. You can't have it both ways, PCS. You can't tell us in your 10-minute curtain speech that you're not going to retreat in your commitment to quality and you're not going to scale back but move forward and then dump the heart of your organization. It's bullshit and it's disingenuous and it's bravado and it confirms what a lot of us have suspected about PCS for years: image is more important than substance. By firing Mead you are sending the entire national theatre community the clearest signal possible about the financial state of one of the top 25 theatre companies in the country (wherever you pulled that crap from). Adios, amigos.
20
Sam- You're a "thank you sir please give me another" kinda guy, huh? Whatta sap.
21
I don't want to cast any judgment without knowing the whole story. It's a bad situation, but I'm sure it's worse for those directly involved with the cuts than for those of us casting blame from the outside. So I agree with Sam. It was a shitty thing to do, but it's also a shitty time for theater right now, and I'm certain the folks at PCS are having a bad enough day. Let's ease up, shall we?

I will say this, to those PCSers who are following this thread: it would seem very uncouth and unfair for Greg Phillips to continue with his curtain speeches at this point. It is clear now that PCS is having troubles too. To go in front of your audiences and declare you are "staying the course" seems a little callous, and a lot untrue.
22
"from the PORTLAND COMMUNITY". How long do you have to live here to be part of the PORTLAND COMMUNITY? 5 years? 10 years? Born here? How many of us would you exclude from your PORTLAND CUMMUNITY?
23
My name's Mary McDonald-Lewis, and I'm an independent contractor for PCS.

There are some terrible things being said by anonymous folks here, some directed at my comments along with Sam's. I can't help but wonder -- do I know you? Do we go to the same shows, hoist a drink with the actors afterwards? Do I audition you, or have I directed you?

It makes me sad to think that someone who might be a colleague holds folks who are asking for moderation here in such seething disdain -- to be hired by people you think so little of would be hypocritical and the mark of a coward, would it not?

So, sign your names, fellas -- it'll keep you honest.
24
dear bridgeburner-

since you refuse to use your real name, i do not know whether you are a pcs employee or not, and therefore whether or not you were at the staff meeting yesterday afternoon.

if you were at that meeting, then you and i need to have words, and you can contact me at samk@pcs.org anytime.

if you were not at the staff meeting, then you have no business judging how the announcements were made. if you do not have experience running a theatre, or managing a nine million dollar budget, then you have no business lecturing us on how it ought to be.

calling me a suck-up to chris coleman is a pretty stupid thing to do, i think. have you ever witnessed an interaction between me and him? perhaps you were at the dress rehearsal for guys and dolls where i snapped at him for giving me a thoughtless bit of instruction? no, i guess not.

what am i supposed to do, call for chris' head because i don't agree with his hiring and firing policies? as if the opinion of the sound engineer mattered... the theatre has a board of directors and oversight is their responsibility, not mine. if i want to voice a dissension, i do it to my manager or to the board. i certainly don't do it anonymously on some lousy blog.

the last time i burned a bridge, it was face to face with jose gonzales in the office at teatro milagro. burning bridges anonymously is just arson.

you want to keep talking about this? grow a pair and sign your name.

sam kusnetz, production sound engineer
portland center stage
25
sam, mary: the "anonymous cowards should be disregarded" gambit has been trotted out around here countless times. As always, it's a red herring. This blog welcomes anonymous discussion; as such, you're going to need to make your case with facts, not silly ad hominems about the terrible nameless jerks on the interwebs.
26
dumb dumb dumb
27
And Sam, your decision to become the spokesperson for PCS on this blog is interesting, and gives another indication of how inept PCS is. You're the production sound engineer. Where's the PR Director? Or has the job been outsourced to you due to budget concerns?
28
I find it hard to believe that if their PR person came on and gave the party line, that there wouldn't be an outcry "Don't feed us the corporate bullshit, give us the real scoop!".

I don't think Sam is deciding to be the PCS spokesman, but simply giving an insider's perspective on the situation. A perspective I appreciate because this debate/discussion has become too impersonal. PCS is being treated like they are GM or AIG, and we are losing sight of the fact that our friends are losing their jobs, not just nameless faces on the news.

