IU Auditorium season selected to inspire, educate wide audience

It's a process that takes months, even years, to complete.\nBefore the first patrons take their seats for a lecture, concert or Broadway musical in IU's Auditorium, a team of people work behind the scenes, choosing shows, booking talent and setting schedules -- all in an effort to find the right mix of entertainment for the community.\n"It's part science, part magic," said Doug Booher, director of the auditorium. "We try to create a nice melange of shows. Some are highly sought after, some are new down the pike that people haven't heard about, and that's the magic part."\nThe science begins in September, when Booher and a student intern begin researching shows, skimming trade journals and concocting a list of possible events to feature for the upcoming season. That list then turns into the subject of a market research study, sent to a committee made up of past ticket buyers and people interested in offering their viewpoints. \n"We take pride in the fact that we bring things that are new and different, events people wouldn't be able to see otherwise," Booher said.\nBut the results of the market research studies are sometimes up for interpretation. Some shows that initially don't test well, like October's "Ballet Flamenco" performance, turn into surprise hits once they debut. \n"People generally like what they already know about," Booher said, noting patrons' relative unfamiliarity with the "Flamenco" program. "(But) we know people love going to support cultural dance."\nThe key, he says, is picking quality performers and entertainment that can serve a wide audience but can also inspire, educate and uplift at the same time. \n"It's a wide-open system because people have a lot of different interests ... we want to try to have something for everyone," Booher said. \nBut some shows are \noff-limits.\nThe size of the auditorium's performance space, at more than 3,000 seats, for instance, makes it difficult to present straight plays, which require a more intimate connection with the audience. Other shows, like Disney's musical "The Lion King," can be too complex to travel to the Bloomington market for a short time, Booher said. Internal issues with performing groups can also affect when a show can be booked in Bloomington, as a result of complex routing schedules, which dictate the show's travel schedule. \n"If we had our choice, we'd have everything on a Friday or Saturday night," Booher said, although he added that quality shows draw people any night of the week. \nBooher said external factors, like the Broadway Across America series, a presenting network of Broadway shows in 59 markets, such as Indianapolis and Louisville, Ky., can create challenges in planning a program here in Bloomington. \n"I've actually had Broadway Across America people tell me, 'We just don't want your season to look as good as ours,'" Booher said. "I think it's worked to our advantage because we're not locked into a formula."\nNotably, Booher said when Broadway Across America initially didn't present the musical "Rent" in its 1999 tour as a result of the controversial nature of the show, IU's Auditorium staged it, to great fanfare from audiences. \n"There's something with Broadway Across America's size ... (their) reach has hampered them (from) being nimble, and we're able to be much more nimble," Booher said. \nBut creating the right mix of entertainment must not only satisfy audiences, but also the budget line. \nBob Myers, director of the John R. Emens College-Community Auditorium, a 3,400-seat venue at Ball State University in Muncie, said there is sometimes a disconnect between what consumers want and what arts centers can offer to satisfy their financial needs.\n"We have to balance the programming (with) what events we think are going to do well versus what we think adds cultural significance to educational opportunities on our campus," Myers said. "You don't do an event to do an event; you do an event because it makes sense for your situation."\nPrices vary for each performance offered, Booher said, with most productions or artists requiring a guarantee fee -- a price paid in advance to bring the artists to the venue, while others take a percentage of ticket sales if the show becomes profitable. \nTop names like Alicia Keys and Kanye West can require a $100,000 guarantee fee, Myers said, while prices for Broadway productions average $50,000. At IU, the auditorium is not set up as a way to build profits, but as a tool for the community, said Loren Rullman, executive director for the auditorium and the Indiana Memorial Union. \n"It's not set up to make a profit; it's set up to cover its expenses," he said. "It's meant to be a community building that offers quality cultural arts and presentations as well as gathering space for the campus. And we try to break even when doing that"