Muncie Civic Theatre Executive Director Elected to State and National Board Positions

Muncie Civic Theatre Executive Director Darrin Murrell has recently been elected to serve positions on both the state and national Boards of the American Association of Community Theatres (AACT). Having held a seat as member-at-large on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Community Theatre League for the past two years, the membership of that organization elected Murrell President of the Board at their Annual Meeting in March. That board subsequently recommended Murrell to the Regional III Board of Directors of AACT as a potential candidate to serve as Region III Representative to the national Board of Directors of AACT. Murrell was elected to that position by the regional board in May and will begin serving a three-year term when he attends the AACT National Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 24.

The mission of AACT is to foster and encourage the development of, and commitment to, the highest standards by community theatres, including standards of excellence for production, management, governance, community relations and service. In addition to giving Muncie and Muncie Civic Theatre a voice on a national platform, Murrell's responsibilities on the national board include serving as liaison from Regional and grassroots community theatres in order to further the participation of and services rendered to these groups, report regional activities and concerns to the national board, provide reports for the national newsletter and assist with all AACT programs and projects within Region III (Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin & Michigan) including the state and regional performance festivals.

Murrell has served as Executive Director of Muncie Civic Theatre since 2003. During that time the organization has completed the first two phases of a long term strategic plan designed by Murrell and the Civic board shortly after he accepted the position. The first major accomplishment has been an increase in programs and capacity by more than 50% including attendance numbers that have risen from 8,000 to more than 14,000, number of productions each year which has risen from 7 to 20, growth of the Young Actors Workshop Program which has increased enrollment from 30 to more than 300, the development of new outreach programs and community partnerships and a significant renovation of the facade of the historic building at 216 East Main Street. The second phase of the plan, now in its second year of implementation, involved overhauling the financial structure of the organization to create a reserve account to hold all future ticket sales income as restricted until the production for which the tickets were sold actually performs, thereby providing a financial cushion which results in positive cash flow throughout the year. The third and final phase of the strategic plan is currently in preparation and involves addressing long-standing needs related to the building itself.

Originally born and raised in Selma, Murrell built a successful career in professional theatre after leaving Ball State in 1987, including stints in New York, Florida and Chicago before establishing his own theatre company in Portland, Oregon in 1998. He was recruited to return and serve as Executive Director at Muncie Civic Theatre in 2003. Along with his wife, Julie Barber, and daughter Sofia, Murrell lives on his family's homestead farm in Parker City. The family will welcome a second child in July. In addition to his work at Muncie Civic, Murrell also serves as President of the Board of Directors of Historic Farmland, USA.