JACKSON, MI – Michigan Theatre employees stand behind Steve Tucker, the dismissed director, Paul Kofflin, facilities manager, said this week and called for the nonprofit theater board to step down.
“I think at this point we rely on the goodwill of the public and our donors in order to stay operating as a nonprofit and as an event center. And right now, they are not doing anything for our public persona,” Kofflin said, standing in the theater lobby.
Donors have said they will withhold or pause pledged donations to the theater in light of turmoil following Tucker’s termination in January and the behavior of the board, which released little explanation of the decision and has not provided details to supporters and employees of its plans moving forward.
Tucker has widely been credited with the theater’s revitalization, and many have called for his reinstatement; a Change.org petition has collected about 2,000 signatures.
Kofflin said he would like to see Tucker, his mentor, return to the theater at least in an advisory role to help with “whatever transition is next.”
The theater employees about six people, most of them part-time. “Our spirits have been down. We’ve been trying to figure out how best to weather this and how to do what’s best for the theater,” he said.
Nan Whitmore, board chair, declined to comment on calls for her resignation.
Efforts to secure comment from other members of the board have been unsuccessful.
Whitmore conceded the staff was alarmed by the board’s decision. “And I don’t blame them.”
“I’m just trying to depend on them for help,” she said. “I can’t run this place on my own, nor would I want to.”
She commended Kofflin and the staff. “They’ve been amazing carrying on despite public opinion. They’re doing a great job.”
Whitmore is acting as the interim executive director, as dictated by board bylaws, since Tucker left.
Losing Tucker has been huge, Kofflin said. “You can’t even calculate it.”
There is much to do. In addition to “basic footwork” and planning, Tucker knows everyone. “If you had to get something done, he’d know the guy or know someone who knows him,” Kofflin said. “So, it just kept everything moving a lot better.”
Kofflin said he has worked for about seven years at the theater. “I saw nothing but devotion to the theater from Steve. I don’t believe there is any wrongdoing on his part.”
Tucker could be a “little chaotic.” Things could get messy, he said, but a small staff has been handling about 300 events a year.
“He had the theater’s best interest at heart, for sure,” said Kofflin, who was provided no more information than the public.
The board distributed a statement earlier this month, reporting board members found it necessary in January to “end Steve’s directorship.” “The Board’s decision was based on governance considerations and alignment with the mission, values, and long-term sustainability of the organization,” the statement read.
The board said it is unable to share more information “out of respect for confidentiality and in compliance with employment and privacy laws,” it continued.
Whitmore clarified Thursday that the board has not accused Tucker of taking money. “That is totally not true,” she said.
Tucker has declined a request for an interview and did not respond to a request this week for comment. He earlier said, in a statement, his termination came amid tensions between management and members of the board.
Kofflin said the decision to fire Tucker shocked staff. It happened a day before a sold-out show, Marshall Charloff and The Purple xPeRIeNCE, a Prince tribute, throwing employees into a big event without Tucker, who typically handled many event responsibilities.
In the weeks since, event attendance, which varies by show, has been down, he said. He is not sure if social media calls for a boycott are sticking. The most devoted supporters are still coming, he said, but the negative press has deterred some.
He said staff is unable to schedule events like it has in the past. The theater has a new bookkeeper and the board has said it wants first to get its books in order, Kofflin said.
“It just feels like we are at a standstill.”
Whitmore noted there are events or shows on the schedule and the theater is moving forward.
“The theater is still here, and it’s more than one person. So, hopefully people will start seeing that in the long run,” she said.
A live theater performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” was canceled and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra moved its March 28 performance to Jackson College’s Potter Center.
Kofflin lamented the loss of the live theater production – “that was a successful thing that we were doing” – and felt the symphony decision was a “huge hit.”
“The Potter Center is a beautiful facility, but having it in downtown was something awesome, and people really filled it up for those events,” he said.
The theater has been working for years to build the relationship with the symphony, he said.
With Tucker at the helm, the aim was maintaining momentum, of finding entertainment that is worthy of the historic, newly restored space, he said. “And now it feels like we are in a rebuilding year as opposed to a building-up year.”
The theater, which has undergone a massive renovation project since the end of a $6.2 million capital campaign, is pushing ahead with remaining work. A crew was at the theater Thursday working on what Kofflin said were VIP boxes.
Kofflin said he has long been involved with the theater, operated since the 1990s by the nonprofit Michigan Theatre of Jackson Inc. He volunteered to help and participated as a child in a Michigan Theatre players group.
Even when the theater was in poor condition, he could see the beauty through the falling plaster and holes.
“Seeing the renovations and being able to be part of it has been huge,” he said.
From the board, he said he would like to see more transparency and forethought.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s a larger plan in motion.”
Tucker did so much for the theater, he said, and Kofflin was devoted to the restoration and pushing the theater forward.
“But then if it can all just be knocked haywire that easily, it’s just, how do we set up the guardrails to keep something like this from happening again?”