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CLOSE UP. THE ARTS BECAME AN IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE EARLY ON, AND THAT CONTINUED FOR MANY YEARS. A LIFELONG PASSION BECOMES A 30 YEAR LEGACY. AND NOW A FINAL CURTAIN CALL FOR CEO JEFF CHELSEA. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT I WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH HERE, AND I THINK IT’S TIME FOR SOMEONE ELSE WITH A DIFFERENT VISION TO COME HERE. FROM BRINGING BROADWAY HITS TO DES MOINES, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. THAT FIRST TOUR WAS A BIG DEAL. IT CHANGED EVERYTHING. TO WEATHERING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. IT WAS HARD. WE HAD TO LAY OFF STAFF, BUT WE CAME UP WITH SOME REALLY CREATIVE WAYS TO GET THROUGH IT. CHELSEA’S IMPACT REACHES FAR BEYOND THE STAGE, MAKING ARTS ACCESSIBLE, DARING AND DEEPLY ROOTED IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE REALLY SET THE BAR PRETTY HIGH. YEAH, THERE’S GOING TO BE SOME SHOWS THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY’RE GOING TO BE HIGH QUALITY. THIS IS IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. THIS IS ����vlog EIGHT NEWS. CLOSE UP. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR ����vlog EIGHT NEWS CLOSE UP. I’M CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER AMANDA ROOKER. WELL, TODAY WE’RE FOCUSING ON THE PERFORMING ARTS SCENE IN DES MOINES. AND THE MAN WHO’S BEEN AT THE HELM OF MUCH OF IT FOR THE LAST THREE DECADES, THE DES MOINES CIVIC CENTER FIRST OPENED ITS DOORS IN JUNE OF 1979. CEO JEFF SELVIG JOINED DES MOINES PERFORMING ARTS IN 1995, AND HE HAS HELPED BUILD ITS REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE LEADING ORGANIZATIONS IN THE U.S. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, DNP HAS EXPANDED INTO FOUR DIFFERENT VENUES WITH A VARIETY OF PROGRAMING, INCLUDING BRINGING BROADWAY SHOWS TO DES MOINES. BUT SOON, HE’LL STEP OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT AND INTO RETIREMENT. WELL, JEFF, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING TIME TO CHAT TODAY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, YOU HAVE SERVED IN LEADERSHIP FOR THREE DECADES, MAKING ARTS MORE ACCESSIBLE, MORE RELATABLE TO OUR REGION. WHY WAS THAT SUCH AN IMPORTANT MISSION FOR YOU? WELL, I GREW UP IN NORTHERN IOWA AND HAD GREAT EXPOSURE TO THE ARTS AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. I WENT FOR THE FIRST TEN YEARS OF MY SCHOOLING. I WENT TO I WAS AN EAGLE GROVE AND THEY HAD A GREAT BAND PROGRAM. I PLAYED CLARINET AND I PLAYED SAXOPHONE, AND THEN I MOVED TO BELMOND AND THEY HAD A GREAT DRAMA DEPARTMENT AND A GREAT CHORAL DEPARTMENT. SO I KIND OF GOT THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. AND IT WOULD JUST BECAME A REALLY IMPORTANT. THE ARTS BECAME AN IMPORTANT PART OF MY LIFE EARLY ON, AND THAT CONTINUED FOR MANY YEARS, NOT ONLY WORKING, BUT I WAS A SINGER FOR MANY, MANY YEARS IN CHORAL GROUPS AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND SO WHEN WE WHEN I GOT HERE IN 95, WE WEREN’T DOING A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE’RE DOING NOW IN TERMS OF PRESENTING SHOWS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. WE WEREN’T DOING THE KIND OF PROGRAMING THAT WE HAVE NOW, AND IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THAT WE DO THAT BECAUSE I THINK THERE’S SO MUCH SCHOLARSHIP AROUND THE FACT THAT EXPOSURE TO ARTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AT A VERY EARLY AGE CAN CHANGE THEM IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY. IN MANY YEARS LATER. SO TO ME, IT WAS A NATURAL THING. AND OUR EDUCATION OUTREACH STUFF THAT WE DO IS SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK WE DO AND IS IN PART BECAUSE YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, GROWING UP AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ARTS TO YOU. ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, THAT WAS REALLY ONE OF THE DRIVERS. I THINK ONE OF THE MOST FUN THINGS I THINK THAT WE DO IS OUR APPLAUSE PROGRAM, WHICH IS WHERE WE DO THE BUS IN YOUNG KIDS COMING TO SEE SCHOOL DURING SCHOOL TIME, SHOWS THAT ARE CURRICULUM BASED, THAT ARE PRODUCED FOR KIDS. AND WE SERVE ABOUT 40,000 STUDENTS A YEAR WITH THAT PROGRAM. AND JUST SEEING THOSE KIDS COMING IN AND THEY’RE EXCITED AND THE HOUSE LIGHTS GO DOWN AND THERE’S SO MUCH ENERGY IN THE ROOM. AND AGAIN, THEY SOMETIMES THEY THINK THEY’RE NOT LEARNING SOMETHING, BUT THEY REALLY ARE. AND THAT’S WHAT I REALLY LOVE. AND WE WE’VE KEPT IT SO AFFORDABLE. IT’S ONLY A DOLLAR A STUDENT THAT THEY PAY. AND TEACHERS TELL US HOW MUCH THEY VALUE THAT AS A, AS A, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO DO IN ADDITION TO THEIR CLASSROOM WORK. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK WHEN YOU FIRST TOOK THIS ROLE, WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS AND YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR VISION OF HOW TO TRANSFORM IT? AND LOOKING BACK, HOW HAS THE DES MOINES PERFORMING ARTS REALLY EVOLVED OVER THAT TIME? WELL, WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, AMANDA, IT WAS WE WERE AGAIN. WE WEREN’T WE WERE MOSTLY DOING WHAT ARE CALLED RENTAL EVENTS WHERE WE HAD AN OUTSIDE PROMOTER THAT WAS COMING IN AND RENTING THE BUILDING, AND THAT’S GREAT FROM A BUILDING STANDPOINT, BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO FINANCIAL RISK. BUT THE DOWNSIDE IS YOU DON’T GET TO CHOOSE WHAT’S GOING TO COME IN THE DOOR. AND SO I SAW WE IT WAS VERY FORTUNATE IN THE FIRST YEAR. THE SECOND YEAR I WAS HERE THAT WE HAD A FIVE WEEK RUN OF THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, WHICH FOR MANY OF THE COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. THAT FIRST TOUR WAS A BIG DEAL. IT CHANGED EVERYTHING. A LOT OF THEATERS, INCLUDING OURS, HAD TO MAKE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO FIT THIS HUGE SHOW IN. BUT THE FACT THAT 100,000 PEOPLE CAME TO SEE THE SHOW TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS AN AUDIENCE FOR TOURING BROADWAY, AND SO THE TWO MAIN THINGS I REALLY WANTED TO WORK ON WERE PROGRAMING TO EXPAND WHAT WE WERE DOING. AND THE SECOND THING WAS TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD TAKE CARE OF THIS. NOW 46 YEAR OLD BUILDING, BECAUSE AT THE TIME I GOT HERE, IT WAS 16 YEARS OLD AND THERE HAD BEEN MY PREDECESSOR AND A BOARD MEMBER HAD RAISED $2 MILLION TO DO SOME RENOVATIONS TO BUILD OUT OUR OFFICES THAT ARE ACTUALLY BEHIND THE STAGE AND TO DO SOME MODIFICATIONS TO WHAT IS NOW KOHL’S COMMONS. BUT AFTER ALL OF THAT WAS DONE, THERE WERE STILL