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Overture unveils '08-'09 season lineup

Jacob Stockinger  —  5/09/2008 2:07 pm

As it looks forward to its fifth season of events, Madison's Overture Center -- the state's largest performing arts presenter -- wants to extend its appeal to both seasoned arts-goers and the general public.

More cutting-edge events, more children's shows and more classical music, as well as the introduction of cabaret-like dinner theater on the stage of the Capitol Theater, are some of the highlights of the "Overture Presents" performance series for the 2008-09 season.

The events were unveiled Thursday night at Overture Center, where a gala party was held to announce the lineup. (See the complete schedule.)

"We're very happy with the season," Overture President and CEO Tom Carto told The Capital Times. "This is a team effort. If there is a theme to the season, it is diversity and variety."

The season, the first one fully picked by Carto and his team, has about the same number of events but uses venues other than Overture Hall more frequently and features more multiple-performance events, Carto said.

As usual, the Overture series will feature some of the biggest names in entertainment. They include country singers Travis Tritt and Mary Stuart; singers Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby; humorist David Sedaris; eclectic singer Bobby McFerrin; New Orleans music legends the Neville Brothers and Dr. John; singer Art Garfunkel; and comedian Bill Cosby.

The always popular Broadway series will include "Avenue Q," "Wizard of Oz," "Sweeney Todd," "Jesus Christ Superstar," the Drowsy Chaperone" and "Stomp."

The center's nine resident performing arts groups are announcing their own seasons separately. Those groups are the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Madison Opera, the Madison Repertory Theatre, Children's Theatre of Madison, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Kanopy Dance and Li Chiao-Ping Dance.

In addition to the 2,200-seat Overture Hall, the center also plans to expand its use of the redesigned and refurbished 1,000-seat Capitol Theater and the 200-seat Promenade Hall to offer events that are more edgy.

"This is one of our most innovative seasons," said Carto, who said his staff did surveys and used focus groups to determine what the public wants. "One of the things we hear from our patrons is, 'We want more adventurous programming,' and I think that's what we've delivered. We're going to mix it up more."

THIS SEASON A SUCCESS

Still, Carto said he would like to build on the success of this season.

"Financially, we are in fine shape. Attendance-wise, we're just about where we wanted to be with some shows doing worse than we expected and others doing better," Carto said. He added that popular summer acts such as Lyle Lovett, Melissa Etheridge and the singers from the film "Once" in "The Swell Season" should boost attendance and revenue.

"This season we had a spike in subscriptions and got more than we expected," Carto explained. "If we sell as many for next season, I'll be happy. It's a tough economy and there's a presidential election, which is historically hard on performing arts organizations. So none of us are expecting significant increases. But hopefully we can wrangle new subscribers and retain the old ones."

Carto also emphasized that there will be more partnerships with promoters, who bring access to big-name performers, and with the center's resident companies, whose new seasons will be listed in the August issue of the center's magazine.

"Overture is not just what we do but what everyone here does," Carto said. "Whatever benefits one group benefits the others. Overture is a big umbrella for the performing arts."

Carto, who noted that as of this May, corporate sponsorships of events had already exceeded all of last year, said Overture is on a solid financial footing, with more donations and more money in its back-up fund.

"I think Overture has solidified its place in the community, but I don't think we have gotten the word out yet to the community," Carto said. "We have to get that message out. There's going to be a much higher comfort level with Overture in the next year or two. We're still going through growing pains. We haven't really landed yet on a real brand on what Overture is, and that's what we want to land on in the next year or two. Overture is just a complicated organization."

As part of that community "branding" -- the notion of establishing a widely recognized identity and consumer loyalty that brand names have -- Carton emphasized the free events offered that will again be offered at Overture.

Once a month from September through April, "Overture After Work" will offer local jazz, blues, alternative-country, soul and funk in the lobby of Overture Hall. The "Kids in the Rotunda" series for young children will run throughout the school year, bringing storytellers, musicians, jugglers and theater troupes on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. There will also be "Musical Memories" performances for older adults three times throughout the year.

Free community festivals for the season include the 27th annual "International Festival" in February, where local artists help celebrate the many diverse cultures in the Madison area. The event will feature a special ticketed performance by Kodo, a group that blends theater, movement and the music of the Japanese drum. April will see the seventh annual "Children's Arts Festival," which showcases many different forms of art for and by children.

"Overture's core mission is to engage the community in the arts," Carto said. "And to that end, we have about twice as many free and low-cost events at Overture than we have regular ticketed performances. There's an entry point for everybody in this community to come into Overture. We have all kinds of opportunities for people to bring their kids down and just enjoy this incredible community asset."

"When people think of Overture," Carto added, "they should think of world-class artistry but also about bringing the kids to a community front porch."

TICKETS ABOUT THE SAME

Ticket prices will remain about the same overall, Carto said, but some adjustments will be made to various categories of seating.

"We want an affordable ticket price for every show we do," Carto said, noting that some prices are dictated by promoters, which also give Overture access to some big names. "We've expanded the top price seating because we had more demand for it. But our prices competitive, if not better, to any prices you'll find nationally. We've always been price sensitive. You can still get a nice subscription package for a reasonable price."

As for ticketed events, ticket buyers can one again choose a "Pick 5-7-9" subscription option or a Broadway-only subscription option. Subscribers who buy as few as five shows get priority seating and reduced ticket prices.

It's possible to subscribe to five shows for $40.

For the best seats, Overture Center's ticket office must receive subscription orders by May 19. (Priority seating, determined by when orders are received, can be guaranteed after July 1, according to Overture officials. Single tickets go on sale Aug. 16.)

With the Pick 5-7-9 option, subscribers can order tickets to as many shows as they choose, but five, seven and nine are the numbers that determine priority for ticket order processing. For example, choosing nine or more shows gives an advantage over picking seven or more. Picking seven or more gives an advantage over picking five or more. Plus, a Broadway package counts as five shows toward any Pick 5-7-9 subscription.

"Overture Presents" magazine provides detailed information on the entire season and order forms for subscribing. To receive a copy with the new season, call (608) 258-4177 or e-mail info@overturecenter.com.

Complete information and season order forms can also be found on the web at www.overturecenter.com.

Jacob Stockinger  —  5/09/2008 2:07 pm