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Mill Mountain Theatre Takes Another Step Toward Completing Reinvention-
Chooses New Director of Development to join the MMT Team

 Mill Mountain Theatre, a Western Virginia regional cultural icon for over 47 years, introduces a new Director of Development.

“We are thrilled to announce that Paul M. Mylott, a 24-year veteran and well-respected professional of fund raising, has been named Director of Development at Mill Mountain Theatre”, said John T. “Jack” Avis, President of the Theatre’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Mylott recently relocated to the Roanoke Valley-New River area from Boston, MA where he was Senior Director of Institutional Advancement at Massachusetts College of Art Foundation. His career began at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY and took him to New England where he held executive level positions in institutional advancement in Bennington, VT and Williamstown, MA.

In a recent meeting with the Theatre’s Executive Committee, Mr. Mylott commented on his reasons to commit his talents to Mill Mountain Theatre. “To be joining Mill Mountain Theater at this time is an incredible opportunity and a great pleasure. The work being done by Director Ginger Poole and the Trustees is nothing short of amazing. I consider it an honor to be joining the Mill Mountain Theatre organization and becoming a part of such a dynamic team.”

“Paul is the right leader at the right time for our development efforts at Mill Mountain Theatre”, added Avis, who has led the Board’s reinvention and search effort the past three years. “The day that the Board made the difficult but appropriate decision to suspend operations was a dark one for our region, but our announcement today is very exciting, and affirms what our Board said three years ago – that we were committed to the reopening of Mill Mountain Theatre but only if we were certain that it would deliver a product of the highest quality, could be sustainable, and could operate in a financially responsible way. “

In January 2009, after a period of severe financial difficulty, the Board of Directors ceased mounting a full season of productions at Mill Mountain Theatre. All employees, with the except ion of the Director of Education, Ginger Poole, were laid off at that time. Since then, Mill Mountain Theatre has worked to resolve its long-term debt issues. It has also paid off or negotiated with all of its trade creditors to their satisfaction.

Avis notes that Mr. Mylott’s addition to the staff is a strategic step in the Board’s new business model.

“Our model calls for a staff of approximately six, all of whom have specific areas of professional expertise. Paul is a seasoned professional with a great deal of experience in leading and strengthening professional development operations. As we rebuild, it’s critical that we start at a high level of efficiency. “

Mr. Mylott’s first efforts at the Theatre will be focused on re-engaging supporters. “There are many people who have a history with Mill Mountain and nurtured it into becoming the wonderful place that it is today. This Theatre has an incredible story to tell and the passion of those involved is evident”, says Mr. Mylott. “We need to keep that passion alive to ensure its future.”

Mylott joins Mill Mountain Theatre on August 27. Mill Mountain Theatre Conservatory, the educational program of the Theatre will produce a family holiday show in December 2012 on the Waldron Stage.

In 2013, the Theatre will produce two professional Equity shows on the Trinkle Main Stage. The first, a musical, is scheduled for May 2013 to coincide with the reopening festivities of Center In the Square. The second is a comedy scheduled for October 2013.

Ginger Poole, Mill Mountain Theatre’s Managing Director and Director of Education is very excited and happy to welcome Paul to the team. “Paul brings to the table many years of Development experience and will be a great asset to not only Mill Mountain Theatre but to this community as well.”, said Poole.

The Theatre’s Board of Directors and Staff worked closely with professionals of other regional theatres, patrons, educators, business and community leaders, and key supporters of MMT to create a new business model for the Theatre’s future that acknowledges the organization’s historical importance to the region’s identity, to local tourism initiatives, and to business development and recruitment efforts while being sensitive to today’s economic realities.