Editor’s note: This commentary is by Linda Shrier Schiffer, of Middlebury, one of members of the board of the New England Center for Circus Arts who resigned Wednesday. This commentary was submitted before that resignation.
[M]y name is Linda Schiffer. Most of you don’t know me but it has not stopped you from writing, urging me to quit my position on the board of the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). Some of the letters have been accusatory in tone, some outright nasty, and others requesting “I do the right thing.” But again, you don’t know me.
Let me take a brief moment to introduce myself. I have been involved with circus for more than 25 years. I am not a performer or coach. I love the art form and have two children who, following college, have chosen circus as their careers. Through my children, I have learned a lot about circus and have made friends in circuses performing in the United States, Canada and Europe.
I was on the board of Circus Smirkus for some 10 years and was part of a dedicated group that helped Smirkus grow. I was asked in May 2015, to join the board of NECCA. I saw this as an opportunity to continue to build circus as an art form in the U.S. and further establish Vermont as a true center for students of circus arts. There wasn’t one person at the NECCA table who didn’t have that same vision.
Fast forward to now – summer 2017. NECCA has built one of the premier indoor training spaces on the East Coast, if not in the U.S. NECCA is no longer a small local circus arts training center. It is much more. The organization needs to continue to grow to reflect what it has become. As stated in the Brattleboro Reformer’s editorial earlier this week, the issues need to be resolved as quickly as possible.
As we all know, change is difficult. It was not the board’s intent to dismantle the organization or disenfranchise anyone.
The board is working with the coaches to make this happen – a general reorganization to better reflect what NECCA is, and to continue to further its mission. As we all know, change is difficult. It was not the board’s intent to dismantle the organization or disenfranchise anyone.
We are committed to NECCA. We are working closely with our coaches to make the changes necessary that will take us forward to financial stability, full classes and community programming that not only benefits NECCA, but continues to allow us to be a valued member of the circus and Brattleboro communities.
We thank the greater Brattleboro business community, our donors and supporters and our coaches for their work, understanding, and continued efforts as we work together to make this happen.
We all have the same long-term goals – a sustainable NECCA in its new building, providing programming for its constituencies. We are working as quickly and responsibly as we can to achieve these ends.