The image that Chris is somehow "fake crying" or lying about how hard this is on them is laughable. I don't know the man personally, but I believe you don't maintain a board of directors and employees by being a money-grubbing asshole.

Don't get me wrong, I'm none too happy about some of the points brought up (housing outside talent for example), but I don't believe Chris was the second shooter in Dallas or whatever the latest conspiracy theory is.

In time, blame will probably fall into the correct lap(s), but until then, I'm with Sam: if you weren't there, you are missing perspective.

-j

Jeff Woods, LD
29
I agree wholeheartedly with JBKawika. In light of recent events, it would be in extremely poor taste for Greg Phillips to continue his curtain speeches. I thought he came across sounding more than a little desperate when I saw "How to Disappear" a month ago, and that was, well, a month ago, before cuts of this significance were made.
30
Hear hear, Jeff.
31
trishap is their PR person, she did comment.
32
Jeff, SoundandFury:

1) "you don't maintain a BOD or employees by being a money grubbing asshole"? By that logic there are no money grubbing assholes at the top of corporate foodchains. What do you do for a living, bake cookies in a tree?

2) I do know Chris personally, and I can tell you from personal experience that he's generally considered to be a self-loathing phony who condescends to everyone but his biggest donors and Storm Large. HE shows up at openings dressed in $1,800 silk tuxedos (the last one was purple I believe) and prances around in front of his underpaid staff members. The upstairs-downstairs mentality at PCS is well known to anyone who has worked there. Furthermore, I have personally seen him be insincerely emotional on many an occasion. Which is why I have asked consistently....did Mr. Weeping Solidarty take a significant pay cut, and how was that cut utilized? NO ANSWER YET.

3) While Trisha P. did comment, she didn't state who she was, and her post only implied that she had some seniority at PCS. Which tells us something...that she either expects everyone to know who she is because she is such an egomaniac, or that she is a bad PR person, or both.


There really is no end to the self-delusion going on over there.....


33
From the PR person:

Sam, Mary Mac, Marlene and the other Portland Center Stage staff and friends who have weighed in on this comment stream have every right to express their feelings unfiltered about this situation just as you have the right to express yours. We didn't ask them to comment, and we didn't ask them not to. That's the point of this open conversation, right? Not that we all agree, but that we're honest about what's going on. We believe in transparency. Which is why I shared the news with Alison (who shared it with Stephen) as soon as I had received it, with the best information I had.

Every single one of us at PCS, from our sound engineer up to the president of the board, is heartsick about losing Mead, Jenn, Marty, Megan and Heather. We were heartsick about the 11 we lost earlier this year. Ask anyone at one of the many many organizations facing layoffs here in Portland whether they have wracked their brains to find some other way to solve the problem than taking away people's livelihoods. You'll hear about a lot of sleepless nights, horrifying spreadsheets and heartbreaking conversations. That's what the 90 people in this organization are dealing with right now. Not just the people who had to make the hard choices. All of us.

That's the facts.

Some other facts:

Before this cut, production budgets were cut . So were Marketing budgets. Donors were approached. Designers who would have normally flown in for consultation teleconferenced by Skype. Hours were cut in the cafe and the box office. Every single member of the organization took a pay cut and furlough. We looked at cutting shows or subbing in smaller shows. Every possible scenario was analyzed. Disagree with the choice that was made- it's your right to. But know that it was made after careful and excruciating deliberation of all the available options.

Moving forward we are looking at absolutely everything we can do to protect the jobs, cut the expenses, and minimize the impact of these cuts on the work you see on stage.

There will always be a conversation happening in the community about what the balance is between using local artists and creating national connections. This conversation has been ongoing and I expect it will continue long after this is behind us. I don't have anything meaningful to contribute to it.

As to the concern about the gap between Greg's recent curtain speeches and the current reality, I can tell you that you have been heard, loud and clear. We'll look closely at how we can ensure that our communication with the audience is as authentic as possible about the challenges we face, and the important role that you play in helping us to overcome them.

