The Careerist: Imagine you’re a 20-something junior associate on the Habitrail at a big law firm. You’re supposed to feel lucky you’ve got a job at all, yet the hours are killing you. Your college roommate, always the free-spirited one, has just joined a new modern dance company and invites you to its upcoming benefit. You spring for two tickets at $40 apiece. You find your way down to the hovel/dance studio in a downtown neighborhood you rarely get to see. The choreography is beautiful, the people are friendly, and your $80 makes you the company’s largest donor to date.
3 comments:
In Technical Management, we have recently discussed non-profits in detail. We examined mission statements, financial documents, and the types of people that make up non-profit Boards. It was inspiring to read the author's story of how she worked towards getting her dream job. It was also interesting to look at non-profits through a different perspective, particularly the perspective of a Board member who is a lawyer. It makes complete sense that non-profit organizations would want lawyers on their Board of Directors. However, I have never thought about whether having a lawyer on a non-profit Board means that the lawyer is essentially the organization's lawyer. The author of the article describes the clear difference between being on a Board and giving legal advice, and being on a Board and handling the organization's legal issues. This distinction makes me question exactly what certain organization's want and expect from their Board members.
So here is yet another example of the many many jobs in the eclectic theatrical world. While I think alot of the jobs we get have alot to do with who we come across in the business, we are also familiar with who is in the business because we have been in the business. This man came from another profession that happened to be beneficial in the non-profit theatrical world, which just goes to show just how many different skills can be put to use in the theatrical world. I do think alot of what the author had to say about making the distinction between director and lawyer is important. Having one person skip between both duties could be legally messy, though if handled correctly, could be very beneficial.
I'm particularly interested by what the writer says about choosing what you represent on the board and for the company. Instinctively one might think that a lawyer on a non profit's board would be the company's lawyer, but this article obviously disproves that. We spend a lot of time talking about how a production works and the specific functions and interactions of that world, but I wish we would discuss "outside" functions more often. We've been doing some of that in Tech Management, and it's interesting to take into consideration everything that happens outside of a shop, a rehearsal room or a stage.
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