Jennifer Turner on the TN Performing Arts Center
Jennifer Turner joined TPAC in 2019, bringing over 20 years of nonprofit arts experience to the role of President and CEO. In her five years, she's guided TPAC through the pandemic, an aging facility, and a business model re-evaluation. In this episode, she shares her journey to becoming CEO, TPAC's developments, outreach and upcoming touring broadway shows.
About Jennifer Turner
Jennifer Turner is the President and CEO of Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), a Nashville nonprofit dedicated to excellence in performing arts and arts education, which has served over 14 million audience members and 2 million students and adults since 1980.
As a leader in the industry, she is a voting member of The Broadway League and participates in its Legislative and Intra-Industry Committees.
Jennifer also serves on the board of the Live Arts Centers of North America (LACNA) Foundation, which promotes diversity in performing arts leadership.
Locally, she is involved with the Nashville Rotary, Leadership Music (22), and several other organizations, including the Tennessee Performing Arts Foundation and Nashville Downtown Partnership.
Before joining TPAC, Jennifer was Executive VP and Managing Director at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Southern California, where she led significant community and capital development projects.
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Spencer 00:06
Jennifer Turner, welcome to Signature Required.
Jennifer Turner 00:09
Thank you. I'm so honored to be here today. Thank you for having me.
Spencer 00:12
Jennifer Turner joined TPAC in 2019 and brought more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit arts in her five years with the organization, Jennifer has helped TPAC navigate the pandemic, an aging facility and a re evaluation of their business model. That's a lot need anything else in there. All right. She is currently leading the organization through a capital campaign and the early stages of building a $600 million facility on the east bank of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville. You have had your hands full in five years.
Jennifer Turner 00:46
Yes, very busy. Very busy. Wow.
Spencer 00:49
I'm super excited to go through this. One of the fun things that we do in preparation for every guest is we go through and read about you and learn about you, learn about your accomplishments, and we assemble five kind of facts that are tied into TPACK. So this is not like four truths and a lie. We believe all these things to be true, but there's no guarantee of that. I'm gonna read these five again just for our audience to learn a little something about what you've been up to. And then you get to start and talk about which one of them you're most intrigued by that you'd like to share with the audience. And then we'll probably cover a couple other ones too, but you get to kick us off with one of these five facts.
Jennifer Turner 01:28
Great. Which one I'm most intrigued by myself or about myself? Yeah, whatever catches your eye. Great.
Spencer 01:38
Okay, so fact number one, tea pack is expected to receive a total of $500 million from Governor Bill Lee's state budget to support the building of a new facility. Number two, TPACK will raise $100 million in private funds as part of their capital campaign. Number three, in the past five years, T pack has doubled its annual fund contributions and contributed income across the board. Number 4t, pack produces more than 450 events every year, including Broadway programming and programming from three resident companies, the Nashville Ballet, the Nashville opera and the Nashville Repertory Theater. Number five, part of T pack strategic plan involves positioning TPACK as a cultural anchor institution. Five pretty good facts, great facts about what you're up to. So which one catches your eye?
Jennifer Turner 02:36
Let's start with the state. I think it is what the state has done for TPACK and for the arts community, and not just the arts community, for the community in general, I think, is nothing short of extraordinary. Yeah, it's you don't generally see this level of commitment. So we're so thrilled and excited. So in the 2223 state of Tennessee budget, the Governor did put us in his budget for $200 million with the condition that we raise 20% of that, which is 40 million and then the legislature wrote in the budget that their intention was to give us 300 million in the following budget year, this year, in the 2324 budget, they actually gave us 50 million. And then they said in the same budget language, they're going to give us 250 million next year. So they'd split it into three years versus the two years that they originally intended. It is an extraordinary commitment. We are so grateful for their support, and they share our vision for a world class Performing Arts Center for our community,
Spencer 03:54
That is unbelievable, even when you think about it as a percentage of the total annual expenditure for Tennessee, which is something around $60 billion it's unbelievable to think how much money is being allocated towards T pack. How in the world did you convince them of what you all do being so spectacular?
Jennifer Turner 04:20
I would say that it wasn't a single person convincing them it was really the care and participation that the state of Tennessee has for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. So we presented the administration with the statewide reach of T pack. So T pack reaches in ticket holders. We reach every single county. We have ticket holders in the past five years, and this included COVID years. We have ticket holders from 100% of the counties in Tennessee. So have never guessed, yeah, that's cool, stat, 100% and we have donors from nine. 95% of the counties in Tennessee. And our education programs, which we serve 45,000 students and teachers every year, they reach 78% of the counties in Tennessee. So we are truly a statewide institution. You also look at just our geographic proximity. We are centrally located. A lot of touring shows, you know, maybe they're going to Charlotte, and then they come through and they hit Nashville, then they hit Memphis, or maybe they hit, you know, Nashville and they go down south. But we're in a great sort of centralized location. We are the capital city, so it's wonderful to have performing arts and access to arts and culture in, you know, the center of the state, and we also serve, as I would call it, like a feeder institution for some of the smaller performing arts centers around the state. So for example, during Governor Lee's inauguration, a woman from the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center came up to me and said, because of TPAC, we're able to get programs at our center and our community, because they're already coming to TPAC, so now they can. You know, it's it's less expensive for us to bring them, because we don't have to pay their travel from a long distance, it's more economical for them to add a second date onto their engagement. So because of TPACK, we're able to have these performances directly in our community.
