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This past Wednesday was my first time shadowing some of The Tower Theatre’s staff members! I had the opportunity to meet with Sharon Maier-Kennelly (Manager of Corporate Giving) and Jacelyn Davis (Manager of Ticketing Services). I met with Sharon first at 12:45 p.m. in The Tower Theatre office building. She was so welcoming and kind and felt incredibly easy to talk to her. She is a very genuine person that clearly has a lot of intelligence regarding the business of theatre. She moved to Bend two years ago and joined the Tower staff during the pandemic. She previously lived in New York and ran her own theater company! We talked about our favorite shows and musicals on Broadway and realized that we have a similar taste in theatre performances. I was able to pick her brain about her job at the Tower Theatre, and it turns out that she works very closely with Lisa Vann, the staff member I shadowed during my last visit. Sharon and I discussed the contributions and benefits that the Tower’s sponsors give and receive, and how these effects differ from the Tower’s members. Members have a lower rate than sponsors. In order to become a sponsor, the minimum contribution on $2,000. Sponsors have very similar benefits to members (seat-backs, the “Nook”, early ticket offerings), but they also get recognized in the presentation (a PowerPoint presentation that runs as the audience takes their seats) and curtain speech at every show. The Tower’s sponsors are a wide range of companies, including T-Mobile, local downtown shops, and even various individuals (e.i. the mayor).
After discussing sponsors, Sharon gave me some insight on a special event that is coming to the Tower on the 20th and 21st of May in 2022. The event is going to be a social justice conference for high schoolers and will incorporate various social justice issues (i.e. racism, LGBTQ rights, environmental changes) with the performing arts. There will be a keynote speaker on each day of the conference and the local high school theatre departments will perform a number that involves the theme of social justice. These keynote speakers have not been announced yet, so I can not discuss this information, but I am sure the community will be extremely thrilled! I am so excited about this conference, as it is an event that I have been hoping for since I started theatre. The performing arts community serves a key role in our world’s political and social change, so I believe that this conference is a great step in involving a new generation in the process. I am going to be in contact with Sharon and will have more information soon!
After meeting with Sharon, I had the privilege to shadow the Tower’s ticketing manager, Jacelyn. Jacelyn graduated from the University of Oregon a few years ago and has been working at the Tower since 2019. She and I talked about a job opening for the Tower’s box office. If you are interested in customer service and building relationships with the Tower’s clients (and are over 18 years old), I would highly suggest applying for the job! You can find the application and contact information at the bottom of the Tower Theatre’s website (https://www.towertheatre.org/).
After discovering that we have the same taste in music, Jacelyn walked me through the main aspects of her job. One of her main jobs is to “build” the Tower’s shows, which means that she is responsible for making shows exist in the software system, and eventually available to the public for tickets. She showed me how the Tower uses computer programs to build their shows and what information they use to sell tickets. I was very impressed with Jacelyn’s computer skills, and good for her because her job requires a lot of them! There are so many aspects that contribute to making a show accessible to audiences that I had no idea even existed. Shadowing Jacelyn has opened my eyes to how much dedication and patience is needed in order to create shows that are available to the public.
Shadowing Sharon and Jacelyn was a great experience for me! I love learning about how everyone’s jobs connect in order to create amazing shows. My next visit to the Tower will be this Wednesday on December 1st, and I will be shadowing Ray Solley (Executive Director) and Kevin Thurston (Director of Finance). Have a great Monday!
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