Okoboji Summer Theatre Association: Getting Involved

The oldest arts organization in the Iowa Great Lakes, the Okoboji Summer Theatre (OST), begins its 52nd Season next month when the OST Box Office opens on Monday, June 8, followed by the opening performance of the first mainstage production on Tuesday, June 16. For more information on the OST, including all nine mainstage productions of the 52nd Season, June 16 -- August 16, 2009, visit the OST web site at www.stephens.edu/okoboji or at the new address, www.okobojisummertheatre.org.

This blog entry isn't so much about the OST as it is about how one can get involved with the Okoboji Summer Theatre Association (OSTA).

OST Background

Theatre people who are only used to community theatre companies, most of which are operated primarily by amateurs and volunteers, sometimes ask me why they can't audition for or get involved with OST productions.

The OST is owned and operated by Stephens College of Columbia, Missouri, www.stephens.edu, as a rare and magical combination of professional theatre, collegiate theatre and summer stock. The OST students are from Stephens Theatre Arts Program, and the OST staffers are a combination of Stephens faculty and staff and theatre professionals from other academic institutions and theatre companies, many of whom are Stephens alumnae.

"The focus of the Stephens Theatre Arts program [of which the OST is an integral part] is on educating talented, creative individuals for the realities of the entertainment world and on developing the total person."

The only Iowa Great Lakes residents who work for OST are employed in the areas of Culinary Arts, a.k.a. the kitchen, and Facilities, a.k.a. buildings and grounds. For OST musicals, regional musicians are sometimes invited to perform in the orchestras. When real children are needed onstage, (when young adults playing children won't do), auditions are held at a dance studio in Estherville owned by a Stephens College alumna.

This is not to say that adults can't get involved with the OST. Every theatre production needs an audience, and purchasing tickets for performances benefits the OST. Like most arts and entertainment organizations, the OST relies greatly on the financial generosity of donors, and becoming an OST "Friend," or patron, is another way to get involved.

The OSTA: What It Is and What It's Not

For those who would like to donate time, energy and creativity, there's the OSTA, a.k.a. the Association, which is a volunteer guild or a support group, of sorts, for the OST.

It's important to note that the OSTA is not a governing body. It's not a board of directors, a steering committee, or a leadership guild for the OST. As noted earlier, the OST is owned and operated by Stephens College. It is in no way governed by the OSTA.

The OSTA is governed by its own officers who act as a board of directors, but only for the OSTA, not for the OST. OSTA members meet with OST senior staff several times a year and, when requested, members offer suggestions for the operation of the OST; however, the OSTA in no way runs the theatre.

OSTA and OST History

The OSTA has a long and distinguished history. Interestingly, it's actually five years older than the current incarnation of its "parent" organization.

Incorporated in 1953, the OSTA was formed to support the Sanford Summer Theatre, owned and operated by Grinnell College from 1947 to 1954. In 1953, Grinnell moved its summer theatre from Arnolds Park to an airplane hanger on the location of the current OST lot. After two relatively unsuccessful summers on the new lot, 1952 and 1953, Grinnell canceled its summer theatre program. In 1956, Grinnell t rented the theatre to Carthage College, and in 1957, it sold the property to a group of local businessmen organized as Lakes Educational Projects, Inc.

During the early years, 1953-1957, one of the goals of the OSTA was to find a new college to lease the space.

Representatives of Stephen College visited Okoboji in 1957, and Stephens performed its first season of plays there in 1958. Stephens was the operator of OST for four summers, 1958-1961, until it purchased the lot from Lakes Educational Projects, Inc. in 1962, at which time Stephens became the owner of OST.

As with most volunteer organizations, the amount of time and energy one contributes to the OSTA depends on each individual. Even for those who want to get very involved, however, there's not a great deal to do. In other words, OSTA members are not asked to do much.

OSTA Meetings and Other Events

The OSTA only has three regularly scheduled meetings each year, and OST senior staff representatives attend all three to confer with OSTA members.

The winter meeting is in the Hedberg Theatre of the Okoboji Spirit Center in Historic Arnolds Park, Inc. (HAPI) on the Saturday of the annual University of Okoboji Winter Games. At this meeting, the upcoming OST season is officially announced. This meeting follows an annual omelet brunch benefit in the HAPI Majestic Pavilion which is planned and implemented by the OSTA to raise funds for the OST.

The spring meeting is in the Frances Shloss Greenroom on the OST lot during the third week in May, the week that the OST pre-season staff begins to arrive in Okoboji to prepare for the upcoming season. This meeting includes an optional pre-meeting dinner, an overview of the upcoming season, followed by the annual unloading of equipment from the semi trailer from Stephens College. Helping to unload the trailer is optional.

This year, the annual OSTA Spring Meeting is on Tuesday, May 19, with a social at 5:00 p.m., an optional dinner ($8.00) at 5:30 p.m., the meeting at 6:00 p.m., followed by the unloading of the semi trailer.

The summer meeting is in the Hog House, a rehearsal building on the OST lot, during the second week of August, the closing week of the OST season. There's no autumn meeting. In addition to the regularly scheduled winter, spring and summer meetings, ad hoc meetings are sometimes scheduled, less than one per year, on average, to deal with matters than can't wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting.

In addition to attending the meetings, helping with the annual OST omelet brunch fundraiser and the annual truck unloading, OSTA members can also help by selling OST Discount Booklets prior to the opening of the season and, when requested, they can help as ushers for musical productions.

OSTA Membership Benefits

Membership fees for the OSTA, due annually, are $5.00 per person, $10.00 per couple, and are used to cover the costs of meeting reminders sent out via postal mail. Dues also help determine who is and who isn't an official member of the OSTA.

There are benefits to being a dues-paying member of the OSTA. The OST hosts an annual donor recognition party to which dues-paying OSTA members are invited. Bob and Genie Reed of Spirit Lake host an annual party for the OST staff and students, and OSTA members are invited to attend if they sign-up in advance to help as co-hosts.

Getting Involved

I would provide contact information for the OSTA, but it changes every few years, depending on the OSTA officers and which of them provide their personal contact information for use by the OSTA. Contact information for the OST doesn't change, and it can be accessed as the aforementioned OST web site, www.stephens.edu/okoboji or www.okobojisummertheatre.org.

To be kept informed via email regarding the OST and the OSTA, you're invited to join ost-friends, and easy-to-use, free and secure Yahoo! Groups mailing list I created. Just send a blank email to ost-friends-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, and follow the simple instructions provided. If you experience difficulties, just contact me at ost-friends-owner@yahoogroups.com, FJosephWilson@aol.com, or 712-332-5043, and I'll provide assistance.

Whether or not you wish to get involved with the OSTA, I highly recommend you check out the OST 52nd Season, June 8 -- August 16, 2009, another summer of excellent live theatre! I hope to see you at the OST this summer!