Spencer 06:33
Leading TPAC through this type of win in the state is truly incredible for your leadership. So what did you do prior to coming to TPAC in order to ready you to sit across from a state legislature and a governor and come away with a $500 million commitment over a three year span?
Jennifer Turner 06:57
Again, I don't think it's just me. Specifically, there is a team of committed board members and community members that really believe in TPAC and what TPACK has accomplished in the community for the past 43 years. We also cannot understate the importance of what Martha Ingram has done in the community by getting TPAC built in the first place. I mean, as a 36 year old woman, she determined that we need a place to see the arts in this community her dream. It was her dream, and she wanted a place to take her children and grandchildren. So she led a group of volunteers that went to the governor at the time and said, We need a world class Performing Arts Center in this community. And the state agreed. So. It was the first sort of public private partnership. Martha Ingram and her group of volunteers were tasked with raising $4 million across the state. I think they had to raise money in every county that is now the base of our endowment. And so she did that. She set up field offices around the state, and her and this dedicated group of volunteers said, we are going to make this happen for our community. So really getting the state to make this investment, it was almost as if they understand the building is aging. They understand that there is considerable deferred maintenance that needs to go into this existing space, and they also don't need the office tower that sits on top of it. So for them, it was a good decision. It was a good business decision for them to say, you know, we made this investment $43 million or 43 years ago in our community. We made this investment, 43 years ago in our community, and now for TPAC to continue serving our state, our state children, our State students, our state, you know, parents, the citizens of our state, we need to make the investment to make sure that TPAC can continue. And so they stepped up, and they they did that, and we're grateful for them for recognizing the importance and also paying, you know, paying homage to the to the origin story of TPAC, of how this dedicated group of volunteers. Thought it was so important, and the state helped him get it done. And we're in the same situation today. There is a dedicated group of board members, community leaders, the three resident companies, we all feel like this is a necessity, and the state is supporting that.
Carli 09:39
So what's a little bit of your origin story. Did you wake up as a six year old and say, I am gonna run a premier theater company? How did you kind of get to this place?
Jennifer Turner 09:50
I absolutely did not wake up as a six year old. I always wanted to be an attorney, so that was my arguing. And. Debating was my preferred way of moving through life in all aspects in our household.
Carli 10:05
So I love that go I love that.
Jennifer Turner 10:10
I love that I come from a sports family, so that always sort of ruled our, you know, environment in our home. You know, my father was a hockey coach. He also coached a bunch of other sports, golf, softball, baseball, all the things from just south of Detroit, Trenton, Michigan. Yeah, I'm from Ann Arbor. Also a sports family.
Spencer 10:36
Totally really the hockey tipped me off. I was hockey.
Jennifer Turner 10:39
You're not from here, probably the Midwest accent too. See, I knew I felt at home with you. My first rebellion was actually through books. I had been a big reader, and getting my library card at age five was sort of my way of learning about the world and escaping and just, you know, being able to experience, I think the plays in my head. You know, though, they would play out through novels and through books. And so when my dad was coaching, I was tired of being dragged to ice rinks all the time. And you know, his his remembrance of this time was me sitting in Yoast ice arena at the University of Michigan, in the coaches section with my back to the ice reading my book. Or Yes, with my back to the ice, yes, yes and that. Or when I had to get dragged out to Buffalo one weekend for a hockey tournament, he said I spent the entire weekend in the car in Buffalo reading my books.
Carli 11:39
So basically, the book Matilda was written about you and you're about to unearth your powers in here is what I'm hearing.
Jennifer Turner 11:45
Yeah, it could be yes, please wait for that. So no, I never imagined that I would be doing what I'm doing. I thought I wanted to be an attorney. I thought I wanted to try cases in front of the Supreme Court, and just sort of went through this whole thought of this is what I'm going to do. And when I got to Michigan State, I was a pre law major. I did all my internships with the city attorney, lots of fun stuff. When somebody would get caught doing something on campus, I got to assign them to a community service program and monitor and where they were assigned depended on how they how repentant they were in their act. So I had a lot of fun with my program. It was a lot of power. I had an early sort of hunger for getting to tell people what that what I wanted them to do. And when I say early, I say probably age two, say five with your library card. Yes, exactly, exactly, but no. So then when, you know, I had needed a job, I needed something to do in college, and I got a job at the basketball stadium. So Michigan State has a great basketball pro sports, more sports, but it was my first sort of, you know, entry into live events and arenas and stadiums and theaters and conference centers all have a lot of similarities. You know, they all do marketing, they have operations, they have security, they have box office and ticketing and guest services and backstage and unions and all the things. So they're very similar organizations. So when I decided that I didn't want to go to law school and that that wasn't going to be my path, the next question was, What am I going to do? And I honestly, for a moment, a hot minute, I thought, well, maybe I'll run high school sports tournaments, because, probably because I'd been to so many of them, and it would just felt familiar to me and and that was something I loved, the live event experience. So So I there's a professional association that helps people find jobs and get training. And all of my colleagues at the Breslin center the basketball arena said you should look here for an entry level job. And, you know, get a job at an arena or a stadium, and that will help, you know, you start working from there. And so I actually found a job at a theater, and it was actually an opera company that owned their own theater. It was in Detroit, and I'd never been to an opera before. And so I got a job, basically planning events at this opera company. And the first time I saw an opera come together, it was Aida, and it was the most