September 17, 2024 • 55 mins
Welcome to "A Matter of Principal" hosted by Vito Quaglia. In this episode, we dive into the vibrant cultural scene of Northeast Pennsylvania with Joelle Yarmel, the Executive Director of the FM Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Join us as Joelle shares her journey from growing up in Duryea to leading one of NEPA's premier cultural and entertainment venues. We explore her unique role, the challenges she's faced, including a devastating flood, and the incredible team that makes it all possible.
Discover the Kirby Center's impactful programs, like the Laux Young People's Theater Series, and how they connect with the community. Joelle also discusses the importance of fundraising and membership in sustaining the center's mission.
Whether you're a local or just curious about nonprofit leadership, this episode offers valuable insights into the dedication and passion required to steer a cultural landmark. Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, my name is Vito Qualia, and this is a matter of principle.
Today's guest is Joelle Yarmel, the Executive Director of the FM Kirby Center
in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Joelle is at the helm of one of NEPA's premier cultural and entertainment venues,
so let's find out about what it's like to steer the ship that is the FM Kirby
Center. So welcome to the podcast, Joelle.
(00:21):
Thank you. Thanks for having me. Well, it's our pleasure.
You know, it's wonderful of you to give some time to talk with us.
And, you know, the podcast is about school sports and leadership and basically anything beyond that.
So a lot of our guests are either live in Northeast PA or work in Northeast
PA or have ties to this part of the state.
And many people are leaders in various aspects of life.
(00:45):
So, you know, you're leading a group of people at a venue in any PA that's kind of unique.
There's not a whole lot of FM Kirby centers around. So you can have a very unique story, I think.
So before we get into too many specific details, why don't you just take a moment
and, you know, have the listeners learn a little bit about your journey,
where it started for you and how you wound up where you're at.
(01:07):
Yeah. So I grew up local. I'm local. I grew up in Duryea. I graduated of Pittston Area High School.
I went to the University of Pittsburgh. And after graduation,
I moved to New York City. I have an aunt that lives there that said,
hey, come and live with me and see, you know, what you think of New York.
And I was there for about six years. I was doing direct marketing in the publishing world.
(01:30):
And I just I just didn't love it. I don't know.
And, you know, when I was in high school, I did a lot of volunteer work.
I was a part of those key clubs and the student council.
And I always liked those kind of extracurricular activities at school and giving back to the community.
And so I actually met with a career coach
(01:51):
in New York and you know they do those tests and you
talk with them and tell them what your interests are and he said
you know I really think you should give a non-profit management a shot so I
actually moved back to the area and I started in the non-profit world at the
Helping Hand Society in Hazleton working with children and again was there for
(02:13):
about six years doing marketing and fundraising.
And then this opportunity for a membership manager position at the FM Kirby
Center came up and the rest is history.
I've been here eight years this month and just instantly really fell in love with.
The entire idea of the nonprofit aspect of it, as far as arts education and
(02:40):
giving back to the community and the work that we do for schools,
which, you know, hopefully we can touch upon a little bit later,
just spreading this arts education throughout the community and the schools.
But then also having, you know, some mainstream headliners downstairs on the
stage is it was just a really, really cool place to be if nonprofit especially
(03:04):
is what you're looking to do.
So I just really, really enjoyed it and fell in love with it pretty quickly.
So, you know, just like anyone, you work hard and opportunity is just kept for me.
And I became director of development here and heading up the fundraising department.
And then in 2022, our executive director at the time was retiring.
(03:27):
And I had just this awesome opportunity to step into this role.
And you introduced me as steering the ship here.
It has been a crazy two years so far. We actually had a pretty devastating flood
last year that, again, I'm happy to talk about further as we get into it.
(03:48):
But it's been a crazy two years, but it's really been wonderful.
And I work with some really awesome and talented people here who make what we do look so easy.
So that's the very long version of how I got to where I am.
Well, actually, it was a pretty quick version. So, no, it wasn't lengthy really at all.
(04:08):
I mean, sometimes when you get asked to talk about yourself,
people are kind of like, oh, what am I supposed to say? But,
no, you kind of led us to where you're at.
And you talked about the people that you work with. So, you know,
for someone who doesn't do what you do, sometimes when you see articles and
you hear a story about the executive director of this nonprofit or that nonprofit.
(04:31):
Sometimes there's not really a disconnect, but some people probably think,
well, what does that mean? What do they really do?
So, you know, you can't be the one who does everything there.
So who are the, what types of people do you have underneath you or with you
on your team that, you know, kind of you delegate to, or they're in charge of
different aspects of what happens at the Kirby Center.
So how large is your team and how many different roles are there?
(04:55):
Explain that to us a little bit.
Yeah. So full-time, we have 15 different people in all different areas.
And then on a show night, there could be upwards of between 50 and 100 people
between some paid part-time front of health staff members,
volunteers that are here helping us, like our ushers, taking people to the seats.
(05:18):
We have a union stage, so we'll have all the stagehands involved.
But on a day-to-day basis, so you see all these shows that are being announced.
We have a program director whose name is AJ Jump.
He just knows music inside and out, and he really knows this community and the
types of performances that he feels will do well in this market.
(05:40):
But it's really a team effort because he'll get these opportunities and then
he'll meet with our director of marketing and our box office director because
we have to be able to market the show and the box office has to be able to sell the tickets.
So there's not one person in this building that can do something alone because
they need each individual part of the organization to go along with it.
(06:05):
We have a tech director that's here that we got to make sure this show can fit
on the stage and that we have the capacity to even put it on.
We have an operations department that, you know, is going to be doing all of
the tech work, the hospitality, setting up the hotel and setting up all the
logistics for everything.
And then, you know, my heart and soul, we have our fundraising team that's led
(06:28):
by our associate director of development.
And so, yeah, there's all these various departments.
And then like any organization, you know, you have a finance
department you have an office manager because with everything that we do you
need to pay the bills right you need to have all the finances in line so everyone
(06:48):
is just they all work so well together and that is the reason that we're so
successful right now we so.
COVID had actually shut us down for 16 months.
And, you know, we were a really small staff during that time.
So when I took over in 2022, there was only about seven or eight of us on staff.
(07:10):
Like I said, now we're up to 15 people. So this past two years,
we filled like six key positions.
So, you know, our programmer, our marketer, our head of operations,
they're all brand new to the the organization.
So this past year, like a year ago today until June, was our first real season
(07:31):
on stage and in the building as this kind of new team that we introduced to the community.
And it was one of the best we've ever seen.
We brought in some new performances.
We had so many new people walking into the building saying, how have I never been here?
How did I not know about out this and what a beautiful facility.
(07:52):
And, you know, we have impeccable maintenance department that just take such pride in this building.
And anytime you were to walk into it, whether it's a show night or otherwise,
it's always kept so clean and so beautiful and so shiny.
So I think everyone just really enjoys what they're doing and they take such pride in it that.
(08:13):
They make it look really easy, but it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work and it's a lot of hours.
These shows are at night, but we all have a day job. So we're all here doing
our administrative work and making deals and talking to people and talking to donors.
And then we have a show that's starting at 7, 8 o'clock on our operations team.
(08:34):
Sometimes they're not leaving until 12, 1, 2 o'clock in the morning.
And we're coming back in at 6 and 7 in the morning to do it all over again.
And when you don't have a huge staff, it's those same people doing it over and over and over again.
So and they do it with a smile. It's it's pretty it's pretty impressive.
(08:54):
And I think it sounds, you know, there's a lot of moving parts and that you
must have a lot of really reliable, talented people on the on the team,
because, like you said, without a huge staff,
you have to really bring people on board that, you know, and they have capacity
to do several things. right?
They're wearing many hats. They're not just sitting there just doing,
(09:15):
you know, pigeonholed into one little role.
You know, you probably have to lean on each other a lot in something like that.
And especially like when you said, you know, sometimes you don't think about that.
You guys work there during the day, you have a day job, but everything that
you do that the public sees is happening after hours, really, if you think about it.
So there's a whole lot going on in that place 24-7.
Now your connection to the community, right? It's kind of twofold.
(09:38):
I mean, you're on the square in downtown Wilkes-Barre, so you have that downtown
feel and the foot traffic of the people that work there and kind of do some things down there.
You have Wilkes and King's Close, things like that, but you're also really a regional venue.
People probably go to different events there from all over, drive-in,
park, things like that. Yeah.
(09:59):
When you reach out and connect to these areas, whether it's the downtown population
or anybody in, you know, NEP and beyond, how do you communicate?
I mean, do you, and we'll talk about your team as well, but are you guys,
you know, sending things out? Are you on the internet a lot using social media?
You know, do you have, through your membership, do you just reach out to the,
(10:21):
you know, to the members more and a kind of, you know, pyramids from there?
So how do you communicate with everybody that kind of uses the Kirby Center?
Yeah. So, again, you know, we hired this director of marketing,
Neil Prisco, just last year, a year and a half ago.
He came to us from WVIA, had 15 years of experience.
So he came to us, you know, seasoned and excited because he really loves everything
(10:46):
within the music world and the arts world.
World so he really he kind of in the interview
alone he impressed me because he you know
it's he did the typical interview stuff right it's like this is
what i can do well and and this is what i could do and then he kind of cut he
looked at me and he's like what do you think about your website and i said well
it's a little antiquated you know we definitely use touch up and he said yeah
(11:11):
and he starts throwing all these ideas at me and so he hit the ground running
once he came in And that is his biggest goal.
And he has definitely achieved it in such a short time of increasing our social media presence.
Of making our website not only user friendly, but just visually stunning and
exciting and motivating, just encouraging rather.
(11:34):
And we have a woman that works in our box office that she's our box office supervisor.
And when we were short-staffed, she started helping us out with some social media posts.
And she was just so good at it. And so we gave her a dual role.
And now working with Neil, and then there's also a marketing associate,
they're just getting so much information out there through our social media,
(11:57):
on Facebook, on Instagram. We're now doing some TikTok.
We have email lists. We have a marketing list that if you go onto our website
and you can subscribe to get information from us, that list just keeps getting
bigger and bigger and bigger every day.
I mean, there's probably about 50,000 or 60,000 email addresses on that.
(12:18):
So once a week, we send out this newsletter with all news, Kirby,
what shows were just recently announced, here are all the shows that are coming
up in the next season, how to get more information on tickets. it.
And also he's just done a really great job of working with our local media.
He's created some great relationships with the local radio stations and television
(12:42):
and newspaper, which we've always had those great relationships.
People love the Kirby. And you talked about our downtown area.
A few years ago, we did an economic impact study where we're bringing in nine
million dollars to this local area annually through our shows.
So, you know, you figure it's not only people coming in from out of town, staying at hotels,
(13:05):
eating in our restaurants, but when there's a big show that's coming here,
they have a crew sometimes of 50 to 100 people that are also walking downtown
or, you know, going across the bridge and getting something to eat in Kingston.
So it's we are we are definitely a gem downtown.
No doubt. And one of the cool things, like when you walk in there,
(13:26):
like I mentioned before we went on air, it's like you're going back in time,
you know, because, you know, it's an old building.
It's well kept. You guys do a great job and just it's immaculate.
But it brings you back to like the classic theaters, you know,
back in the old days when you would go and just the way it's there's a lot of
pride there. You can tell there's pride in how you guys, you know,
keep the building looking and the hospitality there.
