Big things have been happening within Basement’s leadership and we’re so stoked to finally update our communities on what’s been happening. We’ve been getting all those little ducks of ours in a neat and tidy row. Now that they’re all lined up - here’s our lovely news!
Theatre producer/maker extraordinaire Izzy Robinson has officially started with us as General Manager. Only three weeks into the role, Izzy already has their feet well and truly under the desk and is shining so bright. Izzy comes to us by way of an extraordinary career which includes but is not limited to creative producing at Auckland Pride and Touch Compass Dance Trust, director of production at Caravan Farm Theatre in Canada and stage manager at Kidd Pivot, also in Canada. Izzy is the board chair at Samesame but different, is a practising live performance maker, and is passionate about improving access for disability communities within the arts. We are incredibly excited and thankful to have Izzy stepping into this key leadership role, bringing the whānau together and navigating the Basement waka as we charge on into the future. Welcome Izzy!!
Izzy Robinson
As if that isn’t enough exciting news, we also get to welcome another incredibly gifted producer to the team. Alyssa Medel is our new Venue Manager! There is nothing this queen has not done - you’ll know her as a core member of Proudly Asian Theatre, but Alyssa is also a multi-faceted producer and marketer across theatre and screen, and of course has her own film directing and writing practice. Most recently at Auckland Theatre Company, Alyssa brings her vast theatre-making knowledge to the smooth running of our venue. We are so excited to have Alyssa’s presence in the space. Welcome Alyssa!!
Alyssa Medel
These two new roles have been created as a result of an in-depth restructure process that fell out of Basement’s search for a new Executive Director. This restructure, led by Basement’s board and outgoing ED Cat Ruka, future-proofs Basement and considers the range of challenges currently at play within our industry. Taking time to move with intention, survey the arts worker landscape, and question old ways of doing things, the new structure aims to meet arts workers where they are at, promote sustainable workloads and provide freelancer flexibility.
With the welcoming of Izzy and Alyssa, there’s also two very important farewells that need to be made. Operations Manager Sam Walsh who worked tirelessly to sustain Basement through tough times, has finished up just last week! There are so many things that Sam contributed to, including interim GM’ing through this recent transition, and making huge progress in the maintenance and lease-holding of our building (not easy). We think it’s way more fun though to think of Sam’s legacy as being marked by his skills as The Party Prince - he sure knows how to put on a good knees up and for that we’ll be eternally grateful for. Sam, we wish you the absolute best in your next chapter which will most importantly involve being an awesome father to Mira.
Sam Walsh
Finally we want to acknowledge outgoing Executive Director Cat Ruka as she can now officially sidestep from ops team to governance, taking on the third and final newly created role of Executive Strategist. Cat will work part-time to focus solely on readying Basement for the complex future ahead of us. This will include advocacy work, fundraising partnerships, strategy facilitation and cultural competency design. Cat we thank you so much for your strong commitment to the Basement whakapapa, to our independent artists and for navigating us through the stormy waters of the last few years with grit and determination. We wish you the best with the new endeavours you’ll be doing alongside your new Basement mahi.
Cat Ruka
As our team gets set to embark on Basement’s next adventure, we thank each and every one of you for your ongoing support and love. When people move on and new team members come into the fold there is change, reflection and growth. One thing remains the same - and that’s our undying commitment to independent artists.