beautiful, overwhelming, powerful thing that I've ever seen in my life. Because I got to watch the costumes being made. I got to watch them paint the sets. I got to watch the principals rehearsing the choir, the orchestra, and then when it all came together, I thought there is nothing more spectacular or more it just it's important, like this work needs to be done, like people need to see. This and just be sort of overwhelmed and captivated as I was, and that was really it for me. I worked my way up in that organization. I became the general manager of the opera house after a period of time, and then I just my career sort of took off from there. I traveled a lot, so I would move to different states and different companies. So I worked for a couple different producing companies. I worked for a theater company, Shakespeare Theater in Washington, DC. I worked, you know, the opera, obviously. And then I worked for companies that did Broadway and dance and all the other different art forms, and really got a sense of sort of the producing side, the presenting side. And in every place that I was, I got to work on some kind of a construction project. So whether it was building a small theater on the campus of a college, or Shakespeare Theater was building a new theater called Harmon Hall in Detroit. We built an office tower, and then we built a parking garage. In Chicago, I was at a 1889 historic theater, and we did renovation. So we were digging in the basement of a historic theater, renovating bathrooms and and public spaces and doing it with landmarks in there. Oh, I know, I know it's crazy landmarks, both the national landmarks and the state landmarks and city landmarks. So I got a really just sort of nice variety of experience. So coming to TPAC, when the when the opportunity came my way, it really was sort of a culmination of a lot of experiences that I had throughout my career. You know, I had worked in opera, I'd worked in theater, I had worked in dance, I had worked in construction. I had, you know, done Broadway, all, all of the things, the education piece, the program piece, and so TPAC was a really great transition, I think, to this project, but also having sort of the experience in the general, operational and organizational, the general operational and organizational capacity that I had previously worked in throughout my career.
Spencer 17:33
When the opportunity to join TPAC came, what was that process Like that had to be so nerve wracking. Who led that interview? I'm sure there was a professional search firm on that process. But were you interviewing in front of the board of TPAC? I'm trying to think of who would be making that decision. And I mean searching across the entire United States, that's an amazing opportunity. You had to be so nervous to go into that.
Jennifer Turner 18:00
It was interesting. I was the recruitment for TPAC was really fantastic, and that is a testament to the Board of Directors, because they the board usually manages a CEO recruitment process, and there's a lot of different ways that you can do it. And I will say, to give a lot of credit to the TPAC board of directors, they did it very well. So they, I had been involved in a couple other searches. And you know, you're, you're at a point, I think, in your career, and there's a small pool of people in the country that I Are there are ready to take that step to a president CEO, or have already been doing the job, and are sort of in that pool of candidates that can do that type of job. So you are on basically a bit of a short list, you know that you get calls on different opportunities that come up. And so for me, it was really important like that the organization sort of shared my values and shared my vision for what a performing arts center should be. So I was fairly particular about what kind of organization I would go to, where I would go to, because quality of life and and where I want to live is important to me, so I was picky in terms of when I would get calls on different opportunities. So when I got called on TPAC, I was immediately intrigued, because I knew reputationally of the organization, it had a strong reputation the Disney musicals in schools program that TPAC has done for years was actually the first site of Disney musicals and schools outside of New York. So Disney chose TPAC as their first site for that program, and we were doing that program in California at my organization. So we were actually sending our teaching artists. To Nashville to learn from the TPAC team. So I already had a sense of this is a great organization. They do things very well. I knew the CEO. I knew of the CEO, Kathleen O'Brien. She had a great reputation. So I thought there's a lot of opportunity here. And so when I came out, it's all the recruitment is usually the hiring committee consists of board members, and the first board member I met was just amazing. We met for dinner, and her name is Gail Williams. She's still on our board, and she's just such a warm, welcoming, insightful, you know, just love Gail. And so that was my first exposure to the organization, and they picked a great person for me to meet with. And then, you know, then the next step in the, you know, was the meetings, obviously, the interviews. And for me, it wasn't so much nervous. It was more about is this a right fit? And so I laid out, this is who I am. This is what I believe in. This is what I believe an arts organization should be. From my research and assessment, this is the direction I think that TPAC should go. You know, are we a fit? Because if we're not, I, you know, this isn't going to work for either of us. You know, I have to be the type of leader you're looking for, and you have to be the type of organization that I want to lead. So it was a, it was definitely a mutual sort of else
Carli 21:34
you're going to read a book with your back to the performance, because it's not no, just kidding.
Jennifer Turner 21:39
Yeah, you already get how I like,
Carli 21:42
I like, I like, the vibe you're putting out. So if you can share here, what were three things in your assessment that you said, if I'm coming here, this is what Nashville needs.
Jennifer Turner 21:52
Well, I really do deeply believe that a performing arts center needs to be that fundamental anchor of a community. And we and you mentioned that earlier in your your talks, you know we have to be we have to view the access to arts and culture as as important, as having a hospital in our community, as having a school as having a community center like you, our community needs access to arts and culture. You know, it builds confidence. It's self esteem. The arts are what heal us. That's what unites us. It is the arts are what make us, you know, better people and so having access to arts in our community, to me, it's a it's an essential. So I wouldn't move to a community that didn't have it. So if you look at it from a business and economic development standpoint, touring Broadway is a $2 billion economic engine just outside of New York.
