Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen Butler.
Gretchen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always loved the theatre. When I went to college, the man who would become my first mentor spent an entire class period talking about all the careers you could have in theatre that weren’t being an actor. I was entranced. I had never considered that you could make a living in any of those other areas. I declared my major that year and after four years graduated with a BA in Theatre Design and Technology. I went on to graduate school, where I received an MFA in Theatre Management then moved to Atlanta and launched my career. Professionally, I started out as a freelance stage manager – running rehearsals and performances of productions. That was a great time because it gave me the opportunity to work at a lot of theatres around Atlanta – Theater Emory, Theatre in the Square, Jewish Theatre of the South, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, and many others.
After several years, Bob Farley offered me a full-time job as the Production Manager at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. That position involved overseeing all of the design elements of a show (scenery, lighting, etc.) as well as casting, scheduling, and budgets. I was with that company for eight years then I took a position as the first Managing Director at Serenbe Playhouse, overseeing the administrative, fundraising, and financial/business side of that theatre. The Playhouse was still a very young company – I was the second full-time employee they ever hired – and it was an interesting contrast to Georgia Ensemble which was a very established company. I worked with the Playhouse for three years, then with their parent company Serenbe Institute for a year, and then accepted an offer from Theatrical Outfit to serve as their Managing Director. It’s interesting because my very first job in professional theatre in Atlanta, while I was still in grad school, was as the assistant to the assistant stage manager on a production of “Cotton Patch Gospel” at Theatrical Outfit. Coming back to this theatre 20 years later as the Managing Director really brings my career full circle. Although I didn’t plan this progression, it’s made perfect sense and everything I’ve done really has led me to where I am now.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t know that any career is really a smooth road. One of the most interesting aspects to me about what we do in theatre is the healthy tension between the art we want to do and the shows we can afford to do. As an arts administrator, it’s my job to create as much space as I can for artists to do their work. That means everything from fundraising so we can afford the work to ensuring a safe environment for artists to do the work to marketing, so we ensure there’s an audience to see the work … and much more. One of the big challenges in that is how do we, as passionate people, have intense conversations about the work we love and make our points while still hearing and respecting the other points in the room. The longer I’m in this business and on this earth, the more I believe that at the end of the day how we engage with people is the thing that matters most.
That belief has led me to some great opportunities outside of theatre as well. I do a lot of volunteer work through my church, Kingswood United Methodist in Dunwoody, and through the Atlanta Woman’s Club. A lot of people think a Woman’s Club is all about place settings and flower arranging, but AWC is really an incredible group of women who are committed to making Atlanta a better place through volunteerism in areas as diverse as Arts, Conservation, Education, International Outreach,and Public Issues. I also sit on the Capital Campaign Committee of the Sunflower Initiative, an organization that funds scholarships for women interested in attending women’s colleges. Volunteering in service to my community feeds my passion, keeps me balanced, and keeps the work I do in perspective.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Theatrical Outfit – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Theatrical Outfit is an amazing company. We’re the second oldest professional theatre in Atlanta and the only professional theatre in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Our mission is to produce world-class theatre that starts the conversations that matter. The people on our staff and board believe that we can bring about a more kind, compassionate, and equitable world through theatre. By providing a lens to view someone else’s experience that may help you gain a deeper understanding of and empathy for that person who doesn’t look like you or share your world view, we can effect incremental change in our community and the world.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I’m looking forward to what Theatrical Outfit’s next chapter will bring. Our long-time Artistic Director, Tom Key, is stepping down after 25 amazing years as the artistic leader of this company. Although he will be deeply missed, I’m thrilled for him to be able to pursue his next chapter as an artist and excited to see who might be the next artistic leader of the Outfit. This moment in time has presented me with an opportunity to have a voice in the future of this Atlanta institution and I’m honored to be a part of that conversation.
I’m also really excited about the changes happening in downtown, near our home at the Balzer Theater on Luckie Street. Central Atlanta Progress has recently unveiled plans for a project called The Stitch which will literally physically stitch together midtown and downtown; a development company has recently bought a set of historic building in south downtown that they’re restoring and renting out as retail space; the Mercedes Benz stadium and the Georgia Aquarium are bringing thousands of people downtown; and the Atlanta Regional Commission has just unveiled a new plan about integrating arts into communities and how they want to accomplish that. The entire energy of this city, especially the downtown area, is changing. I’ve always loved Atlanta and I can’t wait to see how this jewel of a city will continue to grow and change over the next several decades.
Contact Info:
- Address: 84 Luckie Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30303 - Website: www.theatricaloutfit.org
- Phone: 678-528-1500
- Email: boxoffice@theatricaloutfit.org
- Instagram: TheatricalOutfit
- Facebook: www.Facebook.Com/Theatoutfit
- Twitter: @TheatricalOutfit
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/theatrical-outfit-atlanta
Image Credit:
Casey Gardner, David Woolf, Greg Mooney, BreeAnne Clowdus
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