The downturn in the economy and increasing competition have been a challenge for performing arts centers in California and, parcitularly, for their symphonies.
For the Paramount Theatre, Oakland, the hurt was two new, similar-sized theaters that opened nearby. For the Sacramento Community Center Theater, it was a tough economy combined with loss of an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit that changed the landscape.
Leslee Stewart, general manager of Paramount Theatre, said she is holding her own but there are more venues and, perhaps, the market is flooded.
“And we’re talking about symphonies, where numbers are starting to decline. Where will our live symphony be in five years if they’re not changing their business model?” she wondered.
Paramount Theatre is 3,000 seats. The symphony is averaging 2,000 per performance. The Oakland Symphony is on its third go around, she said. The first one went bankrupt. Then they resurrected it as Oakland East Bay Symphony, and were smart and very conservative with their comeback, opening the season in November and playing on Friday night, then for a Christmas show Sunday afternoon and then one Friday a month from January through May, so they are only performing six or seven times a year.
The third iteration is changing the name back to Oakland Symphony because that’s who they are, Stewart said.
Meanwhile, on the music side of the business, Stewart is facing new competition from the restored 3,000-capacity Fox Theater two blocks away from her Paramount and from a restored 3,000-capacity Nob Hill Masonic Theatre across the Bay in San Francisco. They are operated by two of her major promoters, Another Planet Entertainment and Live Nation, respectively.
“The landscape changed. Now, I cannot rely on concerts. We’re a nonprofit with no subsidy,” Stewart said.
Her option was to look at more corporate business and weddings to fill between the arts. And she emphasizes her big differentiator — permanent seats.
The highlight of 2016 so far for Stewart is booking Prince for two shows Feb. 28. That was a result of relationships and avails.
“I got Prince because he loves Oakland. On a Sunday, I got a call from Live Nation’s Jodi Goodman, asking if I had Feb. 28-March 9 open? I can visualize my calendar, so I said I had an event on March 1, my speaker series. Other than that, all the days are open.
“So she said hold it. It’s a fire drill; it might not come to fruition. We picked a code name; we put it under Il Divo. That was our word.”
Stewart had her staff build the “Il Divo” show just in case they pulled the trigger. “I got the game-on email Wednesday at 5:23. We went on sale Thursday at noon.”
Ten minutes later, they sold out, for a gross of $1.2 million, two shows in one day. Tickets were $275, $175 and $99 and it was ticketless. Ticketmaster handled the show and after the bag check at the door, TM scanned the credit card used to make the purchase and that spit out the ticket with seat location. Stewart said there was so much information put out that it was smooth and easy and people came early.
“I’m a four-wall,” meaning Paramount Theatre is for rent but she cannot promote or co-promote. “I loved paperless, but it’s up to the promoter.”
“It was a gift. They were so lovely to work with,” Stewart said of Prince.
For fiscal 2016, ending June 30, Stewart is looking at 85 shows, down from a few years ago, but she may have more surprises.
Jody Ulich, director, City of Sacramento Convention & Cultural Services, said Sacramento’s Community Center Theater, part of the convention center complex, will be renovating soon. It’s due. The bonds from the last expansion will be paid off in 2021, she said. They collect a facility fee, which has helped fill the gap in funding.
After they lost an ADA lawsuit a number of years ago, it has been on the city’s plate to do something. The question was new or renovate, Ulich said. But the city was hit hard by the recession and the time was not right to do either. A year ago, the symphony canceled its entire season, she said.
But it’s back this year, and strong. However ballet canceled its season, except for Nutcracker. Overall, the theater had 130 performances last year, down from its heyday of 160-170.
The Community Center Theater was built in 1972 and is not ADA accessible, but at least it is not a historic building like Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. The city is currently weighing its options, but Ulich confirmed the Community Center Theater will be upgraded…and soon. It’s time.
Interviewed for this story: Leslee Stewart, (510) 893-2300; Jody Ulich, (916) 808-5105