(13:50):
Everybody that you interact with is always so friendly.
And it's just a great place for anything, whether you're going there to see,
you know, the Citizen's Voice, you know, scholastic thing.
Or if you're back in the day, a lifetime ago, when I graduated from Bishop Hoban
High School in 1988, we graduated out of the Kirby Center.
So that was a neat, you know, community connection there. And it's just,
(14:11):
there's so many different things that I think you guys keep adding, evolving to.
And with that team, like I keep going back to your team a little bit,
how much do you communicate with them?
I mean, is it something now where you don't sit down weekly or monthly at a
round table, you know, and you see everybody, or do you do a lot of things,
you know, on Zoom or, you know, quick little text group? Like, how do you communicate?
(14:34):
Because I'm sure you guys have to be constantly in contact with each other,
but you're not going to sit down and have these formal meetings.
So how do you, how does your team communicate within its own group?
No, we actually aren't, we definitely do formal meetings. So I meet,
I have about eight direct reports.
So I meet one-on-one with them twice a month, every other week.
(14:56):
The programmer and I meet every week because, I mean, he can get six offers
across his desk in an hour and
he will come into my office six times a day between both of our schedules.
So he and I try to sit down once a week.
Once a week, I get together with our program marketing and box office directors
and make sure that we're all on the same page because a lot of times we'll have
(15:20):
two or three shows announcing in one week.
And so they all need to be on the same page.
And then we do a weekly staff meeting, which is just all of the admin,
aside from our box office representatives, simply because they need to stand by at the box office.
Now, I will say this summer, unlike any other, our stage is dark because it's twofold.
(15:45):
We had scheduled to be dark because we are replacing all of the rooftop units
on our building for the HVAC system.
But in part, we're also renovating and rebuilding the basement from that flood that we had last year.
So right now we have no shows happening from June until mid-September.
So every week I just keep canceling that weekly staff meeting because we're all very close.
(16:10):
We're all no one's working from home. Everybody works in the office.
But when the when the season starts back up, those weekly staff meetings are
really important because our operations team will basically give everybody a rundown for the day.
A lot of the tours, especially, you know, if they're doing some kind of rehearsal,
you know, we might not be allowed through the theater, you know,
(16:32):
between four and five o'clock or something. So that's how we exit the building.
So, you know, you need different instruction.
But yeah, we have to have those meetings because otherwise it's the only way to stay on the same page.
And I really feel like last year went so well.
And it's actually been part of the culture. So, I've been here eight years.
(16:53):
I was under the direction of a couple of other executive directors,
and that's been the way that we've always done it.
And I think you don't mess with something that's working well, right? Absolutely.
And that's whatever works for the organization.
Every culture is different. Every group of people are different.
And, you know, the key thing is, you know, that consistent communication,
(17:14):
regardless of the vehicle that you use.
But, again, you have so many moving parts that if you're not in constant contact
or you're not, everybody's on the same page, you can really go sideways quickly.
Now, you took over that leadership role, that executive director position a couple of years ago.
And in the middle, before you could really, you know, say, get on the job there
for two, three, four years and feel good about all the things you're doing, you have the what? what.
(17:37):
Now, nothing will either tell you you're in the right job or in the wrong job,
you know, more than a crisis like that.
So, and I'm sure in all the things you did leading up to that,
you didn't really take a course on how to be in charge of an organization when
a flood hits it. So, what was that like?
I mean, tell us a little bit about, you know, when it happened and then how
(18:00):
you kind of said, okay, like, how did you assess what the next steps were and
how did you put things into place.
So explain going through that kind of natural catastrophe, you know,
what it did to your organization. Oh, my goodness.
So it happened, you know, very early in the morning on October 10th.
And I happened to be in Nashville at a booking conference with our program director.
(18:24):
And we were not, we were scheduled to come home the next day.
And I got the call like three in the morning, Nashville time.
So I actually, once I saw a picture of how bad it was, I immediately changed
my flight and came home that day and got home as quickly as I could.
I mean, there was six feet of water in over 11,000 square feet in our basement.
(18:48):
So that's a half a million gallons of water. It was, I mean,
everything, you know, to say everything was ruined is just a silly point.
I mean, you know, you look at elevators, our dressing rooms that had just been built.
We actually just had redone our dressing rooms in 2019, so they were barely used.
(19:10):
The, the, the lights that are on our stage are controlled by what's called a
dimmer rack, which was a quarter of a million dollar system.
So, I mean, at the end of the day, you know, it was upwards of a $4 million insurance claim.
So, you know, I don't, I don't realize all of that in the moment as I'm flying home.
And, you know, it's one of those things, like we had Frankie Valley up that
(19:31):
week that was supposed to happen that Friday.
And I mean, I'm calling these guys that I work with and I'm like, what do we think?
Do we think we can do Frankie Valley on Friday? day, they're like,
you know, I, the water's not even out of the building, right?
They're like, I don't know. I don't know.
And when you walk through it, it was, it was emotional.
So I think the timing of it, as far as, you know, I went, I got into the building
(19:53):
around five or six o'clock that evening.
And that evening just gave me that minute to just realize the monster, just how huge this was.
And then the next day it's, it was one of those things you just,
you have to survive it, Right.
So like we we had, you know, we had a cleanup crew, we had electricians,
(20:15):
we had firefighters, like all these people and looking at me basically saying,
oh, what do you want us to do?
I have absolutely no idea. I don't know where to start.
And then, you know, you just have these wonderful resources of really smart
people that do this a little bit more often than we do saying,
(20:35):
well, we could start here. or we could start there.
And then, you know, I just kind of leaned into that a little bit.
And then very quickly, you know, we were able to make some really good, fast decisions.
We have really supportive board of directors. And so with that board of directors
is an executive committee.
So I quickly got on a Zoom meeting with them and got them up to date on where we were.
(20:59):
And, you know, they were just a great resource for me to say,
hey, am I forgetting something huge just because I'm not seeing it,
you know, and just having them in my corner to say,
you know, did you do this? Did you do that?
And, and, you know, we have a, there's this man named Brent Berger, who is from Quad 3.
(21:19):
And he was a chairman here on the board. He's our ex-officio.
And he was actually one of the first people in the building that day.
And he has just been an excellent resource for us, just asking questions.
And, but, you know, it's one of those things where when when you're pushed into
it and then, you know, you see another gender,
(21:40):
for example, men actually, you know, respecting me, knowing that I know nothing
about what I'm talking about and kind of.
You know, asking my approval for things and asking for my advice on things.
And then all of a sudden, my answers are sounding pretty smart,
even though I have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to this building.
(22:00):
And I was like, hey, I'm kind of catching on. And then, you know,
my confidence grew a little bit.
And it was really just keeping my eyes open, keeping my ears open,
And then just really making the best educated guess I could for a lot of it.
And it all turned out great. I mean, this team, like I said earlier,
(22:23):
we joke around when you said about steering the ship.
This team has just been amazing getting through this crisis.
They worked extremely long hours.
I mean, that first few weeks we were here, late nights, on weekends.
It only took us 14 days to get back on stage with a full show,
which is, if you walked through this, I mean, the flood was on a Tuesday.
(22:46):
We didn't have power in the building until the following Tuesday.
And then the Tuesday after that was our full stage, first full stage show.
So it was like one of those things, you know, like, you know,
you don't want to go to the gym and then you go to the gym and you feel really good about yourself.
Like that show, we all just stood back and we're like, it was worth every bit
(23:08):
of that really hard two weeks.
But every day after that has been equally as challenging.
You know, it's still not put back together. We have contractors down there every
day. And so what has happened since then is, okay, so this building was built,
you know, gosh, what, 1938?
You know, it's been renovated certainly a few times since then,
(23:30):
but there are things that if we could have changed them, we would want more
offices downstairs, right?
We would want the bar that's down there to work better for our members and for
our guests. If we could add more bathrooms, man, that would be huge.
But we don't have the time. We don't have the resources.
Well, here we are. Everything is down to the studs. So we had to make those
(23:52):
quick decisions and those quick investments in this building and say,
let's rebuild for the next 50 years. And so we were lucky enough to be able
to make some of those changes.
And this community and, you know, the members that are a part of the Kirby Center,
I sent them out a letter letting them know the state of what we were in and what was going on.
(24:15):
And they supported us financially, which was it was heartwarming, but it was necessary.
And we were just so grateful for their support.
So our big opening is in September.
Fingers crossed. Who's the show after the big opening?
Who's going to be that person that gets to be the one to celebrate everything?
(24:37):
Well, it was Pete Davidson. That show is no longer happening.
And so now it's called Canceled Podcast.
Okay. And I've been wanting to do a podcast on our stage. So I was really excited
that AJ was able to work this one out.
But interestingly enough, it's almost sold out. The community.
(24:58):
Responded really well to it. Yeah, so we're really excited for that.
That's going to be on September 18th.
Well, then that's a goal for me, to get the A Matter of Principle podcast to
be on the stage at the Kirby someday. That would be something.
All you got to do is give me a call. There you go. I know some people right
now. My people will talk to your people.
So you have a little, you know, you and your team have some Josh Shapiro in
(25:23):
you, like getting stuff done.
Done, you know, you know, like I-95 falls apart there and, and,
you know, he and his team, they, they got that back together because they knew
how important that artery was for transportation and what not.
And you guys, I didn't realize that you guys were back up and running,
you know, that put something out there within two weeks like that. That's incredible.
And like you said, sometimes going through adversity like that is the best teacher
(25:48):
because you have to do something.
You don't, you're never really going to practice to do that.
You never want to anticipate something like that happening. But guess what? It happened.
And you got to figure something out. Everyone's looking at you.
I could just imagine, you know, when you're saying that, I could see you're
standing there and all these guys are looking at you like, all right,
boss, what's next? And you kind of just figure it out.
Yeah. And again, like there's no electricity in the building.
(26:09):
So we have doors open to let lights in. We all have sweatshirts on.
Everything is drenched and we're up at the theater where it's drier and like hard hats.
Like, I mean, this is a construction zone and they're looking at me like where
do we start and I was like oh I.
But again, it was a real partnership, but there was a lot of respect involved.
(26:31):
It is probably one of my proudest moments of my career, and that is only because
of the people that I was working with.
They trusted me, and I trusted them, and we were all in a whole area we had
just never imagined being in.
It was pretty incredible. Going through something like that definitely is going to change you.
(26:54):
It's going to help develop your whatever leadership skills you had are definitely
going to be changed after something like that.
So how would you describe the kind of leader you are? What is your leadership style?
So, I don't necessarily think I have a quote-unquote leadership style.
What I've noticed with myself is I tend to be different with each person I work
(27:18):
with, depending on what their character is like and what their work ethic is like.
Like, so I think, I mean, I think if I had to have one, it would just be,
it's, it's really based on, it's transparent.
You know, I'm, I'm always trying to just be honest with them.
I talk to them the way I would want to be spoken to.
(27:39):
You know, I, I will always give respect and I'll always lean into their expertise.
You know, like I said, we have a programmer and a marketer and they're,
they're also really really good at what they do and they've been doing it longer than me.
But, you know, I'll always say to them, well, here are my thoughts.
(27:59):
You know, what do you think of them?
Right. And if they don't think they're right and unless it needs to be done,
OK, then let's go another way.
