Aultsville Theatre's first ever general manager is easing herself into the role at one of the area's premier arts facilities.
Janet Martel was recently announced as the new manager at Aultsville, the first time the theatre has had someone whose specific responsbility is to run the day-to-day operations.
And like any good performer, she is focusing on getting to know the role before making a big splash with pronouncements about changes for the future.
"I'm really kind of an observer right now and seeing who the players are," she said in an interview Wednesday. "I plan on making some evaluations...and seeing where to go."
Martel was chosen from a field of 24 applicants by the theatre's board of directors to take on the job of supervising theatre staff, while building new and expanded relationships with community partners, patrons and volunteers.
"This is a brand new position, and some things take some time," she said, adding Aultsville is "a real gem" and a recent performance by the Barra MacNeils shows how "exciting it is to see that when people come, they truly enjoy Aultsville Theatre."
Martel comes to Aultsville from Iroquois, with a background in arts, administration, people management and logistics planning. Her arts-related managerial experience includes 12 years in the Canadian film and television industries as an assistant director in Toronto and production co-ordinator in Ottawa as well as director of operations for Ottawa’s Carnivàle Lune Bleue/Absolute Lunacy.
