by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Lights flicker in a crowded theater, signaling voices to drop to a hushed whisper. The curtain goes up and the acts unfold. It is the start of the hottest new Broadway production, courtesy of FCCJ’s Artist Series.
Bringing plays of national and international acclaim to Jacksonville has been the mission of Milt Russos, executive director of the program since its inception in 1966. The brainchild of Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s first president, the idea was to add a little culture to the city by leveraging the new Civic Auditorium, which was rebuilt in the 1990s and is now the T-U Center.
“He called me and said, ‘There’s this theater on the river. Put something together and use it,’” said Russos.
With no formal training in drama, Russos set out to make inroads for the smaller, less-cosmopolitan local market.
With a bachelor’s degree in history and education, Russos is no musician or actor, but he does have a love for theater. Through the years he has developed powerful alliances to make the Artist Series an ongoing success.
“The entertainment business is huge but the principal players are few,” he said. “There are only four good size booking agencies of first class quality. It’s just a matter of knowing people in the industry. We have a close relationship with one of the major presenters. That association affords us tremendous buying power. This business is built on lots of phone calls.”
Originally conceived as a meeting point and entertainment venue for FCCJ students, the Artist Series concept quickly expanded to include the community.
In its 36th year, the series has gone from an initial budget of $75,000 to almost $8 million.
“The program is self-sustaining,” he explained. “We also raise revenue money, primarily from ticket sales, and sell ads in the playbills which we publish.”
Funds are generated from grants and season ticket holders.
Averaging about 180,000 theatergoers annually, the series offers approximately 100 performances each year at either the Wilson Center on FCCJ’s South campus or at the T-U Center. There are also shows at the Coliseum.
Getting big name productions to the city is a tough process though.
“It’s a two- to three-year process,” said Russos. “It’s driven by the availability of theaters. In this business it’s not unusual to have changes. Not so much for Broadway shows, but with contemporary shows changes may occur six weeks out.”
Ballets, operas, ice capades, shows making the headlines and ones that are not quite as splashy are usually booked October-May.
“We’re looking at what’s hot in New York now,” he said. “We try to see as many of the Broadway shows as we can. Generally, if a show is a success in New York, it will be a success on the road. It may take two to three years to bring it here because if the show is a major hit, it’s going to tour the big cities like L.A., San Francisco and Chicago first. They’ll stay until they exhaust the market but sometimes they’ll send a second tour out to do one to two week engagements. We also look at how well it’s doing in other markets.”
When contemplating which performances to book, it’s obvious with contemporary acts: they simply choose the ones that sold the most records. For traditional shows, Russo relies on his gut instinct to decide which ones will fare best in this market, regardless of critics’ reviews.
“We try to bring in innovative things,” he said. “Some shows are risky and others we do because no one else in the city is doing it. It doesn’t hurt to dislike or like something but you have to get past that. You have to be able to divorce yourself from what you personally like. The ones we won’t do are the ones we don’t believe will sell. We are not going to do pornography but we have done controversial shows like ‘The Vagina Monologues.’”
Considering the huge lapse between a show’s debut performance and when it reaches North Florida, memories may fade. Few acts have enjoyed the long-running success of a show like “Cats,” so time becomes a factor when booking shows.
Roaring applause and booming ticket sales are not the only objectives. Russos negotiates with the players to see which artistic professionals are willing to speak with FCCJ theater and dance students.
“It’s a chance to integrate it into the college curriculum,” said Russos. “We just had the artistic director of ‘Rigolleto’ here and he did a vocal demonstration, talked about the life of an opera singer, the type of training he underwent and how to audition. Saturday, he did a pre-performance lecture on what the company is about. There’s always someone in a company who loves to do these things. It’s a chance for them to speak to enthusiastic individuals and show what they can do. The students loved it and it’s a great learning experience.”
Opportunities for locals to appear in the shows are rare, but do happen from time to time. Stage hands, ushers, ticket takers and security guards are needed though.
But getting people to work the shows isn’t the biggest problem.
“The biggest challenge is to get people [here] to come and be aware of what’s out there,” said Russos. “People forget that the arts are good for business. The profits we generate go back to the institution for scholarships and program enhancement.”