On the Job

Southwest Floridians don’t have to. hop a plane to New York City to catch blockbuster Broadway shows, or to Las Vegas to see marquee performers. Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall brings such live entertainment to our front door, from classic rock favorites to comedy, musicals, dance and children’s shows. The man behind the curtain is General Manager Scott Saxon, who oversees the $12 million to $16 million budget and makes sure Southwest Florida has an appealing and profitable lineup. 

What kinds of performances do and don’t work in this market? This market is really strong with the baby boomers—classic rock works very well here; the popular Broadway shows work well here. Family shows have not been extremely successful thus far; it depends on the title. Dora the Explorer or Diego do great business. Thomas the Tank Engine or Sesame Street Live don’t do quite as much business, but those titles are a little older. An older crowd [turns out for] Tom Jones, a doo-wop show, Engelbert Humperdinck. Those names do well in season when the snowbirds are here. The classic rock shows do very well even out of season. 

In terms of price, how does this market compare? We’re usually just about the same as other markets because we’re on a good route. When [acts] come through Florida and play Tampa, Miami or Fort Lauderdale, it’s easy for us to piggyback. Our facility is a little smaller, and sometimes that causes our price to be a couple of dollars higher than in Tampa or Miami, but you don’t have to pay to park here. 

How did Wicked do? Wicked did very well for us—over 95 percent capacity for the entire month-long run. It was such a boon economically for the area, because they were here two months—we launched the national tour. And of course the show is just fabulous. For a city our size to get Wicked so early in its tour is quite a coup.