Box office busy with orders

It was such a relief to have the season finally announced last time I posted. Months of hard work was finally coming to an end and I couldn't wait to hear the reaction from our loyal patrons. Now, four weeks into our subscription campaign, I can say it's been a success! Sales are still steady and our numbers are up from last year, with subscriptions from over 650 households having already selected their events for the 2008-09 season.

Since our subscription package consists of five or more events from our season of 45, it's always interesting to see what patrons pick for their unique package. I love looking over orders as they come in and seeing the variety of combinations. We have people who pick only classical music, or primarily dance events. There are those who go crazy for our world music events...so it's a good thing that we have a lot of those to offer. Then there are those that truly pick a variety of events: David Sedaris, Chanticleer, Aquila Theatre Company, DRUMLine Live, MOMIX and Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited. These are the subscribers who truly appreciate the wide range of attractions that the Modlin Center presents in Richmond.

The renewal deadline is July 1, so we'll begin seating returning subscribers in the next week or so. Then we seat all new orders that have come in. It's not too late to place your order! I hope you'll be joining us when wour season starts in September!

Samantha

remodeling and looking back

I may ruin a bit of a surprise here by posting this picture, but take a look at the new and improved Booker Lobby! My disclaimers are: 1) this is still a work-in-progress 2) I know this is a weird angle, and 3) I am no professional photographer. That said, I'm excited to share the news that we've had the lobby outside of Camp Concert Hall remodeled, and it looks fantastic. We now have an official-looking lobby for our gorgeous performance venue, and I'm looking forward to what it will look like when it's totally finished.

The 2008 incarnation of the lobby got me thinking about the last time the lobby was changed, and what changes we've both gone through together (okay, so I realize that this makes the lobby sound human or something, but I'm taking some artistic license here).

I arrived at UR in 1995 fresh out of high school and ready to get involved with the music department. I admit to not remembering too much about how the lobby looked back then, because it was in the process of a major renovation - it was going from the Camp Theatre in the Fine Arts Building (oh, the time spent in The FAB!) to the Camp Concert Hall in the Booker Hall of Music, which would then be part of the Modlin Center for the Arts. I remember taking a hard-hat tour of the new building and of this lobby, and it was exciting. I knew that great things were coming, and I was glad that the Modlin Center would open my sophomore year, because this meant that I had 3 years to enjoy it (my friends who were seniors at the time were seriously jealous).

I was pretty sure that most of my time spent in the Modlin Center would involve performing - the University music ensembles rehearse and perform in the concert hall, and this is an incredible opportunity for students - and attending performances. I had no idea that the Modlin Center would become a second home for me, both during school and after graduation.

One of my activities during college was Alpha Phi Omega, the co-ed service fraternity. As part of my volunteer hours, I often ushered for student recitals in Perkinson Recital Hall during my freshman year. The APO member who organized the project was a senior, so my friend Jodie and I decided to take that project over for sophomore year. In retrospect, I realize that this decision seemed small at the time but ended up having a huge impact on my life. Since the Modlin Center was opening soon, they were looking for students to volunteer for the opening weekend, and I think that's the first way in which I got involved - I had made the connection with the Modlin Center while working on the recital ushering for the year. When the Modlin Center looked for student house managers, I was ready to give it a try.

I admit that I'd not thought about the arts business as a career before then. I was an elementary education student, and I eventually taught school for five years after graduating from UR in 1999. While teaching, I was a pro house manager here, because it was a part of my life that I couldn't imagine living without. When a full-time job opened up at the Modlin Center, I knew that it was something that I wanted to do. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made!

I'm proud to say that I've worked for the Modlin Center in some capacity since its opening in October of 1996. Here's to another great year, new lobby and all!

Performing Arts Management Students Blog about their Internship Experiences

They're off. Our students on internships this summer have begun a blog about their experiences. Check it out! http://blog.richmond.edu/artsfieldreports

If I Were A Patron...

Ah, summertime, and the living is easy...

It's the beginning of June, and this year it means that we've announced our new season schedule. I hope that many of you have already received our season brochure in the post, and if you haven't hopefully it's on the way to you. Everyone can stop by the Modlin Center and pick up a brochure, look through it, and then purchase a season subscription on any normal business day [though the box office is only open in the afternoons, our computers work all day!].

This is also the time when i look forward to the next year with both joy and, well, not joy. The joy in this time is that i can start to look ahead to all the killer shows that i get to work on in the upcoming school year. The 'not joy' part is that i already know which nights i'm working during the upcoming school year, and there's plenty of them...

There is one thing that makes up for all the hard work, though: i get to see every show for free! You might argue that i pay for my performances in blood, sweat, and tears, but i don't really bleed that much. Of course, the pay here isn't a laughing matter, either, but getting to see these shows for [relatively] nothing is a great draw.

But what if i wasn't able to stay and see the shows anymore? What if i had to buy a subscription like everyone else?

Well, i'd pony up, that's what i'd do. And here's what i'd come to see in the 2008-2009 season:

Everything.

I don't know how i'd afford it, but really, i can't narrow this list down to just a few performances. I just can't. I guess the only difference between being a patron and being an employee is that i actually have to work here.