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News & ArtsThursday, August 25, 2011
Theater / Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Balagan Moves into Erickson Theater Off Broadway
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 10:23 AM
Hear ye, hear ye!
The Balagan theater company, which has been on hiatus for awhile, is moving into the Erickson Theatre Off Broadway, where Strawberry Theatre Workshop (their Stranger Genius Award profile is here) has been doing its shows on a rental basis for the past few seasons.
The space is owned by Seattle Central Community College. Both companies will continue to operate in the space—Balagan as steward and manager, Strawberry as renter—for the foreseeable future.
That is all.
2
Yay! Balagan's produced some really tremendous stuff in the last few years. Glad they have a home again.
4
Very curious as to how this occurred - did SCCC conduct any sort of open bidding/application process for this? Wouldn't they have to have done something like that before awarding the management of a public facility to a non-profit organization? I'm not saying that didn't happen, but sure I don't recall ever hearing any sort of announcement to the general theatrical community from SCCC regarding this.
7
1:02PM - UPDATE - A Seattle Central spokesperson provided these details on the Balagan deal:
The Broadway Management Group has had the contract to manage both theatres (BPH and Erickson). However, that contract expires in Sept. and by state rules we must issue an RFP and go through a competitive process to award a new contract. A committee of the college decided to award the BPH contract to the Broadway Management Group and the Erickson contract to Balagan. As I said in my earlier email, we’re looking at all of our properties to see how we can both make them useful to the college and accessible to the community. We’re looking forward to seeing Balagan bring new events and new talent to the Erickson Theatre.
The Broadway Management Group has had the contract to manage both theatres (BPH and Erickson). However, that contract expires in Sept. and by state rules we must issue an RFP and go through a competitive process to award a new contract. A committee of the college decided to award the BPH contract to the Broadway Management Group and the Erickson contract to Balagan. As I said in my earlier email, we’re looking at all of our properties to see how we can both make them useful to the college and accessible to the community. We’re looking forward to seeing Balagan bring new events and new talent to the Erickson Theatre.
8
@7:
Thanks, but do you happen to know whether SCCC has provided any details as to, say, when and where the RFP was posted, or what other organizations may have submitted for the contract? Like I said, I'm not saying it DIDN'T happen, but it's a bit odd that nobody I've talked to about this in the past several days, including several who work for granting agencies who would normally be in a position to know about such things, can recall seeing such an RFP come across their radar screens.
Thanks, but do you happen to know whether SCCC has provided any details as to, say, when and where the RFP was posted, or what other organizations may have submitted for the contract? Like I said, I'm not saying it DIDN'T happen, but it's a bit odd that nobody I've talked to about this in the past several days, including several who work for granting agencies who would normally be in a position to know about such things, can recall seeing such an RFP come across their radar screens.
9
Only two companies responded to the so called RFP...which asked for Space Management groups. Balagan is not a space management group, and in fact has a horrible reputation within the community when it comes to hosting rentals.
This smells fishy...how did the Broadway Management Group retain the contract to one venue, but not the other. How did Balagan, an all volunteer company, show they have the staff to run such a space. How did no other companies know about this?
This smells fishy...how did the Broadway Management Group retain the contract to one venue, but not the other. How did Balagan, an all volunteer company, show they have the staff to run such a space. How did no other companies know about this?
10
COMTE, why don't you ask SCCC to see the RFP, evaluations and procedures if you are so concerned. It's public information.
11
@9:
My sources tell me that the RFP was sent out, but apparently was only nominally distributed, at least locally: the only first-hand recipients I'm aware of at this time were BMG, another management company out of California, and the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. A&CA did forward it to a couple of other local groups, but it's my understanding at least one of them passed on it, due to the sheer complexity both of accessing the proposal (you needed to be registered with the State of Washington as a Licensed Government Vendor), as well as of the criteria itself. So, as best I can tell, there were literally only a handful of entities even aware of the proposal, and it was never widely distributed within the local arts community.
But, that would make sense, because the RFP specifically seeks a PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY to run the space, and not a VOLUNTEER-RUN PRODUCING ORGANIZATION to both operate the space and use it as a home base for their own productions, which would seem to present a glaringly obvious conflict-of-interest, since SCCC will not only be paying Balagan to run the Erickson, but will now, in effect, be subsidizing their productions to a significant degree.
