The Omnibus Show E025 - Jim Reilly, Executive Director, Actors Theatre of Indiana and the Business of Theater

The Omnibus Show

October 2, 2023 - Today’s episode of The Omnibus Show will feature Jim Reilly, Executive Director of Actors Theatre of Indiana, discussing what’s going on at ATI as the new season is set to begin.

Reilly has a diverse and expansive resume. Receiving his degree in accounting, he soon discovered being an accountant was not what he wanted to do. Being a finance guy was.

He spent over twenty years in various financial roles with two of the country’s largest shopping center development companies, The Rouse Company in Columbia, MD, and Simon Property Group here in Indianapolis.

In those positions he got a good taste of commercial real estate and the shopping mall industry. Reilly feels he was fortunate to “learn from the best,” and goes on to talk a bit about how Simon Properties has changed direction from shopping malls to repurposing properties.

Reilly feels his degree was a stepping-stone. He was good with people and networking. He has particular advice for those who want to move forward in business and business advice for those who are in other fields.

Reilly enjoyed ten years helping run the city market, really enjoying the time working with the ethnic vendors and the thriving atmosphere.

He then formed Reilly Group. It was started with the theory that a lot of not for profits lack the knowledge to fully capitalize on their goals. The Reilly Group mostly focused on smaller organizations, helping them make sound financial and business decisions and succeed. During this time, Reilly got a call from a friend doing work for a theatre company. With no business experience, the friend asked Reilly to consider helping them out as they made the move to The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, IN.

“My wife and I love the theatre. We went to see Chicago at Actors Theatre of Indiana. My wife was the one who actually wrote a letter thanking them for doing the show. They thought it was from me, so they reached out. I’ve been there twelve years!”

Reilly goes on, “I can’t stress enough the importance of networking and reaching out to people. When you have a business degree, it doesn’t matter. I went to ATI not to act, not to sing, but to ‘business’!”

Reilly explains that theatre is a tough business along with some of ATI’s challenges. He discusses the post-Covid challenges.

ATI is back on stage in January and February with two musicals, Route 66 and Forbidden Broadway, a spoof on Broadway productions.
You can learn more about ATI and their upcoming programming at https://www.atistage.org
We are honored to be sponsored by Hotel Carmichael where The Omnibus Show is videotaped in Feinstein's.
https://www.hotelcarmichael.com/
https://www.feinsteinshc.com/
The Omnibus Show, the program for people who are interested in everything with deep conversations on a wide variety of subjects.
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Voice Over Artist - Katherine Kennard
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