Meet Joshua Allard of Piccolo Theatre in Evanston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Allard.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Joshua. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I arrived in Chicago in 2003, and primarily worked as a costume designer in theatre. Piccolo was the first company I worked with, and since then I’ve worked on over 100 shows with over 25 companies. In 2008, I was on tour with a production from the Kennedy Center for five months across the U.S. Upon returning back to Chicago, I worked in the Group Sales/Marketing Department at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2013, Piccolo offered me a staff position as Marketing Manager which I accepted. In 2014, the founding executive director resigned, and I stepped up to the General Manager position under new management. In 2016, the new management left, and I stepped up to be in charge of Piccolo Theatre.

Has it been a smooth road?
Where there is danger, there is opportunity. Currently, my ability to get through “the worst” is 100% since I’m still here. I’ve been very blessed to do what I wanted to do post college; and equally grateful for the surprising challenges and opportunities that have come my way. 2014 marked the start of a long race toward stability with Piccolo Theatre. When the founding executive director resigned, the organization was in a lot of debt, and a lot of mystery as to how it should keep going. Simultaneously, the majority of the board of directors left, we experienced check fraud, and were operating on the hope that the work we did would see us through. And it did – we are part of the 20% of non-profits that have survived a founder transition. In 2016, we made the announcement to leave our long-time home inside the Main Street Metra Station (property owned by Union Pacific Railroad, our lessor) after months of seeking advice from the City of Evanston. The outcome was not at all what we expected, and from March through August of 2016 we continued forward with our programming. We were then told we needed to move 8 months sooner than we were promised, in favor of installing a commercial business into the space. So between September and December of 2016 – the start and middle of our seasonal programming – we began the process of finding a new home while also moving 16 years of work and stuff out of our current one. During this time, the new head of the organization left. Physically, we were self-sufficient; financially we had some eleventh hour saviors; and emotionally/spiritually we never gave up in the face of rumor, gossip, derision, and dismissive opinions. We had already been marketing our programming since March, and had to find new performance locations along with office/rehearsal/storage space. This confused our patrons, and allowed no time for making the process any smoother than it was – adaptation was constant. The election did not help with ticket sales or mood – the adverse “election year effect” left us (as with so many non-profits) with low ticket sales, poor attendance, and an unwillingness to support our mission – to make people laugh.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Piccolo Theatre story. Tell us more about the business.
Piccolo Theatre, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to bring people together for shared experiences in the arts. It produces two streams of programming: Piccolo Theatre Company, explores comedy with 3-4 live theatrical productions a year to audiences of all ages; and Custer Fair, an annual 2-day outdoor art fair connecting 50,000 patrons with 300-350 local and regional artists, crafters, commercial businesses and entertainers – one of the oldest and largest privately-owned festivals in Illinois. We operate with two staff members, independent contractors, and seasonal staff and volunteers, and we have had to survive with autonomy in a community that is always changing. Honestly – the accomplishment of getting through the past 3 years scarred but broken is what I’m most proud of. But the purity of purpose, and the love for what we do and for each other has allowed us to continue – for that, we are excited especially that we are able to continue.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Theatre is an industry that has been overtaken by large-budget immediate gratification productions – highly marketed, big budgets, celebrity appearances, and technological wonders. For the small to mid-sized companies who serve communities/neighborhoods all over, there’s no competition with big business yet absolute competition with each other. If your mission does not serve kids with educational opportunities, then it’s seen as not as important. If you’re not eligible for awards or in a prime location to be reviewed, then you’re dismissed. If you’re not producing work that fits with what’s on television, then you’re considered outdated. But, apart from the ugly realities, the beauty of theatre is that it is constantly changing; and NOTHING gratifies more than live performance, watching it or being in it. I hope the arts survive, along with all entertainment and leisure industry organizations. Though in the face of fear they seem frivolous, they remind us what we’re fighting for and also living for.

Contact Info:

• Address: 939 Hinman Ave.,
  Evanston, IL 60202
• Website: http://www.piccolotheatre.com/
• Phone: 2244202223
• Email: info@piccolotheatre.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/13834966/piccolo-theatre/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PiccoloTheatre/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/piccolotheatre?lang=en
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/custerfair/

Image Credit:
REP3.org

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