But, you know, a lot of times, you know, we'll meet in the middle and always
getting things done. So as long as.
As long as the team is thriving and moving forward and doing it in a way that
(28:22):
makes us all happy, I mean, I'm good, right?
I mean, you can't really ask for much more than that.
We are pushing the boundaries. Our numbers were better this past year than ever,
again, with this crisis that we had on hand.
So I think we've all proved that we can get this done. And I'm basically,
(28:43):
I tell them all the time, I'm just here to help you get your job done because
you're all really good at what you do.
So I just want to be the resource here that keeps us all together and that helps
get you forward and helps open these doors for you that, you know, maybe I can help push.
It sounds like, you know, you subscribe to that more of a facilitator rather
(29:07):
than a top-down manager, you know, in the way you go about stuff.
And in the world of education, you know, it would point towards,
you know, differentiated instruction where you try to reach every student where they're at.
And, you know, in the land of coaching, it's, you know, knowing which athlete
to push and which athlete maybe to, you know, coddle a little bit, things like that.
You have to kind of know your personality you're dealing with.
(29:28):
So that that's kind of what you're using, you know, some of the same things
and concepts and strategies that we talk to other, you know, leaders about.
And it's just so funny. Every it seems like everyone we bring on the show and
doesn't matter if they're in the business community or education or if they're
an elected official, they own their own business, whatever it is.
There's so many similarities. And it all comes down to basically the relationships
(29:50):
that you have with your team, you know, and the team of people you're working with.
And and the way that you kind of like you're you're more of like a person i used to know.
Back in the the old days when i was teaching up in
the polka and i was used to say you want to be the the guide on the side not
the sage on the stage you know sometimes people think that if you're the quote-unquote
leader you have to be out in front all the time and you have to have all these
(30:12):
speeches ready to motivate all your people but it seems like the more successful
ones are the ones that are just there doing what's necessary and changing up
it's really comes down to instinct Right.
Like you have to know when to be when you rely on those people and say,
hey, what do you think about this?
When you read the room and you can tell like that, that's probably not a good idea.
And but you kind of like you respect
(30:34):
each other and you kind of go in that direction. So that's pretty cool.
Now. Yeah. A question that I have when it when it comes to what you do,
do you is there like, you know, a secret society of executive directors of places
like the Kirby Center where you guys have a little network you talk or or do you.
You know, because I'm sure so many communities have a Kirby Center,
(30:55):
you know, the different thing, but something similar.
Is there communication between all the people with those similar jobs or does that not exist?
So, yes and yes. Well, yes. So, yes.
There is, so you know the arena up in Wilkes-Barre and they're run by this company called ASM.
(31:16):
We have a nice partnership with them and they facilitate different meetings
with general managers of organizations like this.
The unique part for me is that the majority of them are programmers.
They're bookers where I am a fundraiser. And as a nonprofit,
(31:38):
you know, it certainly makes sense for our organization to have someone like me in this capacity.
But there are not a lot of me's elsewhere.
Does that make sense? Yeah. So, you know, those meetings where typically I would
sit in makes a little bit more sense for our booker to sit in because they're
mainly talking programming.
(31:59):
They're not really talking a ton
of operations and of overall market and marketing and things like that.
But I think there are enough people that have done this job before me that,
you know, I'm friends with that, you know, were mentors of mine that I can always
lean on. And I certainly have.
(32:21):
So I think I've created my own little circle, but yeah, it's not something you're
not, I'm not going to meet a lot of me's in the world.
Yeah. And that's, and it's kind of, you know, there's, there's pros and cons with that, right?
There's, you're not going to have that natural, like safety net of a whole bunch
of people that know what you do,
but at the same time, it's kind of freeing and you
(32:43):
know you can be innovative because you're really you know
carving your own path because there's not a lot of you out there
you know so that's that's kind of really cool now you brought up mentors so
are there who would be the people that you would say have been the biggest influences
or you know had the biggest impact on you whether it's growing up or you know
where you are professionally like people that you know really made a difference to you,
(33:07):
Yeah. I mean, I think that this is probably such a cliche answer, but it's very truthful.
I would say my parents, just because they have been there every step of the
way for me, they've given me opportunities to fail without knowing it wasn't the end all for me.
I've been able to take risks because I knew that I could always go home to mom and dad.
(33:29):
I was very fortunate in that sense. and also in everything that I do,
I try to make them proud, which makes me try to always do my best.
But as far as professional mentors, I think I have so many different mentors
depending on where I am in my life.
(33:51):
Again, there have been a few that have worked here before me.
Will Beekman was the executive director here, and he had hired me in 2016.
I mean, he's a huge, huge part of where I am today.
Lauren Plesky-McLean was also in this position and was another person that,
you know, personally and professionally, I wouldn't be where I am without her. She's been awesome.
(34:15):
And then again, like I said, as seasons changed, you know, with everything that
I've been dealing with since I took over as executive director,
Brent Berger has just been just my biggest cheerleader in the corner and just
the best resource for me when it came to.
He's an engineer, so he knows everything about this building,
but then, you know, he also runs his own company.
(34:37):
So, you know, we could be sitting here talking about this huge obstacle I have
in regards to the building, but then I could also kind of bounce some personnel issues off of him.
And, you know, he just, I think those kind of people that make you feel like
they understand where you are, but also make you feel good about the decisions you're making.
(34:58):
I mean, there's just, I don't even know if mentor is the right word,
but I've had some really incredible people that have always,
always helped me along to get me to where I am today.
And that, that's, that's the best gift, I think.
Well, yeah, having that network of support, you know, is very important,
you know, and it's almost like you said, it, it kind of changes based based
(35:21):
on the need you have and where you're at at the time.
So you have that ever evolving kind of support is it's, it helps you along the
way because so many of the things that happen now in 2024 are so different than
even five years ago, definitely, you know, before COVID every business is different.
Every interaction, you know, between, you know, the people who are working versus
(35:42):
the people who are, you know, whether it's, you know, dealing with the services
provided or the products that are manufactured or just the daily interaction.
If you're in a school or something, it's completely different.
And, and, you know, that word school, you talked about that briefly previously,
but what are the types of connections or programming or anything that you guys
(36:02):
do with, with the schools and with the young people in the area?
Yeah. So as a fundraiser, this program that I'm going to talk about is actually
the reason that I wanted to come and work at the FM Kirby Center.
It's called the Lox Young People's Theater Series.
And so it's five stage shows throughout the school year.
They're usually around like 10 or 11 a.m. And they're completely free of charge.
(36:26):
So the school districts will bus the kids here. They sit for the hour and watch
the show, which is an educational and entertaining show.
So all you hear is either a pin drop if the kids are really paying attention
or just laughing their heads off if it's a funny performance.
They're so engaged and they are so focused and so entertained.
(36:48):
And then when they go back to the classroom, there's a study guide that is provided
by us that goes along with the show that they saw so that they can incorporate
that into their curriculum.
And so, like I said, we do five of those shows a year. they're usually at max
capacity with a waiting list.
We've announced our five shows for this upcoming year and it's just an awesome program.
(37:13):
You know you see these and they're they're targeted towards different age grades
so like we'll let them know this is more like kindergarten third grade where
this one may be geared towards a high school age and the schools all take advantage of it.
We have all the local schools in the area that attend and it's just an awesome
But it is 100 percent underwritten by the Kirby Center.
(37:34):
So that's where, you know, our fundraising efforts really kick in and our Kirby
members and our donors are all backing that program.
That's awesome. How long have they been doing that?
Oh, my gosh. I'm going to say 20. And I could be, I could be,
like, it could be longer than that.
(37:55):
I actually just don't know the number off the top of my head. But I would say about 20.
It's established. It's been there and district, like you said,
with the waiting list and whatnot, you know, district's not what's happening.
It was established and it was $8 a ticket and it used to do really well.
But, you know, you being in education can probably speak to this better than I can.
But, you know, what we saw here as an organization, you know, in 2013,
(38:20):
14, 15 was as arts and education were being cut from a lot of these school districts,
the schools weren't, they couldn't get their kids here.
You know, they couldn't afford the ticket on top of then having to do all the
logistics with the buses.
So we went from a full house with these shows to maybe two or three hundred kids.
(38:40):
So we actually had a donor step up and say, hey, look, you know,
we we need to bring this program back.
We need these kids. They cannot miss out on this. If not us, then who?
And they generously and anonymously paid for the entire program that year to
test it out to see, hey, let's see if we can help these schools out and,
you know, not charge them. Let's see what it does.
(39:02):
And right back up to a full house.
So ever since then, that is what we do is we we get local foundations and members
and local donors to help us underwrite this program.
Well, and that's awesome because one of the things, you know,
I have been in education for over three decades and I don't know a lot about a lot of things.
(39:23):
But one thing I do know for sure is in the school communities up and down,
you know, Luzerne and Lackawanna County, the haves and the have-nots are getting
further and further apart.
I mean, there are so many people that need so many things.
I mean, there's, you know, there's kids that come to the schools that have everything.
You know, they have a stable environment at home. They have all the resources.
(39:44):
You know, they don't have to worry about where their meals are coming from.
And then there's so many other young people that don't have most of that.
And I think every school district up and down, you know, the Northeast corridor has that.
So, I mean, you might not realize it, but when you do things like that,
that might be the first time some of those students have been in a building
like that to see a performance, you know, and get that kind of cultural awareness of what's going on.
(40:07):
And so those little things, and you never know what kind of spark you're going to ignite,
and that person might want to do that or, you know, write a play or get involved
in the, you know, the front of house or, you know, what it takes to produce
or, you know, work the lights in the theater, anything.
But those opportunities are really priceless. So, you know, to me,
(40:28):
that's probably the coolest thing you've said so far, like the giving back to
the communities, especially the school-age kids. That's wonderful. Yeah.
No, it is by far the thing that makes us all smile the most.
And actually, Hazleton School District last year, one of the teachers,
their entire classroom made us individual, beautiful, handmade thank you cards.
(40:50):
And when I tell you, I would say half of our staff, men included,
had tears in their eyes when they looked at these.
And it was like, this is why we do what we do. We love it.
Every staff member loves to go downstairs and watch these kids run in the building
because, Because like you said, they're walking through and just as an adult,
when you walk in and you see the beauty, these kids are walking in and they're just so blown away.
(41:12):
It's almost kind of like a Disney face, you know, like, wow, how beautiful.
So it definitely makes us the happiest. And then, you know,
we will have some shows sometimes where if it's a show that we're presenting
on our own and we have the opportunity to give some tickets away like a day
before because it didn't sell out, you know, we'll go to our local YMCA.
(41:33):
We'll go to some local nonprofits and we'll say, hey, you know,
do you have some families?
We have like about 100 tickets we can give out.
And again, you know, you see those kids come running through and it's definitely
the best part of what we do here.
Now, when you talked about, you know, leading in a time of crisis,
of going through something that was really difficult, what would you say?
(41:56):
Aside from that, take the flooding out, what would you say is another challenge
that comes with being the executive director of the Kirby Center?
What are some of the things, whether it's just trying to have a strategic plan
on where you're going to take the organization in the future or day-to-day things
that are always on your plate, what are some of the challenges that you deal with regularly?
(42:21):
Yeah, so I'm looking forward to realizing them this year because this past year
was really consumed by the flood and figuring out my time management.
