Female Founders: Ann-Carol Pence of Aurora Theatre On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Things will get better. I’ve been through tough times, and my younger self was tempted to give up on several occasions. I would love the chance to go back and let her know things will get better. Despite what you are going through, even though you can’t see an end, it will get better.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ann-Carol Pence.
Ann-Carol Pence is the Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Aurora Theatre. Under her guidance, the theatre company has become the largest arts organization in Gwinnett County and one of the fastest growing professional theaters in the state of Georgia. As a proud citizen of Gwinnett, Ann-Carol is most proud of Aurora Theatre winning the first ever Pinnacle Award for Large Non-Profit, and the first ever Moxie Award (for woman-led businesses).
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Thanks for having me.
I was born, raised, and went to college in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Growing up, my parents — both teachers — provided me with a lot of music experiences. I started playing piano in kindergarten, got my first job at a church when I was 12, and played piano for all my high school musicals. From a young age, I learned that musicals were the ultimate form of collaboration in theatre, and I’ve had opportunities to use that lesson to this day.
After college in 1987, I didn’t want a traditional job, so I packed up everything I owned and moved to Atlanta to take a leap of faith and bet on myself. In 1997, Anthony Rodriguez and I founded Aurora Theatre. I was passionate about musicals, and when we founded the company, often the attention to music felt like an afterthought. I wanted music to be at the heart of storytelling. I wanted to be an artist who created a bridge between music and storytelling. Through the shows we’ve produced over the years, we have been able to marry great storytelling and live music. In 2007, we relocated our company to Lawrenceville, and we’ve been here ever since.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
The story of my experience at Aurora has been all about personal relationships. These wonderful one-on-one transformative interactions with people have changed my life for the better. Whether it was Clyde and Sandra Strickland attending a show and through a personal interaction becoming the lead sponsor of our incredible Grand Stage or a short meeting with a developer turning into a lifelong friendship. One of the stories I love telling is what happened when Anthony and I first took over the theatre, we visited all the downtown businesses in Duluth. We were excited about everything the future held until our first meeting as new founders. We went in to meet with a graphic design company (now called Rock, Paper Scissors) and during our first meeting, they said, “You owe us money!” It was not an ideal first impression. Rather than become discouraged and quit, we started a pattern of leaning in to challenges. We built a personal relationship. The meeting started with a small business looking to have a debt paid, and ended with building a bridge, engaging founding board members and forging a relationship that has endured to this day. In fact, when we moved to Lawrenceville in 2007, so did they. Years later, their daughter Amanda Sutt has taken over the company and they handle all our graphic design. I am proud that Aurora builds relationships, friendships and lifelong arts ambassadors.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
While this is not a story about when I first started, this is a story that reminds me of our early lessons. My leadership has always centered around: “Work Hard. Play Hard.” Authority that comes through a place of love creates the type of loyalty that has produced long time staff members, some of whom have been with us 20 years. We always find opportunities for laughter. This leadership style paid off recently. COVID kept us out of action for almost two years, and in that time, it is easy to become rusty. In March of 2021, while producing our first Broadway musical post-pandemic, I received 2 different versions of the score to the Roger and Hammerstein classic Cinderella. During our sites probe rehearsal (when actors sing through the show with the band), the orchestra was playing from a totally different score than I was. Different version of the songs. Different keys. It was a mess. We had to stop for almost every song. For some leaders, they would have had a meltdown. Worse yet, for some orchestras, they would have walked off the job. Although I was highly embarrassed, we spent the rehearsal in laughter. That leadership paid off when I needed it from my team. Everyone makes mistakes, but how we respond to others in crisis is the grace we receive in return.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My greatest mentor was Barbara Howard. When we first started, no one knew who we were and we needed a lot of business mentorship. It was difficult trying to convince audiences to come to an old hardware store to see a show by some people they did not know. It meant the world to us that Barabra and her husband Henry and their entire neighborhood came to every show. They believed in us. As time went on, she joined the board and really became a powerful mentor to me. She was one of those rare people who would have just the right word of encouragement or advice at the right time. She would call me on the phone for no reason but to say, “I believe in you.” She was there with me through some of my most difficult moments in leadership. When we broke ground on the LAC (Lawrenceville Arts Center) in 2019, she was there and that was one of the last pictures we took together. She has passed away later that year, but I still think about her wisdom and belief in me. In a powerful way, she still impacts me to this very day.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
A statistic says, “When men have 50% of the skills necessary for a job they apply, but only when women have 100% of the skills do they apply for a job.” As women, we have to be courageous. We have to change the narrative, “I may not know everything, but I will surround myself with smart, skilled people who will help fill in those gaps.” Over my career, I’ve had the honor of learning from all types of people. Some are experienced mentors, and some are the younger people on my staff. The key is that I’m always willing to learn and gain insight from anyone anywhere. I now embrace that I can learn and be a leader at the same time. Those ideas are not mutually exclusive. I’ve been telling women for years to be bold. But it wasn’t until Anthony, who has been my partner for more than 26 years, was recruited to a new job as Executive Director of the HUB404 Conservancy that I had to walk the walk. I had to find the courage I had been preaching all these years. It is so much more important than just me. We, as women, have to take the reins and lead because there is a whole generation of women right behind us watching. It is not enough for me to simply say that women should be courageous, I have to demonstrate courage.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
Ultimately, we have to be aware of our individual biases and make sure we are treating women equally. In order for Aurora and any small business to succeed, I need to be given the types of opportunities in leadership that my male counterparts have been afforded. We need foundational investment at the same rate as my male counterparts. Compare the attribute “He is a go-getter” to “She is aggressive and loud.” I should be given the same opportunities as others.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Women should become business founders because we have different dreams and passions that can transform the world. If we were only led by male leaders, it limits our societal perspectives and our worldviews. We need women with unique visions to create future forward companies to impact the world. It extends to culture too. We need to support minority owned business visionaries too. Let’s commit to creating a future with ALL of us in mind. That is what creating community means.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
People believe being a boss is easy. Most people only see the public side. The aspects of the jobs where I get to be interviewed or attend huge events are the smallest part of the job that may look like fun. Being a founder is one of the hardest jobs in the world because:
1. You have to convince others that what you are doing is necessary. The first question you’ll get when starting something new is, why? I have to constantly articulate the importance of having a professional regional theatre in our community. Arts is the catalyst for community building. Look at Lawrenceville. A town that in 2004 had an abandoned livery stable on its main street now is home to the largest work/play community in Gwinnett County.
