TO: Brandon Niezgoda FROM: Brandon Niezgoda SUBJECT: Short Report DATE: November 2, 2016 Purpose This is a short report investigating the history, and current state, of the Wilma Theater located in Philadelphia PA.Findings History Founding and Venue The Wilma Theater actually began as “The Wilma Project.” In 1973, the Wilma was established to challenge the Philadelphia cultural community to create “theatrical productions of original material and to develop local artists.” Through the years of 1973-1979, the Philadelphia public was dazzled by renowned avant garde theater artists. In 1979, Natives of Czechoslovakia Blanka and Jiri Zizka became artists in residence, with a dynamic physical production style and original music accompaniment. They assumed artistic leadership of the organization, and moved the Wilma to a 100-seat theater on Sansom Street. Within five years they were at 100% capacity. They decided to expand the theatre to a new 296 seat home, and a location was identified at the corner of Broad and Spruce Streets (figure 1). Figure 1 Designed by renowned theater architect Hugh Hardy, the new 296 theatre still retains the Wilma’s intimate flavor. The Wilma Theater, under the Zizka’s, has established a national reputation for provacctive work ranging from international drama of Brecht, Fugard, Ionesco, Orton, and Stoppard. It also hosts new American plays by Howe, Linney, Long, Wright, and Freed. The current lobby of the theater (figure two) is decorated with photos and paraphernalia from the theatres more than twenty year run. Figure 2 Name Origins and Mission Statement The origin “Wilma Project” of 1973 was actually a feminist collective. The theater name was chosen based off of a reinterpretation of Virginia Woolf’s “Judith”. In A Room of One’s View, Virginia Woolf imagines Shakespeare’s sister Judith as completely brilliant, but beaten into silence (literally and figuratively). The founders of the Wilma created the fantastical sister of Shakespeare Wilma, providing the Wilma as a room of her own, and a space and freedom to express herself. The self-written mission is that “The Wilma Theater creates living, adventures art. We engage artists and audiences in imaginative reflection on the complexities of life. We present bold, original, well-crafted productions that represent a range of voices, viewpoints, and styles.” Location As referenced, the Wilma Theater is located on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts (figure 3). This is a very populated, and classy area of the city. It shares space with the renowned Kimmel center, and a variety of artistic and commercial shopping centers. From Center City and down to Old City Philadelphia hosts a collection of live theatres, include the Arden. Figure 3 Current State Shows and Pricing The Wilma Theater is offering four shows for the 2014-2015 season. These include Rapture, Blister Burn, The Body of An American, Hamlet, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. Since 1980 on the the ...

1. TO: Brandon Niezgoda
FROM: Brandon Niezgoda
SUBJECT: Short Report
DATE: November 2, 2016
Purpose
This is a short report investigating the history, and current state,
of the Wilma Theater located in Philadelphia PA.Findings
History
Founding and Venue
The Wilma Theater actually began as “The Wilma Project.” In
1973, the Wilma was established to challenge the Philadelphia
cultural community to create “theatrical productions of original
material and to develop local artists.” Through the years of
1973-1979, the Philadelphia public was dazzled by renowned
avant garde theater artists. In 1979, Natives of Czechoslovakia
Blanka and Jiri Zizka became artists in residence, with a
dynamic physical production style and original music
accompaniment. They assumed artistic leadership of the
organization, and moved the Wilma to a 100-seat theater on
Sansom Street. Within five years they were at 100% capacity.
They decided to expand the theatre to a new 296 seat home, and
a location was identified at the corner of Broad and Spruce
Streets (figure 1).
Figure 1
Designed by renowned theater architect Hugh Hardy, the new
296 theatre still retains the Wilma’s intimate flavor. The Wilma
Theater, under the Zizka’s, has established a national reputation
for provacctive work ranging from international drama of
Brecht, Fugard, Ionesco, Orton, and Stoppard. It also hosts new
American plays by Howe, Linney, Long, Wright, and Freed.
The current lobby of the theater (figure two) is decorated with

