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| My last shot at hosting The Wilde Awards! photo by Sean Carter |
This announcement was sent to the management teams of the state's professional theaters early this afternoon.
* * * * * * * * * *
For some of you, this will sound familiar, but effective
October 1, I will no longer be part of the editorial and management teams of
EncoreMichigan.com.
As many of you may recall, I initially retired from both
EncoreMichigan.com and Pride Source Media Group in December 2014 because of
health issues. But when David Kiley assumed ownership of EncoreMichigan.com in
March 2015, he asked that I return in a part-time capacity to help him navigate
the business and the community. It’s now 18 months later, and I think it’s time
for David to fully grab the reins and take the company where he sees fit
without having a personal Jiminy Critic whispering such things as “Are you sure
you want to do that?” and “This is why we’ve always done it this way” in his
ear.
What most people don’t understand is this: Much of the
funding to keep EncoreMichigan.com going is coming from David’s personal bank
account. And so I believe it’s time for him to get the kudos he deserves for
the significant investment he’s making in the community without having me
overshadow his accomplishments (something I was reminded of at this year’s
Wilde Awards).
So does this mean I’m retreating into the darkness, never
to be heard from again? Oh, heck no!
Although I plan to take some time away from the theater
community to focus on long-neglected personal projects and a close friend’s
campaign for political office (if you’re a Wayne County resident and honesty
and integrity matter to you, I urge you to vote for Kelly Ann Ramsey for
Circuit Court judge), I plan to continue working as a freelance journalist for
various local outlets, and I’ve told David that once his budget can afford to
add interviews and feature stories to the mix, I’ll gladly return once or twice
a week with my once-popular series, “A Few Minute With…” And as time and
interest allow, I’ll gladly assist with special projects that arise for which
he asks for my help (or that I suggest we tackle).
Plus, there are a couple of theater-related projects I’ve
been talking about for a handful of years that might finally get some traction
– and I’m working on a brand NEW theater-related project that might be of
interest to you, which COULD be announced sometime over the next month or so. Keep
watching my blog for more information (http://crankycritic2.blogspot.com).
(A few details still need to be worked out.)
Then there’s The Wilde Awards. Although it wasn’t publicly announced, I decided last year to step away as producer and host of the annual
ceremony because I believe it’s time for others to step in and reinvigorate the
show. And so David took on the full producing responsibilities this year, while
this was my last as writer and host.
However, since I feel it’s important that
consistent management should be maintained to ensure the integrity of the
process that determines each year’s nominations and winners, David has appointed me executive director of The Wilde Awards. My sole functions will be to
manage the nominations process (a year-long responsibility), oversee the
event’s media relations, and maintain the awards’ history, which we’ll begin
posting on EncoreMichigan.com and my blog over the next several weeks.
And although I don’t plan to review shows for
EncoreMichigan.com in the near future (except to help out when schedule
conflicts occur), I’ve also agreed to serve as a “second set of eyes” on shows
the critics or others believe may deserve a potential Wilde Awards nomination.
(You’ll hear more about that soon.)
Obviously, then, my departure from the media company side
of the business doesn’t mean you’ll finally be rid of me. (No such luck!)
However, I do want to publicly acknowledge at this time the fact that I’ve
enjoyed working with all of you in my editorial capacity. Although our
community can at times be a fractious one, our theaters are managed and staffed
by amazing individuals who all have one common goal – and that’s to produce
great theater. And they do. Consistently.
And so it’s been my pleasure to work with you to help
spread the good news as far and wide as I possibly could. And I look forward to
continuing our relationship as my future endeavors (and second eye visits)
cause us to cross paths yet again down the road.
Don