You know, again, I'm a fundraiser by trade. And again, we just did such a wonderful
job last year of getting our message out and raising the needed funds for this next season.
(42:41):
But, you know, I miss doing my day-to-day fundraising work. And I haven't,
I really haven't had the time to focus on that with the fundraising team we have here in place.
So that's one of my goals for this year, because I did struggle with my time
management last year of just running from meeting to meeting,
because even though we had all of that flood stuff going on,
(43:03):
I still wanted to meet with everybody individually.
Individually so I would say probably even
flood taking the flood out of the
picture I think time management is is a struggle because
each person just does so much here that I could spend two or three hours a day
with each person working on whatever you know kind of planning out the future
(43:24):
with them but then it's like oh okay well then I need to go and have a meeting
with this person because we can't execute that without them, right?
So it's like sometimes I want to do more than I can at the moment.
So I think it's also just realizing some limitations and realizing that I'm not going anywhere.
(43:45):
So I've got a few years. I've got a lot of time to add some new flair and to
offer even more programs into our community.
I don't have to do it all at once. so I think
that is a little bit of a challenge for me
because I get so excited and I want to do everything
(44:05):
really fast with this awesome team we have so I think it's just also prioritizing
you know what what makes the most sense for this season and and like you said
kind of coming up with that five-year strategic plan of okay we'll roll this
out in maybe 2026 even though we want
to do it this season well then
(44:26):
what would be to to be more positive what would
be something that is you know like really cool about your job on a daily basis
you know i know you talked we you know we talked about you know that the the
program with you know bring the students and things like that but on it like
when you go to work every day and deal with stuff what's one of the really cool
things you get to do that other people who don't do what you do wouldn't have that opportunity to do.
(44:47):
Hmm. Well, on a normal day for us could be a show day.
So, you know, just all the hustle and bustle that's going on downstairs.
So, you know, where our offices are right above the marquee of the Kirby Center.
So just walking downstairs and inside the theater, you know,
you have all of the music crews like setting up all the speakers.
(45:09):
So, you know, to hear everything for the night and, you know,
you'll hear them warming up if it's music or, you know, rehearsing if it's a
dance show or something, you know, going stand.
So you walk through like, so every, do you go to pretty much every,
every production, every event that's there?
The majority, the majority. And so there are definitely some that I miss.
I see, now this is just me being goofy,
(45:32):
but I see it like you walk in, you know, through the side door and you do that
whole, like Henry Hill in Goodfellas where he walks in and goes through the
kitchen and goes through and walks through and says hi to everybody and then
goes down in front and he has the front row seat when Henny Youngman comes out.
I mean, so you, you get to interact with everything that goes on.
So you're tech, like you're in show business, you know what I mean?
(45:52):
For lack of a better term.
So you, you really, you know, oversee everything that happens.
You interact with all the nuts and bolts and all the moving parts of,
of everything that goes on there.
So, I mean, that's really, you probably don't see, cause you're so close to it.
You don't see like all the things that you get to do that none of us who are
in that, you know, in that field would ever imagine.
(46:14):
Like if one person fall shadowed you for a day, they'd probably be blown away
with, oh my God, you know, and then you're probably like, well,
yeah, I get it, but I have to make sure this gets done.
And I, so it's, it's kind of, I'm looking at laughing like, oh my God,
I can't believe the thing, the people that you interact with and the people
in your Rolodex who you could probably talk to is probably, you know, mind blowing.
Yeah. And I mean, to be honest, I actually never take it for granted.
(46:37):
So I think I would, you know, if I were to have someone shadow me and they'd
say, oh, my God, that's so cool.
I'd be like, I know this is like it would make me nervous. Right.
Like there are actually there'll be some stars here sometimes where,
you know, our operations team
are back there with them all day long and they're like, go back, say hi.
And I'm like, I just don't want to bother them. You know, I don't want to.
(46:58):
So sometimes I actually choose to just. But you could. Let them do their – But you – that's what I mean.
You could walk in and, like, if you were a person who had this huge – you'd
be like, well, excuse me. Do you know who I am? I'm the executive director of this place.
You know what I mean? Like, you could really, like, big-time everybody.
And honestly, no one would blame you. But I don't – I mean, but knowing your
family, knowing how you were brought up and stuff like that,
that's not the kind of person you are.
(47:19):
But I'm just thinking about, like, some people would just kind of,
like, force their way in, you know, and bother people and stuff,
you know, just to be funny about it. But –.
But I mean, it's really I'm going to try to do that a little bit more this year,
because, you know, this is going to be my third season.
So maybe I'm getting a little bit more comfortable now.
But there are definitely some some acts that I love, like Kevin James was one
(47:41):
of the first first comedians here after I had taken over.
And oh, man, all I wanted to do was meet him. But again, you know,
you don't want to be a bother.
You don't want them to frown upon the Kirby Center because the executive director
is running down to get a picture taken with them. But I thought, you know what?
It's worth it for Kevin James. And I and man, he was such a nice guy,
such a nice guy. So that was that was for me.
(48:02):
Well, and and I think hopefully, you know, people listening to this understand
that for anybody who goes there and,
you know, sees a show or whatever performance or anything that they're involved
in to realize how much, you know, the fundraising and the membership drive and what is so important,
because without all that on the backside, none of those shows happen.
(48:22):
Right. None of those events get put on. You know, and that's one of the things
that, you know, we'll throw out there is like, if somebody's listening to this
and they're not a member or they're not, you know, they haven't been,
what are ways that just like,
what's the website or what are ways that they can contribute or get involved,
you know, get involved in helping put on shows?
Yeah. So go to our website. It's kirbycenter.org, O-R-G, and you'll find everything
(48:46):
there. You'll find every event that we've announced so far.
You'll find out our membership. So our membership is, it's where we get our
donations. It's where our fundraising campaigns live.
But what people get, there's so many benefits to the membership that for one
full year after you purchase, you're entitled to purchase two pre-sale tickets
to every one of our events.
(49:07):
So when our shows announce, well, I shouldn't say every single one.
Sometimes there'll be one or two sticklers. But typically when we announce a
show, we'll announce it on a Monday or Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday is only open sales for our members.
And they call the box office and the box office help there. And our box office,
it's so rare for us to have one.
(49:29):
So you really have that customer service, that person helping you on the other
end to where you want to sit.
They process your tickets for you. And then it goes on public sale on Friday.
So definitely become a member. And the other great thing, Vito,
that these members help us do is we have this other program called the Signature
Series, where it's more like we're doing a National Geographic Live Earth After Dark this year.
(49:53):
So they're educational. There's family ones. We're doing this acrobat performance.
Those tickets are only $25, but we're spending a really good chunk of money on those shows.
So we're underwriting them as well.
We're always going to put those shows on and expect to lose money.
But those are the types of shows that we bring the arts to the community,
(50:16):
but this is our way to say to the community, hey, this is super affordable.
Come in. Come and see this show. Bring your family a four. Be able to have a good night.
So all of those membership dollars goes towards programs like that.
And then we have great sponsorships, too. Well, one of the programs,
you know, at one time I went to, I think, Leadership Wilkes-Barre.
(50:38):
It might have been called at the time. It wasn't even Leadership Northeast.
One group there did a fundraiser for the community project they were doing,
and they had the Godfather there.
And they're a little group dressed in gangster stuff and whatnot.
You know, to see the Godfather on the big screen in there was really cool.
You know, my wife and I have gone to see some of the, you know,
like when Harry Met Sally was there.
(50:59):
And some other older movies, but to see a classic film in a classic theater
for a reasonable price, and again, like you're going back in time a little bit
to what it was like to go to the movies back in the day, that's cool.
And to have that venue here in Northeast PA where there's restaurants and there's
other things to do in and around downtown Wilkes-Barre, it's like you said before
(51:21):
at the lead-off, it's a gem.
I mean, it's something that not every community has. we
do and you know and it's it's something that
keeps thriving so you know the community must really like what's going on
so it sometimes you take you take for granted
that we have a kirby center we have an arena and we
have a place where you can go see triple a baseball and you
can see hockey and you can go skiing there's you know there's so many things
(51:44):
right here and you know i think what we all need to do is take advantage of
them right and and make sure that that old narrative of there's nothing to do
in northeastern pennsylvania kind of goes away way because it might have been
true at one time, but I don't really think it's true today.
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. We are always here.
And this summer being dark is so tough for us.
(52:06):
And those classic movies that you had mentioned, we do those during the summer.
We do them all year as well, but we're missing them this summer.
The nice cool place for people to come during the day and in the evening to see these movies.
We always do the Curtis Mons film series as well, which is like our form film series.
And I know a lot of our donors are missing that this summer,
but we will be back with those. It's a beautiful place to see a movie.
(52:30):
So you'll be, so you're back, you'll be back to everything being situation normal in September.
Is that what you're saying? Is that the promise you're throwing out? Yeah.
That is, that is my hope. But yes, not number 18.
I mean, you know, again, it's their contractors, right?
I mean, human error can happen. A carpet might not come in. You just never know.
(52:53):
But the plan with all of them is September 18th is our first show.
And that is the... We'll have the basement back open. We'll have the restrooms
that are available again.
I mean, we have 1,832 seats here.
So when our downstairs was unavailable last year, we lost a whole set of men's
and women's bathrooms, which,
(53:14):
Sounds kind of silly, but man, that's a big deal when you're in a big entertainment
venue like that because there was just the one set upstairs.
So the community was really patient and really understanding.
But I think this season is just going to run so much smoother.
And we've actually done some other surprise renovations that we're really excited,
(53:35):
especially to showcase to our members.
Members because before the flood, we had put together a member survey,
sending it out to our members saying, hey, you know, you've supported us all these years.
What do you love most about the Kirby? What is frustrating?
What would you like to see us do better?
And we've taken some of their suggestions and we've added a few fun amenities
(53:56):
that I'm excited to show off in the fall. Excellent. That's really cool to hear.
Now, listen, you had, you know, I think this was a unique conversation because
I haven't really talked to anyone who does what you do.
But like you told us, there's not a lot of people that do what you do.
So I think, you know, for those listening to this, they got a real,
you know, crash course on what it takes to, you know, be an executive director in a nonprofit,
(54:21):
but specifically something like the Kirby Center and all the ins and outs that
go on with, you know, promoting shows and making sure that, But,
you know, if a flood happens, what you do, things like that.
So I think, you know, you've been doing a great job.
You haven't been there, you know, at the helm steering the ship for all too long.
But you've persevered through some actual adversity that most people don't have to deal with.
(54:46):
So, you know, we wish you continued success. It's an opportunity,
you know, for this community to take advantage of a great resource. horse.
It's a fact that, you know, that you guys take so much pride in giving back
to the community and building those bonds between, you know,
the school age kids, but even, you know, the people who are 102 years old take
advantage of what goes on there. So it's really a cultural gem.
(55:08):
And I'd like to say, you know, thank you for all you do. And we look forward
to all these new things happening and where you're going to take the Kirby Center in the future.
So thank you for giving some time to us.
We'd like to invite you to come back, you know, down the road.
And so we could find out what the opening was like and all the new programs
are going to be happening there in the future.
So if you wouldn't mind, I'll put you on the short list to come back in the
(55:30):
future. Is that good with you?