@10:
I might just do that, particularly now that the RFP itself has been published outside SCCC's state vendor-only firewall.
I agree with @9: there's just something here that doesn't smell right, so reviewing the documents as you suggest, might be a good idea.
My sources tell me that the RFP was sent out, but apparently was only nominally distributed, at least locally: the only first-hand recipients I'm aware of at this time were BMG, another management company out of California, and the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. A&CA did forward it to a couple of other local groups, but it's my understanding at least one of them passed on it, due to the sheer complexity both of accessing the proposal (you needed to be registered with the State of Washington as a Licensed Government Vendor), as well as of the criteria itself. So, as best I can tell, there were literally only a handful of entities even aware of the proposal, and it was never widely distributed within the local arts community.
But, that would make sense, because the RFP specifically seeks a PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY to run the space, and not a VOLUNTEER-RUN PRODUCING ORGANIZATION to both operate the space and use it as a home base for their own productions, which would seem to present a glaringly obvious conflict-of-interest, since SCCC will not only be paying Balagan to run the Erickson, but will now, in effect, be subsidizing their productions to a significant degree.
@10:
I might just do that, particularly now that the RFP itself has been published outside SCCC's state vendor-only firewall.
I agree with @9: there's just something here that doesn't smell right, so reviewing the documents as you suggest, might be a good idea.
12
Congrats to Balagan, they clearly worked some magic and got the place. Everyone else is clearly pretty jealous... and that's fine, I would be jealous too.
If I was upset about this, I'd just talk to SCCC and quit complaining about how something doesn't feel right on the slog. These things really are always public record.
If I was upset about this, I'd just talk to SCCC and quit complaining about how something doesn't feel right on the slog. These things really are always public record.
13
How long of break do you have to have to call it a "hiatus"? Balagan did produce Knights of the Playground ummm, all the way back in August.
14
I'm with Comte. Nothing against Balagan but given what a scarcity of available space there is in this town, more people should've known about the opportunity before a decision was made.
16
I'm not jealous in the slightest Willy, as I have no personal stake in the outcome. But I do find it rather odd that SCCC would award this contract to a very, very small volunteer-run producing organization that will now be paid to manage a facility where they have already, by their own admission, effectively blocked out roughly 1/3 of the available scheduling slots for their exclusive use. That would seem to be a conflict-of-interest right there. In addition, after reading the RFP and the criteria established by SCCC for managing the Erickson, I find it difficult to believe that Balagan could possibly have met a sufficient number of these to be considered a better-qualified candidate than the two professional management companies against which they were competing. I'm going to try to get copies of the actual RFP responses, just to see what all that entails, hopefully, that will shed a little light on things.
17
From Thesunbreak.com
Jake Groshong already shows his "leadership" and "facility management" skills. FYI, did you know 2 groups with signed contracts have already been contacted and told their contracts are no longer good. Way to promote the "community" Balagan.
***Chris refers to COMTE
**"Highly competitve process", refers to the TWO companies that applied...since no one else was made aware.
Chris, if you want to grab a coffee, I can explain exactly how the RFP process worked and show you a copy of the proposal we turned in.
We put everything we had into going for the Erickson and while we are thrilled with the outcome, we’re very confused to your response at was feels like some vendetta against us. Please stop making broad assumptions that are wholly false and find out the facts of what happened before you start posting everywhere about how someone was wronged.
We went through a highly competitive RFP process and came out on top. That’s all there is to it. If you’re upset with SCCC’s guidelines and standards then talk to them, but we simply put in the best proposal we could.
We managed our former facility successfully and now have another facility to manage that we’re very excited about. Again, I’m happy to grab a coffee with you and discuss. My guess is we have far more infrastructure and experience than you seem to think we do.
Best,
Jake Groshong
Executive Director
Jake Groshong already shows his "leadership" and "facility management" skills. FYI, did you know 2 groups with signed contracts have already been contacted and told their contracts are no longer good. Way to promote the "community" Balagan.
***Chris refers to COMTE
**"Highly competitve process", refers to the TWO companies that applied...since no one else was made aware.
Chris, if you want to grab a coffee, I can explain exactly how the RFP process worked and show you a copy of the proposal we turned in.
We put everything we had into going for the Erickson and while we are thrilled with the outcome, we’re very confused to your response at was feels like some vendetta against us. Please stop making broad assumptions that are wholly false and find out the facts of what happened before you start posting everywhere about how someone was wronged.