A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAD TO BE DONE. SO WE HAD TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD PAY FOR THAT. AND WHEN WE DID THAT, IN SOME CREATIVE WAYS, ONE OF THE WAYS WAS TO ATTACH A SURCHARGE ONTO EVERY TICKET THAT’S SOLD IN ANY OF OUR FACILITIES. IT’S JUST PART OF THE TICKET PRICE. BUT IT COMES BACK TO US AND IT GOES INTO A FUND THAT THEN FUNDS THE RENOVATIONS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE TO KEEP THE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, UP TO SNUFF. AND I’M HAPPY TO SAY, I THINK WE’VE SPENT BETWEEN 30 AND $40 MILLION DURING MY TENURE ON JUST THE CIVIC CENTER. SO WE’VE DONE WE’VE TOUCHED JUST ABOUT EVERY AREA OF THE BUILDING EXCEPT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICES, WHICH WE HOPE TO DO IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. OUR CONVERSATION WITH JEFF, CHELSEA CONTINUES AFTER THIS BREAK. WELCOME BACK TO ����vlog EIGHT NEWS. CLOSE UP. OUR CONVERSATION WITH DES MOINES PERFORMING ARTS CEO JEFF CHELSEA CONTINUES. YOU KNOW, WE’VE JUST HAD SO MANY GREAT SHOWS OVER THE YEARS. A BACKSTAGE PASS TO HIS 30 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP AND HOW HE’S BROUGHT BROADWAY TO CENTRAL IOWA. WELL, YOU MENTIONED PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. YOU KNOW, YOU BROUGHT BROADWAY TO DES MOINES. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE AT THE TIME? WAS IT A FIGHT? WAS IT, YOU KNOW, WAS IT RELATIVELY EASY? DID YOU ENVISION THE TAKEOFF THAT THAT HAS HAD IN DES MOINES? WELL, WHEN I STARTED, WE DIDN’T HAVE THE SEASON TICKET PACKAGE THAT WE HAVE NOW AS PART OF OUR WILLIS BROADWAY SERIES, WHERE YOU BUY A PACKAGE OF SIX SHOWS. WE DIDN’T HAVE THAT. SO WHAT WE HAD WAS A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM WHERE PEOPLE COULD PAY $25 A YEAR AND THEY WOULD GET A PRE-SALE FOR SHOWS WHEN THEY WOULD COME TO TOWN, AND THAT REALLY WAS NOT A GREAT WAY TO DO BROADWAY. AND SO I HAD SOME MENTORS IN THE, IN THE INDUSTRY THAT SAID, YOU HAVE TO START A SEASON TICKET PACKAGE. SO WE STARTED THAT IN 1997 AND IT WAS ESSENTIAL BECAUSE YOU NEED TO HAVE A BASE THAT YOU CAN THEN. BUILD OFF OF. AND, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED OUT FOR THE FIRST PROBABLY TEN YEARS, WE WERE LUCKY TO GET 5 OR 6000 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS. SO WHEN WE DO A WEEK OF BROADWAY SHOWS, THAT’S EIGHT PERFORMANCES OVER SIX DAYS. THAT’S ABOUT 21,000 SEATS TO SELL. SO IF YOU HAVE 5000 TICKETS SOLD TO SUBSCRIBERS, AND THEN YOU NEED TO SELL ANOTHER 5 TO 6000 TO BREAK EVEN, THAT’S KIND OF SCARY. WE’RE LUCKILY NOW AT ALMOST 13,000 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS, WHICH MEANS THAT ABOUT 60% OF THE TICKETS FOR ANY GIVEN WEEK OF A BROADWAY SHOW ARE ALREADY SOLD BEFORE WE GO ON SALE TO THE PUBLIC, WE WILL DO RENTAL EVENTS. OUR NUMBER ONE TENANT IS THE DES MOINES SYMPHONY, SO THEY PLAY SEVEN PAIRS OF MASTERWORKS CONCERTS AND THREE POPS CONCERTS A YEAR, PLUS A YOUTH SERIES OF YOUTH CONCERTS IN THIS SPACE. THIS IS THEIR HOME. THERE ARE NUMBER ONE TENANT, OUR STONER THEATER HAS THREE THEATER COMPANIES THAT REGULARLY WORK IN THERE. SO IT ALL IT’S A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON AND A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING. DO YOU HAVE ANY PRODUCTIONS THAT STAND