Lisa Rasmussen, managing director of Renaissance Theaterworks
This fall, Renaissance Theaterworks promoted its longtime director of development, Lisa Rasmussen, to the position of managing director. In her previous capacity, Rasmussen helped increase Renaissance Theaterworks’ income by 120% and celebrated the company’s 25th year of debt-free operation. Off the Cuff interviewed her to learn more about her work at the company so far and her goals going forward.
Looking back at your tenure as development director, please describe one or two of your projects or accomplishments of which you’re most proud.
I’m really proud of helping develop Br!NK [New Play Festival]. Being able to see what it means to the playwrights to have a home and develop their work, to have their work and profession be so honored and to have such valuable insights poured into their work, has been amazing. It’s shocking that 20% or less of the plays produced in the U.S. are written by women. Br!NK has been our real answer to making the statistics different here.
PEARLS for Teen Girls has been such an inspiration as well. We offer collaboration opportunities that they help design so it matters more to them and to their girls. This year, we’re launching the Fran Bauer Young Critics Project. Getting to know PEARLS as a community group is just so special … It’s almost like PEARLS has found the cure for cancer in terms of what they’ve done for teen pregnancy rates and empowerment for young women.
What’s been most challenging?
Nonprofits are hard. Everyone pitches in; everyone paints the set if we need it; everyone ushers; everyone schleps stuff everywhere. The challenges are not enough space and not enough money, but feeling the community support when donations start coming in at the end of the calendar year or feeling a part of something bigger in Milwaukee—whether it’s through all the UPAF events or getting to know other nonprofits and other corporations through board leaders—that just can’t be replaced.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
What are some of your top goals for the company going forward?
I think we’re still the best-kept secret in Milwaukee theater, and that kind of breaks our hearts, but everybody, including the board and the staff, has a laser focus on changing that, and it’s been turning. Toward that goal, Suzan [Fete, RTW artistic director] and I are the co-host chairs of the Statera Foundation National Conference that we’re bringing to town for the first time. “Statera” is Latin for “balance.” It was founded five years ago with an eye toward gender balance in the theater, and they do a convention every year. I think things like that—where we create awareness about the gender disparity—give us a wider platform to talk about what we’ve been doing about it.
Our next plan is to start engaging—poking other theater companies and other businesses and partnering with the Greater Milwaukee Committee to say, “Gender balance is an issue across many different types of organizations. Here’s what we’re doing. What can you do?” We’re the second-oldest theater company in the nation dedicated to gender balance … It’s important to let people know that, for example, this is where Laura Gordon started directing … and where Lisa Schlenker, who’s in props at Skylight Music Theatre, first started designing sets. We gave them an opportunity because it’s hard to trust someone for the first time. That’s what we’re all passionate about.
