2021-06-14T11:48:33-05:00 2020-07-31 420714325 RSM US LLP 30 S Wacker Drive Ste 3300 Chicago IL 60606 990 2019-08-01 363847280 Writers Theatre Inc WRIT 8472426001 321 Park Avenue Glencoe IL 60022 Kathryn M Lipuma Executive Director 8472426001 2021-06-11 1 Rebekuh Eley P01247672 3126343400 2019 2022-09-23 18:48:47Z Kathryn M Lipuma 321 Park Avenue Glencoe IL 60022 8174281 0 X www.writerstheatre.org X 1992 IL To present world-class productions of classic, adapted, and original plays, and to provide a wide array of education and enrichment programming for area students and theatre-goers. 26 24 241 30 10200 226 2918984 6050458 2903387 1876848 57005 65050 138849 51705 6018225 8044061 0 0 0 0 3726568 3124471 0 0 537422 3478382 2864059 7204950 5988530 -1186725 2055531 33216076 34225615 3050630 1946802 30165446 32278813 X Writers Theatre (WT) is a literary organization that operates not-for-profit theatres in Glencoe, Illinois. WT exists to explore productions in which the word on the page and the artists who bring that word to life hold primary importance. Central to this mission are three core objectives: valuing text, both classic and contemporary, as the fundamental source of inspiration; creating deliberately intimate performances where audiences are face to face with powerful stories; and honoring the time and commitment of our artists by offering industry-leading compensation. Writers Theatre has earned a reputation for consistent artistic excellence, innovative educational programming and service to our community. 0 0 4482201 1844948 Artistic Programming:The 2019/20 Season marked Writers Theatre's 28th year and fourth season in the new theatre center. The abbreviated 4-show season began in the Nichols Theatre with Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods, directed by Gary Griffin. A musical take on the legendary Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Into the Woods closed after a one-week extension on September 29, 2019. WT then presented A Doll's House in the Gillian Theatre. Co-adapted by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Sandra Delgado, and directed by Lavina Jadhwani, Ibsen's iconic drama is reconceived as a streamlined 90-minute one-act with no intermission. The season continued with the Chicago premiere of The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess. Marti Lyons returned to direct this bristling, provocative debate play. The season concluded with Lydia R. Diamond's Stick Fly. Diamond's long-time Chicago collaborator, WT Resident Director Ron OJ Parson directed this scandalous and witty family drama. Stick Fly closed earlier than scheduled on March 15, 2020. WT cancelled the 4 remaining Stick Fly performances in compliance with state-wide public health regulations. Performances of The Last Match and Mementos Mori were cancelled before the shows opened to audiences. 161344 31900 Educational Programming:WT Education's high-quality, award-winning initiatives reached over 11,000 students, a near 90% of whom live and/or attend school in under-resourced areas. WT Education is comprised of four pillars: Classroom Residencies, Touring Outreach, Student Matinees, and On-Site Creative Learning. In conjunction with these pillars, WT Education oversees professional Internships, the WT Youth Council and Audience Engagement efforts for life-long learners.CLASSROOM RESIDENCIESWT Education's Classroom Residencies include 3 unique in-school programs. The Novel Series explores an entire novel through an intensive 10-session process that culminates in a full-class theatrical presentation; Write On! is a customizable residency tailored to focus on an educator's specific classroom needs; ACTIVATE works in tandem with student matinees to offer pre-and post-show classroom sessions that enhance students' engagement with art on stage. When classroom residencies were cut short amid school closures, WT Education teamed up with Helen C. Peirce School to modify The Novel Series for a digital platform and served 30 7th graders through an adapted residency designed for Peirce's e-learning module. In its 11th year visiting CPS classrooms, The Novel Series reached 550 students in 27 classrooms at 8 Chicago Public Schools. WRITE ON! engaged 44 students and ACTIVATE reached 258 students. TOURING OUTREACHThe MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights is a one-woman show that follows a Chicago student's transformation through studying the Civil Rights Movement. With a post-show discussion facilitated by WT Teaching Artists, The MLK Project promotes civic responsibility and social justice through dialogue and discussion. The MLK Project tour reached a record-breaking 9,200 students and community members over 39 performances hosted by Chicagoland schools, juvenile justice facilities, theatres and museums.STUDENT MATINEESDuring the abbreviated 2020/21 production season, WT Education invited 1,022 students to the theatre to enjoy special student matinee performances of Into the Woods, A Doll's House and The Niceties.ON-SITE CREATIVE LEARNINGOn-site after-school classes for students aged 5 to 12 invites participants to devise their own stories inspired by childhood classics. WT Education implemented digital methods to continue "on-site" creative learning from a distance when public health concerns inhibited in-person programming.WT YOUTH COUNCILThe WT Youth Council is a leadership advisory board for motivated high school students to gain hands-on, in-depth exposure to the art and business of theatre. In the 2019-2020 school year, the Council included 10 teens from 4 high schools. 