Leadership and Change

That fact displeases Jack. He paused. Then he resumed his hurried narrative. We heard about past collaborations with the Minneapolis Health Department (a Motown Opera called "Baby, Baby' promoting prenatal care) and a Sil Jones country western production for managed health care systems to promote violence prevention 10 years ago. There was innovator Earl Baaken's partnership on "Lazarus" in English and Spanish that explored life "at the intersection of other cultures because that's in our soft spot." There is effort given to fill "cultural voids in K-12," exploration of "healthy tension to create the world the way we want it to be through cultural pluralism," and work with organizations "so they can be all they can be." Then he reaches back to 1964 to law changes that boosted philanthropy and theatre as beneficiaries. But this is not a reach back about funding. He is finishing his thought left hanging 15 minutes earlier. "Cultural specific theatre is promoted as a brand to effect change -- it's not about treating people as "the other."

We are out the door to see a play written by Aditi Kapil. We are prepared to see American Sign Language, spoken English, e-mail text, and Sanskrit. Why not? The note from Jack in the program is a generous, sincere acknowledgment. "Few people have led to the evolution and maturation of the Mixed Blood Theatre in its lifetime more than Aditi Kapil," he writes, "She has not only honed and defined Mixed Blood's politics and aesthetic, but she has served as my conscience, holding me accountable to the mission, purpose, and quality to which we aspire." He concludes, "I am so very proud to have Aditi Kapil as my friend, advisor, and colleague and thrilled to have the opportunity to facilitate her genius being shared with the Twin Cities and national theatre communities."

I am interested in reading the other posts as they become available. Did others perceive Jack's leadership as powerfully authentic as I did? Did the production overshadow the memory of that half-hour beforehand? Or did the power of Jack's well-conceived vision captivate you also at a time when our heads are full of research-based theories? Did the presentation provide a case study example of how leadership theories appear, and are sustained, in Jack's practice? The question then is whether his leadership was born, or made. Did he speak as eloquently 25 years ago when Mixed Blood first began, or did his leadership evolve with each experience, each association, along the way?

There is no mistaking the authentic alignment between what Jack does, and who he is, and how those combine to touch the lives of many, many people. That night was a privilege. Thank you, Barbara. And thank you, Jack.