Impact and Evaluation
“I’ve been stretched body, mind, and soul — I’m ready to embrace new challenges and situations full of imagination, creativity, sensitivity, and an acceptance of myself that I’ve never had before.”- recent Institute participant
In a world without Nautilus Music-Theater:
- Singer-actors would not have intensive training or risk-taking opportunities. They would not have an important resource for professional growth and expansion. They would not be able to do as much with their careers, and would not be as in demand at other theaters, or as compelling to their audiences. They would not be able to participate as wholly in their communities.
- Composers, librettists and other artists would not have development opportunities, and the genre as a whole would be stunted.
- Audiences would not have new music-theater experiences. They would miss seeing premieres and works-in-progress. They would not be challenged to think in these new and different ways. They would not seek out Nautilus artists and pieces that began their life with us at other organizations (ranging from Zeitgeist to Steppingstone Theatre for Youth to Mu Performing Arts, Children’s Theater, and even the Guthrie!)
- These other companies would not have access to such developed performers, or the development of this kind of work, or collaborative opportunities with us to stretch their own growth.
At Nautilus, we primarily measure success in lives changed — of both artists and audiences — rather than money earned. Artistic growth and professional development are our stock in trade; we expand the artistic potential of theater artists and empower them as important contributors to a healthy, functioning community. To that end, we currently serve between 150-300 artists in a year. With more productions, classes, and workshops, we could viably reach double that number. As part of that, we would like a larger audience breadth, anticipating growth to 10,000 annually.