OUT IN YOUR MIND THAT YOU’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER BRINGING THEM TO DES MOINES? IN ANY GIVEN YEAR? WE HAVE ABOUT 8 TO 10 BROADWAY SHOWS THAT WE WILL PRESENT. MY VERY FIRST YEAR IN 1995, WE DID THE PRE-BROADWAY PREMIERE OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S STATE FAIR, AND THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN BECAUSE WE DID IT DURING THE IOWA STATE FAIR. THERE WAS A NATIONAL TOUR BEFORE IT WENT TO BROADWAY, AND IT STARTED HERE. AND SO THEY WERE HERE FOR THREE WEEKS DOING REHEARSALS AND TECH HERE, AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. WE OPENED THE TOUR OF THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY BY JASON ROBERT BROWN AND MARSHA NORMAN, AND LOVED THAT. THAT WAS SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE. I LOVED THAT SHOW. YOU KNOW, WE’VE JUST HAD SO MANY GREAT SHOWS OVER THE YEARS. I CAN’T REALLY PICK ONE THAT’S TOO MANY TO COUNT, TOO MANY TO COUNT. WELL, YOU’VE GROWN, YOU KNOW, DES MOINES PERFORMING ARTS SIGNIFICANTLY OVER YOUR TENURE. WHAT IS THE CULTURAL IMPACT AND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THAT ON DES MOINES? WELL, I THINK THE CULTURAL IMPACT, FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE OUR MISSION IS TO BRING WORLD CLASS ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATION AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES TO THE MIDWEST. WE REALLY SET THE BAR PRETTY HIGH. I THINK OF US AS BEING IN THE SAME KIND OF CIRCLE AS THE DES MOINES ART CENTER, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BEST ART MUSEUMS IN THE COUNTRY. AND I THINK OF THE DES MOINES METRO OPERA AND DES MOINES SYMPHONY. I THINK THE FOUR OF US ARE REALLY TERRIFIC ARTS ORGANIZATIONS THAT REALLY SET THE STANDARD FOR WHAT OTHER ARTS ORGANIZATIONS CAN ASPIRE TO. SO I THINK WHAT WE WHAT WE WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO IS BRING A WIDE VARIETY OF ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND EDUCATION ACTIVITIES TO CENTRAL IOWA AND THAT HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. ALSO, FINANCIALLY, THE ANNUAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE WILLIS BROADWAY SERIES IS BETWEEN 30 AND $50 MILLION EVERY SINGLE YEAR. YOU SEE IT MOSTLY WHEN WE HAVE BROADWAY SHOWS AND THE RESTAURANTS AND THE METRO AREA ENJOY PEOPLE COMING TO AND JUST NOT JUST DOWNTOWN. BUT I’VE TALKED TO RESTAURATEURS IN THE SUBURBS THAT SAY, OH YEAH, WE SEE AN UPTICK IN THE SUBURBS TO THAT BEFORE THEY’RE GOING TO A SHOW, THEY’RE GOING TO GO HAVE DINNER, AND THEY HAVE, I KNOW A LOT OF SEASON TICKET HOLDERS HAVE A ROUTINE OF PLACES THAT THEY LIKE TO GO FOR DINNER BEFORE THE SHOW. WHEN WE RETURN OUR CONVERSATION WITH JEFF SELVIG CONTINUES, WE TALK ABOUT HIS SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES LEADING DES MOINES PERFORMING ARTS, INCLUDING ADJUSTING TO A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. COMING UP ON ����vlog EIGHT NEWS, CLOSE UP, SHEPHERDING A THEATER THROUGH A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. SO THERE WERE LOTS OF PROTOCOLS THAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH IN TERMS OF VACCINES AND MASKING. AND THANKFULLY WE GOT THROUGH IT. THE CEO OF DES MOINES PERFORMING ARTS TAKES HIS FINAL BOW AFTER 30 YEARS OF LEADING THE NONPROFIT, AND