We went through a highly competitive RFP process and came out on top. That’s all there is to it. If you’re upset with SCCC’s guidelines and standards then talk to them, but we simply put in the best proposal we could.
We managed our former facility successfully and now have another facility to manage that we’re very excited about. Again, I’m happy to grab a coffee with you and discuss. My guess is we have far more infrastructure and experience than you seem to think we do.
Best,
Jake Groshong
Executive Director
18
Speaking of confusing Jake, I have no idea where the initial "quotes" in your comment come from; they don't appear in the Sunbreak article or the subsequent comments, they don't appear in the comments above, and they're nothing I've posted, so - ?
And rather than making assumptions, all I've been doing is asking questions, questions that apparently no one on the review panel at SCCC thought to ask, and questions that, so far as I can tell, remain unanswered. If you care to address these specifically, I'm sure everyone would be more than welcome to hear your side of things.
And I'd be more than happy to review your RFP response myself, but you're going to have to wait in line, as there are already several other people who are interested in telling me their side of things first. At that point, I'm fairly certain I'll have some additional questions regarding the nature of your proposal, how it went through the process, and what sort of plans you intend to implement to meet the criteria outlined in the RFP.
Finally, perhaps it would be helpful to offer that this really isn't about Balagan so much as it's about SCCC and their handling of the entire process. For example, had other theatre companies been aware in advance that they would be considering proposals from producing organizations and not just management companies, which is what the RFP clearly states, I'm fairly certain the competition would have been much higher than three submissions, so there's also an issue of simple fairness involved as well.
And rather than making assumptions, all I've been doing is asking questions, questions that apparently no one on the review panel at SCCC thought to ask, and questions that, so far as I can tell, remain unanswered. If you care to address these specifically, I'm sure everyone would be more than welcome to hear your side of things.
And I'd be more than happy to review your RFP response myself, but you're going to have to wait in line, as there are already several other people who are interested in telling me their side of things first. At that point, I'm fairly certain I'll have some additional questions regarding the nature of your proposal, how it went through the process, and what sort of plans you intend to implement to meet the criteria outlined in the RFP.
Finally, perhaps it would be helpful to offer that this really isn't about Balagan so much as it's about SCCC and their handling of the entire process. For example, had other theatre companies been aware in advance that they would be considering proposals from producing organizations and not just management companies, which is what the RFP clearly states, I'm fairly certain the competition would have been much higher than three submissions, so there's also an issue of simple fairness involved as well.
19
Well here is another in a long line of people unsatisfied with Balagan while they were venue managers of their own space.
This is straight from the Stranger review of them.
I just recently rented out the Balagan theatre for a film screening. Having booked it months in advance, going over the event's of the day- (in person and in emails) Bands from 2-3:30, Films from 4-5:30pm and we end at 6pm, paying an extra $40 so I could have my bands get there early to set up and what do they do? They take me out in the hallway AS MY BANDS ARE SETTING UP and tell me that they recently had gotten a noise complaint from a band play too loud in an evening
performance and asked if my bands can play acoustic or not at all. Lisa, the lead lady looked me in the eyes and said she straight up "forgot I was having bands play". That is bullshit. All she had to do is tell me about the incident and my bands would have prepared to play acoustically. It was a kaotic mess from the get go. They were completely unprepared, unprofessional and unsettleing. I repeat. These spineless phony's are not worth your money.
Posted by RP on September 29, 2008 at 8:33 AM · Report
This is straight from the Stranger review of them.
I just recently rented out the Balagan theatre for a film screening. Having booked it months in advance, going over the event's of the day- (in person and in emails) Bands from 2-3:30, Films from 4-5:30pm and we end at 6pm, paying an extra $40 so I could have my bands get there early to set up and what do they do? They take me out in the hallway AS MY BANDS ARE SETTING UP and tell me that they recently had gotten a noise complaint from a band play too loud in an evening
performance and asked if my bands can play acoustic or not at all. Lisa, the lead lady looked me in the eyes and said she straight up "forgot I was having bands play". That is bullshit. All she had to do is tell me about the incident and my bands would have prepared to play acoustically. It was a kaotic mess from the get go. They were completely unprepared, unprofessional and unsettleing. I repeat. These spineless phony's are not worth your money.