2. photos and paraphernalia from the theatres more than twenty
year run.
Figure 2
Name Origins and Mission Statement
The origin “Wilma Project” of 1973 was actually a feminist
collective. The theater name was chosen based off of a
reinterpretation of Virginia Woolf’s “Judith”. In A Room of
One’s View, Virginia Woolf imagines Shakespeare’s sister
Judith as completely brilliant, but beaten into silence (literally
and figuratively). The founders of the Wilma created the
fantastical sister of Shakespeare Wilma, providing the Wilma as
a room of her own, and a space and freedom to express herself.
The self-written mission is that “The Wilma Theater creates
living, adventures art. We engage artists and audiences in
imaginative reflection on the complexities of life. We present
bold, original, well-crafted productions that represent a range of
voices, viewpoints, and styles.”
Location
As referenced, the Wilma Theater is located on Philadelphia’s
Avenue of the Arts (figure 3). This is a very populated, and
classy area of the city. It shares space with the renowned
Kimmel center, and a variety of artistic and commercial
shopping centers. From Center City and down to Old City
Philadelphia hosts a collection of live theatres, include the
Arden.
Figure 3
Current State
Shows and Pricing
The Wilma Theater is offering four shows for the 2014-2015
season. These include Rapture, Blister Burn, The Body of An
American, Hamlet, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead.

3. Since 1980 on the theatre puts on four to six shows per year
run. In their extensive archive system on their webpage one can
locate and browse playbills. The first show of the year
appreciated an extended run. Producing a play that premiered in
2012, Rapture, Blister, Burn takes on relevant issues on
feminism, adulthood, and missed opportunities using a modern
and stripped down set (figure 4).
Figure 4
Pricing for the shows is affordable due to a recent grant.
Through Wilma WynTix, a new ticket subsidy program made
possible by a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation.
This is an initiative to make theater affordable and available to
a much broader audience. Shows make standard full-four week
main stage runs, and subsidized rates include $25.00 for general
audience, and $10.00 tickets for students and theater audiences.
Group rates are also available.
Extra Services
The Wilma Theater likes to offer more than just a show when
you are seeing a show. The experience does not end at curtain
call. Free or low-cost discussions address topics and themes
relevant to the play. Student Stunday Program exposes students
to live theater. Fellowship and Internship Programs provide
valuable training to students and recent graduates. Beer and
Martini tasting, coffee chats, post show chats are available for
each of the shows. The ability to buy wine and beer before the
show to discuss (figure 5), proves that going to the show is
more than an isolated event.
Figure 5
The theater also includes classes for students of all ages for
many different reasons. Students may become a student
ambassador to help communicate with your campus. Educators
can meet with the Education director to discuss course
relevance and outline a plan specific to the need of the class.

4. Parents can send their students to Camp Wilma in the summer,
and Employers can organize experiential workshops to help
their employee’s better work together.
If theater is not ones interest, The Wilma also hosts Ballet X,
Philadelphia’s Premier Contemporary Ballet. Conclusion
The Wilma Theater is an iconic location in Philadelphia. It has
a historic past, with political beginnings. It has been creating
plays continuously since 1979, and currently offers resources to
the community, students, educators, and employers. The passing
of Jiri Zizka is a loss to the theater community, but the Wilma
continues to pay tribute to his work. Recommendations
The Wilma Theater seems to be flourishing. Yet, its future like
all Arts venues, is shaky. It faces various competitors in its own
market, as well as various digital entertainment that compete for
viewer’s entertainment. It must continue to adapt to draw in
people to its location, especially in such an expensive area.
Assignment Five
Short Report/Proposal
We have all applied to different companies, and investigated
them critically based on their web presence.
Now it is time to write a short report (with some type of
proposal) on a specific company!!

5. As short reports differ in formats depending on what you are
writing--You may write your short report in a basic memo
format!
Basically, the memo consists of two parts: the header, or the
identifying information at the top, and the messageitself. This
identifying information includes four easily recognized
parts: To, From, Date, and Subject lines.TO:[Enter
name]FROM:Linda CowanDATE:[Enter date]RE:[Enter subject
here.]TO:Aileen Kelly, Chief Computer AnalystFROM:Stacy
Kaufman, Operator, Level IIDATE:January 30,
2014SUBJECT:Progress report on the fall schedule
After the introduction, each memo should have these four
sections…
1. Purpose
2. Findings
3. Conclusion
4. Recommendations (keep this section short). What is not great
about the company currently? What are some things that it could
do better? This should be a start to your long report! (The
Proposal Section of Your Document).
In terms of creating these sections, look back at chapter 6 and
visuals.

