By Kate Bobby
Queens Theatre in the Park has hired full-time development director Gail Koelln, as the direct result of a $45,000 grant awarded to the theater by the Independence Community Grant Foundation.
Koelln, a Hollis Hills resident, served the administration of Borough President Claire Schulman as a budget analyst and grant specialist with the Office of Management and Budget. During her tenure with Schulman's office, Koelln helped direct fundraising toward various non-profits throughout the borough, mainly helping coordinate the fundraising efforts of Citibank. For QTIP, Koelln's role will be to help maintain relationships with existing funders of the theater while helping establish new relationships with potential supporters.
“In 1993, we had three major supporters and they are still behind us. Now, in total, there are about 50 steady sources of support. That shows that we are serving our constituency. We are meeting a need,” Rosenstock said.
Back in 1989, the theater had, in fact, nearly met its end. Abandoned and vandalized, it was an eyesore that attracted vagrancy. Rosenstock credits Schulman for the theater's eventual revitalization.
“Queens Theater in Park is literally the house that Claire (Schulman) built,” said Rosenstock, crediting Schulman for throwing the necessary funds and support behind a renovation plan that reopened the theater's doors in 1993. Since then, Shulman's office as well as other major funders have continued to pledge their support.
“The office of the borough president, Peter Vallone's office, as well as our earliest private funding sources have continued to help us ever since, and we keep going to the same well, so to speak, again and again. We shouldn't, but we do.” said Rosenstock. “And they continue to respond.”
And the theater, and its programs, continue to grow. In 1994, QTIP ran 150 shows. This year's total is 425. Five years ago, the theater's box office receipts stood at roughly $80,000. This year it is estimated to total approximately $600,000.
“Ticket sales, for lack of a better term, means we are putting rear ends in the seats,” said Rosenstock with a smile.
Not surprisingly, therefore, there is new programming planned including the birth of a Black Performing Arts series as well as the expansion of existing programming with plans to make the springtime Latino Arts series a year-round series.
“Initially, I approached the Independence Community Bank Foundation for $25,000 for the Latino Arts festival,” said Rosenstock who recalled his dismay at the unexpected response to his request.
“I was told that what I wanted was to expand our program building capability, to hire a full time development director,” said Rosenstock, with a laugh. “And I said, 'No, what I really need is $25,000 for the Latino Arts festival.'”
“Instead, we received funding and guidance. Really necessary guidance,” said Rosenstock, who said that Koelln, as development director, will direct funding streams toward that which the theater most needs. To illustrate his point, in fact, he conducted a mini-tour of the stacks of paper on his desk.
“Basiscally, what happens is that, in the day-to-day running of the theater, stuff reaches me and stops because I can't get to it all,” he added with a laugh. “Gail will help keep things moving.This means making grant deadlines ahead of time. I can't tell you how many times I was driving to the main branch of the post office on Eighth Avenue (in Manhattan) at 11 p.m., trying to mail an application just under the wire.”
With Koelln in tow, Rosenstock is focusing on the QTIP's next horizon: its $3.2 million capital expansion. The architect now selected, the theater plans to unveil its revamped design right around the corner with plans to start construction in the summer. There are also ongoing discussions surrounding plans to launch a QTIP summer stock program that would be based in a building at Fort Totten.
The next production at QTIP, is “Angel Street, a Victorian mystery and melodrama scheduled for Jan. 14-15. For more information, call the theater at 760-0064.
