More on the Englert

I got the text of the Gazette article for those of you without a subscription. My comments are necessarily limited due to my position on the ICCT board, but I will say this much: I think Kerchner should tread very lightly with the statement "there was no contract between the Englert and the community theater."





The text of the article:



What price fame? Englert rents too steep for community theater



By Eric Clark

The Gazette

Tuesday, November 09, 2004, 10:47:12 AM



IOWA CITY -- Negotiations to give Iowa City Community Theatre a home in the renovated Englert Theatre are proceeding after a long-assumed agreement collapsed earlier this year.

Officials from both organizations said they believe the community theater eventually will be able to use the Englert for its performances. When that will happen and how much it will cost have yet to be determined.



"We're making every effort to get them into the Englert," said executive director Eric Kerchner. "I think we'll be able to come to some conclusion soon."



Although previous negotiations angered many community theater members, community theater board President Barbara Buddin said the ongoing discussion is moving in the right direction.



"We have positive feelings toward the Englert, and we want it to succeed," Buddin said. "We don't want to turn this into a 'Jerry Springer Show'-type of thing, because that's not necessary."



After a nearly $5 million renovation that has taken about five years, the Englert is scheduled to reopen Dec. 3 with Nebraska Theatre Caravan's "A Christmas Carol."



Buddin said community theater members were under the impression from an early Englert proposal that their group would be able to use the theater for a small fee, that rent would be waived and about $2 from each ticket sold would be donated to the Englert.



Buddin said many community theater members felt the deal was cemented in the early days of the renovation when the group offered administrative assistance to Englert Civic Theatre Inc., which owns the theater. They also felt a $40,000 donation that came later gave them partial ownership of the Englert.



Shortly after Kerchner was hired in the spring, Buddin said, community theater members learned the early proposal would not stand. Buddin said many were furious.



"We considered ourselves part owners of the theater, and then it appeared we would be forced to be renters," Buddin said.



Buddin said adding to community theater members' anger was the fact that many had made private donations to the Englert with the understanding it would one day be their theater's home.



Kerchner said there was no contract between the Englert and the community theater, and the previous proposal was not financially feasible. He offered community theater officials the Englert's standard rental rate of $800 a day for performances and $600 a day for rehearsals.



However, because of the community theater's early assistance with the Englert project, Kerchner said he is willing to negotiate the rental fee. He said no other group will have the opportunity to negotiate the fee.



"We're just trying to find the middle ground," Kerchner said.



Buddin said the primary reason the community theater wants to move to the Englert is because its home in an exhibition hall at the Johnson County Fairgrounds makes it difficult to keep its furnishings up for an extended period.



"Every year, when we're done with our last show, everything has to come down and be packed and stored, even the carpeting on the floor," Buddin said.