Posted by RP on September 29, 2008 at 8:33 AM · Report
20
@COMTE - You are right, the questions you raise are about SCCC and the RFP process. If we have come across as defensive, that is because the process of submitting our proposal from beginning to end was very thorough, and both parties felt this was examined in minute detail. We as a company spent a goodly amount of hours with each other, our board, our lawyers, and SCCC on this effort, and the idea that it was not competitive or well thought out is not accurate. But I hear what you are saying, and if your research turns up any questions, I would encourage you to reach out and contact us directly, as we are happy to provide clarification. All butt-hurt-ness aside, there is nothing about this we are ashamed about, and questions can only bring more details to light. I am very sorry if we have sounded confrontational, I would love to buy you a beer and talk about this personally, as our relations with you, Annex, and the arts scene as a whole is incredibly important to us.
@ 15 - We aren't glad-handing politicians, there are no WMDs hidden in the bowels of the Erickson (to my knowledge, since we have not yet set foot inside the space I suppose anything is possible..), if you have factual, first-person knowledge of something, why the mystery?
@ 17 - This is not correct. As I address on The Sunbreak's page, Seattle Dances reacted without talking to us, and once we were able to get in touch with them, their protest was recinded and an apology was posted on their blog (http://seattledances.blogspot.com/). As far as the other company that has been reportedly pushed out - to date, no one from this company has directly contacted us, but with the rumor being posted and re-posted on the strictly fact-based interwebs, this is becoming a silly game of telephone. As soon as the company being wronged talks to us, we will address their needs and do what we can for them. We have contacted one other company about re-negotiating some dates for 2011 (not eliminating a booking, as has been inferred, but a discussion about moving some dates), but we have in no way advised anyone they are not welcome or wanted.
@ 19 - Good call. Pie on our face. That review, from 2008, was an unhappy renter for a single event in our old venue. Since that time, our company has been restructored, we have new people in leadership positions, and we also have rounded out the company with several dedicated individuals with skills and experience that make us much better suited for facility management then we have been in the past.
I said this on The Sunbreak, and I will say it here too:
If you find yourself, your company, or your neighbors feeling trepidation or concern about Balagan’s involvement with the Erickson, I encourage you to reach out to us. We are a company that has been without a home for nearly a year, and you would be hard-pressed to find a group more passionate about finding ways to make a professional venue accessible to scrappy artists.
We are your friends and colleagues, not your adversaries. If we are strangers, let’s fix that now. We will be managing a beautiful space, in a great location, and with our staff to maintain and book it, all we need now to make it the community hub it should be is YOU.
M. Elizabeth Eller
Marketing Director
Balagan Theatre
elizabeth@balagantheatre.org
More...
@ 15 - We aren't glad-handing politicians, there are no WMDs hidden in the bowels of the Erickson (to my knowledge, since we have not yet set foot inside the space I suppose anything is possible..), if you have factual, first-person knowledge of something, why the mystery?
@ 17 - This is not correct. As I address on The Sunbreak's page, Seattle Dances reacted without talking to us, and once we were able to get in touch with them, their protest was recinded and an apology was posted on their blog (http://seattledances.blogspot.com/). As far as the other company that has been reportedly pushed out - to date, no one from this company has directly contacted us, but with the rumor being posted and re-posted on the strictly fact-based interwebs, this is becoming a silly game of telephone. As soon as the company being wronged talks to us, we will address their needs and do what we can for them. We have contacted one other company about re-negotiating some dates for 2011 (not eliminating a booking, as has been inferred, but a discussion about moving some dates), but we have in no way advised anyone they are not welcome or wanted.
@ 19 - Good call. Pie on our face. That review, from 2008, was an unhappy renter for a single event in our old venue. Since that time, our company has been restructored, we have new people in leadership positions, and we also have rounded out the company with several dedicated individuals with skills and experience that make us much better suited for facility management then we have been in the past.
I said this on The Sunbreak, and I will say it here too:
If you find yourself, your company, or your neighbors feeling trepidation or concern about Balagan’s involvement with the Erickson, I encourage you to reach out to us. We are a company that has been without a home for nearly a year, and you would be hard-pressed to find a group more passionate about finding ways to make a professional venue accessible to scrappy artists.
We are your friends and colleagues, not your adversaries. If we are strangers, let’s fix that now. We will be managing a beautiful space, in a great location, and with our staff to maintain and book it, all we need now to make it the community hub it should be is YOU.