2. You have to remain true to your vision “the method and the madness.” Others will denounce your approach, the use of resources, your vision, your motives, especially if you are younger. Critics question you every step of the way. Starting something new means trying something bold.
3. You have to require people to be open to change. Few people enjoy change, but change is the key to innovation. We often say, “We’ve always done it this way.” By hiring a wide range of staff members (different cultures, ages, educational backgrounds, abilities), by engaging diverse advisors for your board of directors, it gives us the opportunity to break tradition and do something new.
As arts leaders, we have to do our work with very few resources. Only 50% of our budget comes from ticket sales. That means we, as a charity, look for individual, business, government donations to provide the meaningful work that transforms our community.
4. You must articulate your dream so your team will get on board despite the odds. Your staff has to be willing to walk with you despite long hours, and limited finances. In the non-profit sector, we are never able to pay our staffs to the level they deserve. Our staff comes to work every day in hope of making an impossible dream come true.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? No. That being said, I would never discourage any person from starting their own company. If you are considering beginning your own business, you need be relentless, optimistic, resilient and confident. At the same time, if you are a woman, please be prepared that many people see confidence as hubris. It is essential to overcome that perception. I admit I am competitive. I don’t like to lose (especially when it comes to my favorite sports teams), but that is what being resilient looks like. I won’t stop until I achieve; that’s how I’m wired. It’s that attitude that has allowed Anthony and me to make Aurora Theatre a regional powerhouse.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. Things will get better. I’ve been through tough times, and my younger self was tempted to give up on several occasions. I would love the chance to go back and let her know things will get better. Despite what you are going through, even though you can’t see an end, it will get better.
2. Value loyalty. People come into our lives promising big things, but it is those people who are with you when things get tough. Those are the people you need to invest in. Those are the people that will be with you until the end. Those are the people you want to build your dream with.
3. Trust yourself. Over the years, people have told me that I need to change one thing or the other about who I am as a person. Fit in. Be quiet. Be more palatable. Don’t do it. It ultimately make things harder. The journey I am on is full of constant challenges, but I promise it will be worth it. Being true to myself pays off time and time again.
4. Love people who are different than you. Creating a space that welcomes every single person to the table will be the key to success.
5. Listen to others. Some of the best advice I have gotten comes from unexpected places. Always be ready to listen and implement good advice regardless of the source.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
No matter who walks into our theatre, I want people to see themselves. I remember going to New York at 22 years old. Sitting in that theatre, I looked up onto the stage and saw my first female conductor. I was overcome with emotion, and that moment changed my life. No matter who you are, if you sit in a theatre and see someone on stage who looks like you, it will change your life. I want to see a women President in my lifetime. If we, as Americans, could see a woman holding the most powerful leadership position in the world, the nation will change its perspective in the same way mine was all those years ago.
I wanted to build a theatre that when a visitor walks in, be they an actor, a designer, a volunteer or a patron, they instantly feel like there is a place for them. I want each person to feel welcome and understood. We don’t always succeed. We all have individual biases we have to confront daily, but we can constantly improve. I fail, apologize, dust myself off, and wake up the next day to try again. I will continue to do that until the day I turn in my keys.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I want radical acceptance. Creating spaces where everyone feels welcome.
At an artistic level, I want to see music directors be nominated for a Tony Award for our work in the industry. We were awarded Tony’s in the 50’s and our award was eliminated. It’s time to bring back that position as a reward for a job well done.
On a national level, we as artists and arts advocates must demand a Secretary of the Arts that works at national level to change investment in the arts at the rates our Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Transportation, and Secretary of Education do. We need a cabinet position.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I want to someday meet Oprah Winfrey. She is a big picture thinker. She began her talk show when I was a teenager. I would record every episode on the VCR because she inspired me so much. I read most of the books in her book club. With all of Oprah’s struggles, setbacks and challenges, she remained unflinchingly optimistic. She has literally changed the world. From Africa to Atlanta, when she truly believes in something, she puts everything she has into it, investment, energy, and time and she uses her influence in grand ways. Despite her success, she still finds a way to be vulnerable. She shares herself, flaws and all, to the world. Oprah reminds me that we all have the potential for greatness if we are resilient. And she shines the light on others, so that others may shine just as brightly.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Ann-Carol Pence of Aurora Theatre On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.