How Tom Gabbard shapes the arts
Plus: State legislators consider state cookie; CMS changes how it notifies parents of school threats; Spirit adds flights from CLT to 4 cities; Cheap tickets for this week's ACC Tournament
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Interview: Blumenthal Arts’ Tom Gabbard on immersive art, how he gets shows to come to Charlotte and watching Lin Manuel Miranda pitch ‘Hamilton’
Tom Gabbard has been president and CEO of Blumenthal Arts since 2003, and during his tenure, Blumenthal has become a top 10 market for Broadway touring in North America. The Blumenthal manages four theaters and more than 1,000 events every year. He spoke with The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling (left) in front of an audience at The Sharon retirement community last month.
When it comes to people shaping arts and entertainment in Charlotte, it’s hard to find a bigger name than Tom Gabbard, president and CEO of Blumenthal Arts.
Beyond Gabbard’s work bringing blockbuster shows and immersive art experiences to Charlotte, he’s also a figure in the national theater world as a voter for the Tony Awards, and he’s a lifetime member of the Broadway League, a national trade association for the Broadway industry.
Recently, Gabbard sat down with Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling for a conversation about how audiences want to experience art nowadays, why he advises new shows to avoid starting in New York, what it was like seeing “Hamilton” pitched for the first time, and more.
The conversation was recorded for The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, in front of a live audience at The Sharon at SouthPark retirement community. (You can listen to the podcast episode below.)
We’ve compiled five interesting takeaways from the conversation, in Gabbard’s own words. His comments have been lightly edited for brevity:
🟦 On why Blumenthal is amping up immersive, experiential art programs like those found at the Charlotte International Arts Festival and Blume Studios, and what it says about today’s audiences:
Here’s how I put it to my board a few years ago. I said, “Does anybody know of somebody whose worst possible nightmare is being stuck in a fixed seat for two hours because they’re antsy? They’re mobile? They want to touch things? They want to talk back? We are doing this for them.”
We haven’t been able to serve that niche until we found a way to create a style of presentation where you are mobile … where you do interact with other people. It’s constantly driven by this desire to expand the audience. We take seriously our role as stewards of fantastic facilities and trying to use them in smart ways that elevate the community, particularly for our young people, that enrich their minds, enrich their understanding of the world, that enrich their understanding of other cultures.
🟦 On how Blumenthal decides what shows and events from outside of Charlotte to bring in:
Whether or not it’s in our proper theaters or in immersive spaces, these are not the kinds of things you can order up on Amazon. The way we approach it is that we want things that are fresh and new, that we may be bringing to the U.S. for the very first time, or if we have partners, we’ll have it in Charlotte within the first 12 months that it lands in North America. So we spend a lot of time searching.
These ventures require multiple partners. It’s not just a matter of us saying, “Well, we want this for Charlotte.” We have to find two, three, four other cities that are also interested in putting together a small venture partnership to be able to do these things.
🟦 On why he advises some new shows to skip New York and come to cities like Charlotte:
It is nearly impossible these days in New York for a show to be successful. The economics are so difficult, and the environment is so difficult. I’m advising a lot of producers to go to London, go to the UK, to start their shows, and then bring them to the U.S., and maybe even skip Broadway.
Just come to Charlotte and some other cities and skip New York, because the press there is just so problematic, and audiences listen to the press a little bit more there. In London, they’re much more like, “I don’t care. I like it.”’
🟦 On hearing Lin Manuel Miranda pitch “Hamilton” to Broadway producers before it became a hit:
I was in the room where it happened when Lin pitched the show to a bunch of us 6 years before it opened on Broadway, and we were all like, “Lin, are you sure? This sounds a little bit odd.”
We manage a group that includes large performing arts centers called the Independent Presenters Network — it’s about 60% of the touring Broadway business. We manage the group here in Charlotte.
Jeffrey Seller, a producer of shows like “Rent” and “Avenue Q” and now “Hamilton,” came to us and he said, “OK, three shows I’m working on that you guys should keep in mind: The first one is, we’re working with Sting on a new musical that he’s writing called ‘The Last Ship.’” And then he said, “I’m going to try directing a show. It’s an adaptation of Peter Pan called ‘Fly.’” And then he brought Lin with him, and he said, “Lin is working on this thing called ‘Hamilton.’”
In these meetings, I do a straw poll of what people might be interested in getting behind and investing in. So I do the straw poll. Of course everybody was interested in “The Last Ship,” because it’s Sting, you know, this great musician. And then number two was “Fly,” because it’s Peter Pan. And then number three was “Hamilton.”
[Seller] did a production of “Fly,” at the Dallas Theater Center [and it stopped there]. “The Last Ship” closed at a total loss on Broadway. And then — “Hamilton.”
