Through skillful management and a bit of begging, VanVleet led the administrative team toward successful increases in both audience development and revenue. But there were more bumps in the road. “9/11 happened and that was a nightmare for us, and the world. We went to the city council — this was the one and only time — and asked for a one-time $100,000 bailout, which the city council did,” Barnard said. Phoenix Theatre paid back that bailout, weathered the Great Recession and completed an ambitious renovation that addressed space shortage and accommodated the growing needs of the theater’s programs. Today, the city’s first theatrical institution, which was renamed The Phoenix Theatre Company in 2019, is debt-free. “We’ve gone from seven people on staff to 60 full-time people. And we’ve gone from a $750,000 budget to a $9.5 million budget. It’s been a good turnaround,” Barnard said. But Barnard and VanVleet, who is now the theater’s managing director, aren’t resting on their laurels. They’ve got big plans in store, most notably, the development of new work. They envision The Phoenix Theatre Company coming in league with nationally known theaters such as the La Jolla Playhouse, the Atlanta Alliance, Denver Center for the Arts, The Guthrie and a handful of other regional theaters that have made names for themselves by creating shows that have gone on to New York. “We’re sitting at a precipice,” Barnard said. “We’ve had Broadway producers that have come to us and said they would love to do a pre-Broadway workshop here. We’re in a great area of the country, especially in the winter. We’re well away from the New York critics, so you can develop work here.” It’s not just about securing a reputation for The Phoenix Theatre Company. It’s about building Phoenix into an arts powerhouse. “When people come into town for tourism, they think about resorts and golf courses, but the museums and the rich, vibrant arts landscape is significant. And being the fifth-largest city in the country, Phoenix deserves a regional theater like The Phoenix Theatre Company to introduce art to the canon of American musical theater,” VanVleet said. 10 YearS 48 Arizona Women MIM (The Musical Instrument Museum) Ryan House Phoenix Film Festival SMoCA Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust BHHS Legacy Foundation Gabriel’s Angels notMYkid 25 Years Arizona Foundation for Women Neighbors Who Care 20 Years 15 Years 100 Years IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SECURING A REPUTATION FOR THE PHOENIX THEATRE COMPANY. IT’S ABOUT BUILDING PHOENIX INTO AN ARTS POWERHOUSE. Human Services Campus The Phoenix Theatre Company looks forward to its next stage as a pillar of arts and culture in Arizona. Celebrity guest Derek Hough (center) emceed the theater’s recent Centennial Applause! Gala. Phoenix Theatre’s Partners That Heal program uses improvisation and structured play to lift people’s spirits in a wide variety of care settings.

That’s the driving force behind getting phase two of The Phoenix Theatre Company’s Hormel Theatre built, which will turn it into a 500-seat, state-of-the-art space. “Then we can say yes to producers asking, ‘Can we start something in Phoenix and take it to New York?’ The money they’ll bring will be invested into the local arts community, and that’s critically important,” VanVleet said. “Phoenix is poised to make a name for itself.” Both Barnard and VanVleet talk about a burgeoning energy in the theater. A few years ago, The Phoenix Theatre Company’s largest demographic shifted from being 65-plus to being 45 to 64. Perhaps it’s the younger demographic moving downtown or empty nesters looking for a night out. Whatever the reason, the theater can program different shows than it did a decade ago. “We can do a ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ to sold-out audiences. We could have never put that on in 2011 or 2012,’” VanVleet said. In addition to bringing in new audiences, launching new shows, and building a state-of-the-art theater, Barnard has a few other goals. He conceived the Partners That Heal outreach program that’s now in its 11 th year of training actors to bring improvisational theater to children in hospitals across Arizona. They just introduced the program at Colorado Children’s Hospital and are making strides to bring it to Nebraska, Puerto Rico and Canada. The theater also runs a thriving summer camp as well as outreach programs that introduce young people to theater. Barnard thinks it is vital to expand both programs in this screen-driven age. “Those are big dreams and aspirations, but if we can get any and all of that done, it will be time for me to turn things over to someone else,” said Barnard, who is now in his 20 th year in his second stint at the theater. As The Phoenix Theatre Company celebrates its 100 th year, it may be more relevant than ever. When Phoenicians gathered in a carriage house a century ago to watch the Phoenix Players perform, it was their only option for live entertainment. Today, in a world delivered to your door with a click, the ability to come together as a community is going to take place in venues like The Phoenix Theatre Company. “Something as ancient as Greece is more necessary than ever. It is critically important to hold onto live experience,” Barnard said. To learn more, go to phoenixtheatre.com . The making of a musical right here in Phoenix is not a story you hear every day. But that’s the tale of “Americano!,” which recently had its world premiere at The Phoenix Theatre Company. The pioneering show is based on the life of Tony Valdovinos, a Camelback High grad who was brought to Arizona from Mexico by his parents when he was 2. Inspired by 9/11, Valdovinos walked into a Marine Corps recruiting station on his 18 th birthday, wanting to enlist, only to discover he was an undocumented immigrant. Poised to become one of the most important new works of the year, the show was the brainchild of Scottsdale public relations executive Jason Rose, who pitched a collaboration to The Phoenix Theatre Company producing artistic director Michael Barnard at a wedding four years ago. Since then, the men have joined forces to bring to life a tale of a DREAM er who didn’t give up on serving the only country he had ever known. ¡ Americano! A World-Premiere Musical The show was co-written by Barnard and Jonathan Rosenberg, a San Diego playwright who wrote the acclaimed musical “33 1/3 – House of Dreams.” Hoping to bring “Americano!” to a national audience, the theater has enlisted a top-notch team, including executive producer Ken Davenport, the Tony-winning producer of blockbusters such as “Altar Boyz,” “Kinky Boots” and “Once on This Island.” The music was composed by Carrie Rodriguez, a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas. Barnard serves as director and Jason Rose as producer. “I believe ‘Americano!’ has a chance to be the most emotionally resonant musical to ever come out of Phoenix,” Barnard said. “It’s an Arizona-grown story, and I think it’s important to try to put a spotlight on a population of individuals who have been misunderstood.” The timely new show runs Jan. 29 through Feb. 23, 2020, at The Phoenix Theatre Company. For more information, go to a mericanothemusical.com . Photo by Reg Madison Photography