The Arkansas Repertory Theatre is forging ahead, even in the wake of the recent death of Cliff Baker, its founder and interim artistic advisor, with plans to announce its 2019 season.
The announcement is planned during a Nov. 13 party at the theater, 601 Main St., Little Rock.
The party also signals a shift in Rep fundraising, which has been in high gear since the theater announced April 24 that a financial crisis was forcing the cancellation of the final 2017-18 production and the suspension of most theater operations.
Board chairman Ruth Shepherd explained that having raised more than $692,000 in gifts and pledges, which are being matched by grants from the John & Robyn Horn Foundation and the Windgate Charitable Foundation, the theater is sufficiently solvent to change the focus of what the board is calling “Our Next Act Campaign” from “Save the Rep” to “Rebuild the Rep.”
“We could not be more grateful, but the crisis is not entirely over just yet,” Shepherd said in a news release. “With the generosity and support of our audiences, we have thankfully saved the theater, but now it’s time for us to transition that same enthusiasm and commitment into efforts to ‘Rebuild the Rep.’”
The theater’s board is still working to raise an additional $1.2 million to allow the theater to “establish operating and facilities reserve funds … while also retiring all remaining property debt [and] raising operating funds for the 2019 season,” Shepherd said.
Meanwhile, at the request of Baker’s husband, Guy Couch, the theater has established the Cliff Fannin Baker Artistic Director’s fund, which would enable the theater “to hire the best artistic directors from throughout the country as guest artists,” according to the release. “All gifts in Baker’s memory will be directed to this fund.” Baker, who founded the Rep in 1976, died Thursday in New York, a week shy of his 71st birthday.
Several area restaurants are donating food and beverages for the Nov. 13 party, which starts at 5:30 p.m.; admission is free but reservations are required — email zrhodes@therep.org.