6. How to Write Heads and Subheads
It takes time to write appropriate heads and subheads and
determine where to place them in your document. Following the
writing process described in Chapter 2, first map out what you
want to say.
By carefully outlining your work and then revising it, you can
determine how many sections you will need and what kinds of
information each should contain.
In your final copy, every major section will require a head; and
each subdivision will use a subhead. Look at the table of
contents (Table of Contents) to see how the writer logically
divided her work.
How to Format Heads and Subheads
To design a document with logical heads and subheads, follow
these guidelines.
Insert white space between the sections to make room for the
head. Leave at least two additional spaces above and below a
head to set it off from a previous section.
Be consistent in the way you print each type of head—that is,
center each head or align it flush with the left margin.
Use larger type size for heads and subheads than for text; major
heads should be larger than subheads. If your text is in 10-point
type, your heads may be in 16-point type and your subheads in
12- or 14-point type.
To further differentiate heads from subheads, use all capital
letters, initial capital letters (capitalize the first letter of each
important word), boldface, or italics.
If you are using a color printer, consider using a second color
for major heads.
Note how the long report in Chapter 9 illustrates these

7. principles.
Lists
Placing items in a list helps readers by dividing, organizing, and
ranking information. Lists emphasize important points and
contribute to page design that is easy to read. Lists can be
numbered (as in Figure 6.2), lettered, or bulleted. Take a look
at Figures 4.19, 8.9, and 9.2 that effectively use lists.
Guidelines for Using Color Effectively
Here are some guidelines for using color:
Estimate how the color will look on the page.
Make sure text colors contrast sharply with background colors.
Use no more than two or three colors on a page.
Too many bright colors overwhelm the eye.
Select “cool” colors.
Use colors that respect an international reader’s cultural
heritage.
11
Successful Document Design: A Wrap-Up
By following these three simple guidelines, you can design
effective documents for your readers:
1. Keep it simple. Don’t try to impress your reader with
visual effects.
2. Make it clear. Include heads, bulleted lists, numbered
steps, etc. to make your message easy to understand.
3. Have it flow. Help your readers get through and
understand your document easily.

8. Your first heading is Purpose!
The purpose of your memo is to investigate the history, and
current state of your company.
Keep your purpose section very quick and to the point. Just
saying my purpose is to investigate the history and current state
of “Nike” would be just fine.
Heading Two is Findings. Findings are your most important
section, and longest in a short report. Before you start your
7- Guidelines for Writing Short Reports
1. Anticipate how the audience will use your report. Consider
how much your audience knows about your project and what
types of information they most need.
Knowing who will read your report and why is crucial to your
success as a writer. Consider how much your audience knows
about your project and what types of information they need
most.
A co-worker or someone else in your field may be familiar with
technical information. But managers, who will constitute the
largest audience for your report, may not always understand or
be interested in such technical information. Instead, they will
want bottom-line details about costs, personnel, and schedules,
for example. Similarly, audiences outside of your company
(clients, media, community agencies, etc.) will likely not be
interested in technical information.

9. Rather, they want information that helps them understand your
company, how it works or serves customers, and how to interact
with it.
All audiences, however, want clear and concise information.
I am reading your report. Expect that I don’t know much about
your company at all. Me as a reader could also serve as you just
getting hired to a job at the theater and wanting to do proper
research about it to help succeed, or you as hired to a rival
company and wanting to know what you can do better that this
company is not doing!!
2. Do the necessary research. Take careful notes, record all
necessary background information, collect relevant factual data,
and interview key individuals.
An effective short report needs the same careful research that
goes into other on-the-job writing. Your research may be as
simple as instant messaging, emailing, or leaving a voicemail
for a colleague or checking a piece of equipment. Or you may
have to test or inspect a product or service or assess the relative
merits of one plan over another. Some frequent types of
research you can expect to do on the job include:
verifying data in reference manuals or code books
searching online archives and databases for recent discussions
of a problem or procedure
comparing and contrasting competitor's products or services
reading background information in professional and trade
journals
reviewing and updating a client's file
testing equipment
performing an experiment or procedure
conferring with or interviewing colleagues, managers, vendors,

10. or clients
visiting and describing a site
attending a conference or workshop
Remember…
Never trust your memory to keep track of all the details that go
into making a successful short report. Take notes, either by
hand or on your notebook or tablet.
Collect all the relevant data you will need—names, model
numbers, costs, places, technology, etc. —and organize this
information carefully into an outline, which will help you
interpret these facts for your readers.
Do the research you need for this assignment. Check the history
of the company that they provide themselves. History of
companies will also be provided by Wikipedia. Yet, look for
source material websites. If you are looking at companies
financial records, find a database.
You are not required a work cited for this assignment, nor will
you need to cite your figures or tables. You must still label
them!! Remember for each visual you must!!!
Inserting and Writing About Visuals: Some Guidelines
Using a visual requires more of you as a writer than simply
inserting it into your written work. You need to use visuals in
conjunction with what you write. The following guidelines will
help you to
(1)identify,
(2)cite,

