Steve Versaw: “My wife graduated as an undergrad in the mid-late 90s… One of the first road trips we ever took together dating was down here to go camping out east in Brown County. And it started pouring the second day, or that first night, so we came into town and went to all of her old haunts. I walked past the Von Lee theater which was totally decrepit at that time and for rent. And I remember pointing to the theater and telling her ‘I wish I could run a theater in a small college town.’ This was like 25 years ago!
Dom Heyob: That’s Steve Versaw, the new executive director of the Buskirk Chumley Theater. He’s been busy running the theater for a little under a year. He feels the venue is making strides in reconnecting with the arts community here in Bloomington.
Steve Versaw: “I feel like when I first got here, there might have been a little bit of a sour feeling that our doors weren’t open enough, there wasn’t enough programming, and you know, financially we were a little bit down.”
Dom Heyob: Versaw says the theater’s increased their amount of programming to the highest it’s been since 2019. There have been shows by local theater companies, as well as a concert series for local Bloomington bands. But it seems like he’s gotten some occasional flak from his new programming as well.
Steve Versaw: “Sometimes it’s hard to want to curate and hear the public’s disdain maybe for choices I’ve made, even in this first year, but It’s all learning. We’re all moving forward, and time keeps on ticking. And I think with good intention… it will show in the future what is being built, right now, by doing the work.”
Dom Heyob: He wants to listen to the community and to see what kind of programming sticks. It’s part of his community-first philosophy.
Steve Versaw: “I’ve been doing this and making things happen for a long-time, most of my life, and I guess what I keep learning is, if you stay invested, and inquisitive, you don’t necessarily end up exactly where you think you’re gonna. but it all works out really well.”
Dom Heyob: Versaw’s a veteran of the entertainment industry. He got his start as a touring musician in his Chicago band,
Steve Versaw: “My best friends of all time, the M’s.”
Dom Heyob: The M’s toured nationally for years and released multiple albums. That experience gave Versaw his chance to explore more of the entertainment industry. After he opened for the band Wilco, however, things really changed in his life. Versaw got asked to travel with them and run sound. He was on the road in different roles for over a decade before finally landing back in Indianapolis. There, downtown.
Dom Heyob: Versaw struggled to find community in these venues because of their size. He found himself questioning what about his job he really valued. For him, community is everything.
Steve Versaw: “And I was really thinking about back when I was a teenager. A punk rock, do it yourself, DIY kid who built venues with my friends, went on van tours and made our own t-shirts.”
Dom Heyob: So he decided to leave, and eventually discovered the opening for executive director at Now, he’s encouraging leaders in his own ranks to make community spaces like he used to have.
Dom Heyob: Versaw looks after a new series at the theater called, “Live from BCT.” It’s dedicated to showcasing local, up-and-coming artists. The program is led by Events Coordinator Ahmed Al-Awadi. Together, they collaborate with independent visual artists to make concert posters, as well as with WFHB to air the concerts live.
Steve Versaw: “I actually come, you know, like emotionally welled up a little bit watching some of the groups play onthese nights, because it reminds me of when I was 16, 17, 18, getting the chance to play at our local theater, or our local club, and having that opportunity and I’m hoping that live at BCT helps propagate the Bloomington scene…”
Dom Heyob: Reflecting on his past, Versaw says he wouldn’t change much.
Steve Versaw: “I thought I was gonna be a musician, making records, traveling around the world. I’ve done all those things in such different capacities now, it actually opened up, uh, a lot more in my life.”
Dom Heyob: Versaw says he’s here for the long-term. Next year, he plans on fine tuning from the year before and says he takes feedback from the community seriously.
Steve Versaw: “I wanna make sure we’re representing everyone in the community and we have something, whether it be a paid ticket or a free event, for absolutely everybody who wants to come into these doors.”
Dom Heyob: After managing large-scale venues, Versaw has finally found that sense of community here in Bloomington, running the city’s historic theater. For WFIU Arts, I’m Dom Heyob.
