Meet Julie McCluskey | Executive Director, Rome Shakespeare Festival

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie McCluskey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It has to be because theatre is what I am most passionate about. I am the most myself when creating theatre, and I have witnessed firsthand the power it has to be transformative for not only artists, but for audiences as well. There is a magic that occurs in the room when the lights go down, the audience chatter silences, and the actor first steps on to the stage. I consider it a huge privilege to be in a position where I can help foster and create that magic and there’s nothing I would rather be doing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I work as the Executive Director for Rome Shakespeare Festival (RSF), a small theatre organization located in Rome, Georgia. In brief, it was founded in 2016 with the mission to provide free professional Shakespearean theatre to the Rome community at large. It began with an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the summer of 2016, and since then has grown to include a full season of plays and musicals that helps support the free festival in the summer. My journey to ED was a bit meandering, for lack of a better word. I met RSF founder Gail Deschamps in 2016 when I was cast in a production she was directing at another theatre. I then worked as an actor for RSF in 2018, as well as in the office as her assistant, then as an actor again in 2020. In early 2021, Gail passed away, and through a very unique set of circumstances I was brought on as Executive Director in January of 2022, alongside Artistic Director Drew Davidson. This journey was not easy, and there were several times I considered leaving theatre altogether. But as I kept working in Rome, the wonderful thing I discovered was that it is FULL of brilliant artists and is a community that loves and supports the arts in ways not usually seen in cities its size. This discovery made the decision to take the job as ED a much easier one.

Being Executive Director, one of the things you’re constantly thinking about is money. Producing theatre is expensive, arguably too expensive, especially for a small theatre like ours. But the money is going to all the wrong places! Small theatres are hamstrung by publishing companies and the cost of rights to plays/musicals. Real estate prices and the unique needs of theatre spaces eat up a significant amount of money. Then there’s marketing! Websites! Social Media! I know we live in a digital age and there’s discussion to be had about how theatre needs to reckon with it, but it is yet another area that eats up huge portions of theatre budgets. I could go on and on about budget lines, but I want to get to my point: what ends up getting lost is the ART, and more specifically, the ARTIST. One of the most pressing issues, if not the most pressing issue, I have encountered is the belief that artists should work for little to no income, since the work is also a passion. Nothing irks me more than that. What I think so many non-artists forget (or don’t realize? I’m not sure which) is that acting and artistry is WORK, and HARD work! Work that deserves compensation! Drew and I are tirelessly trying to change that mindset. And it starts with us. We want to lead from an actor and artist-first perspective. I’m proud to say that all our artists, and I include crew in that description, receive a small stipend for each production, and Drew and I don’t take compensation until we know they are covered. Now, are those stipends huge or equal to the amount of work that is put into each production? No. But our goal is to get us to the point where they are. I will not compromise where our artists are concerned, because without them, I could not do what I do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Alright, so we would definitely eat at all my favorite places in town. Dinner musts include Aventine, Blossom Hill, La Scala, and Harvest Moon. Lunch would be Doug’s Deli, Ana’s by the River, Bluefin, and if we could find them, either Speakcheesy or El Arco, both of which are AMAZING food trucks. For sweets, it has to be Bake and Bloom or Honeymoon Bakery (or both, let’s be honest!). We have so many options for drinks: for coffee, we’d have to go to Swift & Finch. I am obsessed with the espresso tonic there! For beer, we’d hit up Cosmic Dog, which has an amazing outdoor space, or River Remedy, a new brewery in town. They will start serving their own beer next year and I can’t wait! Off Broad is great for wine or a delicious cocktail, and Newby’s Wine & Vineyard has a tasting room downtown that serves incredible wine slushies. As far as activities go, we’d check out Kingfisher Art Gallery, a wonderful gallery that features local artists of all types, as well as hosts different local bands on the weekends. Weather permitting, hiking or biking at Berry College or Kingston Downs is a must, as well as floating the Etowah River. Rome also has great antique shopping, and shopping in general. River City Antiques is definitely worth a walk thru, I think half the furniture in my home is from there. Yellow Door Antiques in the River District is another must-see shop! The owner, Nedra Manners, has been a huge supporter of RSF for as long as I’ve been a part. The Early Way on Broad is a killer shoe store downtown, featuring hard to find Nikes and other similar brands. There is definitely more, but I think that would make for a pretty good week!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are several individuals who helped get me to where I am today. I graduated from Lee University in 2010 with a degree in theater, but took a break from acting following graduation. The first director to cast me after a four year hiatus was Matthew Lewis Johnson. An amazing director, he cast me as Lady Olivia in Twelfth Night, which happened to also be my first brush with Shakespeare. This role reignited my passion as an actor and spawned a deep love and appreciation for the Bard that continues to this day. Rome Shakespeare Festival (RSF) founder Gail Deschamps is also hugely responsible for where I am today. Another brilliant director, I worked closely with her as an actor and employee and that experience was extremely formative to the actor and executive director that I am today. One of the most complicated and brilliant creatives I know, she forged in me a fortitude and confidence to remain in the theater industry at a time when I wasn’t sure I could hack it. Evan Brackett, Rome Shakespeare Festival’s Technical Director, deserves a shoutout for the countless ways he keeps our productions running. He keeps me level-headed in a way not many people can. I also have to give a huge shoutout to Rome Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director, Drew Davidson. Friends before working together at RSF, we began our roles with the organization at the same time and I absolutely could not do this work without him. His creativity, love, and deep respect for not only Shakespeare, but theater in general, continually inspire me. He, Evan, and I are truly a team, and having that shared trust in a time when the theater industry is constantly shifting is a blessing.

Website: www.romeshakespearefestival.com

Instagram: @romeshakespeare

Facebook: @romeshakespearefestival

Other: info@romeshakespearefestival.com

Image Credits
Black & White Image: Andrew Rayn Photography