11. (3)insert,
(4)introduce, and
(5)interpret visuals for your readers.
Identify Your Visuals
Give each visual a number and caption (title) that indicates the
subject or explains what the visual illustrates. An unidentified
visual is meaningless. A caption helps your audience interpret
your visual—to see it with your purpose in mind. Tell your
readers what you want them to look for by doing the following:
Use a different typeface (bold) and size in your caption than
what you use in the visual itself.
Include key words about the function and the subject of your
visual in a caption.
Make sure any terms you cite in a caption are consistent with
the units of measurement and the scope (years, months, seasons)
of your visual.
Tables and figures should be numbered separately throughout
the text—Table 1 or Figure 3.5, for example. (In the latter
case, Figure 3.5 is the fifth figure to appear in Chapter 3.)
Ignore for our short report-- Cite the Source for Your Visuals
If you use a visual that is not your own work, give credit to
your source (newspaper, magazine, textbook, company, federal
agency, individual, or website).
If your paper or report is intended for publication, you must
first obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted visuals from
the copyright holder.

12. Insert Your Visuals Appropriately
Because many of the images you use will come from other
sources, especially the Web, you have to incorporate them
clearly and in appropriate places in your written work.
Here are some guidelines to help you incorporate the visuals in
the most appropriate places for your readers.
Never introduce a visual before a discussion of it; readers will
wonder why it is there. Include a sentence or two to introduce
your visuals.
Always mention in the text of your paper or report that you are
including a visual. Tell readers where it is found—”on the
following page,” “to the right,” “at the bottom of page 17.”
Place visuals as close as possible to the first mention of them in
the text. Try not to put a visual more than one page after the
discussion of it. Never wait two or three pages to present it. By
inserting a visual near the beginning of your discussion, you
help readers better understand your explanation.
Center your visual and, if necessary, box it. But leave at least 1
inch of white space around it. Squeezing visuals toward the left
or right margins looks unprofessional.
Never collect all your visuals and put them in an appendix.
Readers need to see them at those points in your discussion
where they are most pertinent.
Introduce Your Visuals
Refer to each visual by its number, and if necessary, mention
the title as well. In introducing the visual, though, do not just
insert a reference to it, such as “See Figure 3.4” or “Look at
Table 1.” Relate the visual to the text it illustrates or helps
explain.

13. Interpret Your Visuals
Help readers understand your visual by telling them what to
look for and why. Let them know what is most significant about
the visual.
Mention any distinctive features, major parts, or crucial
relationships. Do not expect the visual to explain itself.
Inform readers what the numbers or images in your visual mean,
how they make or prove a key point. What conclusions do you
want readers to reach after seeing your visual?
3. Be objective and ethical. Avoid guesswork, do not substitute
impressions or unsupported personal opinions for careful
research, avoid biased/skewed/incomplete data, and double
check all facts/figures/specifications.
Your readers will expect you to report the facts objectively and
impartially—locations, costs, sales, weather conditions,
eyewitness accounts, observations, statistics, test measurements,
and descriptions. Your reports should be truthful, accurate, and
complete. Here are some guidelines to follow:
Avoid guesswork. If you don't know or have not yet found out,
say so and indicate how, where, and when you'll try to find out.
Do not substitute impressions or unsupported personal opinions
for careful research.
Be ethical. Don't use biased, skewed, or incomplete data.
Provide a balanced, straightforward, and honest account; don't
exaggerate or minimize. Don't omit key facts. If a project is
over budget or late, state so but indicate why and what might be
done to correct the problem.
Make sure your report is relevant, accurate, and reliable.
Double-check your details against other sources, and make sure
you have sufficient information to reach your conclusions or

14. provide recommendations.
For our Short Reports- and in the findings section- please try
and be objective. Record the information as you see fit.
4. Organize carefully. Include a purpose statement, findings, a
conclusion, and recommendations.
Organizing a short report effectively means including the right
amount of information in the most appropriate places for your
audience. Make your report easy to read and to follow. Many
times a simple chronological or sequential organization is best.
Regardless of how you organized your report, readers will
expect your report to contain information on such topics
as purpose, findings, conclusions, and, in many
reports, recommendations, as described in the following
sections.
5. Write Clearly and Concisely
Writing clearly and concisely is essential in all business reports.
Ask your boss or experienced co-workers about the appropriate
style your company prefers. Also look at previous, similar
reports to get a sense of your company's style and tone.
Here are a few guidelines to help you write clearly and
concisely.
Use an informative title or subject line that gets to the point