Having said that, Greg's point is still true: we are doing absolutely everything possible to ensure that the work you see on stage is not diminished in size, scope, quality or relevance because of the current economic cycle.

We hear from our audience frequently that they are looking to us, now more than ever, to take them away from the challenges they face at home while still asking the big questions, and giving them the heady experiences that they come seeking at the theater.

This we intend to still do. Whatever it takes. If you have been a member of our audience recently, we thank you. Your butt in that seat has helped keep this news (horrible though it is) from being worse. We deeply appreciate it. We hope you will continue to protect the artists you care about by showing up for the work they create.

And there's still a lot you can do. Support Mead as he works to build his new endeavors. Support new work in Portland generally. Support all the local theaters fighting to continue providing you, as Barry Johnson put it today, essential "research into what it means to be human."

If you care passionately about it, as it is clear from this giant comment stream that you do, then get out there and support it. Support it in a loud and opinionated way if you like. Disagree violently with the art or the artists. But make sure it keeps happening. Because that's how we're gonna get through this. All of us.
34
A final note- Theater Patron I apologize. I assumed that because I had been extensively quoted in the post itself that the connection would be made between the comment and the article. Could have made my position with the organization clearer. My apologies.

Trisha Pancio
PR and Publications Manager
Portland Center Stage
trishap@pcs.org
35
Trisha and all, I should clarify:

I received the news regarding PCS' staff cuts on tips from PCS insiders early afternoon on Monday, and waited to post until Mead Hunter's personal blog postings on the matter confirmed the rumors.

Trisha's e-mail to select members of the Portland arts media (five of them) regarding the cuts only arrived after Mr. Hunter's postings on his blog and on Facebook about his being let go. Also, Ms. Pancio's release did not include a statement from Mr. Coleman, the artistic director - I certainly would have included that if it did. This is just for the record.

Carry on.
36
Stephen,

I didn't mean to imply that you didn't have independent early sources for your story. Facebook! What's the world coming to?

Congratulations on your new position by the way.
37
This is great. Now we got dialogue. I particularly endorse the assertion of "upstairs/downstairs" attitudes at The Armory. I will only add that in my own professional dealings with PCS I have been lied to several times by management. Mostly absurdly trivial stuff - like "my dog ate scene ii"- but also major dishonestry intended to deceive for their gain.

This is the thing that really hurts though. That building is so beautiful. As we watch the quality people drain out of it and the ego monsters remain it all seems such a horible waste. The Armory will one day house a world class theatre company. Let's get some new leadership there. One that isn't full of shit. One that has enough brains and heart and selflessness to serve the text. aaAnd one that positvely reeks talent. ART turned it around. So can the PCS. Let Coleman and significant others be let go now. Don't stop to worry. Do the right thing.
38
TheaterPatron,

If you are going to quote me, at least have the decency to do it accurately. I said "I believe...", which by my logic means it is an opinion.

I have no doubt that, in companies that maintain thousands of employees who never have one on one interactions with "the higher ups", having an asshole CEO that puts on a good face for their board is probably pretty easy to hide.

I like cookies, and if I ever get laid off from my job, maybe that's a back-up career. In the meantime, I work at one of the largest companies in Oregon, and without going into detail I can tell you from my lowly place at the bottom of the food chain that our boss actually does give a crap. We are looking at 3-4% staff cuts globally, and (almost) no one is safe. But I will tell you that the people that will be making those decisions are not gloating, because they know they are fucking with people's lives and livelihoods.

If you know Chris personally, and you know that what I thought is wrong: touche'. That's the beauty of opinions; which is all I put out there.

-j

Jeff Woods
39
Jeff, thanks for all that. My mistake. I was also using your post to leverage my disgust towards PCS. Sorry for the crossfire. And thank you Trisha for getting more involved. I am also still employed, thank God. I can send Megan and Mead a check for their new projects.
40
This is incredible. I think PCS is a great organization, but firing Mead Hunter and Megan Ward? That's like a surgeon cutting out the heart to "save" the body.
41
hi
42
The smae thing just happened at Portland Opera yesterday! Not good for morale, no matter how much money they need to find. Never a pretty thing.

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.