2 min read August 2022 — Jennifer Turner, president and CEO of Tennessee Performing Arts Center, talked with Invest: about the highlights for the organization over the last 12 months, and what the team has been focused on concerning programming. Turner also discussed how their team is meeting demand for the arts.
What are some highlights for Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) from the past year?
Our Broadway at TPAC season opened with the return of Hamilton. We hit a record number of Season Ticket Holders for the 2022-23 season, just shy of 14,000 subscribers. We had a tremendous renewal rate, plus almost 7,000 new subscribers, which is incredible. In the end, it ended up being 163% growth over our 2021-2022 season. We were amazed watching the numbers because we kept expecting them to slow down and they kept going up. We had to cap subscriptions for Broadway at TPAC because we have only 19,400 seats available per week, and we were getting close to the sell-out point.
Our marketing efforts and messaging have been strong. During the pandemic, we focused on the strategic goals that we’re putting into action. It’s a result of a lot of hard work. However, I also think that the programming is good. We had a chance to have some selection, which is different from the past few years because we were busy rescheduling and rerouting. This was the year we were able to focus some attention on the series. The results are phenomenal. We couldn’t be happier.
What has your team been focused on concerning programming?
Broadway isn’t the only thing that we do. We also have three resident companies including Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera and Nashville Repertory Theatre. Also, this year, we were able to launch robust series for dance, theater and family programming. TPAC has presented these genres in the past but, this year, we are rolling them out to provide more subscription opportunities other than Broadway. Before, we were focused on Broadway, which is doing well, but we have new opportunities to engage people.
The Nashville Ballet is a local producing company. However, we’re hoping our international touring dance series will help build and develop a broader dance audience in Nashville. The region is becoming a destination for arts and culture, and there are several opportunities for supporting culture and regional tourism.
How has your team been providing broader access to the arts and boosting demand?
One of the ways is to look at the offerings and make sure that they’re packaged in a way that has broad access to the arts. Also, if we do have barriers in our programs, we want to make sure that we’re looking internally and working with our external partners to address them. We started an arts access fund that is supported by Amazon that helps to provide access to art programs for younger art lovers and others who have been left out of the arts due to physical disabilities.
We are always looking at ways to serve the community, especially as an anchor institution. When you think about what’s important to a community, you have to look at schools, hospitals and public libraries. All of these are essential for a thriving community. We believe that the arts are a part of it too. We don’t think of ourselves as a place. In reality, we are more of a source for the arts.
How do you see companies becoming involved in the art space?
It’s important to remember companies are not only companies. They are made up of people who live here. They have families here. They’re invested here, and they want a thriving community. The arts are a part of that wherever you live, but especially in Nashville. When companies are looking to invest in the area, one of the questions they’re going to ask is what is the access to arts and culture? They’re going to look at schools. They’re looking at presence and their own opportunities to serve the community. We are a significant and compelling answer to all those questions. We receive tremendous support, of course, but we also put a lot out there.
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