12/8/2004 12:07:00 PM Barberio will go to leadership institute
By Suzanne P. Campbell
Reporter
Artistic director Steve Barberio is leaving Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins to take a position with the James P. Shannon Leadership Institute in St. Paul.
“My last official day is Feb. 4,” said Barberio. “That’s opening night for our next production, ‘Jack and Rochelle,’ which I am directing. It’s a world premiere adaptation of a book by Jack and Rochelle’s son about how his parents met and fell in love while fighting in the Polish Resistance Movement during World War II.”
Three years ago, when Barberio was invited to participate in the Shannon Leadership Institute, he had little idea of the impact it would have on himself or the theater he headed.
“This move that I’m making is a direct reflection of my work in the Institute,” he said. “While I was there I sensed that it was time to move on.”
Using techniques he was learning in the year-long program, he began to reorganize, re-invigorate and prepare the company for an orderly succession.
“I think that, in these three years, the artistic quality of our work has taken huge strides,” he said.
Barberio, who has been with the theater company since 1988, doesn’t see his move as an end to this relationship.
For one thing, it’s become a Barberio family project. Of his five children, four have been involved at Stages. Anna, Dan and Emily have appeared in various productions and Alex has served in the light booth for six different plays.
His son Jakob has other interests. “I have no doubt that some of my kids will continue at Stages,” he said. “I also think it’s likely that I will be a part of the company as a resident artist.”
Shannon Leadership Institute
As he did at Stages, Barberio will wear many hats at the Institute.
He anticipates developing a communications plan, doing public relations and fund-raising as well as continuing to lead groups.
The 13-year-old Institute was named for one of its founders, Bishop James P. Shannon, of Wayzata, who died in August of 2003.
The Institute is a program of the Wilder Foundation. Founding Director Ronnie Brooks instituted the program because a group of leaders in the Twin Cities’ philanthropic community saw a need. They believed it would be beneficial for mid-career professionals in non-profit organizations to reflect on their values, their careers and their organizations.
Barberio participated as a group member the first year and then became facilitator of a monthly group the following year.
“The performance of a non-profit is enhanced when it gives its leaders this opportunity,” he said. “If the leaders are stressed out, the organization is diminished. The program invigorates and renews leaders; helps them reflect on their strengths and capabilities.”
Participants are invited to apply. “They essentially tell us why this is a good time for them to participate in the program,” Barberio said. “This year we received 87 applications and, for 2005, we have selected about 64.”
The Institute has two tracks, according to Barberio. One is a monthly program, which primarily serves participants from the Twin Cities area and outstate Minnesota. They meet on a Thursday night and Friday each month for one year. They also have opening and closing retreats.
The second track is open to anyone in the country. Participants come to St. Paul quarterly to participate in three-day retreats. “Three groups are running right now — two quarterly and one monthly,” Barberio said.
“We now have approximately 400 alumni throughout the nation,” he added. “They include people like Ben Cameron, executive director of Theater Communications Group in New York. His organization serves non-profit theaters across the country and he went through the Institute when he worked for the Dayton Hudson Foundation here in the [Twin] Cities. We generally go to the alumni for suggestions about who to recruit for the program.”
It costs $5,000 per participant. Part of Barberio’s job will be to seek funding from corporations and foundations to help those who cannot afford the fee.
What participants can expect
“Each time the group meets, the facilitator has a specific topic to be covered,” Barberio explained. “He or she brings tools that will help the participants look inward at their values, style, preferences, assumptions. For example, every year I offer a session on balance and rhythm. I bring in a Tai Chi specialist on Thursday evening for participants to have a practical way to participate in this process.
“The next day I often bring in Rick Shiomi, from Mu Performing Arts, to teach taiko drumming. The last half of Friday we sit around together and talk about the experience we had with these metaphors.”
He added, “We explore what we can draw from the activities that will help us better understand ourselves and our work.”
The future at Stages
Barberio is upbeat about the future of Stages Theatre Company, which has an annual budget of $1.8 million and an audience of up to 70,000.
Sandy Boren-Barrett, who had been assistant artistic director, has been named interim artistic director. She will head a staff of 19 full-time and 15 part-time employees. “Sandy and I have worked together as colleagues for 15 years,” said Barberio. “This makes for an easy transfer of authority. If she becomes permanent artistic director, the transition will be fairly easy.”
Barberio expressed his gratitude to the community. “I have received tremendous support from this community and those who believe in the mission of Stages Theatre Company,” he said.