Carli 22:54
I didn't realize it was that high.
Jennifer Turner 22:55
It's 2 billion. It would the latest figures are, yes, inching up to that. So you look at that, and you think of what access to Broadway shows all through our country, and, you know, even can go into North America and overseas, but that product that is developed and sort of created on the stages in New York, when that hits the road. I mean, that is an economic driver for these communities. I mean, these, you know, patrons are coming in, they're parking they're having dinner, they're making nights out, they're buying merchandise. There's, there's incredible economic benefit, not only, you know, to the venues that that support it or present it, but also to the community outside of it. And so that's just Broadway. I mean, think about all of the other things. So I really, you know, if you're coming and you're going to move your company here, you know, you're going to look at Nashville as a whole, you're going to say, does it have, you know, schools. Does it have, you know, great churches. Does it have cultural facilities? Does it what's the housing like? And we are a part of that equation. We are a part of it. So my, you know, my interest in TPACK is, what, how can we be the best we can be and serve the community, and how can we do that as this cultural facility? So really looking at our programming and saying, Okay, are we bringing the best touring product to this region? Are we giving Nashville the best we can? And if not, how do we get there? Are we doing the most we can with our education outreach, you know, are we serving as many people as we possibly can? Are we serving in the right capacity? You know, are we making sure that the arts are accessible to as many people as they can be? So I gave my philosophy of what I think an arts center should be. In a community. And you know, some of the steps that I would, that I would take, to take TPAC from the great place it already was, both reputationally and in terms of impact, and take it to the next level.
Spencer 25:15
You know, being born and raised here in Tennessee, I got to see the overwhelming majority of the 43 year lifespan of this facility, and it really did come to Nashville, way ahead of its time, perhaps, of what you think of Nashville today. You think, yeah, TPAC makes sense here. That type of investment makes sense here. It really didn't four decades ago, and the vision to have it here speaks volumes when New York is sending people to learn from Nashville all those years ago and time since, like I think that does speak to how the arts can be an economic engine, a cultural engine that has done very well, and not just for Nashville, because I think your point is well taken in that there are visitors, supporters from all 95 counties. And it not only supports Nashville, it supports Memphis, it supports Tri Cities, it supports Chattanooga, Knoxville, because people have a reason to come here. Shows have a reason to come here, and it helps boost the state as a whole. So I really I'm compelled by that, because I think some people can look at the arts that have never had an arts background, their families weren't passionate about it, maybe they don't live anywhere near it, and look at it as something entirely unapproachable, something that is elitist or, in a way, just inaccessible. And so can you speak to that as you know a Midwest girl that was raised on hockey help take some of the elitism out of arts, because that can be a perception, but I know that in its correct interpretation, it shouldn't be seen that way. So can you speak to that a little bit of how TPAC positions itself?
Jennifer Turner 27:15
Sure, I would say, first and foremost, we're a storyteller. We tell stories. And maybe that definition comes to me from, you know, experiencing art from a literary standpoint. But there are many different ways that you can interpret, you know, what is art and how accessible art is. You know, my grandfather was a draftsman for Ford Motor Company, very Blue Cross immigrant family. And my grandfather was an artist, and he expressed himself through painting and and through murals and through carving and different types of art mediums. So for me, growing up, that was always just such a beautiful expression. I had an appreciation. I didn't have to go to a museum. I could go and see my grandfather's work, and I could go that's art. And, you know, even with music, you know, I was always singing and dancing and making up stories and making up plays. And in fact, my grandfather built in his in his basement and in and, you know, Metro, Metro, Detroit. He built a theater, a stage. He built a stage. And, you know, the entrance was off the little half bath, or, I don't even know if it was a half bath. And my cousins and I used to make up stories, and we would create and we would do things and and so, you know, looking at that, that is how a family that doesn't have tickets to, you know, to go downtown and maybe see something in downtown Detroit. That is how we expressed ourselves through art. It's an important story. There's a lot of ways, and I talk to families all the time that you know, my kid just loves to sing and dance, my my kid just loves to go and see this movie or read this book, or they love to go and see the murals, and those are all expressions of art. So for us, it's about exposure. It's about making people feel welcome, making feet, making people feel that they are represented in our building, whether that's on our team, on our stages, that their stories can be told and that their stories are important. And you know, make breaking down all the barriers to participation. So the barrier is elitism. So how do we make people feel welcome? How do we make people feel that they have a sense of belonging and that the performing arts is a place for them? How do we get more kids in on busses that are coming in to see their first performance, so that get a taste of it and they think, I want to be. There. You know, how do we get schools engaged in our Disney musicals and Schools program, our spotlight program for musical theater, or some of the other programs that we do? How can we work with teachers in schools to say, hey, if you're having trouble with this lesson, Let us teach you some, some methods of arts integration so that you can easily absorb this. You know, we all know that people are different types of learners. Some are visual. Some are, you know, they have to hear it. Some, you know, there's all different ways that people learn, and so the arts is just another tool of communication to get people to retain and learn things in a different way.