LOOKS AHEAD TO HIS NEXT ACT. YOU ALSO WERE RECENTLY AWARDED LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNITION. WHAT DID THAT MEAN TO YOU? WELL, SO THE BROADWAY LEAGUE IS A TRADE ASSOCIATION FOR BROADWAY IN NEW YORK AND ON THE ROAD, AND ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE THINGS IT HAS IS THE TONY AWARDS, WHICH IS A CO-PRESENTATION WITH THE AMERICAN THEATER WING. I’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE BROADWAY LEAGUE PRETTY MUCH FROM FROM THE DAY I GOT HERE. MY PREDECESSOR TOLD ME, YOU HAVE TO JOIN THIS ORGANIZATION, AND I GOT VERY INVOLVED VERY QUICKLY WITH IT. AND TO BE HONORED WITH THIS LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD WAS REALLY HUMBLING. TWO OF MY BEST FRIENDS PRESENTED IT TO ME, WHICH ALSO MEANT A LOT TO ME. SO BUT IT’S IT’S A GREAT ORGANIZATION. THEY THEY DO A LOT OF THINGS BEHIND THE SCENES, JUST LIKE I DO A LOT OF THINGS BEHIND THE SCENES, BUT BUT I’VE REALLY ENJOYED MY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE BROADWAY LEAGUE, AND THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, BIG SUCCESSES AND SOME CHALLENGES, TOO. THROUGHOUT YOUR TENURE. YOU KNOW, YOU LED THIS ORGANIZATION THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU? WELL, IT WAS REALLY HARD. I MEAN, THEATERS, PERFORMING ARTS VENUES, ALL ENTERTAINMENT VENUES WERE CLOSED. WE WERE THE FIRST ONES TO REALLY BE CLOSED. AND THEN WE WERE THE LAST TO REOPEN. IT WAS HARD. WE HAD TO LAY OFF STAFF. WE HAD TO CUT EXISTING STAFF SALARIES. WE HAD SOME GREAT DONORS THAT STEPPED UP TO HELP US THROUGH THAT PROCESS, AND THEN WE WERE ABLE TO GET A SUBSTANTIAL GRANT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH WAS THE ONLY TIME THAT WE’VE EVER GOTTEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THAT HELPED US TO KIND OF REOPEN. BUT IT WAS REALLY HARD. IT WAS REALLY I THINK IT WAS FOR A LOT OF OF ORGANIZATIONS. BUT WE CAME UP WITH SOME REALLY CREATIVE WAYS TO GET THROUGH IT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE STARTED WAS DOING FREE OUTDOOR PROGRAMING IN AREA PARKS, WHICH IS SOMETHING BECAUSE NORMALLY WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME TO OUR THEATERS, BUT BECAUSE WE COULDN’T BRING PEOPLE TO THE THEATERS, WE DECIDED TO BRING THE PERFORMING ARTS TO THEM. SO A LOT OF FREE FAMILY PROGRAMING THAT WE STARTED IN 2020, I BELIEVE, OR 2021, I GUESS, WAS WHEN WE FIRST STARTED AND WE STILL DO IT. WE STILL GO OUT IN THE PARKS. WE JUST HAD A FAMILY CIRCUS THAT WE HAD SOMETHING LIKE 6 OR 8 PERFORMANCES IN PARKS AROUND THE METRO AREA. SO THAT WAS A FUN PIVOT. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT WAS REALLY IT WAS HARD COMING BACK BECAUSE WE HAD TO NOT ONLY PROTECT THE AUDIENCE, BUT WE ALSO HAD TO PROTECT OUR FOLKS AND THE TOURING PERFORMERS. SO THERE WERE LOTS OF PROTOCOLS THAT WE HAD TO GO THROUGH IN TERMS OF VACCINES AND MASKING. AND THANKFULLY WE GOT THROUGH IT. IT WAS A IT WAS A BIG LEARNING CURVE, BUT THE RESILIENCE OF OUR TEAM, THEY WERE GREAT THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO BRING MANY OF THOSE FOLKS BACK. AND SO, YEAH, I HOPE WE DON’T EVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN. WELL, BOTH BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT ALSO MAYBE JUST OVER TIME, SINCE THE 1990S TO NOW, HOW HAVE YOU SEEN