56 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE What stuck with me was that he wanted to change the world through his art. It was the first time it had ever been put into a context for me — making art isn’t a selfish thing, and what you’re doing has benefits and ramifications beyond you. I didn’t drop out of high school; instead, I decided I wanted to make theater for young people. My professional path and journey with puppetry germinated from this documentary in the middle of the night. 2 P.M. >> AFTERNOON CHECK-INS I meet with the board chair every month and am involved with several board committees. TheaterWorks has an intimate relationship with the City of Peoria, so we make sure our relationship is healthy and we’re supporting the city’s programs. I have an open-door policy, so there are a lot of “Got a sec?” moments that happen as well. Right now, TheaterWorks is really blessed. We have an incredible board of directors and team. It feels like the organization is on the cusp of something great. Everything feels poised for us to take the next step as an organization. 3:30 P.M. >> A LEADER’S JOURNEY I’ve always been fascinated by Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust’s Piper Fellows program and have seen what it has done for several colleagues and their organizations. Last year, I felt I could take this journey myself. The focus of my fellowship is expanding education at TheaterWorks, because it is our greatest opportunity. Our shows are selling well, but we can’t meet the demand of the kids, young people and adults who want to do things here. I’m interested in what other organizations are doing, so I’ve made site visits to theaters around the country that are doing awesome stuff to learn what the secret sauce is and what isn’t working. I have attended the Institute for Charitable Giving and the Disney Institute to support my professional development. Both experiences were profound. My team and I recently returned from the Community Theatre Management Conference, where we participated in training with the Universal Studios team. Strengthening employee engagement is a new pillar for us — it keeps our team connected to our mission and Recycled materials puppet demonstration at the ANIMOTION puppetry training program with The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia in Nova Scotia, Canada.

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 57 reminds us that our work truly makes the world a better place. We sometimes forget that this work is greater than us and we are now the caretakers and stewards of this organization. 6 P.M. >> THE DAY’S SECOND ACT After I grab a quick bite to eat, the second part of my job begins. I am directing three plays this season, which results in long days. I meet with my stage manager to talk about what’s going to happen that night. Once the actors arrive, we get right to the work of the evening, whether that’s me staging a scene, choreography or music rehearsal. We wrap up the day by closing out our notes so the rehearsal report can be created. I head home about 11 p.m. and spend time with my dogs, do a load of laundry and then go to bed before starting all over again the next day. To learn more, go to theaterworks.org . Damian Valdes Dilla Hamby answers a student question during a talk-back for the TheaterWorks production of “The Little Prince.” OFFICE DOORS