Spencer 30:44
I think that's really excellent, and I think that speaks to your leadership in making sure that TPAC has the type of content that stretches that whole bell curve, because you do have important expressions of art that are really intellectual, and it's not meant for everybody, but it's still important to have, like, it's like a PhD program, not for everybody, but important. But at the same time y'all have Bluey, that's gonna be there, and Disney and frozen, like we're not too good to sing, let it go on the stage in front of everybody. And I think that's just amazing about TPAC and leadership, and it speaks to me as an answer to an earlier question of why you all are receiving the budget that you're receiving is that you really are serving the 95 counties of Tennessee, not a particular subset. That's really that's a good call out. We have a section that we love to do every podcast. It's called No Dumb Questions. And this is just an opportunity for Carly and I to ask questions that we all kind of really have, but we just want to be able to ask it in a format that we can ask you and trap you here with it. So let's go yes. So one of the things that I've seen, as I mentioned, I've seen that that building forever there, to your credit, when you go in, it doesn't feel like it's ancient. I mean, it's half a century old. It doesn't feel like it has you all have done a good job of keeping it, but I'm sure you would tell me that if you peel the onion back a couple layers, there's some things there that you're excited to have a new facility. So when you think about some of the things that you're most excited in the new facility that you don't currently have in the existing facility, what are a couple things that come to mind? I could suggest them, but I want to hear you first think about some of the things that you're going to have, that you can't wait to show off.
Jennifer Turner 32:42
So I appreciate your comment about the theater, because we do take a lot of pride in keeping the theater spaces so that we that everybody has a great experience, performance experience, and you don't see the things behind the scenes, or the, you know, the things that we that we make, so that the magic that we make happen, so that you don't notice all the other imperfections, either front of house or backstage. So the team does a great job. I would say the thing that I am most excited about is the loading dock. So our loading dough, that's not what I would have predicted.
Carli 33:16
Also, being a logistics person, I feel like you can really appreciate that answer.
Spencer 33:20
All right, take me down this rabbit hole. But this was not where I was going.
Jennifer Turner 33:23
All right, so our loading dock is off of Representative John Lewis way, formerly Fifth Ave or Fifth Avenue, just you know, the corridor goes straight down to Broadway, just a few blocks away. And we have one dock Bay, and it is at this really high incline, so we can unload one truck at a time, and we have to actually lift the end of the truck to try to get it level so that everything can come off the truck. Oh, wow. So now some shows, maybe they're one or two trucks frozen. Is a 17 Truck Show. Oh, my God. So when we have Broadway, and this goes back to sort of the geography question, or the geography comment I made about shows are going from one stop to the next. It most Broadway shows, they have a Sunday night show. They load up the truck, and they call it a load out, and they get the truck driver, gets on that truck and drives it to the next stop. So you have to be within driving distance, because the load in for the next city comes on Monday or Tuesday, depending on how big the show is, and you have to have that show loaded in and ready for curtain by 730 usually on a Tuesday night. So you have a very short amount of time to break down a show, load it up and put it in the next city. So the speed at which you can do that and get a show loaded in and set up in a theater is very important. It's it's time and it's money. So when you have a show, a show like frozen, I will say, you usually get a little bit of x. Extra cushion on that schedule. But you know a seven, eight truck show you don't so we have to close down essentially Representative John Lewis way, to get these trucks to back in and then lifted to unload and get these shows in. And this is every time we do a Broadway show or any other show that has trucks. So this is the reality of what we face on our loading dock every single day, and they've made it work for 43 years. The most exciting thing about a new facility is the ability to pull trucks directly.
Carli 35:37
It all comes back to legitimacy. Yes,
Spencer 35:40
I reeled in something. I had no idea what to expect. So all right, and then maybe tell me one thing internally that you're most looking forward to that was a good external thing. What's something that you're gonna wow people with when they come in the doors?
Jennifer Turner 35:55
I would say for our patrons, we have these really long like continental seating. So these long, long, long, or, you know, rows of seats, and we're gonna have aisles.
Carli 36:08
we're gonna have so we don't have to, like, sit on people to get Yes, yes, yes.
Jennifer Turner 36:13
I think people are gonna be really excited about that. The the seating configurations that I've seen are not only unique and have great sight lines and access points, but they're going to give. I think patrons are going to love them bathroom breaks during bluey Yes, yes, yes, without stepping on other people.
Spencer 36:32
Well, let me give you just one recommendation, if I can on fundraising. This is something I've seen done really well, and I think it's also just special. So maybe just take this and see if you can make this happen. When a facility comes down, particularly one with the character and the history that this facility has, there are bits and pieces that maybe you will be excited to retire, but for people that have been part and this is a fabric of the community. The opportunity to own little bits and pieces along the way that can either be auctioned off for fundraising or just gifted for people that have been influential is always really special. And sometimes it's a little things like, here's a piece of the light board that you know was run on a three and a half inch floppy disk that we're now about to upgrade into modern technology. But you can own a piece of the light border. You can own a piece of this or that, just if that hasn't crossed or is an opportunity to own a piece. I would find that particularly special. If that is something that TPAC would consider as the facility comes down.
Jennifer Turner 37:41
I think it's a great suggestion, and I'm Yes, I like your suggestion, and I'm going to take that to our team. One of our staff members took the initiative. We had a flood on our stage. Unfortunately, it was a valve malfunction, and I think it was 2022 or 2021, it was right up coming out of the pandemic, and it flooded our entire stage, and it impacted, unfortunately, the Nashville Ballet. It was really awful, but it went down, and it basically soaked through all three levels of our stage floor, and it impacted the Johnson theater actually underneath it. So we had to replace the entire stage floor and and we did it in enough time to get our Broadway season coming out of the pandemic back up. So I'm really grateful for the for all of the people that helped make that happen. But one of our staff members, when they were tearing up the old floor, it was the original floor, he actually had, like, little pieces of the floor and memorize, you know, put, put the dates of the stage floor on there. So I think it's a great idea. I have the piece of stage floor in my office with the dates on it, and you didn't, but didn't even think about it. And so I think it's a great idea. So thank you.