PEOPLE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ART CHANGE OR ART ITSELF KIND OF EVOLVE OVER THAT TIME? THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION. WELL, FROM FROM OUR LENS HERE, I THINK FROM THE BROADWAY WORLD, I, I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND THE AUDIENCES IN DES MOINES TO BE WELL READ. WELL TRAVELED, VERY SOPHISTICATED PEOPLE, AND HAVE ALWAYS TENDED TO GRAVITATE TOWARDS BRINGING SHOWS THAT OTHER PRESENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY MIGHT SAY, OH, THAT’S A LITTLE TOO EDGY. IT’S FUNNY LOOKING BACK ON THIS, BUT ONE OF THE FIRST SHOWS LIKE THAT WAS RENT AND, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THAT TO DES MOINES, IT WAS ON OUR BROADWAY SEASON. THERE WAS A LITTLE NERVOUSNESS BECAUSE THEY’RE DEALING VERY OPENLY WITH A LOT OF SUBJECTS THAT WERE RELATIVELY NEW ON STAGE AT THAT POINT IN TIME. A MAJOR CHARACTER WHO IS A CROSS-DRESSER AND DRUG USE. AND THERE’S ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THIS SHOW. AND SO WE CRAFTED THIS LETTER TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS TO SAY, WELL, NO, YOU KNOW, THIS DEALS WITH THIS. AND IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE IT, WE’LL, YOU KNOW, THAT’S FINE. AND WE SAID WE WOULD EITHER GIVE THEM THEIR MONEY BACK OR PUT THEM IN ANOTHER SHOW. WE HAD ONE PERSON REACH OUT AND SAY, I DON’T WANT TO SEE THAT EVERYBODY ELSE WAS GREAT. AND WE SOLD OUT THAT FIRST RUN. 21,000 PEOPLE SAW RENT AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS JUST WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING. AND SO WE’VE DONE SHOWS LIKE SPRING AWAKENING AND AVENUE Q AND AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY, A PLAY. ALL OF THOSE ARE SHOWS THAT OTHER PRESENTERS MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT, AND I EMBRACED THEM RIGHT AWAY. THEY WERE LIKE, YEAH, WE GOT TO BRING THOSE HERE. WE’RE DOING IT. YEAH, BECAUSE I THINK REALLY, THAT’S HOW YOU BUILD AN AUDIENCE IS WHEN YOU CAN STEP ASIDE AND SAY, YEAH, THERE’S GOING TO BE SOME SHOWS THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY’RE GOING TO BE HIGH QUALITY. THEY’VE THEY’VE HAD THE TEST OF PLAYING ON BROADWAY OR IN THE WEST END ON LONDON. AND THAT’S HOW YOU BUILD AN AUDIENCE. YOU DON’T IF YOU IF YOU PLAY IT SAFE. PEOPLE, I THINK, TEND TO GET A LITTLE BORED. I THINK TRYING TO BRING SHOWS THAT ARE A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING HELPS TO BUILD AN AUDIENCE. AND I THINK THAT’S REALLY HOW WE’VE BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL HERE. COMING UP NEXT, JEFF CHELSEA’S FINAL ACT. STAY WITH US. MOVING FORWARD TO LOOKING AT YOUR RETIREMENT. YOU KNOW, AFTER 30 YEARS, WHAT LED YOU TO DECIDE NOW IS THE TIME. I’M READY FOR A NEW CHAPTER. WELL, I THINK THE FIRST THING WAS I FOUND A PARTNER, MY GIRLFRIEND, ANGELA, LIVES IN UTAH, AND WE’VE BEEN DATING FOR ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS OR SO, AND I SPENT LAST THE HOLIDAYS IN 2024 OUT IN UTAH WITH HER AND HER DAUGHTER, AND I REALIZED, GOSH, THIS IS HARD TRYING TO DO THIS LONG DISTANCE THING. AND I SAID TO ANGELA, I SAID, YOU KNOW, I’M GOING TO ANNOUNCE MY RETIREMENT. AND ONCE I KIND OF MADE THAT DECISION, IT JUST SEEMED REALLY GOOD. AND THEN WE HAD TO GO THROUGH HOW TO ANNOUNCE THAT. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT I WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH HERE, AND I THINK IT’S TIME FOR SOMEONE ELSE WITH A DIFFERENT VISION TO COME HERE. WHAT’S NEXT THEN, FOR YOU? YOU KNOW WHAT? HOW DO YOU PLAN TO STAY CONNECTED TO THE ARTS? BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO AS YOU MOVE FORWARD? WELL, I’LL BE SPENDING MORE TIME IN UTAH FOR SURE. ONE OF MY BOARD MEMBERS SAID, DON’T DO ANYTHING FOR SIX MONTHS. JUST SAY JUST, YOU KNOW, DON’T AGREE TO ANYTHING. I DON’T KNOW, I’M I’M KIND OF LOOKING FORWARD TO BECOMING A PATRON OF THE ARTS. THERE’S IN SALT LAKE, THERE’S A LOT OF GREAT STUFF THAT’S GOING ON THERE. I WANT TO DO SOME MORE TRAVELING AND GETTING TO KNOW THAT AREA OUT THERE, BUT I’LL I’LL STILL HAVE MY MY PLACE HERE WHERE I LIVE IN DES MOINES. I HAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT LIVE HERE, SO I’LL SPEND SOME TIME HERE AS WELL. WHAT QUALITIES ARE YOU HOPING YOUR SUCCESSOR HAS TO TO MOVE YOUR VISION FORWARD? I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ALL OF THE AREAS OF THE OPERATION OF AN ORGANIZATION LIKE OURS, BECAUSE WE’RE KIND OF COMPLICATED. WE’RE WE OWN ALL OF THIS REAL ESTATE THAT WE OWN AND OPERATE. SO WE’RE IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MANAGEMENT OF BUILDINGS. AS A PRESENTER, WE ARE SELECTING AND SELLING TICKETS TO COVER THE COSTS OF MANY OF OUR SHOWS. SO WE HAVE AN IN-HOUSE ADVERTISING AGENCY, WE HAVE AN IN-HOUSE TICKETING COMPANY. SO WE I THINK YOU HAVE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW ALL OF THAT WORKS. WE HAVE OUR EYES ON AND HAVE HAD OUR EYES ON FOR A LONG TIME. HAVING AN EDUCATION SPACE, BECAUSE THE CIVIC CENTER IS A WONDERFUL BUILDING, BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE MUCH EXTRA SPACE. SO TRYING TO DO CLASSES AND REHEARSALS, THERE’S VERY LITTLE SPACE FOR THAT. SO TRYING TO SEE WHAT THAT FUTURE LOOKS LIKE IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING. I THINK THAT MY SUCCESSOR WILL LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, NOT TO BE TOO PUNNY, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS THE CURTAIN CLOSES ON THIS SEASON, THIS ROLE FOR YOU, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AND WHAT MEMORIES WILL YOU TAKE WITH YOU AND CHERISH WHEN YOU THINK BACK ON THIS PART OF YOUR LIFE? WELL, I FEEL LIKE YOU SAID THIS AT THE TOP. I THINK WHAT WE’VE DONE IS WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THE ARTS RELEVANT AND ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE, AND I’M VERY PROUD OF THAT. I’M PROUD THAT OUR TEAM HAS FOUND A WAY TO MAINTAIN THE HIGH QUALITY OF WHAT WE DO. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO RAISE ABOUT $3.5 MILLION TO HELP SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMING AND EVERYTHING. AND WE HAVE DONORS THAT ARE SO GENEROUS AND BELIEVE IN WHAT WE DO. I JUST THINK THAT’S THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT WELL DEVELOPED WHEN I GOT HERE. AND NOW WE HAVE SUCH LOYAL DONORS THAT ARE SO SUPPORTIVE AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT WE’RE DOING. AND SO THAT’S WHAT I’M PROUD OF. WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR MAKING TIME TO CHAT AND WE’RE WISHING YOU THE BEST OF LUCK AHEAD. THANK YOU. AMANDA, THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. HAVE A GREAT DAY.