In May, Jac Alder, the elder statesman of Dallas theater, died of respiratory failure. He was 80 years old. He had seen Theatre Three—the arts organization he founded in 1961 with his wife, Norma Young—through 54 seasons, as tireless at the end as he was when he and Young began. The night Alder died, Theatre Three’s production of The Liar went on as planned. That’s what he would have wanted.
But now what?
The theater has experienced remarkably little turnover in its top management despite being only slightly younger than Dallas Theater Center. Its budget is less than DTC’s, roughly the equivalent of WaterTower Theatre’s in Addison, and larger than Undermain’s in Deep Ellum. It’s one of the leading and largest professional organizations in town. An architect by training, Alder shepherded the early plays of Pulitzer winners Beth Henley and Doug Wright, established the theater’s home in the Quadrangle, nurtured actors, designed sets, and did everything else in between. In some ways, he was Theatre Three.
In the days following Alder’s death, Bruce Coleman—the theater’s resident artist, who began his career at Theatre Three as an intern 30 years ago—was appointed acting artistic director by the theater’s board. Like so many others, he loved Alder. The theater’s board now has the unfortunate task of having to honor Alder’s vision without allowing the mission to stagnate.
On one hand, the board could simply appoint Coleman as the permanent artistic director. He knows what Alder would want, and, indeed, it was Alder who selected him as the theater’s interim head. On the other, the theater could post the job and conduct a search for Alder’s successor. They shouldn’t be afraid of letting new ideas in the door. (For his part, Coleman told the Morning News in May that “the succession plan for Theatre Three will be announced after the theater’s board of directors meets.”)
Perhaps more pressing is an issue that plagues many nonprofits, where the founder becomes synonymous with the organization. Remove the head, and the body dies. In 2013, Alder loaned the theater $86,000. The reason, listed on tax forms, was “funding.”
Who else will care about Theatre Three enough to make sure it stays afloat no matter what?
A version of this article appears in the August issue of D Magazine.
