Guest Blogger: Julie Brunzell

Julie Brunzell has served on the staff of the Purple Rose Theatre Company for the past nine years, previously as the company manager and currently as the managing director. She got her start at the PRTC as an apprentice many years ago, and has also worked as a professional stage manager on the Purple Rose Productions' Rain Dance, Orphan Train,  Completing Dahlia and Guys on Ice. She was also on the stage  management team for the Big Pickle, Inc. production of Escanaba in da  Moonlight at the Gem Theatre. She also served as the grant  writer and managing director of the Idlewild Theatre Company's inaugural season in historic Idlewild, Michigan, and has produced productions locally at the Riverside Arts Center and the Performance Network's Treetown Festival. 

Julie holds an M.A. in arts administration from Eastern Michigan University and studied Irish theatre at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. She lives in Canton with her fantastic family: husband Dennis and kids Aidan and Bridget.


How a Theatre Can Set the Stage in a Downtown

When I received the email from Tanya at Concentrate asking me to write a blog about arts organizations and their importance to downtown areas, I was happy to oblige. Since 1991, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, the theatre I work for, has played an important part in the development of the downtown of Chelsea, Michigan. In the 22 seasons the theatre has been open, we have seen a boom of restaurants, stores, and cultural entities sprout up in Chelsea. When I apprenticed at the theatre fifteen years ago, we used to joke about the lack of variety of dining options or stuff to do. Now there is no shortage of options, which is a valuable commodity to a theatre that is a good drive from a large city center. We are only too aware at the theatre of the importance of a strong and eclectic downtown, particularly in order to offer a full entertainment package to our patrons. We are proud to be one of the drivers of the economy in this small city and are grateful for all the other outstanding businesses that make a visit to our theatre a full day's adventure for anyone looking for great food, entertainment, and goods. 

In March of 2010, the PRTC was honored to be a part of the National Endowment for the Arts ARTWORKS Tour.  When Rocco Landesman, then chairman of the NEA, did his site visit, the PRTC hosted a forum where he could meet business members and hear about the impact the theatre had on the local community. Landesman noted in his report that, "Chelsea is a small town; the population's about 4,000 people, yet it has a thriving art scene…this is really a great example of what we mean when we say 'art works'. It can work in small towns as well as well as in big cities." 

In addition to the PRTC, Chelsea is fortunate to have the Chelsea River Gallery, a visual arts gallery that mounts six exhibits a year. The Chelsea Center for the Arts brings music and arts opportunities to its residents in the form of a gallery and lessons. Every summer, The Sounds and Sights festival brings in national music acts and family entertainment on Thursday nights. The Chelsea District Community Library, which was named the "Best Small Library in America" in 2008, has been a valuable partner in showcasing new plays. We were especially thrilled to lend our space for the Midwest Literary Walk's stage reading with Elmore and Peter Leonard. These organizations, in addition to the many great antique stores and restaurants, bring new people into our community while also serving those that live here. About 7% of our patrons are from Chelsea, while the majority of our patrons are from Ann Arbor and western Wayne County. In addition to being business partners, the downtown community of Chelsea has been a great supporter of the theatre, which has been a phenomenal and significant part of the theatre's success.

In an effort to give some statistical facts behind what we see every day in the community of Chelsea, we are participating in an economic impact study with the Americans for the Arts.  It isn't done yet and I can't report on the raw data I've received up until this point, but, just looking through the surveys we receive after each performance, I will say that the majority of people who attend a performance at the PRTC venture out into our community and spend money at local businesses. I then thought about ArtServe's Creative State Michigan report that shows that every $1 spent on the arts in Michigan yields $51 in income, and wondered how anyone can doubt the economic importance of the arts in our society. I count eight professional theatres, three dance companies, 14 museums, and pretty much every city has a symphony orchestra. Add to that the arts offerings at the many universities in our area and you have a slew of options to choose from. Culturesource.org is a great resource for finding cultural organizations in this area. So be sure to remember that, when you attend an arts offering, you are supporting the whole community of that organization!