Foundation...
After this initial meeting, Tricia T. Jones, a colleague of Jill Hartley, joined the group as well, which lead to the launch of the company's founding eight-member board.
Rather than diving directly into production, the Board made a conscious choice to take time laying out a plan for the company. They met for several months to construct a strong foundation in the hopes of creating long-term viability for the company. The Board articulated their mission statement, a business plan, a marketing strategy and a production format for their seasons. In March 2008, they filed their Initial Articles of Incorporation as a Nonprofit with the Secretary of The State of Ohio.
Season One...
Raconteur wanted to highlight Banned Book Week by producing a play that had once been banned. Finding the right script while staying true to the company's purpose proved to be challenging. After discarding many possibilities, the company chose Lanford Wilson's translation of Ghosts by Henrik Isben.
This script brought new hurdles including securing rights and paying royalties for a published play as well as finding or building period pieces including set, props, and costumes. With these also came great successes. The production drew audiences and critics who recognized the Ibsen name resulting in several sold-out nights. The opening weekend of this production coincided with Columbus's Walk Now for autism, which held a personal interest for one board member leading to the creation of a way for Raconteur to give back to the community. Through this new program, the company would support a different charity for each show run by offering free advertising for the charity in the program, a verbal announcement at the opening of each show, and a place to accept monetary donations from patrons.
Additnionally, Raconteur teamed up with the Columbus Metropolitan Library in an effort to bring an educational element to the produciton. A "page to stage" session lead by Jones (the director for Ghosts) was held a week before the show opened at the libaray and again prior to the show in the second week of the run. Despite cross promoting with the library and an effort to reach out to local high schools and colleges, the events were poorly attended.
Holidays...
Their third show fell in the holiday season leaving the company to search out a fresh holiday script that could compete with the saturated eultide faire. They choose local playwright Sarah Tobin's script Mom and Pop. The play's story drew the attention of popular local columnist Joe Blundo due to the script's commentary on big busniess and the crushing of small family-owned shops. For this show, the biggest chanllenge the company faced was the location. The theatre they rented was considered an improvement upon previous spaces, but quickly proved to be a liability. Some challenges faced included the poor insullation of the building leading to vastly uncomfortbale cold for both the audience and the actors backstage while the running heating system was excessively noisey making it difficult to hear the performers. Also, the location of the building was difficult for patrons to find, which resulted in low turnout overall. This, along with the high cost of renting the space, left Raconteur in the uncomfortable position of losing money on a prodcution for the first time.
Teens can act too...
In February, Raconteur closed their debut season with Mary Steelsmith's Isaac, I Am. The script required a few teenage actors, and anticipating that casting these roles may be difficult, the company again reached out to local high schools. Because of this need, the educational programs from Ghosts that were previously viewed as a failure, proved to benefit the company for this production as the young lead actress was first introduced to the company though one of those sessions. Another first, the California-based playwright flew in to see the production and held a talkback along with actors facilitated by Ohio State University professor Alan Woods. Critical praise for the production helped bolster attendence and allowed the company to recoup some of the loses of the previous production.
Raconteur's second annual Flex Series, Negotations and Love Stories, coincided with the company's one year anniversary and marked the largest cast and crew for any production at date. While the first Flex Series inlcuded only two one-act plays with a total of five actors and some fairly major set arrangements, this installment consisted of seven short plays, seventeen actors, but only two set pieces, which converted to fit the needs of each script. Employing five directors helped distribute the work load and allow for each play to get the attention it needed by all those involved. Although small, the location was a boon for the production as the attached club encouraged walk-in traffic. Also, despite the opportunity patrons had to choose only one half or the other, the majority of patrons who came to view only the first half, ultimately remained for the second as well. This production also drew in a lot of new talent, which directly lead to the creation of the Raconteur Ensemble.
Changes...
Throughout the company's first year, the board faced many internal challenges. As Raconteur's inital production got on its feet, differeneces escalated. As it became clear that there was a difference in vision for the company among the board, Brennan Michna and Joe Liles decided to withdraw from the company. Shortly thereafter, Justin Toomey took a job in Chicago. The remaining board then invited Molly St.Cyr-Reid to the board. St.Cyr was one of the actors from After the Afterglow who showed promise and dedication to the company and would prove a great asset as a board member.
Immediately after Ghosts, Raconteur lost another two board members. Now the only former Bison member, Kasiara chose to follow in suit, and Einhorn, citing family hardships, also chose to step down from the board. This left a skeleton board of four. Tricia T. Jones (Board President) Jill C. Hartley (Vice President), Andrew Hartley (Tresurer), and Molly St.Cyr-Reid (Secretary) ran the company for the remainder of the their debut season.
Due to the strain put on the small board by the end of Isaac, I Am, they elected to instate a performance hiatus following Negotations and Love Stories. The purpose for this hiatus was multi-faceted. There was a need for the board members to recoup personally as well as a need for future planning. The company had made little headway in achieveing one of their main goals, acquiring 501c3 status, and their self-imposed deadline for this was quickly approaching. Likewise, their need to attract additional board members was backseated due to productions, a problem which would only snowball if not remedied.
Therefore, with the close of Negotations and Love Stories, the company refocused on the business side of the theatre. To begin, Raconteur focused on their need for a core group of artists in the form of an ensemble. This included a series of meetings to deveop the best struture to benefit the company and the artists who would compose the new ensemble. Through this process, the board recognized individuals who they believed would compliemnt the board not only because of their desire to help the company grow, but also for their individual talents in and out of theatre. Thus, Raconrteur added five new board members: Jason Speicher, James O. Johnson, Elizabeth Huff-Williams, Schurrell Williams, and Sam Blythe. Also at this time, Jones began a year-long sabbatical allowing her to focus on abtaining her post-graduate degree. Coincidently, these changes coincided with the end of board terms. After these new election, the current board officers stand as: Jill C. Hartley (President), Molly St.Cyr-Reid (Vice President), Andrew Hartley (Tresurer), and James O. Johnson (Secretary). With the nine board members and a newly-formed ensemble of seven, the company now consists of a tight-knit community of sixteen dedicated artists.