Peoria (Ill.) Civic Center Theater.
Acting as a ‘teching site’ for shows before they begin their Midwest runs has become something that Peoria (Ill.) Civic Center pursues. The operations bring hotel nights and an easy kick to the local economy even before tickets go on sale. With knowledgeable union workers and prices that aren’t “city high,” many Broadway shows have taken advantage of Peoria’s theater space.
“That is an option we try to get,” said GM Jim Wetherington, “because we feel it’s good for the community and the hotels and restaurants.”
Wetherington said being available for teching translates to about 1,000 room nights each year. Priscilla Queen of the Night teched at Peoria Civic Center Theater two years ago, bringing the total to 1,200 room nights that year. An eight-show run of White Christmas in November 2014 was met with disappointing ticket sales, but the show teched at the theater for 12 days beforehand, which helped some with the lack of ticket revenue.
“The fact that we have an arena and a theater and there’s another arena and theater 40 miles away that’s the same union,” said Wetherington, “ means we’ve got some very experienced technical people. So when shows do come to town, they’re not getting guys who don’t know where stage left is.”
Motley Crue kicked off its farewell tour at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. in July after a week of teching. Offering that extra feature adds to the capability of the arena.
“Diversity is a big part of what we’re trying to achieve,” said GM Rich MacKeigan, “but we also acknowledge that we’re not a major market, we’re not a major venue, so it’s really more about getting whatever we can and then trying to maximize the gross and maximize the exposure for these artists while they’re here.”