M. Elizabeth Eller
Marketing Director
Balagan Theatre
elizabeth@balagantheatre.org
21
The true colors are already showing. Balagan is supposed to use the space to promote "community" yet by their own admission on The Sunbreak:
"As we have not yet taken any keys, booked any events, or set foot inside the space (and we won’t for over a month still) it is hard to respond to reports of how previous/current renters are being treated"
But then here on the Stranger
"We have contacted one other company about re-negotiating some dates for 2011 (not eliminating a booking, as has been inferred, but a discussion about moving some dates), but we have in no way advised anyone they are not welcome or wanted."
So as was previously stated, you start your reign by doing the opposite of building community. You start by trying to move dates of a company that already had a signed contract. That seems like a sign of things to come...we are welcome to rent the space, but if Balagan suddenly needs it, we will be forced to move dates.
A contract means nothing to Balagan, though the Seattle Times says "The nonprofit troupe will be honoring previous rental contracts for the Erickson", they are already trying to move people's dates. Seems like they are saying one thing and doing another.
**Also, they are technically not a non-profit. They are under Shunpikes non-profit umbrella.
"As we have not yet taken any keys, booked any events, or set foot inside the space (and we won’t for over a month still) it is hard to respond to reports of how previous/current renters are being treated"
But then here on the Stranger
"We have contacted one other company about re-negotiating some dates for 2011 (not eliminating a booking, as has been inferred, but a discussion about moving some dates), but we have in no way advised anyone they are not welcome or wanted."
So as was previously stated, you start your reign by doing the opposite of building community. You start by trying to move dates of a company that already had a signed contract. That seems like a sign of things to come...we are welcome to rent the space, but if Balagan suddenly needs it, we will be forced to move dates.
A contract means nothing to Balagan, though the Seattle Times says "The nonprofit troupe will be honoring previous rental contracts for the Erickson", they are already trying to move people's dates. Seems like they are saying one thing and doing another.
**Also, they are technically not a non-profit. They are under Shunpikes non-profit umbrella.
22
@ 21 - No one is being forced out. Of the 40 contracts in place when we take over, 1 is under discussion to re-negotiate some dates.
We aren't fighting, we are opening our arms and asking how we can make this transition work for you. This isn't a sign of things to come, because the bumps we experience when we transition from the old administration to ours will only happen once. To point at one rental that we are working to accomodate with some minor adjustments and say this is a sign of things to come seems a bit alarmist.
Also, for clarity's sake, we are no longer under Shunpike's umbrella. We are our own non-profit.
Let's spend our energy focusing on how to build this space up and make it a true community hub. If you have issues, bring them to us and start a dialogue. Slog comments without any attempt to talk directly to us just start to sound like sour grapes. You know who I am and how to reach me, if I knew who you were that would be helpful. I am eager and excited to talk to anyone who has feedback on how we can better serve our community and make the Erickson a place for all Seattle artists.
M. Elizabeth Eller
Marketing Director
Balagan Theatre
elizabeth@balagantheatre.org
We aren't fighting, we are opening our arms and asking how we can make this transition work for you. This isn't a sign of things to come, because the bumps we experience when we transition from the old administration to ours will only happen once. To point at one rental that we are working to accomodate with some minor adjustments and say this is a sign of things to come seems a bit alarmist.
Also, for clarity's sake, we are no longer under Shunpike's umbrella. We are our own non-profit.
Let's spend our energy focusing on how to build this space up and make it a true community hub. If you have issues, bring them to us and start a dialogue. Slog comments without any attempt to talk directly to us just start to sound like sour grapes. You know who I am and how to reach me, if I knew who you were that would be helpful. I am eager and excited to talk to anyone who has feedback on how we can better serve our community and make the Erickson a place for all Seattle artists.
M. Elizabeth Eller
Marketing Director
Balagan Theatre
elizabeth@balagantheatre.org
24
I think this ongoing theatrical dispute can only be rectified in a "Thunderdome" style cage match.
Which Jake Groshong will win, 'cause have you seen those guns? They're HUGE!
Which Jake Groshong will win, 'cause have you seen those guns? They're HUGE!
25
Also, several of us over on a Facebook thread discussing this shitstorm have decided we are now crushing on Elizabeth for using the word, "butt-hurt-ness" in one of her posts.
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