Carli 38:56
Somebody way cooler than us would probably take some of those chairs and install them in their own theaters, in their houses, or, like the grandfather that you have, yes, build a theater for their kids and have early stage chairs.
Spencer 39:09
I saw a church do that with like a pew. When they built a new church, they took one section of the old pew and they put it into the new church and it just, it just tied that past to present. Gave a great story. So anyway, thank you for considering the circle.
Carli 39:25
Really special president. Look at you being creative.
Jennifer Turner 39:29
It's great, good idea.
Carli 39:31
I want to ask who picks what shows come, because I feel like if I got drunk with power in your job, we would watch Mamma Mia on repeat. And so who gets to actually pick the lineup? I know it's big business.
Spencer 39:46
That's a good question.
Jennifer Turner 39:47
No, it's a great question. And you know, Mamma Mia is coming, right?
Carli 39:50
I didn't know that.
Spencer 39:51
Oh, you just made her day.
Carli 39:54
All right, I have to get my dad here. It's my dad's favorite music, okay?
Jennifer Turner 39:58
It's in our next season. Yeah, yes. So very exciting. So the shows, I mean, that's, it's a great question. So the Broadway shows, I mean, we all spend a lot of time going to shows in New York. Our team, does I go regularly? And our team, we have team members. You know, when you're building a building, it is kind of hard to break away on the travel you owe you that you do feel pulled in directions and and not everything is wonderful, sure, so you're, you know, but, but there's a lot of really good stuff out there. So our team, some of our marketing team and communications, we recently spent it's called a spring road conference every May where we really get to see a lot of of the newer shows that have been released in that year and some of the stuff that's going to be touring. And then we do audience polling, so we look at what audiences really are interested in seeing, and what audiences you know, pre and post Tony Awards. So we, we survey them before, we survey, survey them afterwards, and then we work with our Broadway presenting partner to really come up with, you know, what the great, what a great schedule would be. So our priorities, you know, we obviously can't do the Lion King and wicked every single year. You know, you just you, you have to space them out. You have to, they're called megas or blockbusters. You have to space out your megas. So we look at when the megas are going to be touring and when we can get them, and we sort of plug those in as placeholders. And then we look at what else we want to bring. And we look at things, you know, I try to get as many Nashville premieres as possible. We try to get shows right off the, you know, hot off the Tonys and and in Nashville, we're able to do that because we have such strong subscription numbers that all of the producers really want their shows in Nashville earlier than later. So like, for example, this year, we're getting to open the national tour of shocked, which was really exciting. And we were second on the tour for Mrs. Doubtfire. Second or third, I can't remember, and that had Rob McClure and his real life wife starring in the production. So getting a show early in the run is great for Nashville. So we try to make sure we have some of that. I always like to have a family show. I think it's really important to have some sort of a family show available on the season. And then we also look at, we don't want to eat up sort of all of the Hot Titles too early, because then what happens next year? What if there's not enough like product coming out of the pipeline? So we look at, you know, what do we want to prioritize this year? And then what's still going to be touring, and we want to bring it next year. So we're also looking two, three years down the road and making sure that we're getting a we're getting good seasons every year, good, strong, solid seasons every year. We don't want one great season and then one mediocre season. We want to keep good, solid seasons every year.
Spencer 43:09
Is a mediocre season determined by attendance? Is it? Hey, we could have some shows that don't sell out. Is it ticket sales like what? What measures the distinction between an outstanding season and one that was just okay.
Jennifer Turner 43:25
I would say the availability of programming is a big piece of it. So there's been times, I mean, you think about how the road or the touring Broadway road works. So you have a show that's usually mounted, and it usually goes on to Broadway, and then it goes through a process of opening the show, and in that year, it is, is it going to be considered for any Tony Awards? So is it going to be eligible and win any Tony Awards? And there's different categories, so you have new shows, new musicals, new plays, and then there's also revivals. So if there's a, let's say a Mamma mia, but it's a new version of Mamma Mia. Maybe it's a new director, a new sort of take on it, or there's, there's a specific criteria that it becomes a revival, and then it becomes eligible for nominations. And so we look at, you know who the winners are, who won the Tonys. And you know that also dictates, then what tour? So if you're successful, or you know, you're doing well on Broadway in New York, then a lot of times the next step would be to mount a tour. And so then that tour goes to all the cities like us. But when it goes out. You know how long it takes for it to go out on the road? When it goes out on the road, how long will it stay on the road? So, how well will it sell? So we don't always know how much product there's going to be in this particular year, we had a lot of shows open. So we have a lot of product, and we have to go through. And say, what's good? What do we think our audiences want to see? We look at the data, but I would say mediocre when I'm thinking more programming like, what if there's a year where there's not much touring and we have to bring back some titles? Maybe we just had them in Nashville a couple years ago, but there's really not a lot available. So it's really, it's a product availability. And right now we're in a great spot, because there's a lot of new things that are going to be touring. And so it's we get to be a little bit more choosy on what we pick, but I don't also want to pick all the great stuff and then not have anything open next year. And so I say, Oh, well, we're going to bring this thing back, and we just had it. And you know, you don't want to be going to the same shows every couple years. You want some new stuff, some variety, some new options.
