The document outlines the strategic plan of an opera theatre for 2015-2020. The plan has four priorities: artistic leadership, engagement and experience, HR/infrastructure/technology, and financial strength. It discusses methods for measuring success in each priority area, ranging from relatively easy metrics like attendance, ticket sales, and press coverage, to harder-to-measure impacts on areas like quality of life, social connectedness, and the theatre's reputation. The goal is to strengthen the organization and deepen its civic and community involvement over the five-year period.

1. Excerpts from:
“Connecting our Community & Shaping the Future of Opera: Strategic Plan 2015-2020”

2. Strategic Plan Priorities
Engagement & Experience
Create broader civic impact and a deepened sense of
community engagement, ensuring that Opera Theatre is
valued as integral to St. Louis.
Excerpted from “Connecting our Community & Shaping the Future of Opera: Strategic Plan 2015-2020”

3. “Spectrum of Engagement”
Awareness
Interest
Buy In
Engagement
Belonging
Excerpted from “Connecting our Community & Shaping the Future of Opera: Strategic Plan 2015-2020”

4. A New Strategic Framework for Programming
Perform Educate Train Co-Create Interact
Main Stage
Performances
A Little Lunch Music
Concerts
Artists-in-Residence
Concerts
Opera on the GO!
Opera Camp for
Kids
Music!Words!
Opera!
Spotlight on Opera
Illuminating Opera
Pre-performance
lectures
OTSL Docent
presentations
Monsanto Artists-In-Training
Program
Spring Training
AIT Prep Program
M!W!O! Teacher Trainings
John D. Levy Master Classes
Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation
Young Artist Education and
Development Programs
 The Gerdine Young Artists
Program
 The Gaddes Festival Artist
Program
Administrative Internships
Emerson Behind The Curtain
production apprenticeships
Jinny & Larry Browning Fund
for Technical Fellowships
Operas for Young
People
Spring Sing!
#With Normandy:
A Concert for Peace
& Unity
St. Louis Art Works
collaboration
Special panel discussions
 Klinghoffer interfaith symposium
 Champion panel on gay athletes
 Sister Ebo panel discussion at
Missouri History Museum for
Dialogues of the Carmelites
Special in-depth programming
 Klinghoffer JAM @ SLAM project
 Presentation of Ring of Fire, The
Emile Griffith Story at Missouri
History Museum
Special artist receptions
 Mizrahi at CAM
 Meet Terence Blanchard events
 “27 @ 27” party
Kendall Gladen residency
Young Friends events
Social media - “Two way”
conversations
Family Nights
Opera Tastings
Excerpted from “Connecting our Community & Shaping the Future of Opera: Strategic Plan 2015-2020”

5. Measuring Our Success
Level 1 (Relatively Easy to Measure)
Priority 1:
Artistic Leadership
Measurements
Priority 2:
Engagement
& Experience
Measurements
Priority 3:
HR, Infrastructure,
and Technology
Measurements
Priority 4:
Capital Structure and
Financial Strength
Measurements
 Commissions produced
 Interest in co-productions and subsequent productions
 Number of new vs. returning directors, designers,
conductors, principal artists, Levy Masterclass artists
 OTSL current and former artists on roster at the Met
(Including singers, designers, directors, conductors,
staff, etc.)
 Third-party awards, nominations, and recognitions for
OTSL artists and productions (Tony Awards, Best of STL,
International Opera Award, etc.)
 Number of Gerdine Young Artist applications
 Gerdine Young Artists & Gaddes Festival Artists
promoted
 Number of Emerson Behind the Curtain applicants
 Future career placement for Emerson Behind the
Curtain and Browning Technical Fellowship participants
 Quantity of press coverage (as compared to peer
institutions)
o National
o International
o Local
 Out-of-Town ticket buyers
 Audience satisfaction as reported on survey data
 Reach of audience – number of states, continents,
foreign countries
 Number of buyers
 % of repeat buyers
 Number of community
engagement programs offered
 Number of new and repeat
community engagement
participants
 Number of participants who are
“new to file”
 Number of participants who
“move” from a community
engagement program to ticket
purchase
 Number of participants who
participate in multiple programs
 Diversity of participants
o Geography
o Race/Ethnicity
o Age
o Gender
 Satisfaction with programs as
reported on survey data
 Number of staff
 Rate of staff
retention/Turn-over rate
for employees (both
annual and seasonal)
 Website usage
 List of new technology
systems installed and
being utilized (phone
system, Tessitura upgrades,
etc.)
 Competitiveness of OTSL’s
salary structure through
bi-annual benchmarking
study utilizing third-party
research.
 Professional development
opportunities (use of
available funds)
 Capital improvements
completed
 Progress towards Campaign
goals
 Number of new donors
 Increased gifts
 Available unrestricted cash and
investments
 Endowment portfolio market
value
 Endowment ratio
 Endowment distribution rate
 Endowment spending rate as a
% of annual operations
 Current ratio (current
operating assets vs. current
liabilities)
 Debt ratio
 Total return on cash and
investments
 Change in net assets
 CAGR for expenses
 Months of operating cash
Excerpted from “Connecting our Community & Shaping the Future of Opera: Strategic Plan 2015-2020”

6. Measuring Our Success
Level 2 (Somewhat Hard to Measure)
Priority 1:
Artistic Leadership
Measurements
Priority 2:
Engagement
& Experience
Measurements
Priority 3:
HR, Infrastructure,
and Technology
Measurements
Priority 4:
Capital Structure and
Financial Strength
Measurements
• Quality of artistic output
o Quality of principal artists
o Quality of Gerdine Young Artist applicants
o Quality of press coverage
• National
• International
• Local
• Economic impact of season on St. Louis
• Number of community
engagement participants at each
stage of the engagement
spectrum
• Psychographics of audience and
community engagement
participants
• Improved student learning
• Interest in existing programs as
measured by length of time
spent on our website looking at
specific pages, click-thru from
email campaigns, likes and
shares on social media, etc.
• Career tracking for annual
staff:
o Are people learning new
skills and being
promoted from within?
o If they are leaving, why?
• Return on investment of
new technology systems
• Impact of Emerson Behind
the Curtain, GYA, GFA, &
administrative intern
programs
• Use of Innovation Capitol Fund
• Financial modeling vs. actual
budgeting
Excerpted from “Connecting our Community & Shaping the Future of Opera: Strategic Plan 2015-2020”

7. Measuring Our Success
Level 3 (Harder to Measure)
Priority 1:
Artistic Leadership
Measurements
Priority 2:
Engagement
& Experience
Measurements
Priority 3:
HR, Infrastructure,
and Technology
Measurements
Priority 4:
Capital Structure and
Financial Strength
Measurements
 Impact on St. Louis's reputation as a city
 How to measure the impact of our artistic work on the
audience & community:
o Joy
o Self-reflection
o Empathy
o Social bonding
o Quality of life
 Impact of programs on
participants’ position on
“engagement spectrum”
 Impact on participants as
reflected in actions and behavior
(as opposed to survey responses)
 Social connectedness
 Ripple effect of programs in
friends/relatives of participants
 Level of talent and
leadership skills in artistic,
technical, and managerial
talent
 Staff morale
 Impact of planned budget
restrictions on ability to
hire/retain staff
 Effects of new technology
on artists’ experiences (e.g.
the career opportunities
created because of the
technology classroom)
 Mentoring of
administrative, production,
music, and directorial
young professionals
 Appropriateness of budget
allocations and capital
structure to mission and
strategic objectives
Excerpted from “Connecting our Community & Shaping the Future of Opera: Strategic Plan 2015-2020”