12/31/07
After years of achingly slow progress, the team of Dan Dahl and Howard Parr could smell success in Akron's air in late 1999 and early 2000.
If not quite booming, downtown was percolating with growth and promise of it: The new Akron-Summit County Public Library on High Street. The SummaCare office building at Market and Main streets. The Akron Art Museum in planning stages.
A $22.6 million renovation to Akron's ''Jewel on Main Street'' seemed feasible. An updated Civic Theatre would be able to present national shows that hadn't been technically possible before. Not the biggest Broadway tours, which physically wouldn't fit, but bigger and better, nonetheless, Dahl said.
That dream has been deferred, along with hopes of completing Phase II of the Civic project, a renovation of the enclosed entrance/box office area that no one talks about anymore. Like a family stuck with an adjustable rate mortgage that blew up to unmanageable proportions, the Civic has spent the last year or so refinancing.
What may come as a surprise is that the theater is doing better at the box office than before the renovation.
''The Civic is operating at a far higher level than it was prior to the renovation. There's no question,'' said Parr, who has been interim manager since July 1. ''The number of events are up. Even last year, which was the slowest year since it reopened, we still had over $1 million in ticket sales at the Civic.
''Prior to renovation - we could go back and look up those records, but I'm sure that we never crossed $500,000. Absolutely.
''It may not be at the pace we all hoped it would be, but it's certainly far ahead of where it was.''
On its own
Between April and June 30, Parr and his business partner, Janus Small, made the transition into working for the Civic. E.J. Thomas Hall - which had run the Civic's programming for 11 years, and carried the Civic financially for the last two, Dahl said - was cutting its ties. It was a time of serious realignment. The situation had changed a lot since the optimistic planning of the late '90s.
''Back in '99/2000, we all looked at the massive amount, as I recall it was a quarter of a billion dollars in infrastructure that was being poured into downtown Akron,'' Parr said.
''I think the optimism, because of all that money that was being poured into downtown Akron, was driving an attitude of 'Hey, let's take this as far as it can go.' '' The pace of the economy didn't keep up with everyone's high hopes.
And so the Civic's new mission is this, Parr said: The Civic should be the home for most of the shows that are produced locally and regionally. Its ticket prices will usually be $30 or less.
E.J. Thomas Hall, Akron's other major performing arts hall, will be the home for national shows, like touring Broadway productions. Tickets are likely to be $30 and up, with exceptions, such as student tickets.
'Managed risk'
''Managed risk'' is the term Parr uses, bringing up as an example the holiday show by Cleveland singer Helen Welch. Speaking before the Dec. 21 show, he said, ''I think we're going to have 700 or 800 people, which is exactly what those kind of shows need in order to do well financially. They don't lose money, they don't make a huge amount of money, but there's activity and there's something going on in the building.''
Parr is looking for productions with moderate risk, not the high risk of a Broadway show.
Shows like the sold-out Dec. 22 Black Keys concert, featuring Akron talent, are a home run for the theater, Parr said.
Those behind the Civic have a simple goal: to bring people into the building, and to draw them to nearby restaurants before and afterward, said Ralph Palmisano, whose term as Civic board president will be completed in August.
During a conference call with Parr, Palmisano recalled the Civic's John Legend concert last year, which was on a Monday night and sold out.
''To come to downtown Akron and see Bricco and a lot of other restaurants jam-packed with people before the show, that's what the theater is all about: to bring the people downtown and to utilize the theater,'' Palmisano said.
The sold-out Chrissie Hynde benefit concert in September was another high point, he said.
''The intention was certainly to do what we call managed risk in our programming. We wanted to have events that would bring people into the building, but would not pose a major financial risk to the building,'' Parr said.
Ticket sales, also known as earned income, pay only part of the costs of running an operation like the Civic. The rest needs to come from grants and contributions. The Civic is on its own, unlike E.J. Thomas Hall, which is run by the University of Akron. ''The funding for the Civic is going to have to come from a mix of public and private sources,'' Parr said.
Strategic planning
Parr's focus is on operations and programming. Small is developing the board, working with the nominating committee to find new members, as well as helping the fundraising committee.
The two work together with the board on strategic planning. Their contracts with the Civic are open-ended. In addition, five full-time Civic employees and numerous part-timers work at the theater.
For the 2007-08 season, Parr began in June by filling in dates for rental shows, like the Ballet Theatre of Ohio's Nutcracker. In a rental, an organization rents the building from the Civic and keeps what it makes from ticket sales. Rentals pose no risk, but offer no possibility of making money beyond the set fee.
Among the rentals for next year are for a Belkin Live Nation show in April.
Other events are in the offing, including eight high school graduations this spring, and movies on Martin Luther King Day - when schools will be out and students idle.
In past years, the Civic also handled programming for the outdoor summer shows next door at Lock 3 Park. Now, after a transitional year, the city of Akron and Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth are handling the programs. The Civic will contribute technical support, stage hands, dressing rooms and more for the events.
''It's a good, tight relationship that I think is beneficial to both the Civic and the city,'' Parr said.
What's the next big step?
Tellingly, Palmisano had to stop and think before answering.
''You know what it boils down to? We're not in crisis mode anymore. Because we have developed such a great working relationship with the county, the city, everybody, it's not crisis anymore. It's not, 'Oh, my God.' It's just working together.
Elaine Guregian can be reached at 330-996-3574 or eguregian@thebeaconjournal.com. Staff writer Carol Biliczky contributed to