Oh, I'd love that. And thank you. Thanks for putting us on this podcast.
I'll talk Kirby any day. So we appreciate you thinking of us. No, absolutely.
So thank you again. That was the Executive Director of the Kirby Center,
Joelle Yarmel, who is born and raised based here and born and raised in Northeast
(55:51):
PA and is really in a unique situation to realize some really cool things for
the people in this community. So thanks again.
Hello, my name is Vito Qualia, and this is a matter of principle.
Today's guest is Joelle Yarmel, the Executive Director of the FM Kirby Center
in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Joelle is at the helm of one of NEPA's premier cultural and entertainment venues,
so let's find out about what it's like to steer the ship that is the FM Kirby
Center. So welcome to the podcast, Joelle.
(00:21):
Thank you. Thanks for having me. Well, it's our pleasure.
You know, it's wonderful of you to give some time to talk with us.
And, you know, the podcast is about school sports and leadership and basically anything beyond that.
So a lot of our guests are either live in Northeast PA or work in Northeast
PA or have ties to this part of the state.
And many people are leaders in various aspects of life.
(00:45):
So, you know, you're leading a group of people at a venue in any PA that's kind of unique.
There's not a whole lot of FM Kirby centers around. So you can have a very unique story, I think.
So before we get into too many specific details, why don't you just take a moment
and, you know, have the listeners learn a little bit about your journey,
where it started for you and how you wound up where you're at.
(01:07):
Yeah. So I grew up local. I'm local. I grew up in Duryea. I graduated of Pittston Area High School.
I went to the University of Pittsburgh. And after graduation,
I moved to New York City. I have an aunt that lives there that said,
hey, come and live with me and see, you know, what you think of New York.
And I was there for about six years. I was doing direct marketing in the publishing world.
(01:30):
And I just I just didn't love it. I don't know.
And, you know, when I was in high school, I did a lot of volunteer work.
I was a part of those key clubs and the student council.
And I always liked those kind of extracurricular activities at school and giving back to the community.
And so I actually met with a career coach
(01:51):
in New York and you know they do those tests and you
talk with them and tell them what your interests are and he said
you know I really think you should give a non-profit management a shot so I
actually moved back to the area and I started in the non-profit world at the
Helping Hand Society in Hazleton working with children and again was there for
(02:13):
about six years doing marketing and fundraising.
And then this opportunity for a membership manager position at the FM Kirby
Center came up and the rest is history.
I've been here eight years this month and just instantly really fell in love with.
The entire idea of the nonprofit aspect of it, as far as arts education and
(02:40):
giving back to the community and the work that we do for schools,
which, you know, hopefully we can touch upon a little bit later,
just spreading this arts education throughout the community and the schools.
But then also having, you know, some mainstream headliners downstairs on the
stage is it was just a really, really cool place to be if nonprofit especially
(03:04):
is what you're looking to do.
So I just really, really enjoyed it and fell in love with it pretty quickly.
So, you know, just like anyone, you work hard and opportunity is just kept for me.
And I became director of development here and heading up the fundraising department.
And then in 2022, our executive director at the time was retiring.
(03:27):
And I had just this awesome opportunity to step into this role.
And you introduced me as steering the ship here.
It has been a crazy two years so far. We actually had a pretty devastating flood
last year that, again, I'm happy to talk about further as we get into it.
(03:48):
But it's been a crazy two years, but it's really been wonderful.
And I work with some really awesome and talented people here who make what we do look so easy.
So that's the very long version of how I got to where I am.
Well, actually, it was a pretty quick version. So, no, it wasn't lengthy really at all.
(04:08):
I mean, sometimes when you get asked to talk about yourself,
people are kind of like, oh, what am I supposed to say? But,
no, you kind of led us to where you're at.
And you talked about the people that you work with. So, you know,
for someone who doesn't do what you do, sometimes when you see articles and
you hear a story about the executive director of this nonprofit or that nonprofit.
(04:31):
Sometimes there's not really a disconnect, but some people probably think,
well, what does that mean? What do they really do?
So, you know, you can't be the one who does everything there.
So who are the, what types of people do you have underneath you or with you
on your team that, you know, kind of you delegate to, or they're in charge of
different aspects of what happens at the Kirby Center.
So how large is your team and how many different roles are there?
(04:55):
Explain that to us a little bit.
Yeah. So full-time, we have 15 different people in all different areas.
And then on a show night, there could be upwards of between 50 and 100 people
between some paid part-time front of health staff members,
volunteers that are here helping us, like our ushers, taking people to the seats.
(05:18):
We have a union stage, so we'll have all the stagehands involved.
But on a day-to-day basis, so you see all these shows that are being announced.
We have a program director whose name is AJ Jump.
He just knows music inside and out, and he really knows this community and the
types of performances that he feels will do well in this market.
(05:40):
But it's really a team effort because he'll get these opportunities and then
he'll meet with our director of marketing and our box office director because
we have to be able to market the show and the box office has to be able to sell the tickets.
So there's not one person in this building that can do something alone because
they need each individual part of the organization to go along with it.
(06:05):
We have a tech director that's here that we got to make sure this show can fit
on the stage and that we have the capacity to even put it on.
We have an operations department that, you know, is going to be doing all of
the tech work, the hospitality, setting up the hotel and setting up all the
logistics for everything.
And then, you know, my heart and soul, we have our fundraising team that's led
(06:28):
by our associate director of development.
And so, yeah, there's all these various departments.
And then like any organization, you know, you have a finance
department you have an office manager because with everything that we do you
need to pay the bills right you need to have all the finances in line so everyone
(06:48):
is just they all work so well together and that is the reason that we're so
successful right now we so.
COVID had actually shut us down for 16 months.
And, you know, we were a really small staff during that time.
So when I took over in 2022, there was only about seven or eight of us on staff.
(07:10):
Like I said, now we're up to 15 people. So this past two years,
we filled like six key positions.
So, you know, our programmer, our marketer, our head of operations,
they're all brand new to the the organization.
So this past year, like a year ago today until June, was our first real season
(07:31):
on stage and in the building as this kind of new team that we introduced to the community.
And it was one of the best we've ever seen.
We brought in some new performances.
We had so many new people walking into the building saying, how have I never been here?
How did I not know about out this and what a beautiful facility.
(07:52):
And, you know, we have impeccable maintenance department that just take such pride in this building.
And anytime you were to walk into it, whether it's a show night or otherwise,
it's always kept so clean and so beautiful and so shiny.
So I think everyone just really enjoys what they're doing and they take such pride in it that.
(08:13):
They make it look really easy, but it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work and it's a lot of hours.
These shows are at night, but we all have a day job. So we're all here doing
our administrative work and making deals and talking to people and talking to donors.
And then we have a show that's starting at 7, 8 o'clock on our operations team.
(08:34):
Sometimes they're not leaving until 12, 1, 2 o'clock in the morning.
And we're coming back in at 6 and 7 in the morning to do it all over again.
And when you don't have a huge staff, it's those same people doing it over and over and over again.
So and they do it with a smile. It's it's pretty it's pretty impressive.
(08:54):
And I think it sounds, you know, there's a lot of moving parts and that you
must have a lot of really reliable, talented people on the on the team,
because, like you said, without a huge staff,
you have to really bring people on board that, you know, and they have capacity
to do several things. right?
They're wearing many hats. They're not just sitting there just doing,
(09:15):
you know, pigeonholed into one little role.
You know, you probably have to lean on each other a lot in something like that.
And especially like when you said, you know, sometimes you don't think about that.
You guys work there during the day, you have a day job, but everything that
you do that the public sees is happening after hours, really, if you think about it.
So there's a whole lot going on in that place 24-7.
Now your connection to the community, right? It's kind of twofold.
(09:38):
I mean, you're on the square in downtown Wilkes-Barre, so you have that downtown
feel and the foot traffic of the people that work there and kind of do some things down there.
You have Wilkes and King's Close, things like that, but you're also really a regional venue.
People probably go to different events there from all over, drive-in,
park, things like that. Yeah.
(09:59):
When you reach out and connect to these areas, whether it's the downtown population
or anybody in, you know, NEP and beyond, how do you communicate?
I mean, do you, and we'll talk about your team as well, but are you guys,
you know, sending things out? Are you on the internet a lot using social media?
You know, do you have, through your membership, do you just reach out to the,
(10:21):
you know, to the members more and a kind of, you know, pyramids from there?
So how do you communicate with everybody that kind of uses the Kirby Center?
Yeah. So, again, you know, we hired this director of marketing,
Neil Prisco, just last year, a year and a half ago.
He came to us from WVIA, had 15 years of experience.
So he came to us, you know, seasoned and excited because he really loves everything
(10:46):
within the music world and the arts world.
World so he really he kind of in the interview
alone he impressed me because he you know
it's he did the typical interview stuff right it's like this is
what i can do well and and this is what i could do and then he kind of cut he
looked at me and he's like what do you think about your website and i said well
it's a little antiquated you know we definitely use touch up and he said yeah
(11:11):
and he starts throwing all these ideas at me and so he hit the ground running
once he came in And that is his biggest goal.
And he has definitely achieved it in such a short time of increasing our social media presence.
Of making our website not only user friendly, but just visually stunning and
exciting and motivating, just encouraging rather.
(11:34):
And we have a woman that works in our box office that she's our box office supervisor.
And when we were short-staffed, she started helping us out with some social media posts.
And she was just so good at it. And so we gave her a dual role.
And now working with Neil, and then there's also a marketing associate,
they're just getting so much information out there through our social media,
(11:57):
on Facebook, on Instagram. We're now doing some TikTok.
We have email lists. We have a marketing list that if you go onto our website
and you can subscribe to get information from us, that list just keeps getting
bigger and bigger and bigger every day.
I mean, there's probably about 50,000 or 60,000 email addresses on that.
(12:18):
So once a week, we send out this newsletter with all news, Kirby,
what shows were just recently announced, here are all the shows that are coming
up in the next season, how to get more information on tickets. it.
And also he's just done a really great job of working with our local media.
He's created some great relationships with the local radio stations and television
(12:42):
and newspaper, which we've always had those great relationships.
People love the Kirby. And you talked about our downtown area.
A few years ago, we did an economic impact study where we're bringing in nine
million dollars to this local area annually through our shows.
So, you know, you figure it's not only people coming in from out of town, staying at hotels,
(13:05):
eating in our restaurants, but when there's a big show that's coming here,
they have a crew sometimes of 50 to 100 people that are also walking downtown
or, you know, going across the bridge and getting something to eat in Kingston.
So it's we are we are definitely a gem downtown.
No doubt. And one of the cool things, like when you walk in there,
(13:26):
like I mentioned before we went on air, it's like you're going back in time,
you know, because, you know, it's an old building.
It's well kept. You guys do a great job and just it's immaculate.
But it brings you back to like the classic theaters, you know,
back in the old days when you would go and just the way it's there's a lot of
pride there. You can tell there's pride in how you guys, you know,
keep the building looking and the hospitality there.
(13:50):
Everybody that you interact with is always so friendly.
And it's just a great place for anything, whether you're going there to see,
you know, the Citizen's Voice, you know, scholastic thing.
Or if you're back in the day, a lifetime ago, when I graduated from Bishop Hoban
High School in 1988, we graduated out of the Kirby Center.
