Meet Mary Wilkie | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Wilkie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary, what principle do you value most?
I value honesty above just about anything else. Honesty creates an essential foundation for every interaction I have as a leader, teacher, community member, and part of a family. If I am honest about my skills, limitations, needs, and wants, then I am able to evaluate decisions based on the most essential factors. If my staff are honest about their needs, abilities, and wants, then we can work together to create a rewarding work experience and work-life balance. The run-off effect of honesty with our clients, students, funding partners, venue partners, collaborative partners… you get the idea… means that I am able to make decisions responsively with knowledge that everyone is being valued for who they are, what they bring to the table, what they need, and we can all receive the rewards of the effort! Art is, at its core, a deeply honest reflection and response to experience and need.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I often tell people that my current job is my favorite thing I’ve ever done! I get to be the Executive Director and Artistic Director of a small but mighty non-profit theatre arts program in the town where I live. I’ve been given the trust and latitude by my board of directors to deeply reflect on what our mission means and how best to approach the work of enriching community. This means we use theatrical techniques as a vehicle for creating inclusive, informal mentorship and safe community spaces. Because I have a collaborative leadership style, I’ve built a team of talented, driven, artists who each bring something unique to their practice of performing arts. I’ve built meaningful trust with this team that allows me to say yes to many of the wonderful ideas they propose and am rewarded with their dedication to excellence and commitment to our participants. I studied theater early in my career but pivoted to organizational communications with a focus on training and development. This education has served me well in understanding the intrinsic value people need to find in the work they do. Particularly in the non-profit sector, financial gains cannot be the driving reward for a job well done. By building an environment where personal growth is encouraged, work/life balance is possible, and the impact of the work is obvious on a variety of levels, I gain a team I can rely on and have found a way to dig deep and keep going through the hardest challenges of the pandemic.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love a good walk through the Botanic Gardens when I’m in the Denver area but, honestly, I try to escape the city and suburbs as much as possible and get up into the mountains. I grew up in the Boulder area and appreciate the town and area around Gold Hill. I have a favorite hike up the canyon in the shoulder seasons and love to grab a bite at Fresh Thymes Eatery in Boulder. If folks are in town long enough, we’ll jump down to Buena Vista for a soak at Cottonwood Hot Springs and camp way back at the end of a 4×4 trek. We’d stop at Moose Hill Cantina in Lakewood and Beau Jo’s Pizza in Idaho Springs on either end of the drive to the mountains. We might make a stop at Holidaily Brewing in Golden. Everyone’s got to try a treat from Rheinlander in Olde Town Arvada at some point in their life, right? Close to home, I love to share a meal with friends at Northside Tavern in Broomfield or take in some Stem Cider at Acreage in Lafayette. On a super hot day, it’s up to a lake for a little sailing in the super shifty CO winds! Colorado has so many delightful different small towns and communities, it’s hard to go wrong just pointing your finger anywhere on the map and choosing to get out of the car several times along the way to meet the nice people and learn what’s unique about each area!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success in work is down to the support and partnership of my community and family. My work-team is a deeply connected community of artists and creatives who each give of themselves so enthusiastically to bring enrichment and authentic connections to our participants and partners. Without this staff, I wouldn’t get to have this fabulous job! Working in the arts, particularly in the non-profit sector, the support of my family is essential. Whether they’re lending a hand to build a set or making dinner so I can stay late at rehearsal, I wouldn’t be able to devote so much of my time and energy to the projects I lead without them. Basically, we’re all a great big family – the staff and their families, the participants/students and their families, and our collaborative partners. So, a great big shoutout to the community that welcomes our particular brand of artistic enrichment and the village of people who make it possible!

Website: www.backstorytheatre.org

Instagram: @backstorytheatre

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BSTBroomfield

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Prruj77z55uybok-G7hwQ