🟦 On what it’s like being a voter for the Tony Awards:
We typically have anywhere from about 35 to 42 shows a year. I have to watch it really carefully, because increasingly, especially star-driven [shows] will only play a limited run of 12, 14, maybe 16 weeks. I keep a spreadsheet and track these shows, and I actually see some of these shows more than once.
I’m very lucky to be invited to most opening nights, and so if I go to see a show on opening night, I will usually go back a second time, because I want to hear it with a real audience. Opening night audiences are really for family and friends. It’s kind of a send-off, very celebratory. The reactions are not normal.
There are only typically about 800 of us [judges], so we vote on all categories. You have to certify that you’ve seen every show in that category, and they actually keep track of that, just to make sure people are honest. But there are a very limited number of us that have been given that responsibility, so I take it very seriously.
Today’s supporting sponsor is Landon A. Dunn, attorney-at-law in Matthews:
Spirit Airlines adds flights to 4 new cities from CLT; less expensive, but also less convenient
Spirit Airlines is adding nonstop flights several times a week starting in May from Charlotte to four new destinations:
Detroit (4x/week starting May 8)
Philadelphia (4x/week starting May 8)
Baltimore (4x/week starting May 8)
Indianapolis (2x/week starting May 8)
The airline hasn’t announced the additions, but the new flights appear on flight schedules and were noticed over the weekend by a handful of obscure aviation websites that pay attention to such things.
Spirit’s fares tend to be lower than those of competitors that fly those routes — chiefly American Airlines, but also Delta and Southwest on some of the routes. But Spirit will also fly less frequently than those competitors, who fly to those cities several times a day, not several times a week.
Spirit is also restoring nonstop flights between Charlotte and Los Angeles, twice a week starting May 9 — a route it had discontinued in January. —Tony Mecia
CMS rolls out new plan for communicating school threats; fewer crimes and weapons on campuses since 2021, district says
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is making changes in how it communicates about threats against schools, which might result in parents getting more notifications, CMS officials said Sunday in a 6-minute video sent to families.
The video didn’t specify exactly what the district’s guidelines will be in communicating threats, but CMS chief communications officer Shanna Spickard said parents “may see an increase in the number of notifications keeping them informed. It is also important to note that due to privacy laws and the integrity of investigations, there may be times that schools are limited in what information they have as well as in what they can share with families.”
Last month, CMS came under scrutiny by parents for not promptly notifying families about shooting threats to five schools. The threats became public after a media outlet reported that a suspect had been arrested, and a few days later, CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill apologized via a video message for not notifying parents “in a timely manner,” saying “we commit to doing better.”
In Sunday’s video, Hill said that “established safety protocols were followed impeccably while we worked with law enforcement to investigate threats against our schools last month.”
There have been drops in crimes in CMS schools as well as the number of guns and other weapons on campuses, CMS Chief Operations Officer Tim Ivey said in the video. He said that between the 2021-22 school year and the 2023-24 school year, CMS has had:
a 7.7% decrease in the number of criminal acts in schools
a 49% decrease in the number of weapons other than firearms
a 69% decrease in possession of firearms, from 29 firearms to 9
—Cristina Bolling
The General Assembly is considering designating a state cookie
State legislators are considering many weighty issues. They’re also thinking about designating a state cookie.
Last week, an N.C. House committee moved forward with a bill that would designate the Moravian cookie as “the official cookie of the State of North Carolina.”
For those unfamiliar with N.C. cookie history, Moravian cookies are crispy, thin cookies made with molasses. Moravians were German-speaking Protestants who settled in what is now the Winston-Salem area in the 1750s.
Rep. Donny Lambeth, a Republican from Forsyth County, said the move is “light-hearted.” According to the Carolina Journal, “Lambeth explained that the Moravian cookie is a delicious treat, widely available in Winston-Salem and across the state, with its signature razor-thin texture making it hard to stop at just one.”
If approved, the cookie would join at least 52 other state symbols including the state rock (granite), state mammal (gray squirrel) and state beverage (milk).
Ledger’s take: Obviously, as far as taste, nothing beats a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. However, Moravian cookies are decent enough for a non-chocolate cookie, and given the strong connection to North Carolina, they would make a worthy state cookie.
—Tony Mecia
ACC Tournament starts Tuesday at the Spectrum Center; tickets as low as $6
It’s March Madness time — and if you’re a basketball fan, you should know that there are plenty of cheap seats available for this week’s men’s ACC basketball tournament at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
As of Monday morning, on Ticketmaster, tickets to Wednesday’s games were starting at $6 apiece, and admission to Thursday’s quarterfinals was starting around $20-25. (Tickets are per session — 2 games per session on those days.) For the semifinals on Friday and finals on Saturday, tickets were starting around $120.
Of course, the cheapest seats are in the upper level and might feature games you don’t care about, like Georgia Tech-Virginia or SMU vs. the winner of Florida State and Syracuse. But you might find a good deal.
It’s the first time the ACC Tournament has been in Charlotte since 2019.