So that was a neat, you know, community connection there. And it's just,
(14:11):
there's so many different things that I think you guys keep adding, evolving to.
And with that team, like I keep going back to your team a little bit,
how much do you communicate with them?
I mean, is it something now where you don't sit down weekly or monthly at a
round table, you know, and you see everybody, or do you do a lot of things,
you know, on Zoom or, you know, quick little text group? Like, how do you communicate?
(14:34):
Because I'm sure you guys have to be constantly in contact with each other,
but you're not going to sit down and have these formal meetings.
So how do you, how does your team communicate within its own group?
No, we actually aren't, we definitely do formal meetings. So I meet,
I have about eight direct reports.
So I meet one-on-one with them twice a month, every other week.
(14:56):
The programmer and I meet every week because, I mean, he can get six offers
across his desk in an hour and
he will come into my office six times a day between both of our schedules.
So he and I try to sit down once a week.
Once a week, I get together with our program marketing and box office directors
and make sure that we're all on the same page because a lot of times we'll have
(15:20):
two or three shows announcing in one week.
And so they all need to be on the same page.
And then we do a weekly staff meeting, which is just all of the admin,
aside from our box office representatives, simply because they need to stand by at the box office.
Now, I will say this summer, unlike any other, our stage is dark because it's twofold.
(15:45):
We had scheduled to be dark because we are replacing all of the rooftop units
on our building for the HVAC system.
But in part, we're also renovating and rebuilding the basement from that flood that we had last year.
So right now we have no shows happening from June until mid-September.
So every week I just keep canceling that weekly staff meeting because we're all very close.
(16:10):
We're all no one's working from home. Everybody works in the office.
But when the when the season starts back up, those weekly staff meetings are
really important because our operations team will basically give everybody a rundown for the day.
A lot of the tours, especially, you know, if they're doing some kind of rehearsal,
you know, we might not be allowed through the theater, you know,
(16:32):
between four and five o'clock or something. So that's how we exit the building.
So, you know, you need different instruction.
But yeah, we have to have those meetings because otherwise it's the only way to stay on the same page.
And I really feel like last year went so well.
And it's actually been part of the culture. So, I've been here eight years.
(16:53):
I was under the direction of a couple of other executive directors,
and that's been the way that we've always done it.
And I think you don't mess with something that's working well, right? Absolutely.
And that's whatever works for the organization.
Every culture is different. Every group of people are different.
And, you know, the key thing is, you know, that consistent communication,
(17:14):
regardless of the vehicle that you use.
But, again, you have so many moving parts that if you're not in constant contact
or you're not, everybody's on the same page, you can really go sideways quickly.
Now, you took over that leadership role, that executive director position a couple of years ago.
And in the middle, before you could really, you know, say, get on the job there
for two, three, four years and feel good about all the things you're doing, you have the what? what.
(17:37):
Now, nothing will either tell you you're in the right job or in the wrong job,
you know, more than a crisis like that.
So, and I'm sure in all the things you did leading up to that,
you didn't really take a course on how to be in charge of an organization when
a flood hits it. So, what was that like?
I mean, tell us a little bit about, you know, when it happened and then how
(18:00):
you kind of said, okay, like, how did you assess what the next steps were and
how did you put things into place.
So explain going through that kind of natural catastrophe, you know,
what it did to your organization. Oh, my goodness.
So it happened, you know, very early in the morning on October 10th.
And I happened to be in Nashville at a booking conference with our program director.
(18:24):
And we were not, we were scheduled to come home the next day.
And I got the call like three in the morning, Nashville time.
So I actually, once I saw a picture of how bad it was, I immediately changed
my flight and came home that day and got home as quickly as I could.
I mean, there was six feet of water in over 11,000 square feet in our basement.
(18:48):
So that's a half a million gallons of water. It was, I mean,
everything, you know, to say everything was ruined is just a silly point.
I mean, you know, you look at elevators, our dressing rooms that had just been built.
We actually just had redone our dressing rooms in 2019, so they were barely used.
(19:10):
The, the, the lights that are on our stage are controlled by what's called a
dimmer rack, which was a quarter of a million dollar system.
So, I mean, at the end of the day, you know, it was upwards of a $4 million insurance claim.
So, you know, I don't, I don't realize all of that in the moment as I'm flying home.
And, you know, it's one of those things, like we had Frankie Valley up that
(19:31):
week that was supposed to happen that Friday.
And I mean, I'm calling these guys that I work with and I'm like, what do we think?
Do we think we can do Frankie Valley on Friday? day, they're like,
you know, I, the water's not even out of the building, right?
They're like, I don't know. I don't know.
And when you walk through it, it was, it was emotional.
So I think the timing of it, as far as, you know, I went, I got into the building
(19:53):
around five or six o'clock that evening.
And that evening just gave me that minute to just realize the monster, just how huge this was.
And then the next day it's, it was one of those things you just,
you have to survive it, Right.
So like we we had, you know, we had a cleanup crew, we had electricians,
(20:15):
we had firefighters, like all these people and looking at me basically saying,
oh, what do you want us to do?
I have absolutely no idea. I don't know where to start.
And then, you know, you just have these wonderful resources of really smart
people that do this a little bit more often than we do saying,
(20:35):
well, we could start here. or we could start there.
And then, you know, I just kind of leaned into that a little bit.
And then very quickly, you know, we were able to make some really good, fast decisions.
We have really supportive board of directors. And so with that board of directors
is an executive committee.
So I quickly got on a Zoom meeting with them and got them up to date on where we were.
(20:59):
And, you know, they were just a great resource for me to say,
hey, am I forgetting something huge just because I'm not seeing it,
you know, and just having them in my corner to say,
you know, did you do this? Did you do that?
And, and, you know, we have a, there's this man named Brent Berger, who is from Quad 3.
(21:19):
And he was a chairman here on the board. He's our ex-officio.
And he was actually one of the first people in the building that day.
And he has just been an excellent resource for us, just asking questions.
And, but, you know, it's one of those things where when when you're pushed into
it and then, you know, you see another gender,
(21:40):
for example, men actually, you know, respecting me, knowing that I know nothing
about what I'm talking about and kind of.
You know, asking my approval for things and asking for my advice on things.
And then all of a sudden, my answers are sounding pretty smart,
even though I have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to this building.
(22:00):
And I was like, hey, I'm kind of catching on. And then, you know,
my confidence grew a little bit.
And it was really just keeping my eyes open, keeping my ears open,
And then just really making the best educated guess I could for a lot of it.
And it all turned out great. I mean, this team, like I said earlier,
(22:23):
we joke around when you said about steering the ship.
This team has just been amazing getting through this crisis.
They worked extremely long hours.
I mean, that first few weeks we were here, late nights, on weekends.
It only took us 14 days to get back on stage with a full show,
which is, if you walked through this, I mean, the flood was on a Tuesday.
(22:46):
We didn't have power in the building until the following Tuesday.
And then the Tuesday after that was our full stage, first full stage show.
So it was like one of those things, you know, like, you know,
you don't want to go to the gym and then you go to the gym and you feel really good about yourself.
Like that show, we all just stood back and we're like, it was worth every bit
(23:08):
of that really hard two weeks.
But every day after that has been equally as challenging.
You know, it's still not put back together. We have contractors down there every
day. And so what has happened since then is, okay, so this building was built,
you know, gosh, what, 1938?
You know, it's been renovated certainly a few times since then,
(23:30):
but there are things that if we could have changed them, we would want more
offices downstairs, right?
We would want the bar that's down there to work better for our members and for
our guests. If we could add more bathrooms, man, that would be huge.
But we don't have the time. We don't have the resources.
Well, here we are. Everything is down to the studs. So we had to make those
(23:52):
quick decisions and those quick investments in this building and say,
let's rebuild for the next 50 years. And so we were lucky enough to be able
to make some of those changes.
And this community and, you know, the members that are a part of the Kirby Center,
I sent them out a letter letting them know the state of what we were in and what was going on.
(24:15):
And they supported us financially, which was it was heartwarming, but it was necessary.
And we were just so grateful for their support.
So our big opening is in September.
Fingers crossed. Who's the show after the big opening?
Who's going to be that person that gets to be the one to celebrate everything?
(24:37):
Well, it was Pete Davidson. That show is no longer happening.
And so now it's called Canceled Podcast.
Okay. And I've been wanting to do a podcast on our stage. So I was really excited
that AJ was able to work this one out.
But interestingly enough, it's almost sold out. The community.
(24:58):
Responded really well to it. Yeah, so we're really excited for that.
That's going to be on September 18th.
Well, then that's a goal for me, to get the A Matter of Principle podcast to
be on the stage at the Kirby someday. That would be something.
All you got to do is give me a call. There you go. I know some people right
now. My people will talk to your people.
So you have a little, you know, you and your team have some Josh Shapiro in
(25:23):
you, like getting stuff done.
Done, you know, you know, like I-95 falls apart there and, and,
you know, he and his team, they, they got that back together because they knew
how important that artery was for transportation and what not.
And you guys, I didn't realize that you guys were back up and running,
you know, that put something out there within two weeks like that. That's incredible.
And like you said, sometimes going through adversity like that is the best teacher
(25:48):
because you have to do something.
You don't, you're never really going to practice to do that.
You never want to anticipate something like that happening. But guess what? It happened.
And you got to figure something out. Everyone's looking at you.
I could just imagine, you know, when you're saying that, I could see you're
standing there and all these guys are looking at you like, all right,
boss, what's next? And you kind of just figure it out.
Yeah. And again, like there's no electricity in the building.
(26:09):
So we have doors open to let lights in. We all have sweatshirts on.
Everything is drenched and we're up at the theater where it's drier and like hard hats.
Like, I mean, this is a construction zone and they're looking at me like where
do we start and I was like oh I.
But again, it was a real partnership, but there was a lot of respect involved.
(26:31):
It is probably one of my proudest moments of my career, and that is only because
of the people that I was working with.
They trusted me, and I trusted them, and we were all in a whole area we had
just never imagined being in.
It was pretty incredible. Going through something like that definitely is going to change you.
(26:54):
It's going to help develop your whatever leadership skills you had are definitely
going to be changed after something like that.
So how would you describe the kind of leader you are? What is your leadership style?
So, I don't necessarily think I have a quote-unquote leadership style.
What I've noticed with myself is I tend to be different with each person I work
(27:18):
with, depending on what their character is like and what their work ethic is like.
Like, so I think, I mean, I think if I had to have one, it would just be,
it's, it's really based on, it's transparent.
You know, I'm, I'm always trying to just be honest with them.
I talk to them the way I would want to be spoken to.
(27:39):
You know, I, I will always give respect and I'll always lean into their expertise.
You know, like I said, we have a programmer and a marketer and they're,
they're also really really good at what they do and they've been doing it longer than me.
But, you know, I'll always say to them, well, here are my thoughts.
(27:59):
You know, what do you think of them?
Right. And if they don't think they're right and unless it needs to be done,
OK, then let's go another way.
But, you know, a lot of times, you know, we'll meet in the middle and always
getting things done. So as long as.
As long as the team is thriving and moving forward and doing it in a way that
(28:22):
makes us all happy, I mean, I'm good, right?
I mean, you can't really ask for much more than that.
We are pushing the boundaries. Our numbers were better this past year than ever,
again, with this crisis that we had on hand.
