Smart Business Magazine, February 2016
U N I Q U E LY C O LU M B U S THE MANY HATS Everyone at Shadowbox has multiple roles For example Guyer might spend part of his day as the CEO while also cooking pizzas directing actors doing auditions and performing in a show Its great in terms of keeping you from getting bored but its difficult particularly when you start that idea of switching gears that rapidly and effectively can be tough he says Most actors singers and dancers are waiters so they serve the audience before the show which builds a connection It is truly unique and beautiful to see how affected the audience is when they realize that their waiter is now up there belting out a song or delivering the punch lines in the sketch Guyer says February 2016 Smart Business Columbus 13 www instagram com shadowboxlive NUTS AND BOLTS Shadowbox is a nonprofit performance troupe that selfproduces shows and runs the company on a day to day basis The top managers make up the board of trustees and operate as the primary creators producers and performers The truth of it is weve got a traditional theater model to try to work with and a very very awkward business model Guyer says If youre manufacturing widgets you hope the person standing in front of the press will create 10 times in value of his or her cost But he says in theater if you can get twice as much value you have a big win The payroll is roughly half of the companys total gross which makes the bottom line tough every year We work really hard and we dont take a lot of money in grants Guyer says So we have an earned income model that means we work a lot And we have to do our very best to make sure all of the people who come and see us come back BRANCHING OUT Shadowbox has shows nearly every night in its theater and bistro last year putting out more than 500 performances While Shadowbox is known for its rock operas and comedy Guyer says the company has expanded into paying tribute to music genres or bands and collaborating with area arts organizations One of the most successful collaborations was a song cycle about art pieces that are part of the Columbus Museum of Arts permanent collection Shadowbox also offers arts education and mentoring programs Stev Guyer shares in his own words why he thinks Columbus is so great at www sbnonline com market columbus editions
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