Carli 45:49
All goes down to logistics and timing. That's right. Are you allowed to have a favorite, like in your job? I know we were talking about your favorite books and how it's hard down to a top five Are you allowed to?
Jennifer Turner 46:01
I mean, there are shows that are very special to me for different reasons. Rent was 1996 and that was my first touring Broadway show when I was a general manager in a theater. So it's a very special show to me, because I was able to kind of book and do that entire, that entire show, and that was sort of a milestone for me of my career. I love the sound of music because I love Rodgers and Hammerstein. I have been watching that. I watched that movie three times every year at Christmas. It is to me. Yes, it's my family Christmas movie. I love the music of it. So, you know, the musical to me, is really special. But then I just, you know, I get so excited about the new stuff. I mean, I saw the outsiders, and it was a book that I had just loved when I was a child, or when I was younger, you know, I loved the movie, and to see it be successful on stage, I was so excited. I mean, I it was one of the highlights of, I think, this past Broadway season. So I fall in love with different shows, and different shows sort of resonate to me or speak to me, or have different significance for many reasons.
Carli 47:22
Okay, my last stupid question, the world is kind of enamored with the idea of a stage mom, right? There's Dance Moms and all the things, and so I believe that's probably way below your pay grade at this point. You're probably not dealing with but do you ever just have these stories of you have to deal with, like the stage parents, or like the stage producers that you're like, oh my gosh, this is, of course,
Jennifer Turner 47:48
So many stories. No, I, you know, there really, I think any time. And this even goes back to my experience working in a basketball arena. We used to do graduations, and then I've done them at several theaters, anytime there are parents involved with a seating decision that involves potentially their child being on a stage or on a court there unleashes this sometimes irrational animalistic it is animalistic, and I think I have been probably at graduation, specifically, I think that is where I have been called the worst names of anyone, no kidding, from a customer service standpoint. And I've probably done almost every job in a theater. So I've been at all, you know, sorts of areas, you know, front of house and guest services and backstage and all of the things. And I would say that that parents are, you know, they can be quite challenging when it comes and I understand where that comes from. There is a lot of, you know, interest in supporting your child and being there for your child, I will say to you know, running to dance schools at our last facility, I got a chance to, you know, work with a lot of parents that had concerns about their child's participation in the dance school or being on the stage. Because a lot of times when you have a dance school, you get to then cast the kids in main stage production. And so, you know, I got to know and work with the parents really closely. And and I will say, you know, from the most part, I really enjoyed interacting with the families. I'm, you know, it's hard sometimes to get boys in a ballet school because, you know, there are just not as many boys that want to dance is there are girls that want to dance. And so a lot of times, ballet schools will offer scholarships or different things to incentivize boys. And I was able to work with a lot of the parents that were dropping their daughters off for ballet class, and they would be bringing like little brother in tow. And I'd say, little brother, yeah. Want to, you have an interest in this, and we were able to recruit some boys for our ballet school. And that was really fun, because I got to watch a couple of them just grow through the program. And, you know, just really start feeling ownership and and, you know, loving the role models that were they were seeing, getting to, you know, dance alongside American Ballet Theater dancers, or, you know the michelovsky or, you know the Marion ski so, like these, these boys were seeing role models in dance that was phenomenal. So I would say yes, I have definitely seen that side, both sides, but, but overall, and this goes back to sort of the anchor, you know, institution or the having a cultural center or a performing arts center be part of the community. There is nothing better than to be able to be sitting in the performing arts center in your hometown and seeing your child up on that stage. I mean, just that feeling of pride, of like my kid danced on this stage, or my kid, you know, performed on this stage that you know, all these famous actors and musicians and others. I mean, what pride you know, that's it's incredible,
Spencer 51:21
Jennifer, this is just really helpful in doing a couple things as I just think back on our conversation. One, what shines through clearly for me, is that you have an eye towards the community of Tennessee. That's right, not just serving Nashville, not just serving a particular socio demographic of Nashville, but really you led with we have people from all 95 counties, right? And that's a really unique heart posture for someone that is leading such an accomplished organization to begin there, because there's a lot of places that you could have begun, but that level of serving our state, I think, is a really admirable and something that I've appreciated about how you've presented here today. I also really am persuaded by the communication about your understanding of what art is, being from the Midwest, and talking about your dad, your grandfather, having these murals, having little expressions of art that are meaningful and impactful, and for you to be able to take that all the way from your childhood to the place where you run T pack is, I think, on brand for Tennessee too, right? I mean, it's great for for the arts, but it's also just the fabric of Tennessee that is not pretentious, like we're not about that in Tennessee, and to see that out of such an institution especially with everybody moving here, right? I mean, it's just like everybody's coming to Tennessee, and I just really am proud of the organization. And I think the third thing I take away from it is just the family dynamic, right? Carly and I we've got four kiddos, 1312, 10 and five. We are looking for anything to get us out and doing some stuff, right? I mean, just the fact that we can go and experience this, and just from Gone, having gone ourselves, you know, it's not where, you know, the kids can't make a sound and, you know you're worried, it's like, Oh, can't touch that, can't do this. And it really is a fun time to dress super fancy.