15. right away. “Software Options” is not as clear as “Most
Economical Options for Spreadsheet Software.”
Write in plain English. Make every word count, avoid jargon,
and keep your writing simple and straightforward. Prune
business clichés such as “at the end of the day” or “to put a fine
point on it.”
For global readers, make sure you use international
English. Keep your sentences short, and write in the active
voice. Do not use U.S. idioms, slang, or abbreviations.
(See Using International English)
Adopt a professional yet personal tone. Avoid being overly
formal or too casual—strike a balance between these two
extremes. Don't sound arrogant by adopting a tone that suggests
you alone have the final authority.
Keep your report as concise as possible to give readers essential
information. Don't burden them with lengthy project histories
when all they ask for is a quick update on a project, and don't
pad the report with unnecessary details to sound important. A
short report is usually no longer than two to three pages.
6. Create a Reader-Centered Design
The appearance of your report will influence how your readers
will respond to it and to you. Here are some useful guidelines.
(You may also want to review Chapter 7 on visuals and
document design.)
Help readers locate and digest information quickly. Use
headings, subheadings, bullets, and numbered lists to guide
readers through your report. Doing this, you break large
portions of text into easy-to-read parts. Your headings and
subheadings give readers the big picture at a glance. Many
reports in this chapter demonstrate how headings and bulleted
or numbered lists assist readers. For instance, see Figures
8.2, 8.3, and 8.4.

16. Make your report look professional, readable, and easy to
follow. Don't flood your report with color. Avoid using flashy
color or fancy fonts that are hard to read. Also, don't try to
squeeze too much text onto the page. Always leave comfortable
margins.
Be consistent in your design and format. Use the same font
throughout the text of your report and a consistent typeface for
headings and subheadings.
Include only the most essential visuals. Use visuals only if they
make the reader's job easier, reinforcing or summarizing key
data quickly, as the table in Figure 8.2 and the map in Figure
8.5 do. Keep visuals simple and relevant, e.g., a picture or
drawing to illustrate a major point.
7. Choose the Most Appropriate Format
Depending on your audience, you can send your short report as
an email, a memo, or a letter. For routine reports to your boss or
others inside your company, you will likely use a memo format,
as in Figures 8.2, 8.3, and 8.6. Note that with a memo format
your readers will not expect you to include an inside address or
formal salutation and complimentary close.
Phew- Now we are back to our findings section
Include a Findings Heading,
And then you can include a subheading. Probably the best
subheading to start would be history. Find the history, probably
from their company website. Record the information. Then
include other subheadings, such as current events, corporate

17. figures, key products, etc. if you include figures and headings
make sure to label them and address them in your writing!
3. conclusion
You conclusion should be a quick summary of what you found.
Readdress the subheadings you found.
You should still be objective.
4. recommendations
While this was our short report, and semi-objective your short
report recommendations should relook at the findings section
and see if anything is wrong. Does a company have a tainted
past? Does it seem like it has a tainted future? Is it a booming
industry? Is it a failing industry?
Take these ideas for potential long reports
This recommendations basically is a proposal, helping to guide
you as proposing future research ideas…
The recommendation is relative to an internal proposal (how can
the company help itself, relative to the industry).
Internal Proposals
The primary purpose of an internal proposal is to offer a
realistic and constructive plan to help your company run its
business more efficiently and economically. Common topics of
internal proposals include:

18. Purchasing new or more advanced technology.
Obtaining document security software and offering training on
it.
Recruiting new employees or retraining current ones.
Eliminating a dangerous condition or reducing an environmental
risk.
Cutting costs.
Improving communication within and between departments.
Expanding work space or making it more efficient.
For your recommendations section, simply see if there is
something wrong
Such as
Google is a booming company, but has a continuing task with
user privacy
Nike is continuing to flourish, but still has a stigma about its
production history
The Wilma theater, as all contemporary theaters, must continue
to look where it can adapt to stay relevant.
Urban outfitters is doing well, but they have a lot of social
networking mistakes.
This will help you focus on a long report topic… For most long
reports I would like you to take a problem or finding from your
business
Google and Online Privacy.
Nike and Sweat Shops?
What has Miramax done in terms of artistic integrity?
HSBC and Nepotism.
Uber, LYFT and Branding
Urban outfitters and business twitter accounts

19. Please provide me a short report in blackboard by 11.9
Requirements include
Heading (in memo format)
Purpose, findings, conclusion, recommendations.
Please Divide Findings Section with Its Own Headings and
Subheadings.
Written in clean, international English
2-3 Pages with 2 Figures or Tables.