Cutting Ball Theater
23
9
"Up" is the number of experts who agree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the
field. "Down" is the number of experts who disagree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in field.
Headquarters Location: San Francisco, CA
Founded: 1999
Mission: To develop productions of experimental new plays and revisioned classics with an emphasis on language and images
Summary
Stories
Expert Reviews
Leadership
From the Nonprofit
Leadership
Rob Melrose.
The Cutting Ball Theater was founded in 1999 by theater artists Rob Melrose and Paige Rogers. After their training at the Yale School of Drama and Trinity Rep Conservatory respectively, Melrose and Rogers spent a year in Europe on a Fox Foundation Grant to observe master directors in France, Germany, Italy, and Austria. Upon returning to the United States, the…
See full bio.
Financial Data
Overhead Ratio:
n/a
Total Revenue:
$263,880
From the Nonprofit
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Contact Info
Address:
141 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Story:
Read this review from a general member of the public who attended the theater as an audience member:
I went to see the Bald Soprano and fell in love with the Cutting Ball Theater. First, the theater itself is a little jewel. The set and staging were intimate and vibrant. I laughed throughout and loved the delivery by the actors - the expressions and timing made the dialogue even more funny and absurd. It was kooky in a great way. I just fell in love with the whole deal - became a member (bought two so I could bring a friend) and can't wait for the next production!
(Read more reviews from supporters at: http://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/cutting-ball-theater)
Expert Reviews of Cutting Ball Theater
Evidence of Impact Summary:
Experst say that Rob Melrose and his Cutting Ball group do conceptual stagings of the classics and produce tremendous low budget productions of Eugene Ionesco and Samuel Beckett. This is creating an interest in the Greeks and the absurdists writers. Their work beautifully offsets Bay Area theatrical programming and adds a creative dimension.See expert comments.
Organization Strengths Summary:
Experts praise Cutting Ball Theater for their gifted, highly intelligent, and committed artistic leaders, excellent marketing strategies, and loyal audiences. They also serve a specific niche as San Francisco's only professional experimental theater company.See expert comments.
Areas for Improvement Summary:
Some experts feel Cutting Ball Theater should work on fundraising, developing their website, and consider expanding their programming.See expert comments.
Expert Comments: Evidence of Impact
Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.
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Show:
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Foundation Professionals (F)
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Researchers and Faculty (R)
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Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
X
Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Impact |
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They bring little known classics, experimental theater, and new plays by exceptional American playwrights to audiences in the Bay Area. They raise the bar on artistic excellence and give local theater artists opportunities to work. | ||
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They produce incredibly strong work, have been named the Best of Bay Area in theater, have been a stable and growing organization for 10 years, and they have introduced revisioned classics and new plays to diverse audiences. | ||
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They bring rarely seen Avant-Garde work to the Bay Area. | ||
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Rob Melrose and his Cutting Ball group do conceptual stagings of the classics and produce tremendous low budget productions of Eugene Ionesco and Samuel Beckett. This is creating an interest in the Greeks and the absurdists writers. Their work beautifully offsets Bay Area theatrical programming and adds a creative dimension. Once again on limited resources this company shows great professionalism. | ||
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O
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Cutting Ball provides the Bay Area with quality cutting edge avant-garde theater which is not an easy thing to find in our nations cities. They consistently create award winning performances. | ||
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Cutting Ball brings innovative, sexy, inspiring work to the stage, and shares unique, quality entertaining theater with the community. | ||
Expert Comments: Organization Strengths
Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.
Show:
Show:
X
Foundation Professionals (F)
X
Researchers and Faculty (R)
X
Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
X
Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Operations |
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N
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They have gifted, highly intelligent, and committed artistic leaders, excellent marketing strategies, and loyal audiences. They also serve a specific niche as San Francisco's only professional experimental theater company. | ||
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They have a brilliant artistic director, strong marketing, and their lean staff have made this organization a favorite of both critics and audiences for the last several years. As a result, it has attracted very good board members and increased funding from both individuals and foundations. | ||
Vision & Creativity |
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They have excellent artistic vision and their Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director have created strong seasonal programming. | ||
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They are highly creative and professional. They are able to present highly evocative design components on very limited funds. | ||
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This is an excellent, very creative, and very intelligent small company making great theater happen in the Tenderloin. Their productions show excellent variety and are consistently strong. | ||
Leadership |
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O
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Cutting Ball has a fabulous Artistic Director in Rob Melrose. His leadership has forged the organization's brand. They take risks producing new plays and in theater this is always a plus. | ||
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The leadership of Cutting Ball is a duo of brilliant creative minds and the image of the theater reflects the high-value work being done. | ||
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I want to emphasize the exceptional talent and leadership of Rob Melrose, and that I believe this company will grow to become another Magic Theater or even perhaps a story similar to that of Berkeley Rep or TheaterWorks. This group of people is made up of true professional artists of the highest caliber, as well as crack administrators. Their ideas are new and exciting, they are wise and unfoolish, and they have maintained their identity as an experimental company. They treat their artists well, and have a great vision. | ||
Expert Comments: Areas for Improvement
Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.
Show:
Show:
X
Foundation Professionals (F)
X
Researchers and Faculty (R)
X
Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)
X
Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)
Fundraising |
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N
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They should build their fundraising capacity and add more experienced management staff. | ||
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They should pay more attention to the cultivation of major donors. They must also take the leap to hire equity actors. | ||
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O
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As all arts organizations, they struggle to make ends meet and there is never a doubt that they will continue. Reaching a broader audience is always a challenge, but something they should try for. | ||
Website |
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They should build greater access online with a website presence. | ||
Expand Programming |
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They would benefit from expanding their programming. They have a few productions per season which limits their visibility. Educational outreach could also be an added source of revenue. | ||
Location |
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The Cutting Ball space is in a neighborhood that can be challenging for a more refined audience base which limits their growth potential. | ||
Leadership
Rob Melrose
Artistic Director
Artistic Director
From the Nonprofit
The nonprofit has not added any comments yet. If you are a representative of this nonprofit and would like to leave a comment, please email us at
feedback@myphilanthropedia.org
with your request.