69197 0 Literary Development Initiative:Since 1992, Writers Theatre has produced 28 world premieres: 9 plays, 15 adaptations and 4 musicals. In 2004, WT launched the Literary Development Initiative (LDI) to revisit classic works, adapt celebrated literature for the stage and usher forward today's most innovative voices as the classics of the future. During the 2019/20 Season, the LDI hosted a reading of A Doll's House and 3 workshops for commissioned works in development. 4712742 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 146 0 1 241 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 26 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 IL X Kathryn Lipuma 8472426001 321 Park Avenue Glencoe IL 60022 Michael Halberstam Artistic Director 40.00 X X 177371 0 10807 Kathryn M Lipuma Executive Director 40.00 X X 177239 0 10804 Mary Pat Studdert Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Gillian Goodman Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Beth L Kronfeld Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Jennifer Litowitz Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Elaine Tinberg Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Linda Umans Vice Chair 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Thomas Hodges Treasurer 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Richard M Lipton Secretary 1.00 X X 0 0 0 Michael Petersen Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Janice Beck Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Julie Bernstein Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Sara Cohan Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Benjamin Cohen Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Joseph G Dillon Trustee (Until 2/20) 1.00 X 0 0 0 Christopher Gould Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 David N Knapp Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Christopher N Knight Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Russ Mayerfeld Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Lloyd Morgan Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Roberta Olshansky Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Christopher S Pfaff Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Lizzy Scheinfeld Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Stephanie Sick Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Seth Traxler Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 Kendra Wallace Trustee 1.00 X 0 0 0 354610 0 21611 2 0 1 0 Means of Production 5245 W Diversey Avenue Chicago IL 60639 Scenic Construction 136272 1 593400 40900 5416158 6050458 Admissions 711110 1800813 1800813 Ticket Handling 711110 44135 44135 Education Programs 711110 31900 31900 1876848 56005 56005 79906 70861 9045 9045 9045 0 593400 25786 -25786 -25786 80137 33573 46564 46564 Facility Rentals 900099 22825 10200 12625 Artistic Events 900099 7000 7000 1102 1102 30927 8044061 1876848 10200 106555 365281 262256 58727 44298 2257824 1619456 359790 278578 256104 187627 48886 19591 245262 184104 31850 29308 49485 49485 37419 37419 409153 324989 38304 45860 263024 251753 200 11071 180076 160183 8655 11238 112230 68866 33646 9718 170396 170396 372836 356545 11984 4307 81558 33232 14094 34232 41994 10451 28059 3484 667424 650168 8628 8628 41152 28704 7602 4846 Props and Scenery 232559 232559 Costumes 116388 116388 Electrical Equipment 41131 41131 Income Tax Expense 47 47 47187 13934 990 32263 5988530 4712742 738366 537422 0 15693 3289463 4601561 1076158 1435297 10989 8399 575243 482448 29826416 3579231 26857907 26247185 1406316 1435032 33216076 34225615 195704 55455 1620462 498250 1234464 789097 604000 3050630 1946802 X 26665979 27762364 3499467 4516449 30165446 32278813 33216076 34225615 2055531 57836 0 X 0 1 X 1 0 X 5666299 4647104 5151166 2918984 6050458 24434011 5666299 4647104 5151166 2918984 6050458 24434011 4715126 19718885 5169 8171 67285 56805 56005 193435 15251 226 15477 80944 138041 135859 191787 100864 647495 25290418 16033086 0.77970 0.72520 X Schedule A, Part II, Line 10, Explanation of Other Income: Miscellaneous Income - 2015 Amount: $ 16,765. 2016 Amount: $ 33,006. 2017 Amount: $ 16,951. 2018 Amount: $ 79,465. 2019 Amount: $ 20,727. Gross Sales of Inventory - 2015 Amount: $ 64,179. 2016 Amount: $ 105,035. 2017 Amount: $ 118,908. 2018 Amount: $ 112,322. 2019 Amount: $ 80,137. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 2032457 500000 113792 79906 2566343 2000745 111712 80000 2032457 0 2000000 745 2000745 0.00000 0.97410 0.02590 0 0 150000 150000 28369988 2621820 25748168 1306428 957411 349017 26247185 X 8135470 57836 33573 91409 8044061 0 8044061 6022103 33573 33573 5988530 0 5988530 Part V, Line 4: The Theatre's endowment is comprised of contributions received and restricted by donors to be invested in perpetuity for charitable or educational activities and to give general operating support to the Theatre. Part X, Line 2: The Theatre, an Illinois nonprofit corporation, is exempt from income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and applicable state law, except for taxes pertaining to unrelated business income, if any. The accounting standard on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes addresses the determination of whether tax benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded in the financial statements. Under this guidance, the Theatre may recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. Examples of tax positions include the tax-exempt status of the Theatre and various positions related to the potential sources of unrelated business taxable income. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. There were no unrecognized tax benefits identified or recorded as liabilities during the year. The Theatre files Forms 990 in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and the State of Illinois. Part XI, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Cost of Goods Sold 33,573. Part XII, Line 2d - Other Adjustments: Cost of Goods Sold 33,573. WordPlay Gala 593400 593400 0 0 15000 750 10036 593400 593400 15000 750 10036 25786 -25786 X X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Michael Halberstam Artistic Director 177371 0 0 0 0 0 3455 0 7352 0 188178 0 0 0 Kathryn M Lipuma Executive Director 177239 0 0 0 0 0 3452 0 7352 0 188043 0 0 0 Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b The Form 990 was prepared by an independent outside accounting firm based on input from various Writers Theatre staff members. The prepared Public Disclosure copy of the Form 990 was then presented to the Finance Committee of the Board for discussion and approval. After review by the Finance Committee, the Public Disclosure copy of the Form 990 was made available to the Board of Trustees prior to filing with the IRS. The purpose for distributing a Public Disclosure copy to the Board was to comply with the request of a donor who wished to remain anonymous. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c Trustees are annually provided with and asked to complete a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form which requires them to disclose any relationships or transactions in which they or their family members are involved that could lead to a conflict of interest with their position as Trustees of Writers Theatre. Outside of the annual disclosure process, trustees are expected to promptly disclose any potential conflicts; the Board shall consider the facts and act accordingly. The Executive Director and Artistic Director are expected to report at least annually concerning conflicts, and potential conflicts should be promptly disclosed when discovered. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 Reasonable Compensation: It is the policy of Writers Theatre to pay no more than reasonable compensation for personal services rendered to Writers Theatre by Trustees or employees. The Trustees of Writers Theatre shall not receive compensation for fulfilling their duties as Trustees, although Trustees may be reimbursed for actual out-of-pocket expenses which they incur in order to fulfill their duties as Trustees. Expenses of spouses will not be reimbursed by Writers Theatre unless the expenses are necessary to achieve a specific, pre-approved purpose. Approval of Compensation: The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees must approve in advance the amount of all compensation for the Executive Director, Artistic Director, and any Trustee entering into an agreement to provide personal services for payment to Writers Theatre subject to the terms of the Writers Theatre Conflict of Interest Policy. Before approving such compensation, the Compensation Committee shall determine that the total compensation to be provided by Writers Theatre is reasonable in amount in light of the position, responsibility and qualification for the position held, including the result of an evaluation of prior performance for Writers Theatre, if applicable. In making the determination, the Compensation Committee shall consider total compensation to include the salary and the value of all benefits provided by Writers Theatre to the individual in payment for services. At the time of the discussion and decision concerning compensation, the Executive Director, Artistic Director or Trustee should not be present in the meeting. The Compensation Committee will obtain and consider appropriate data concerning comparable compensation paid to similar positions in like circumstances. Once the Compensation Committee has met and reached an agreement, it will make a recommendation to the Executive Committee for approval. The Executive Committee shall set forth the basis for its decisions with respect to compensation in the minutes of the meeting at which the decisions are made, including the conclusions of the evaluation and the basis for determining that the individual's compensation was reasonable in light of the evaluation and the comparability data. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 Writers Theatre provides copies of its governance policies, conflict of interest policy and financial statements upon request. Documents are made available per the disclosure requirements of Section 6104(d).