Flint Institute Of Music Welcomes The Whiting And Capitol Theatre To Its Family

The Flint Institute of Music is excited to share that the Whiting Auditorium and Capitol Theatre are now officially part of the FIM family starting today. The respective boards of the Flint Cultural Center Corporation and Flint Institute of Music ratified the master agreement this week.

"We're honored to officially welcome The Whiting and Capitol staff, members of Local 201 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees; a new family of donors and volunteers, and their families and friends," exclaimed Rodney Lontine, FIM President and CEO. "This will be an intentional, transformational integration of people and programs, and culture and business operations."

FIM and the Flint Cultural Center Corporation began exploring the viability of a consolidation of operations of The Whiting and Capitol Theatre to FIM from FCCC in January 2020. A lengthy due-diligence process followed with community stakeholders and a number of consultants who specialize in performing arts management. FIM anticipates a year-long process to align and transition staff to the new integrated program model, implement a new governance structure and executive management team, and create a new, unified culture and business operation. As part of the due-diligence process, the institute restructured and created a new business plan.

There are now five divisions: Central Administration; External Relations; Theatre Operations; Music, Dance and Theatre Instruction; and Artistic Initiatives and Community Programming Partnerships. The Whiting and Capitol are joining the Artistic Initiatives and Community Programming Partnerships Division alongside the Flint Symphony Orchestra and Flint Repertory Theatre (The Rep).

FIM's new, mission-driven business plan includes all of its performing arts venues - The Whiting Auditorium, Capitol Theatre, Elgood and Bower Theatres, and MacArthur Recital Hall. It will also bring together the Flint School of Performing Arts, FSO, The Rep, a full line-up of movies and concerts at the Capitol, and Whiting Presents, a seasonal presenting program that includes Broadway plays and many national and international performing artists.

"Together, we will create a patron-centered model that ensures integration and coordination of all of our programs for maximum community benefit," explained Lontine. "With more than 100 years of performing arts programming, FIM was in a strong position to build on the success of The Whiting and Capitol Theatre. It just made sense for us to bring them into our family. We also want to ensure a unified culture with diversity, equity and inclusion at its core."

The efforts over the past 18 months also allowed for a reorganization of the existing cultural center campus resources into three distinct yet related lanes: Performing Arts (FIM), Visual Arts (FIA) and Science and History (FCCC/Sloan Longway).

"This has been a well-engaged and well-informed process," shared Mark Sinila, Chief Operating Officer of the Flint Cultural Center Corporation. "We have many people to thank, including the C.S. Mott Foundation, our talented industry consultants - AEA Consulting and WolfBrown, our dedicated volunteer Due Diligence Task Force and, of course, both the FCCC and FIM Boards of Directors. These people in particular have given countless hours to this endeavor for more than a year. These partnerships yielded a result that will benefit our community for generations to come."