Behind the Curtain

Mark Cole, the new managing director at Arizona Theatre Company talks about his life and work.

By Neil Cohen

Photo by Chris Loomis Photography.

Behind the Curtain

Arizona Theatre Company's managing director talks about his career, the new job and the state of the arts

Mark Cole may work behind the scenes, but his background in theater and dance is likely to have an impact at the Arizona Theatre Company, where he started work as managing director this season.

Cole moved to Phoenix from Miami, where he was the general manager for the Miami City Ballet. His career includes working as an actor and stage manager in New York City, where he also worked in the financial industry.

As managing director at Arizona Theatre Company, Cole is responsible for the company's finances, marketing and strategic planning. The company produces shows in Phoenix and Tucson.

Cole answered questions about his career and the Arizona Theatre Company.

Question: You've moved seamlessly through the theater and ballet worlds. What appealed to you most about both?

Answer: The theater world and the ballet world are not so far apart. Both involve disparate groups of artists working collaboratively to create something beautiful that will live briefly on stage in front of an audience. The work is successful when we learn something about ourselves or suddenly see the world differently or are simply touched by the art we see on stage.

Q: What prompted you to make the move from Miami?

A: I was ready for a return to the theater, and was waiting for the right opportunity in the right climate to come along. After 13 years in Miami, I wasn't going back to New York and winter.

Q: What was your upbringing like, and how did you decide to make the arts your life?

A: I'm pretty sure that every gay man who grows up in Alabama wants to go into show business. It's all those positive gay role models. From a very young age I liked to sing and show off. I was particularly good at impressions. I got busted by my eighth grade English teacher, Mrs. Gloadt, when she walked in on me doing a full-on impersonation of her for my class.

Q: You were in the banking industry in New York. What moved you from your focus in the arts?

A: The banking job in New York was a detour I took after I tired of performing in schools, dinner theaters and no-pay or low-pay showcases. I was a young man and wanted to have a nice apartment, clothes, etc. The good news is that I acquired some excellent business skills in the corporate world which I took back to my true love — the theater.

Q: What is your vision for Arizona Theatre Company? What are your biggest challenges and what are your biggest plans for the company?

A: Arizona Theatre Company serves the entire state of Arizona. Not only do we have full seasons in both Phoenix and Tucson, but we perform community outreach throughout the state providing students in underserved communities their first theatrical experience.

I'd like everyone in Arizona to understand what Arizona Theater Company brings to the quality of life here. Part of our mission is to make professional theater accessible to all. We have a variety of programs to ensure that there are no economic barriers to attending the theater. We are always looking to make new friends who understand the value of the arts for making stronger communities.

Q: Politicians seem to use troubling economic times as an excuse to slash arts funding. How do you navigate what you need to do amidst such economic unrest? How do you teach legislators, other politicians and the public that the arts are vital?

A: I try to avoid overtly political conversations, especially with the "other side." It's been my experience that philanthropists and arts lovers come from both ends of the political spectrum. So I emphasize the arts and why they are valuable beyond the intrinsic benefits we all know.

There is a very strong case to be made for the arts as an economic engine that engages communities, brings life to downtowns, sells meals in restaurants, puts cars in garages, and provides jobs. An actor's job is a real job. A stage manager pays his mortgage just like a paralegal or a nurse. There is lots of data proving that every dollar spent on the arts creates another three dollars in our economy. I believe this is currently our most compelling argument for legislators, politicians that arts are vital.

Q: How is Arizona Theatre Company doing?

A: Arizona Theatre Company is healthy — more than 130,000 people attended our performances last season. We are not immune to the government, foundation and corporate decreases in giving that have occurred over the past four years, and we depend upon donations from individuals to cover the costs of producing outstanding professional theater that aren't covered by ticket sales alone.

Q: What will the LGBT community enjoy the most about Arizona Theatre Company's upcoming shows?

A: There's a reason for that rainbow you know. We are all as different in our theatrical tastes as we are in culinary ones or fashion designers. The great thing about Arizona Theatre Company is the depth and breadth of any given season — the variety of our work.

Among my upcoming favorites is Daddy Long Legs, because it is beautifully romantic with great singing and a hunky leading man. I think The 39 Steps has a good gay sensibility — who doesn't love to riff on old Hitchcock movies? The Great Gatsby is an incredibly timely look at the "1 percent" — who happen to be gorgeous and live opulent lives all while the world for the 99 percent disintegrates. Finally there is Red — a big play about big ideas which asks the question, "Is art meant to provoke, soothe or disturb?" -E

Mark Cole

More about Mark Cole:

Graduated from Auburn University in Alabama. Master's degree in acting from the University of Minnesota.
As a theater stage manager in New York, he worked on shows such as How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) and Steve Martin's Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
Favorite place in Phoenix: The Phoenix Art Museum.