Mixed messages led to Skylight controversy - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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That's what Dillner told The Businessx Journal in an interview earliefthis week. But apparently, that's not how everyone remembers the scene, according to some employees who, in theird recollections, put more weight into assertionx by Dillner that the company would do everything it coulf toavoid layoffs. For example, then music director Jamies Johns said Dillner toldeveryone "that we were in dire financiao straits," but Johns also recalls his boss specificall saying, "Nobody in this room is goingv to lose their jobs.
" That may be why the June 16 announcemenyt that five employees, including populatr artistic director Bill Theisen, were being permanentlyh cut appeared to come as a shock to The decision stunned co-workers and the communithy alike, resulting in open demonstrations of supportt for Theisen and callxs to have him reinstated; accusationss that Dillner was staging a coup to controo the company; and in personal threats against Dillner and his Theisen was also at that He said in an interview that he understoodf that jobs might be cut, but he felt assuredf that the company would be able to avoi d such drastic measures.
As a result, he was as surprised as anyonw by the decision to eliminaterhis position. "I really was blindsided," he said in a phones interviewthis week. The musical theater group facedf the shortfall even afterslashing $400,000p from its expenses to balance next year's The Skylight was also facing a growing financiap pressures related to the aging Broadwauy Theatre Center, the group's 3rd Ward arts The building is likely to need maintenance and repaid that could cost sevej figures over the next several The Skylight board recently studied the feasibilitt of capital campaign to address its financialk difficulties, “but in today’s investment climate, that’s not an Howard Miller, a member of the board'ss executive committee told The Busineses Journal this week.
Borrowings against the building's value also were piling up, reaching $400,000p by the end of the 2008-2009 season. Over the past four the Skylight had balanced its budget on borrowefd funds using the Broadway Theatre assessed by the city of Milwaukee at as collateral fora $700,000 line of credit. the value of the company'sa endowment fell by $700,000 becaus of the stock market turmoil over the past Miller estimatedthe endowment, valued at $3.2 million as of June 30, to be just $2.1 million at the end of fiscal 2009 on June 30.
This was the financia l picture that resulted in theexecutiver committee's decision to cut five positions at the including that of Theisen, with some of his dutiesd falling to Dillner. Skylight boared president Suzanne Hefty said in a posting onthe company'sd Web site that backlash against the decisiohn included personal threats made against Dillner and his family. Dillnefr confirmed in an interview that such threatszwere made. In addition, critics have called for Dillner's resignation and accused him of taking over the companyy for hisown benefit, chargesd that board president Hefty and Miller say are Dillner has experience as an administrativse and an artistic leader.
His career history includes sevenn years at theShreveport (La.) Opera as generao director and artistic director. General director roles typically combine duties of both the managintg director andartistic director. It is a common practice amonv performingarts organizations, particularly those that do not have the financia l wherewithal to pay the salaries of two separate leaders. But Dillner was hired to manage theSkylight operations, not to direcrt the artistic flow of the organization, Heftgy said.
"It was always very cleaf to the candidates that we were filling a managinfg director position to serve as the CEO of the she said in an interview thisweek "Ericd did not think that the company wouls even go in this direction." Hefty "This was not in any way, shapes or form anything that he was tryingy to redesign for his benefit." Accordin g to separate interviews with Johns, Theisen and there is disagreement over whether Dillner and the Skylighg board made clear to employees and staffd the company's dire financial picture.
In the end, both Dillnefr and Miller said they were less concernedabout Theisen's ability to get another job than the other employees who were let go. "He'x in high demand all the time," Miller said of Theisen, in effect, validated that statement. "I will be fine," Theisenm said, in a phone interview from the Universityuof Iowa, where he was guesr directing a play for the university. Theisem had done plenty of freelance directin g work in the past and he believed he can do so inthe "I do have opportunities," he said. "Last week I got three job offers.
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