🏀: Full list of ACC games here.
—Tony Mecia
5 years ago in The Ledger: Conventions start canceling, UNC Charlotte preps for remote classes, NBA to have no fans?
Over the next few weeks, The Ledger is going to look back five years ago at our coverage of Covid. You can see how it unfolded in real time, as Charlotte grappled with a once-in-a-century pandemic.
From The Charlotte Ledger, March 9, 2020:
Some conventions that were scheduled to head to Charlotte in the next month have been canceled because of fears about the coronavirus. Of the four conventions in the next month listed on the Charlotte Convention Center’s event website, two have posted notices that they are bagging coming to Charlotte. …
Instructors at UNC Charlotte have been directed that they “should begin planning for the possibility of delivering the remainder of their spring courses virtually.” …
The NBA has told teams to prepare for the possibility of playing basketball games with no fans in attendance. The joke on social media: “The Hornets have been training months for this.”
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
THURSDAY: “Charlotte Industrial & Logistics Summit,” 8-11 a.m. at Charlotte Marriott City Center, 100 West Trade St., Charlotte. Understanding the drivers, deals and demands dominating new investment and development opportunities in and around Mecklenburg County. $130.
THURSDAY: “What Can Bank Of America Data Tell Us About the Economy?” 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Charlotte City Club, 121 W. Trade St., Suite 3100. Attend the Charlotte Economics Club meeting to hear David Tinsley, senior economist at the Bank of America Institute, share insights on economic trends and industry forecasts. With experience spanning top financial institutions and central banking, Tinsley offers a unique perspective on macroeconomic risks, stress testing and the forces shaping the U.S. economy. $60 for members, $75 for nonmembers.
THURSDAY: “Women, Power, and Progress: A Global Journey Through History,” 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for a lunchtime discussion with award-winning Iranian-American author, historian and women’s rights advocate Dr. Nina Ansary. She will examine the systemic challenges women have faced throughout history and the strategies driving continued progress today. $50 for members, $65 for nonmembers.
THURSDAY/SATURDAY: “Intro to Fly Fishing School,” Jesse Brown’s, 4732 Sharon Road, Suite 2M. Join Jesse Brown's Outdoors for a 2-day workshop class on the sport of fly-fishing. Open to anyone interested in learning more! Thursday from 6-8:30 p.m., get an introduction to gear, equipment and insects in a classroom setting. On Saturday from 8-4, go to a stream and wade and fish with your instructors (lunch and equipment provided). $275.
MARCH 20: “Bringing to Life the Vision of Ballantyne Reimagined,” 8-9:30 a.m., AC Hotel Charlotte Ballantyne, 14819 Ballantyne Village Way, 16th floor. Join South Charlotte Partners for a behind-the-scenes look at Ballantyne Reimagined, a transformative project that has evolved a former golf course into The Bowl at Ballantyne, a vibrant new dining, retail and entertainment district for the South Charlotte region. The conversation will feature local executives who worked on the project: John Barton, president of Northwood Office; and Ned Curran, founder of Stone Cottage Advisors; with a discussion moderated by The Ledger’s Tony Mecia. $25 in advance, $35 at the door.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Convicted insurance mogul seeks pardon: Greg Lindberg, the North Carolina insurance mogul convicted in Charlotte on fraud and money laundering charges, has hired high-profile attorneys and lobbyists in an attempt to seek a presidential pardon. His team is positioning his case as an example of political persecution, aligning it with President Trump’s broader grievances about the justice system. (New York Times, subscriber-only)
Council member’s book to be released: Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham has a book being published this week about his reflections on his sister’s murder in a 2015 mass shooting. “The Way Forward” discusses his experiences following the shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., where nine people were killed. The book is scheduled for release Tuesday, and Graham is starting a book tour Thursday in Charleston. (Observer)
TB tests at South Meck: The Mecklenburg County Health Department is asking multiple students at South Mecklenburg High to be tested for tuberculosis, saying they might have come in close contact with a person infected with TB. (WSOC)
Blumenthal pricing transparency: Blumenthal Arts said it is implementing “all-in ticket pricing,” which lists the amount of a ticket including fees at the beginning of the sales process. The organization said it’s making the change because “transparency is important when purchasing tickets.” (Blumenthal Arts)
Wolfpack coach fired: N.C. State fired men’s basketball coach Kevin Keatts, a year after he led the Wolfpack to the Final Four. But the team went 12-19 this year, finishing 16th out of 18 teams and failing to qualify for this year’s ACC Tournament. (ESPN)
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Wow, Tony, now you have gone and done it. The Eastern vs. Western BBQ sauce debate created a brouhaha greater than the Hatfield and McCoy rivalry and now you pit the Chocolate Chip Cookie against the Moravian delicacy. This may not end well. But at least the General Assembly is focusing on the issues most important to North Carolinians. We need a state cookie and we need it now. Please pass me a Moravian.