TheBurg News - Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/548742
S am Kuba has probably clocked more stage time than anyone at eatre Harrisburg in recent years. As the lights dim and actors wait in the wings for the show's start, he treads onto the boards with that comforting smile and easy-going manner. No script, just the one mantra he knows by heart: "eater Harrisburg: Where community takes center stage. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the show." "While I can't take credit for creating that slogan, I, with the guidance of our marketing committee, have tried to make it our primary message and central to the public's perception of us," Kuba said. "We are reinforcing the fact that the performers who appear on our stage and the many individuals who work backstage are all our local friends and neighbors. Our volunteers are the foundation of this organization." And Kuba is deep-down and without- a-doubt sincere about that. e end of this month marks his retirement as the theater's executive director, a title he's had from 1996 to 2002 and then again from 2007 until now. He's seen a lot, heard a lot, changed a lot. ThAT ThrILL Ironically, Kuba, a Harrisburg native, was more into playing music when he grew up. He attended Camp Curtin Junior High and then William Penn High School, where he was a member of the final graduating class in 1971. Private piano lessons expanded his artistic horizons, and he won some musical competitions along the way, but recognized that he didn't have enough real musical talent to perform at the level he wished. Instead, he chose to get involved in the arts in various management capacities. After working for the state awhile, he got hired as the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra's first general manager and later became director of the Department of General Services' Public Events Office, where he oversaw the operations of the Forum and activities in and around the state Capitol rotunda. In 1989, Kuba became general manager of the Youngstown (Ohio) Symphony before taking a position at his alma mater, Susquehanna University. In 1996, he returned to central Pennsylvania as executive director of Harrisburg Community eatre, later renamed eatre Harrisburg. "Interestingly enough, my very first exposure to live theatre of any kind was when a family friend gave us tickets to a production of 'Kiss Me, Kate' right here at Harrisburg Community eatre in 1963," Kuba recalled. "I was in fifth grade. I remember my mother calling some folks involved in theater to make sure it was an appropriate show for a 10-year-old." at first time proved magical for Kuba, who had never experienced anything to compare to the sights and sounds of actors and orchestra, dance and spectacle. "Even now, when the curtain goes up on one of our productions, I wonder whether there is someone in the audience who is attending live theater for the first time and having that same thrill," he said. After being executive director the first time around, Kuba admits he was burned out from the high stress of overseeing a theater and its personality types on a 24-7 basis. He'd had enough and needed a change, which he found when he began working for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. ere, he found a cause and people doing exceptional and highly focused work on finding a cure for a horrific disease. He learned fundraising, but he found out something else—that a large segment of the community was not aware of the area's cultural treasures. "at was a real wake-up call for me," Kuba said. "I believe being so closely involved with the arts for so long had created a bit of tunnel vision, and it's a lesson I haven't forgotten." Kuba just couldn't stay away and repeated his stint as executive director at eatre Harrisburg in 2007 until now. His time away prepared him both intellectually and emotionally, gave him a fresh perspective, a readiness for new challenges. eNJoy The ShoW During both tenures, Kuba was at the helm when eatre Harrisburg transitioned to become the first resident company at Whitaker Center. He was also there when the decision was made to present some of its season of shows back at its Hurlock Street home, now called the Jay & Nancy Krevsky Production Center, and there again when the theater decided to not replace the full-time artistic director position when omas Hostetter retired after 28 years. Since then, the theater has had guest directors, including Hostetter. e upcoming 2015-16 season, eatre Harrisburg's 90th, will not only feel Kuba's absence, but the title he'd held for so long will change from executive director to executive and artistic director, giving the theater its first formal artistic director since Hostetter's retirement. As of this writing, that position had not yet been filled. "I think it's an excellent decision," Kuba said. "I do know that many exceptionally qualified candidates nationwide have applied for the position, so I am both confident and optimistic about the future of eatre Harrisburg." After August, Kuba's first order of business will be to clean house— literally—where "three generations of stuff have accumulated," he said. After that, perhaps some daytrips, riding the Friday afternoon train to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra and reading his many unread books. Of course, he only lives a half-block away from eatre Harrisburg, "where community takes center stage." But now after all these years, it's Kuba who can truly sit back, relax and enjoy the show. For more information about eatre Harrisburg, visit theatreharrisburg.com. exiT: sTaGe leFT eatre Harrisburg's long-time executive director retires. By LorI M. MyerS CuLTure