Stepping Off the Stage

Gary Schuster’s contributions to the Chippewa Valley’s non-profit arts scene are incalculable, innumerable, and unquantifiable. As a staff member of the Mabel Tainter Theater these past eight years, Gary has helped expand program offerings, create an open door atmosphere, oversee the renovation project, and developed loads of partnerships in the community. His last day as executive director was June 5, so we made sure to catch up with the local arts icon to review the state of the arts, what he has accomplished, and find out what’s next.

Where have you lived and worked?
Raised in Nordeast, Minneapolis; graduated in 1976 from St. Anthony Village High; attended U of M and Minneapolis College of Art & Design; while in college worked for Amfac Hotel and Radisson Hotel as waiter, bartender, and cook; moved to San Diego in 1987 to work as food & beverage manager for Hotel del Coronado and then worked at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina as food & beverage director; moved to Vancouver, Washington in 1991 to work at Red Lion Hotels & Inns corporate office as director of menu development (ran a corporate test kitchen and opened a lot of restaurants up and down the west coast). Red Lion was bought out by Doubletree Hotels so I took a severance package and started freelancing in design across the river in Portland, Oregon. I worked for various commercial print shops and companies in Portland – Multnomah Printing, JK Advertising, Oregon Potter’s Association, Pioneer Printing, Oregon Steel Mills, Washington Community Foundation, and even a few small jobs for Intel. We moved back to the Midwest in 2000, worked part-time at Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild and a week later the executive director walked off the job so I became interim director for the next 6 months. After CVTG, I went to work as store manager at DigiCOPY (great staff but a grueling job), left in November 2001 to be communications manager at the Mabel Tainter, been here ever since.

What differences/similarities do you see between the arts communities in large and small cities?
Aside from demographics and volume of venues/productions, not a lot of differences. In today’s society the quality of production and commitment of performers can be experienced at all levels. Too many people feed off the “if it’s a big city venue/production it must be good!” I don’t believe this to be true. I’ve been to a show at the Pantages Theater in Minneapolis that was absolutely horrible and an utterly fantastic ECCT performance at the State Theatre. I mean look at the quality of productions coming out of the American Player’s Theatre in Spring Green. And they have a population of, what, maybe 2,000? It’s all about heart. What kind of heart does a community have? How compassionate is the community in regards to the arts? If a community understands the satisfaction people derive from the arts in their community, that is what separates the quality of life between communities.

What has been the most gratifying experience you've had at the theater?
Spending one week and the two following weekends with the Inner Mongolian musical ensemble AnDa Union. Even with an intense language barrier it was the most spiritual time of my life. I was so touched by the Mongolian culture, the fierce camaraderie, and deeply loving friendship that I have two tattoos to remind me everyday of our connection as sworn brothers and sisters.