So I think we've all proved that we can get this done. And I'm basically,
(28:43):
I tell them all the time, I'm just here to help you get your job done because
you're all really good at what you do.
So I just want to be the resource here that keeps us all together and that helps
get you forward and helps open these doors for you that, you know, maybe I can help push.
It sounds like, you know, you subscribe to that more of a facilitator rather
(29:07):
than a top-down manager, you know, in the way you go about stuff.
And in the world of education, you know, it would point towards,
you know, differentiated instruction where you try to reach every student where they're at.
And, you know, in the land of coaching, it's, you know, knowing which athlete
to push and which athlete maybe to, you know, coddle a little bit, things like that.
You have to kind of know your personality you're dealing with.
(29:28):
So that that's kind of what you're using, you know, some of the same things
and concepts and strategies that we talk to other, you know, leaders about.
And it's just so funny. Every it seems like everyone we bring on the show and
doesn't matter if they're in the business community or education or if they're
an elected official, they own their own business, whatever it is.
There's so many similarities. And it all comes down to basically the relationships
(29:50):
that you have with your team, you know, and the team of people you're working with.
And and the way that you kind of like you're you're more of like a person i used to know.
Back in the the old days when i was teaching up in
the polka and i was used to say you want to be the the guide on the side not
the sage on the stage you know sometimes people think that if you're the quote-unquote
leader you have to be out in front all the time and you have to have all these
(30:12):
speeches ready to motivate all your people but it seems like the more successful
ones are the ones that are just there doing what's necessary and changing up
it's really comes down to instinct Right.
Like you have to know when to be when you rely on those people and say,
hey, what do you think about this?
When you read the room and you can tell like that, that's probably not a good idea.
And but you kind of like you respect
(30:34):
each other and you kind of go in that direction. So that's pretty cool.
Now. Yeah. A question that I have when it when it comes to what you do,
do you is there like, you know, a secret society of executive directors of places
like the Kirby Center where you guys have a little network you talk or or do you.
You know, because I'm sure so many communities have a Kirby Center,
(30:55):
you know, the different thing, but something similar.
Is there communication between all the people with those similar jobs or does that not exist?
So, yes and yes. Well, yes. So, yes.
There is, so you know the arena up in Wilkes-Barre and they're run by this company called ASM.
(31:16):
We have a nice partnership with them and they facilitate different meetings
with general managers of organizations like this.
The unique part for me is that the majority of them are programmers.
They're bookers where I am a fundraiser. And as a nonprofit,
(31:38):
you know, it certainly makes sense for our organization to have someone like me in this capacity.
But there are not a lot of me's elsewhere.
Does that make sense? Yeah. So, you know, those meetings where typically I would
sit in makes a little bit more sense for our booker to sit in because they're
mainly talking programming.
(31:59):
They're not really talking a ton
of operations and of overall market and marketing and things like that.
But I think there are enough people that have done this job before me that,
you know, I'm friends with that, you know, were mentors of mine that I can always
lean on. And I certainly have.
(32:21):
So I think I've created my own little circle, but yeah, it's not something you're
not, I'm not going to meet a lot of me's in the world.
Yeah. And that's, and it's kind of, you know, there's, there's pros and cons with that, right?
There's, you're not going to have that natural, like safety net of a whole bunch
of people that know what you do,
but at the same time, it's kind of freeing and you
(32:43):
know you can be innovative because you're really you know
carving your own path because there's not a lot of you out there
you know so that's that's kind of really cool now you brought up mentors so
are there who would be the people that you would say have been the biggest influences
or you know had the biggest impact on you whether it's growing up or you know
where you are professionally like people that you know really made a difference to you,
(33:07):
Yeah. I mean, I think that this is probably such a cliche answer, but it's very truthful.
I would say my parents, just because they have been there every step of the
way for me, they've given me opportunities to fail without knowing it wasn't the end all for me.
I've been able to take risks because I knew that I could always go home to mom and dad.
(33:29):
I was very fortunate in that sense. and also in everything that I do,
I try to make them proud, which makes me try to always do my best.
But as far as professional mentors, I think I have so many different mentors
depending on where I am in my life.
(33:51):
Again, there have been a few that have worked here before me.
Will Beekman was the executive director here, and he had hired me in 2016.
I mean, he's a huge, huge part of where I am today.
Lauren Plesky-McLean was also in this position and was another person that,
you know, personally and professionally, I wouldn't be where I am without her. She's been awesome.
(34:15):
And then again, like I said, as seasons changed, you know, with everything that
I've been dealing with since I took over as executive director,
Brent Berger has just been just my biggest cheerleader in the corner and just
the best resource for me when it came to.
He's an engineer, so he knows everything about this building,
but then, you know, he also runs his own company.
(34:37):
So, you know, we could be sitting here talking about this huge obstacle I have
in regards to the building, but then I could also kind of bounce some personnel issues off of him.
And, you know, he just, I think those kind of people that make you feel like
they understand where you are, but also make you feel good about the decisions you're making.
(34:58):
I mean, there's just, I don't even know if mentor is the right word,
but I've had some really incredible people that have always,
always helped me along to get me to where I am today.
And that, that's, that's the best gift, I think.
Well, yeah, having that network of support, you know, is very important,
you know, and it's almost like you said, it, it kind of changes based based
(35:21):
on the need you have and where you're at at the time.
So you have that ever evolving kind of support is it's, it helps you along the
way because so many of the things that happen now in 2024 are so different than
even five years ago, definitely, you know, before COVID every business is different.
Every interaction, you know, between, you know, the people who are working versus
(35:42):
the people who are, you know, whether it's, you know, dealing with the services
provided or the products that are manufactured or just the daily interaction.
If you're in a school or something, it's completely different.
And, and, you know, that word school, you talked about that briefly previously,
but what are the types of connections or programming or anything that you guys
(36:02):
do with, with the schools and with the young people in the area?
Yeah. So as a fundraiser, this program that I'm going to talk about is actually
the reason that I wanted to come and work at the FM Kirby Center.
It's called the Lox Young People's Theater Series.
And so it's five stage shows throughout the school year.
They're usually around like 10 or 11 a.m. And they're completely free of charge.
(36:26):
So the school districts will bus the kids here. They sit for the hour and watch
the show, which is an educational and entertaining show.
So all you hear is either a pin drop if the kids are really paying attention
or just laughing their heads off if it's a funny performance.
They're so engaged and they are so focused and so entertained.
(36:48):
And then when they go back to the classroom, there's a study guide that is provided
by us that goes along with the show that they saw so that they can incorporate
that into their curriculum.
And so, like I said, we do five of those shows a year. they're usually at max
capacity with a waiting list.
We've announced our five shows for this upcoming year and it's just an awesome program.
(37:13):
You know you see these and they're they're targeted towards different age grades
so like we'll let them know this is more like kindergarten third grade where
this one may be geared towards a high school age and the schools all take advantage of it.
We have all the local schools in the area that attend and it's just an awesome
But it is 100 percent underwritten by the Kirby Center.
(37:34):
So that's where, you know, our fundraising efforts really kick in and our Kirby
members and our donors are all backing that program.
That's awesome. How long have they been doing that?
Oh, my gosh. I'm going to say 20. And I could be, I could be,
like, it could be longer than that.
(37:55):
I actually just don't know the number off the top of my head. But I would say about 20.
It's established. It's been there and district, like you said,
with the waiting list and whatnot, you know, district's not what's happening.
It was established and it was $8 a ticket and it used to do really well.
But, you know, you being in education can probably speak to this better than I can.
But, you know, what we saw here as an organization, you know, in 2013,
(38:20):
14, 15 was as arts and education were being cut from a lot of these school districts,
the schools weren't, they couldn't get their kids here.
You know, they couldn't afford the ticket on top of then having to do all the
logistics with the buses.
So we went from a full house with these shows to maybe two or three hundred kids.
(38:40):
So we actually had a donor step up and say, hey, look, you know,
we we need to bring this program back.
We need these kids. They cannot miss out on this. If not us, then who?
And they generously and anonymously paid for the entire program that year to
test it out to see, hey, let's see if we can help these schools out and,
you know, not charge them. Let's see what it does.
(39:02):
And right back up to a full house.
So ever since then, that is what we do is we we get local foundations and members
and local donors to help us underwrite this program.
Well, and that's awesome because one of the things, you know,
I have been in education for over three decades and I don't know a lot about a lot of things.
(39:23):
But one thing I do know for sure is in the school communities up and down,
you know, Luzerne and Lackawanna County, the haves and the have-nots are getting
further and further apart.
I mean, there are so many people that need so many things.
I mean, there's, you know, there's kids that come to the schools that have everything.
You know, they have a stable environment at home. They have all the resources.
(39:44):
You know, they don't have to worry about where their meals are coming from.
And then there's so many other young people that don't have most of that.
And I think every school district up and down, you know, the Northeast corridor has that.
So, I mean, you might not realize it, but when you do things like that,
that might be the first time some of those students have been in a building
like that to see a performance, you know, and get that kind of cultural awareness of what's going on.
(40:07):
And so those little things, and you never know what kind of spark you're going to ignite,
and that person might want to do that or, you know, write a play or get involved
in the, you know, the front of house or, you know, what it takes to produce
or, you know, work the lights in the theater, anything.
But those opportunities are really priceless. So, you know, to me,
(40:28):
that's probably the coolest thing you've said so far, like the giving back to
the communities, especially the school-age kids. That's wonderful. Yeah.
No, it is by far the thing that makes us all smile the most.
And actually, Hazleton School District last year, one of the teachers,
their entire classroom made us individual, beautiful, handmade thank you cards.
(40:50):
And when I tell you, I would say half of our staff, men included,
had tears in their eyes when they looked at these.
And it was like, this is why we do what we do. We love it.
Every staff member loves to go downstairs and watch these kids run in the building
because, Because like you said, they're walking through and just as an adult,
when you walk in and you see the beauty, these kids are walking in and they're just so blown away.
(41:12):
It's almost kind of like a Disney face, you know, like, wow, how beautiful.
So it definitely makes us the happiest. And then, you know,
we will have some shows sometimes where if it's a show that we're presenting
on our own and we have the opportunity to give some tickets away like a day
before because it didn't sell out, you know, we'll go to our local YMCA.
(41:33):
We'll go to some local nonprofits and we'll say, hey, you know,
do you have some families?
We have like about 100 tickets we can give out.
And again, you know, you see those kids come running through and it's definitely
the best part of what we do here.
Now, when you talked about, you know, leading in a time of crisis,
of going through something that was really difficult, what would you say?
(41:56):
Aside from that, take the flooding out, what would you say is another challenge
that comes with being the executive director of the Kirby Center?
What are some of the things, whether it's just trying to have a strategic plan
on where you're going to take the organization in the future or day-to-day things
that are always on your plate, what are some of the challenges that you deal with regularly?
(42:21):
Yeah, so I'm looking forward to realizing them this year because this past year
was really consumed by the flood and figuring out my time management.
You know, again, I'm a fundraiser by trade. And again, we just did such a wonderful
job last year of getting our message out and raising the needed funds for this next season.
(42:41):
But, you know, I miss doing my day-to-day fundraising work. And I haven't,
I really haven't had the time to focus on that with the fundraising team we have here in place.