Carli 53:38
If they don't want to, no, they can come in what they feel comfortable in, which, as a mom, a teenager, that is the hardest part. So I love that about TPAC.
Jennifer Turner 53:49
That's right, that's right. I wore a hoodie to my first TPAC performance. I was trying to go incognito. It was after I had accepted the job. But I hadn't really, I hadn't started the job yet, and I was, I happened to be, you know, passing by the building as I was trying to get to know the community. And I thought, I'll just, you know, pretend, you know, not pretend, but I'm just gonna go buy a ticket. I'm not gonna let anyone know incoming. Yes, it was like undercover. No one knew me yet, but it turns out the the gentleman who sold me the ticket did recognize me, and then I was in the lobby, and I see one of the board members that was on my committee, and he just yells my name from across the lobby and gives me a big hug and, oh, I'm wearing a hoodie. But I didn't I did not feel, you know, like I was out of place. I did not feel like no one made me feel like I wasn't, you know, I should have been wearing something else. The board member was dressed like in a golf shirt, and so I felt very much at home and very comfortable here. Right away.
Spencer 54:54
Sounds like it's good that you chose the career that you did, rather than being a spy or an undercover operative, because. It sounds like that went out the window right away, but I do think that's a great story. And thank you for sharing the different pieces that you have. It's really fun to see you be a great steward of the arts and of Nashville, and doing it in a distinctly Tennessee way. So thank you for doing that. Last tradition we have here is we always ask every guest to bring something that reveals a little bit about themselves or something they want to share with. So tell us about the very colorful object that I'm going to encourage you to hand hold up so that way the camera can see it. And then tell us about the book. You can do it in either order.
Jennifer Turner 55:37
So this is a magic wand, and as you can see, it moves through the little you know, sparkle, stars and things. And this was given to me my by my predecessor, Kathleen O'Brien, when she left and sort of handed over the reins to me, and she said, You are going to be asked to wave your magic wand and create a lot of magic, and I want you to have the duel to do that. And it sits, you know, at my desk, right by my computer, and I'm kind of, you know, I'm very, you know, I like to touch and I like those balls that you can kind of squeeze, those stress balls. I love those. And so I have this, and every once in a while, I kind of pick it up and kind of twirl it and just sort of play with it. And I was in a meeting recently with our very talented graphic designer, and he pulled out his stick wand, and he's like, I carry them to meetings too. And it was funny, because I hadn't even, like, I wasn't even aware that I was like, kind of moving it around. And then Jose said, you know, I've got my own that he carries with him to every meeting. So it just made me feel very connected to, you know, my team member, Jose and and I also appreciate Kathleen's belief that I could, you know, take over and build upon, you know, what she had created. And you do have to work magic. And you know, feeling up to the task on most days, but every once in a while, you know, a little magic wand helps.
Carli 57:03
Need a reminder.
Spencer 57:04
Yes, that is a great explanation. I really love that. And it's just perfectly on brand for theatrical. I mean, it's just it all works. Okay, tell us about the book. What do we have here?
Jennifer Turner 57:13
Oh, you really threw me with picking my favorite book. So I know I gave you five, I will say that Kate Chopin is just one of the authors that really just grabs me and pulls me. It is an older novel. It was written in the 1800s and it is about a wife and a mother and and really her, I think, struggles to fit into what society has deemed to be her role and how she should behave and how she should act. And it really to me, I think it was my awakening of feminism and really about being able to carve my own path. And I mean, it doesn't end successfully. I don't want to spoil the ending, but you know, our our person, you know, she doesn't, Edna doesn't have an easy road, but, but it does, you know, continually reiterate the importance of, you know, giving women, you know, the opportunity to chart their own course and make their own path, and being able to make decisions and really being able to have careers like mine, you know, I also never thought when I was a kid that I really could have a career. I mean, that it didn't, you know, even when I was born, you know, my parents always made me feel like I could do what I wanted to do, but there weren't as many examples. And as I grew in my career and took these roles and jobs, you know, there wasn't a lot of really great examples of female leaders. You know, there were few. And now there's more women running performing arts centers. But that has changed rapidly. It didn't always used to be the case. And you know, as someone who's faced a lot of misogyny in my career and being treated different ways depending on what my job title was, you know, to me, a book that really talks about, you know, a woman that wants to make her own choices and and is sort of restrained by what society's expectations are, just kind of really spoke to me.
Spencer 59:23
Well, it's probably fitting that an organization that a woman had to go and fundraise across the state to be able to dream into existence and put together 4 million, I think, is what you said. That's That's back when 4 million was really something, right? That's changed now, but that's really fitting that you're getting to lead the organization that was her dream to bring here to begin.
Jennifer Turner 59:49
Martha is an incredible woman, the founders the group of women that she led and that accomplished it. I am grateful to them every day that you know I get to continue. You and and do this for them, and and really, you know, TPAC is not mine. It's not the boards. It belongs to the community. It belongs to the state. It is here for the people. And so we are just, you used a great word. We are stewards of these institutions. We do the best work we can, and we give back, we give back and we serve. So I'm honored to do that.
Spencer 1:00:25
Thank you, Jennifer, it's been a real treat to have you here today.
Jennifer Turner 1:00:28
Thank you. I've enjoyed it.
