Today, I had the opportunity to shadow two very important staff members at the Tower: Ray Solley (Executive Director) and Kevin Thurston (Director of Finance). Ray and Kevin work incredibly hard “behind the scenes” to manage the performances that take the Tower stage. I shadowed Ray at 12:45 p.m. on December 1st. I originally met Ray during Titanic the Musical and have known him for about a year and a half. He has a very impressive resume and has always been a joy to be around. I was so excited to learn from him, he has so much knowledge on how to run a successful theatre. Before the meeting, Ray had asked me to bring in three misconceptions about the Tower Theatre, so that’s exactly what I did:
The Tower Theatre only does concerts (no theatrical performances, movies, etc).
The Tower Theatre’s tickets are too expensive and overpriced.
The Tower Theatre does not have activities/programs that would interest young audience members.
These were not necessarily my misconceptions, but after participating in Bend’s community theatre for a few years, I had a pretty good idea of what audience members tend to perceive. Ray and I discussed all three misconceptions and he had incredible insight on each. Here are some of the main points that we discussed:
The Tower does not only do concerts! There are theatrical performances, movie screenings, acrobat acts, comedy routines, and more! There is something for everyone at the Tower. In fact, that’s the whole point of the theatre. Part of Ray’s job is managing and balancing the shows that the Tower puts on. There is an equal number of performances for each category listed above. The Tower is not an auditorium, a movie theatre, or a concert hall. It is a performing arts center!
The Tower is not overpriced. In fact, tickets are priced exactly how they should be. There are multiple fees that need to be paid in order to put on a show, and just like every other business, the Tower needs money to do so. So much work goes on backstage (meaning in offices or the actual backstage) that the public doesn’t realize. Just because you may have seen an artist perform for free at a different venue doesn’t mean it can always be the same everywhere else. In order for the Tower to continue to put on amazing shows, it needs money. That shouldn’t be perceived as a bad thing at all!
The Tower puts on shows that interest all ages! Sometimes there are performances with lesser-known names. The Tower is a very family-friendly theatre. If you see a name of a performance at the Tower that you may not recognize, I would encourage you to research who they are/what it is! You never know what you could miss.
After having several great discussions with Ray, he graciously gave me two books to read on theatre management. Our idea is for me to read the books, consume as much information as I can, and then summarize my findings for Ray. I think that this plan will help me learn a lot more about the theatre business and will help me create my own theatre in the future.
Ray and Kevin let me sit in on a meeting that they had, and it was a great opportunity for me to see the analytical side of the theatre. Kevin, the accountant of the Tower, made predictions about the various expenses for all shows in the month of November. He and Ray work together to make these predictions every month, and since we met on the first day of December, it was the perfect time to review the month of November. I have never seen an official finance document, and even though it was overwhelming at first, Kevin and Ray helped me understand it better! It's so interesting to see what factors influence an audience from a management point of view.
After the meeting, I got to meet with Kevin individually. He was very kind and was so fun to talk to! He used to be a fisherman before he became an accountant, which I thought was very interesting. He realized that making organized documents was something that made him really happy, so he decided to go to school for accounting! He gave me some really good advice that I’ve been thinking about: “Pay attention to the little things in life that make you happy. That’s what’s important.” He made me realize that just being in a theatre is what makes me happy. After giving me great advice, we talked about what he does on a daily basis. Accounting is all about organization, and as a perfectionist, that idea made me very happy. Without Kevin, the Tower would not be able to function. Accounting is such an important job that is often overlooked. I loved getting to know Ray and Kevin more, and I am excited to continue my time with them!
My next meeting at the Tower is scheduled to be on December 15th! Stay tuned.
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