So that's one of my goals for this year, because I did struggle with my time
management last year of just running from meeting to meeting,
because even though we had all of that flood stuff going on,
(43:03):
I still wanted to meet with everybody individually.
Individually so I would say probably even
flood taking the flood out of the
picture I think time management is is a struggle because
each person just does so much here that I could spend two or three hours a day
with each person working on whatever you know kind of planning out the future
(43:24):
with them but then it's like oh okay well then I need to go and have a meeting
with this person because we can't execute that without them, right?
So it's like sometimes I want to do more than I can at the moment.
So I think it's also just realizing some limitations and realizing that I'm not going anywhere.
(43:45):
So I've got a few years. I've got a lot of time to add some new flair and to
offer even more programs into our community.
I don't have to do it all at once. so I think
that is a little bit of a challenge for me
because I get so excited and I want to do everything
(44:05):
really fast with this awesome team we have so I think it's just also prioritizing
you know what what makes the most sense for this season and and like you said
kind of coming up with that five-year strategic plan of okay we'll roll this
out in maybe 2026 even though we want
to do it this season well then
(44:26):
what would be to to be more positive what would
be something that is you know like really cool about your job on a daily basis
you know i know you talked we you know we talked about you know that the the
program with you know bring the students and things like that but on it like
when you go to work every day and deal with stuff what's one of the really cool
things you get to do that other people who don't do what you do wouldn't have that opportunity to do.
(44:47):
Hmm. Well, on a normal day for us could be a show day.
So, you know, just all the hustle and bustle that's going on downstairs.
So, you know, where our offices are right above the marquee of the Kirby Center.
So just walking downstairs and inside the theater, you know,
you have all of the music crews like setting up all the speakers.
(45:09):
So, you know, to hear everything for the night and, you know,
you'll hear them warming up if it's music or, you know, rehearsing if it's a
dance show or something, you know, going stand.
So you walk through like, so every, do you go to pretty much every,
every production, every event that's there?
The majority, the majority. And so there are definitely some that I miss.
I see, now this is just me being goofy,
(45:32):
but I see it like you walk in, you know, through the side door and you do that
whole, like Henry Hill in Goodfellas where he walks in and goes through the
kitchen and goes through and walks through and says hi to everybody and then
goes down in front and he has the front row seat when Henny Youngman comes out.
I mean, so you, you get to interact with everything that goes on.
So you're tech, like you're in show business, you know what I mean?
(45:52):
For lack of a better term.
So you, you really, you know, oversee everything that happens.
You interact with all the nuts and bolts and all the moving parts of,
of everything that goes on there.
So, I mean, that's really, you probably don't see, cause you're so close to it.
You don't see like all the things that you get to do that none of us who are
in that, you know, in that field would ever imagine.
(46:14):
Like if one person fall shadowed you for a day, they'd probably be blown away
with, oh my God, you know, and then you're probably like, well,
yeah, I get it, but I have to make sure this gets done.
And I, so it's, it's kind of, I'm looking at laughing like, oh my God,
I can't believe the thing, the people that you interact with and the people
in your Rolodex who you could probably talk to is probably, you know, mind blowing.
Yeah. And I mean, to be honest, I actually never take it for granted.
(46:37):
So I think I would, you know, if I were to have someone shadow me and they'd
say, oh, my God, that's so cool.
I'd be like, I know this is like it would make me nervous. Right.
Like there are actually there'll be some stars here sometimes where,
you know, our operations team
are back there with them all day long and they're like, go back, say hi.
And I'm like, I just don't want to bother them. You know, I don't want to.
(46:58):
So sometimes I actually choose to just. But you could. Let them do their – But you – that's what I mean.
You could walk in and, like, if you were a person who had this huge – you'd
be like, well, excuse me. Do you know who I am? I'm the executive director of this place.
You know what I mean? Like, you could really, like, big-time everybody.
And honestly, no one would blame you. But I don't – I mean, but knowing your
family, knowing how you were brought up and stuff like that,
that's not the kind of person you are.
(47:19):
But I'm just thinking about, like, some people would just kind of,
like, force their way in, you know, and bother people and stuff,
you know, just to be funny about it. But –.
But I mean, it's really I'm going to try to do that a little bit more this year,
because, you know, this is going to be my third season.
So maybe I'm getting a little bit more comfortable now.
But there are definitely some some acts that I love, like Kevin James was one
(47:41):
of the first first comedians here after I had taken over.
And oh, man, all I wanted to do was meet him. But again, you know,
you don't want to be a bother.
You don't want them to frown upon the Kirby Center because the executive director
is running down to get a picture taken with them. But I thought, you know what?
It's worth it for Kevin James. And I and man, he was such a nice guy,
such a nice guy. So that was that was for me.
(48:02):
Well, and and I think hopefully, you know, people listening to this understand
that for anybody who goes there and,
you know, sees a show or whatever performance or anything that they're involved
in to realize how much, you know, the fundraising and the membership drive and what is so important,
because without all that on the backside, none of those shows happen.
(48:22):
Right. None of those events get put on. You know, and that's one of the things
that, you know, we'll throw out there is like, if somebody's listening to this
and they're not a member or they're not, you know, they haven't been,
what are ways that just like,
what's the website or what are ways that they can contribute or get involved,
you know, get involved in helping put on shows?
Yeah. So go to our website. It's kirbycenter.org, O-R-G, and you'll find everything
(48:46):
there. You'll find every event that we've announced so far.
You'll find out our membership. So our membership is, it's where we get our
donations. It's where our fundraising campaigns live.
But what people get, there's so many benefits to the membership that for one
full year after you purchase, you're entitled to purchase two pre-sale tickets
to every one of our events.
(49:07):
So when our shows announce, well, I shouldn't say every single one.
Sometimes there'll be one or two sticklers. But typically when we announce a
show, we'll announce it on a Monday or Tuesday.
Wednesday and Thursday is only open sales for our members.
And they call the box office and the box office help there. And our box office,
it's so rare for us to have one.
(49:29):
So you really have that customer service, that person helping you on the other
end to where you want to sit.
They process your tickets for you. And then it goes on public sale on Friday.
So definitely become a member. And the other great thing, Vito,
that these members help us do is we have this other program called the Signature
Series, where it's more like we're doing a National Geographic Live Earth After Dark this year.
(49:53):
So they're educational. There's family ones. We're doing this acrobat performance.
Those tickets are only $25, but we're spending a really good chunk of money on those shows.
So we're underwriting them as well.
We're always going to put those shows on and expect to lose money.
But those are the types of shows that we bring the arts to the community,
(50:16):
but this is our way to say to the community, hey, this is super affordable.
Come in. Come and see this show. Bring your family a four. Be able to have a good night.
So all of those membership dollars goes towards programs like that.
And then we have great sponsorships, too. Well, one of the programs,
you know, at one time I went to, I think, Leadership Wilkes-Barre.
(50:38):
It might have been called at the time. It wasn't even Leadership Northeast.
One group there did a fundraiser for the community project they were doing,
and they had the Godfather there.
And they're a little group dressed in gangster stuff and whatnot.
You know, to see the Godfather on the big screen in there was really cool.
You know, my wife and I have gone to see some of the, you know,
like when Harry Met Sally was there.
(50:59):
And some other older movies, but to see a classic film in a classic theater
for a reasonable price, and again, like you're going back in time a little bit
to what it was like to go to the movies back in the day, that's cool.
And to have that venue here in Northeast PA where there's restaurants and there's
other things to do in and around downtown Wilkes-Barre, it's like you said before
(51:21):
at the lead-off, it's a gem.
I mean, it's something that not every community has. we
do and you know and it's it's something that
keeps thriving so you know the community must really like what's going on
so it sometimes you take you take for granted
that we have a kirby center we have an arena and we
have a place where you can go see triple a baseball and you
can see hockey and you can go skiing there's you know there's so many things
(51:44):
right here and you know i think what we all need to do is take advantage of
them right and and make sure that that old narrative of there's nothing to do
in northeastern pennsylvania kind of goes away way because it might have been
true at one time, but I don't really think it's true today.
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. We are always here.
And this summer being dark is so tough for us.
(52:06):
And those classic movies that you had mentioned, we do those during the summer.
We do them all year as well, but we're missing them this summer.
The nice cool place for people to come during the day and in the evening to see these movies.
We always do the Curtis Mons film series as well, which is like our form film series.
And I know a lot of our donors are missing that this summer,
but we will be back with those. It's a beautiful place to see a movie.
(52:30):
So you'll be, so you're back, you'll be back to everything being situation normal in September.
Is that what you're saying? Is that the promise you're throwing out? Yeah.
That is, that is my hope. But yes, not number 18.
I mean, you know, again, it's their contractors, right?
I mean, human error can happen. A carpet might not come in. You just never know.
(52:53):
But the plan with all of them is September 18th is our first show.
And that is the... We'll have the basement back open. We'll have the restrooms
that are available again.
I mean, we have 1,832 seats here.
So when our downstairs was unavailable last year, we lost a whole set of men's
and women's bathrooms, which,
(53:14):
Sounds kind of silly, but man, that's a big deal when you're in a big entertainment
venue like that because there was just the one set upstairs.
So the community was really patient and really understanding.
But I think this season is just going to run so much smoother.
And we've actually done some other surprise renovations that we're really excited,
(53:35):
especially to showcase to our members.
Members because before the flood, we had put together a member survey,
sending it out to our members saying, hey, you know, you've supported us all these years.
What do you love most about the Kirby? What is frustrating?
What would you like to see us do better?
And we've taken some of their suggestions and we've added a few fun amenities
(53:56):
that I'm excited to show off in the fall. Excellent. That's really cool to hear.
Now, listen, you had, you know, I think this was a unique conversation because
I haven't really talked to anyone who does what you do.
But like you told us, there's not a lot of people that do what you do.
So I think, you know, for those listening to this, they got a real,
you know, crash course on what it takes to, you know, be an executive director in a nonprofit,
(54:21):
but specifically something like the Kirby Center and all the ins and outs that
go on with, you know, promoting shows and making sure that, But,
you know, if a flood happens, what you do, things like that.
So I think, you know, you've been doing a great job.
You haven't been there, you know, at the helm steering the ship for all too long.
But you've persevered through some actual adversity that most people don't have to deal with.
(54:46):
So, you know, we wish you continued success. It's an opportunity,
you know, for this community to take advantage of a great resource. horse.
It's a fact that, you know, that you guys take so much pride in giving back
to the community and building those bonds between, you know,
the school age kids, but even, you know, the people who are 102 years old take
advantage of what goes on there. So it's really a cultural gem.
(55:08):
And I'd like to say, you know, thank you for all you do. And we look forward
to all these new things happening and where you're going to take the Kirby Center in the future.
So thank you for giving some time to us.
We'd like to invite you to come back, you know, down the road.
And so we could find out what the opening was like and all the new programs
are going to be happening there in the future.
So if you wouldn't mind, I'll put you on the short list to come back in the
(55:30):
future. Is that good with you?
Oh, I'd love that. And thank you. Thanks for putting us on this podcast.
I'll talk Kirby any day. So we appreciate you thinking of us. No, absolutely.
So thank you again. That was the Executive Director of the Kirby Center,
Joelle Yarmel, who is born and raised based here and born and raised in Northeast
(55:51):
PA and is really in a unique situation to realize some really cool things for
the people in this community. So thanks again.
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