by K. Marie Black

Another Saturday night and you ain't got nobody. You got some money 'cuz you just got paid... What to do? Well, were it up to Ann Ciccolella along with her crew at the Austin Circle of Theatres, you would partake in the one of the 150 to 200 theatre productions that mount and dismount each year in Austin. Truly, and were it up to folks at ACoT, your partakage would be not a once in a while, outta the blue, I - don't - have - anything - to - do and isn't - it - about - time - I - started - to - doing - adult - things like going - to - the - theatah kinda thing. The folks at ACoT want you and theatre to start a life-long relationship: one with passion, fire, and the dreaded "C" word: commitment, coupled with the dreaded "P" word: patronage. They themselves have all these fine qualities, along with guts and ambition, both have which have moved ACoT from a sleepy little organization to one of the most dynamic non-profits in Austin. Here's how they did it.

Believe it or not, ACoT started 22 years ago as a way for actors, directors, and designers to legitimize their ongoing Sunday brunch outings into something more codified (or, at least, that involved fewer mimosas). In addition, the founders of ACoT were keen on tipping their hat to the many fine performers in and around Austin. Hence, the B. Iden Payne awards, which celebrated the wellspring of talent in Austin. Thus was the "smallest arts service organization of its kind in America" born, under the stars of simplicity and good faith.

After its inception, ACoT swam along in a free flow state for several years: a brunch here, an awards dinner there. Then, about 15 years ago, the City of Austin said that it would be willing to grant funding to small theatre organizations provided that they have a minimal amount of structure. ACoT responded by getting an office, a part-time executive director, and a plan to service these organizations. They did just fine, but, like many arts organizations trying to stay afloat in rough Reagan seas of the mid-eighties, ACoT suffered several years of economic drudgery, putting the organization at risk of closing its doors forever.

When Ann Ciccolella came on board as ACoT's Executive Director in 1991, however, ACoT had stabilized, was solvent (with some savings, even!), and poised to move forward. Ciccolella brought a wealth of experience with her. Born a Yankee, she was a Dramatic Literature major at NYU and worked for several years with some fascinating dramatic companies, including Shakespeare on Wheels, which brings the Bard to you. She is also a writer/director in her own right, most recently directing Hedda Gabler for Critical Mass Productions. She will also direct A Streetcar Named Desire for Critical Mass, which will run starting March of next year. She started with ACoT as a volunteer and dazzled folks with her no nonsense working abilities. When the then ED decided to leave to pursue school full-time, Ciccolella jumped in, hit the ground running, and has been going ever since. She is a dynamic communicator, whose focus and clarity leave most of us looking like an unmade bed. These traits have also earned her a reputation for being, um, well, blunt. To this, Ms. C would probably say, "Hey, I've got a job to do." True enough. Her job description reads like the Mission Impossible To Do List: to simultaneously serve the membership and to promote theatre-going, "which indirectly serves the membership," says Ciccolella.

But Ciccolella doesn't do it alone. Mary-Alice Carnes, is a different side to the ACoT coin. She, too, has a performance background, majoring in voice. She has been in productions in and around Austin, and is the co-founder, along with her husband, Freddie, of the Children of Light Players. She has worked at ACoT since 1993, starting first as an assistant and now as the Associate Executive Director. She is a master at both coordinating events, as well as dealing directly with members and volunteers. No matter what's going on in that crazy place, Carnes is mostly smiling, together, and just seems damn happy to be alive and working in Austin theatre.

The dynamic duo of Ciccolella and Carnes, along with a dedicated volunteer force and a strong board of directors, has helped move ACoT from a mixed start to a fully empowered arts services organization. Namely, with growth in membership, which has doubled in the past five years, and community clout, ACoT has recently moved to it right-in-the-center-of-the-universe location downtown. How did the ACoT folks manage to get this prime real estate? According to Ciccolella, the "how" was forged not by endless hours of begging and playing the non-profit martyr role. More adroitly, the new address became a reality by using a Business 101 rule: building relationships. This Ciccolella did with Tom Stacy, of Omni Realty at 823 Congress. She and Stacy worked together on the Downtown Arts Alliance, and Ciccolella asked Stacy to check around for affordable downtown space. He happened to have some "right under the waterfall" at 823 Congress. Stacy and Ciccolella both agreed that Austin needed an arts organization serving as an anchor downtown. The Museum of Fine Arts was already there, so why not make it a team? That's just what they did. ACoT moved to its new location earlier this year and stands ready for even further growth, now having five times the space than its old location. The new space has allowed ACoT to increase its services, which now include a bona fide reading library where members can check out scripts in advance and actually read them on the premises.

How is this growth potential manifesting itself? To start, ACoT is expanding its membership to include Austin's prolific music scene. This now includes nine members and counting. "We are also just starting to reach out to local business, such as Tivoli, and Sicola Martin. What we've done is to use the Internet to spread the word about Austin theatre. We've offered discounts and giveaways and brought business people to the theatre." But Austin's premiere service organization for theatre is not stopping there: it is also moving readily into film. It will be present to represent ACoT members at this year's Heart of Texas Screenwriter's Conference, a conference that will play host to a deluge of writers, directors, and actors.

Future plans include further outreach into Austin's burgeoning hi-tech community, as well more activities and community presence, presence, presence, which, according to Ciccolella, is the mother of all expansion.

If ACoT keeps this rate up, it may not have the title of the smallest arts service organization in the country much longer.