Articulations

Terminated. That's the word being used to describe the recent action by the board of directors of the Austin Circle of Theatres (ACoT) in regard to Betty Siegel, until last week the Managing Director for AusTix/The Box Office, the centralized ticketing service for local performing arts events run by ACoT. Siegel's position was terminated. It isn't a pretty word, and the way in which Siegel was notified of the news by ACoT Board President Royce Gehrels wasn't especially pretty, either. On Wednesday, August 6, the morning following an ACoT board meeting, Gehrels appeared at the AusTix/Box Office office with a letter of termination for Siegel. It informed her that the board intended to restructure the agency and was eliminating her position as part of that process, effective immediately. Such an action seems extraordinary, especially given Siegel's record of service to the organization. She has headed AusTix for four years and even spearheaded the creation of The Box Office, a program intended to serve the many small performing arts companies in town, many of which are otherwise reduced to using home answering machines to take reservations for their productions. Since its creation, The Box Office has served dozens of local companies and innumerable theatregoers with its centralized resources and helpful reference. ACoT board member Alex Alford reports that the changes in AusTix/The Box Office's organization had been under discussion by the board for some time, prompted by some instability of the service's finances. "AusTix was not financially secure," says Alford. Thus, the board wanted to give the program over to someone who could market it and bring in more money. Alford insisted that Siegel would be eligible to apply for the position, which the board hopes to fill in the next two weeks. Given the circumstances of her current position's termination, that seems unlikely, and it doesn't explain why the board would choose to terminate Siegel's position before this successor was hired, leaving this newcomer without the benefit of Siegel's extensive experience. Alford would not say why the board acted when it did, and Siegel declined to speculate. All that is clear is that The Box Office continues to operate with Peck Phillips as manager, and someone new will be heading the service soon.

The Learning Curve

Those helpful folks at Artists' Legal & Accounting Assistance of Austin want to help you answer the question "To Be or Not to Be 501(c)(3)." To that end, they've put together a two-hour seminar that tells you what you need to know about forming a non-profit corporation: how to file, what to file, and why you might not want to file. David Sokolow and some local accounting specialists will field questions. All you have to do is ask. This free seminar takes place Tuesday, August 19, 5:30-7:30pm, at the Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Kleberg Stage, 1421 W. Riverside Dr. For more info, call 476-4458.

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Send literary, performing, and visual arts news to: "Articulations," PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765 or onstage@auschron.com