Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF Editor

Let’s start with work related issues. A few months ago, the Public Theater sent an SOS email to its patrons and to the community, asking for immediate help because it was in danger of having to close for good. How did you recover from that crisis?
We just jumped in head first. We knew we had to get to the phone and call as many people as possible, and bring back people who used to come here before but stopped coming due to COVID and did not return. We lost 70% of our theater audience. We reached out to all of them. ‘Come back, we need to save this organization!” We also called corporations, we did tours of the theater, and dog-and-pony shows when we really did not have a season.  At the same time, we tried to plan some shows to have a product to sell.

When did you get to the point of feeling that you had turned the corner? That the theater would survive?
Probably at the beginning of December (2023) when the Russel Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts offered $100,000 if we could raise a matching amount.  We felt, OK, we can do this! That grant inspired people to double down on their donations.

So, how’s the financial situation now?
We raised over $700,000 since last September. We are continuing our season and working on programming the 2024/25 season. It’s going to be incredible. We’ll have ten shows. Our partnership with the Classic (Theater of San Antonio) gives us more opportunity to please all audiences.

Tell us about that partnership with the Classic. The companies have the same artistic director, same administration…? How do you see the situation developing?
The two will eventually fuse into a single company. Our visions and missions are fairly similar, so if we combine resources, we can produce higher quality theater. One thing that people forget about the arts, is that it is also a business. Combining and sharing forces is the only way to survive. But the Classic will retain its name and brand. The former Cellar Theater is now named, the Classic Theater.

What are your priorities at this point?
Our priorities are: stewardship of donors and season planning, and making sure that we have something for everyone.
How do you choose the season programming?
We have the executive team, which includes the artistic director, Robert “Jimmy” Moore, managing director, Christina Casella, myself and Rick Sanchez, director of marketing and audience experience. There are four of us on that team. It’s a very cooperative process. We all bring different stuff to the table, very different views. Ultimately, we vote. It’s a pretty fair process.

You are an actress. Do you miss being on stage?
I miss the work during rehearsals, I miss the exploration, the researching and developing a play. I don’t miss the performance. For me, as the CEO, every day is a performance! (laughs) As an actress, I have to say that every character lives in you and you have to figure out how to access that.

What were your favorite roles?
I loved playing Lady Macbeth. Also, Hedda Gabler! I also loved doing children’s theater. I played Cinderela; that was a blast!

Your husband, Tony Ciaravino, has been part of the San Antonio thespian scene for years. Is he involved here, at the Public?
He is an extremely talented person. We are always working on projects collaboratively. Wherever I go, he goes, and wherever he goes, I go. He is designing the set for the next production here: “Midsummer Sueno.” (He also teaches at the Keystone School)

Do you have children?
We have three girls. Our oldest is from Tony’s first marriage, Angelika (30), Sophia (23), and Stella (18). They grew up in theaters. They have all performed. Stella may pursue a theater career.

What do you consider the important thing about rearing children?
Honesty, I think. Being honest about life, and about how people feel. Allowing children to be their authentic selves. Listening is very important, too.

What is the best advice you received and from whom?
One of the best I received was from a man named Dan Yoxall. He was my boss at the time at Our Lady of the Lake University. The advice was “Take care of your team,” meaning the people who are working on your team, take care of them first. I’ve tried to do that every place I go. We do our best work with people we care about.

If you were the absolute monarch of San Antonio, what would you want to change or implement in our city?
I would first create public transit. Lack of transportation is a barrier for many people. Public transportation would really help people to get out of the holes they find themselves in. I would also invest in mental health for people. And I would refocus some public money into the arts.