Is it okay to serve on the board of two different community theaters at the same time? What would people hav?

Question

e against it? I'm interested because I want to be involved in theater in our area and help improve the quality of the arts in the area...not limited to doing a great job at just one theater.

Answer 1

If the theaters are in competition with each other than you would have a conflict of interest even though your motives are good.

Answer 2

The question would be one of conflict of interest. That is, you should have no trouble being on the board of a community theater group that caters to all ages, and also to a group that caters to children's theater, for example. That kind of thing is commendable, and would be very rewarding because you'd get to see the little kids you had worked with in grade school as they move up to take on adolescent and finally adult roles (and you must know I don't mean naughty-movie adult roles, I mean Shaw and Albee and Chekhov and that crowd...)

On the other hand, if the founders of the Prineville Community Theater and the Community Theater of Prineville hated each others' guts and said snippy things about each others' groups at city council meetings, it's probably a bad idea to sit on both boards.

And as a community-theater performer, patron, participant and parent, one thing you can do to improve the quality of the arts in your area (and maybe do a little fund-raising at the same time) is to set up workshops for kids. You're seeding the area with potential future talent, but you're also getting the word out to parents and teachers in your community that you're a resource for creativity, education, self-expression and all those other good things that parents want their children to experience. Set up an after-school workshop or two, or a day-camp over summer break. It's a great way for kids to get their first taste of what it's like to have an audience react to what you're doing.