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It came hours after his pending retirement was announced on Thursday. Springer, his opera house producing artistic director, Paul Pierce, was on the stage of the historic Georgia State Theater in downtown Columbus, surrounded by his two successors, opening his set for the evening’s show. We sat inside.
As the news spread through the community, the Springer legend looked back on more than 30 years of leading this 152-year-old institution, and his successors thanked him for his influence.
Effective October 1, current Managing Director Danielle Varner will take over Pierce’s CEO duties as Executive Producer. Keith McCoy, currently Associate Artistic Director, will become Artistic Director.
Pierce gave an overview of why Springer is important.
“People come to the theater with a craving,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. There is a hole in their life that they are trying to fill as best they can. They scan the stage, looking for meaning.And when you do a performance in a small town or a big town, and then meet people, you realize that this is essential to people’s lives.This is not just entertainment. is not.”
McCoy and Varner told LE that Pierce’s leadership style can be summed up in one word: kindness.
“He gets whatever he needs from them,” McCoy said.
Varner thanks Pierce for showing us the power of kindness.
“I had to put on a show for him. Then I became a box office manager. His energy was so contagious and he always had a positive, positive outlook.” , which is affecting our staff.
Springer has shown its financial strength as evidence that Pierce’s leadership has benefited its bottom line as well.
- Springer finished its first season under Pierce’s leadership 35 years ago with an attendance of about 10,000. Springer now has her second-largest theater audience in Georgia, second only to Atlanta’s Alliance Theater, and has surpassed her 112,000 attendance in the past year. .
- While the COVID pandemic ravaged theaters in many regions, Springer not only survived, but is now thriving with a strong balance sheet and no debt.
- It was also the first time during Springer’s tenure that the show reached 100% of its ticket sales goal before it even opened.
So even though this comedy is titled The Play that Goes Wrong and he’s the director, it’s clear that a lot has gone well with Springer under Pierce’s leadership. Set up his successor for further success.
why now and what next
Last year, Springer’s board of directors established a succession committee. A nonprofit consultant evaluated Springer and recommended that he split the leadership position between two roles. One focuses on the artistic side, the other on the business side. The consultant also recommended promoting qualified staff to fill these new positions.
“I fully supported it and helped write their job description,” Pierce said.
In a 2014 interview with LE, Pierce said: The board has something to say about that. ”
Asked Thursday why he decided to retire after nine years, Pierce, 70, noted the depth of competence among Springer’s staff.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is the development of Springer and the leadership of young, smart, creative people that have risen here,” said Pierce. “I looked around at some point and realized that these people and people like them were ready to run away. I felt no need to stand in their way.
“They have the energy. They have the motivation. They have the momentum,” he continued. “Springer needs it and so does the community.”
Pierce will remain in the community and continue to support Springer as much as possible.
“As long as I live, I will fight for Springer and try to strengthen its resources in some way,” he said. . . I love Springer. Springer gave me a creative life. I need Springer in my life. ”
After retiring, he hopes to become a playwright. Among his thoughts on “stories to be told” are topics such as the Muskogee (Creek) Nation, a native people of the Columbus area, and the cleanup of organized crime and corruption across America in the 1950s, says Pierce. says Mr. Chattahoochee River in Phoenix City.
Asked about his regrets during his tenure with Springer, Pierce cited one.
“I regret that we were unable to pay our employees, including our artists, what we owed,” he said. “… Columbus was incredibly generous to the Springer Opera House. Without it we wouldn’t be where we are today, but we need a national brand. We need Delta, we need a big brand to support the big idea of the Springer Opera House.”
Pierce wants his big ideas to reach more people.
“We feel we have created a platform that allows these young, smart, creative people behind the scenes to do what they have been talking about for years: It will … be the best regional theater company in America.” he said. “Look at our audience growth, our programs, our educational programs, our new productions, really everything we’ve been doing. If we were in a big city…we would It will be the city’s best theater.It’s time for the world to know it.”
coming to columbus
A native of Rome, Georgia, Pierce began a 46-year theatrical career with more than 500 productions as Associate Artistic Director of Texas-based Repertory Theater of America. He then joined Springer in 1988 after serving as Producing Artistic Director of the Playhouse in Corpus Christi, Texas and Wayside in Middletown, Virginia, where he was Managing Director of The Theater.
When he arrived in Columbus, Pierce thought the city was still mostly a factory town. Since then, growth in major employers such as Aflac, Synovus, and TSYS, and the promotion of Columbus University to Columbus State University, have listed residents’ education and income levels. They sought theater as one of their lifestyle pleasures and wanted their children to experience it.
Pierce recruited the late University of Georgia classmate Ron Anderson to develop in Columbus the teaching philosophy of life skills through stage skills, which Anderson had established at Milwaukee’s First Stage Theater Academy. In 1996, Anderson and his wife Debbie (now Springer’s musical director) moved to Columbus and the Springer Theater Academy was born. Over 600 students are expected to attend this summer.
Sally Baker replaced Anderson after she died of cancer in 2016, and D.B. Woolbright, who grew up attending the academy, said Baker retired last year to study STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) at the University of Georgia. ) became a program specialist and then a director. Ministry of Education.
Keith McCoy
The Academy is now helping develop another Springer Leader at McCoy. After coming to Columbus in 2009 as the actor playing Jim in “Big River,” Anderson asked him to teach at the Academy, and Pierce asked him to direct and choreograph his 2017 “Dreamgirls.” Did.
“I fell in love with this space,” said McCoy, a graduate of Churchland High School and Norfolk State University in Portsmouth, Virginia.
For the past 13 years, McCoy has worked with Springer as a guest director, actor, choreographer and teacher. A year ago, Pierce welcomed McCoy to the team full-time as resident artist, and in November promoted him to associate artistic director.
McCoy said the leadership transition would be easier than some thought, thanks to the “hard work” done by Pierce.
“It was an honor for Paul to pass the baton to me and Daniel,” McCoy said. am.”
Pierce described the leadership seen in McCoy.
“Being in the rehearsal hall with him is a life-changing experience for an artist,” Pierce said. “They are inspired by his vision and do everything they can to rise to his challenging opportunities. He has a pure heart and wants them to do better.” There are a lot of directors who want to do better and they have a way of communicating that, but Keith has a way of making the people involved, the creators involved, feel like they are the good people for it. I have.
Hearing such praise boosts McCoy’s confidence.
“Paul believed in me and it was comforting to know I could do it,” he said.
Daniel Verner
Berner grew up in the Columbus area. She graduated from Russell County High School and Southern She Union State Community College.
Varner has worked for Springer in various capacities for 21 years. First in sales, then in development, and for the last six years he has been a managing director, overseeing day-to-day operations, budget tracking, relationships with the board, and protection of historic buildings. building.
“Springer has enriched me in many ways,” she said. “It’s made me a better leader and a better person. Working under Paul Pierce is a great honor. Not only is he a great leader, he’s a great teacher. He has taught me a lot about tickets, fundraising, and relationships with donors.He is the best friend and mentor anyone could ever need.”
Pierce explained his trust in Varner.
“Especially in the last three, four, five years, there are people who used to come to me and now go to Daniel,” he said. “…she is a natural leader and part of the fabric of this institution. Whether he’s a custodian of things, Daniel is a great historical preservationist.
“This is a 152-year-old facility and one of Columbus’ demands is to take care of this building,” he added. “Daniel fights for the monuments of this country every day and everyone sees it.”
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