Au Revoir, Kate Whoriskey

As if to put a cherry on top of the fecal sundae that has been the month of April for Intiman, it was announced on Thursday that Kate Whoriskey would be leaving her position as Artistic Director and going back to New York City to pursue her freelancing director career.

It's hard not to feel at least a little sorry for Whoriskey, whose tenure at the top of the troubled organization was marked with ill omens from the moment she was picked for the job. Her selection was seen as a continuation of the disregard Intiman possessed for local talent; a stumbling block that could have been overcome with a constant barrage of public appearances. This was a requirement she did not seem fully able to provide, due to a noted quiet shyness that made her interactions with local media and other people feel awkward.

Then there were the blown public relations opportunities, such as the situation surrounding the 2010 Gregory Awards. Those in attendance will recall the murmuring when it was announced that Whoriskey, who was supposed to present an award, wasn't there, the audience was then told that no one knew the reason. It later came out that she was not informed by event organizers that she would indeed be presenting, and that the news of Intiman Managing Director Brian Colburn's sudden departure was made known to the staff on that night, and Whoriskey's presence was required. And so, an opportunity to gain public good will was inadvertently thrown away. (Please see the Update below. - ed.)

More recently, there was Intiman's annual meeting with corporate sponsors and other monied interests, where they announced several change-of-leadership positions and introduced Susan Trapnell, who would be guiding the organization past its troubled waters. There were local celebrities in attendance, the director of the current show, All My Sons, spoke, the actors from the show presented a scene; the works. Not there? Ms. Whoriskey, who was in New York City, attending a workshop production of a show that the Intiman was interested in. A valid reason, no doubt, but the timing could have worked out better, and it's not the best impression to make at a time when the organization needed all the help it could get. (Though, perhaps, it could've been taken as a sign of things to come.)

The potential she represented, however, makes one wish that she had been given a fairer shot. For the first time in Seattle, there was an Artistic Director at a major theater company committed to the idea of addressing the need for diversity on its stages in a town known for believing that a minimal effort should suffice. (Or, as the recent Crosscut article on Intiman's shortened season put it, "her desire to stress multi-ethnic theater may not have meshed very well with audience demands and financial realities.")

Ruined, Doctor In Spite of Himself and All My Sons were artistic successes, and while her show selections may not have been rigorous, it wasn't any more questionable than those of her competitors, and at least seemed riskier. Over time, under different circumstances, Intiman's investment may have bloomed into something spectacular.

Her heart never seemed to be in Seattle, however. Outside of freelance gigs, she hadn't spent any real time here before her selection; her husband, peers and family were out East. She still had an apartment in NYC, for pete's sake. None of this was likely helped by the sea of troubles that surrounded her at Intiman. One could easily imagine the exchange of hairy eyeballs between she and her old mentor, Bartlett Sher, the person who led her to this position. Sher seems to have been given a free pass for his role in this entire fiasco, not only by the board, but also the media. (Note to self: Must. Win. Tony.)

So long, Kate Whoriskey. Please, don't be a stranger.

UPDATE - We have heard from Gregory Award organizers, and they are quite adamant that Ms. Whoriskey was indeed aware that she would be presenting during the 2010 Gregory Awards, and have the email correspondence and phone messages to prove it. The text regarding the incident remains unchanged -- barring the prompt to read through this -- to better illustrate just how something as simple as miscommunication can result in bad public relations. - ed.