To fine-tune is “to adjust precisely so as to bring to the highest level of performance or effectiveness.”
It’s a skill that Heather Grasso, producing artistic director of the Broadway Theatre of Pitman since 2019, has mastered. According to Richard L. Eldredge, author of a recent book about the theater’s history, Grasso has been instrumental in delivering high-quality productions while sustaining a thriving business — one that has both retained longtime subscribers and attracted newer, younger audiences.
What accounts for that success? In part, it’s the depth of understanding she brings to the role. Having worked onstage as a leading actress and behind the scenes as a choreographer at the Broadway and beyond, Grasso has a perspective that’s rare. She understands how a play functions from the inside out, with a clear sense of what collaborators might need at different moments and how to navigate the inevitable challenges that arise during a production.
There is a particular strength that comes from having the experience of working in a variety of roles within the same field. That background fosters agility and allows a leader to approach challenges from multiple angles. In Grasso’s case, it helps her move quickly and lead effectively.
That same process of refinement is reflected in our story “Off to the Races.” At 20, Mikayla Mitchell, a 2023 Pitman High School graduate, is, in many ways, fine-tuning her own performance. Now a junior at Lebanon Valley College, she helped power her team to a historic conference championship this winter, stepping into a high-pressure relay role for the first time — despite specializing in hurdles — and helping secure the program’s first Middle Atlantic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships 4×200 relay win since 2013.
Elsewhere in this issue, we learn how Tom Ronketty’s hobby of building birdhouses eventually led to him and his wife creating Artisan’s Oasis, a co-op-style marketplace that serves as an incubator for more than 60 businesses. We also see that the Lucky Run in downtown Pitman is a race that has been fine-tuned over 14 years through feedback and iteration.
As the stories in this issue show, specific pursuits can serendipitously evolve in meaningful ways and sometimes lead to something greater.
Enjoy!
