Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor

Ten years! Let’s start with that!
It’s gone very quickly, very quickly! I came to San Antonio in 2013 and we had only a year-and-a half at that point to get the building built and the business built. There was nothing. So, we worked on it and  got it done. We opened in September 2014. What’s happened over the last ten years really shows how we have been embraced by the city. We hit the ground running and the community came along with us.
We have a great staff and a great board that can open doors for us and get us in touch with folks that we need to get in touch with. It makes my job much easier. It’s been a great run so far.

So, how do you evaluate these past ten years?
We recently did an analysis with the Americans for the Arts; we used their analytic model. We looked at what the Tobin has meant in terms of economic development. I think it’s easy to see what it means to the community in terms of arts and entertainment. We brought 445 shows to the city since we opened. But let’s look at economic measures. The County put $108M into this; the city put in $40M into this project, and then we raised another $58M from private donors. It’s a lot of money. But our economic impact for these first ten years is $208M. (The Tobin has supported roughly 650 full-time-equivalent jobs, resulting in $160M in household income) but we also impact businesses around us, such as restaurants that also increase the number of their employees.

In addition, the Tobin also has an educational program, called Generation NEXT that has grown to serve more than 24 school districts in the area.

We are an economic driver. Businesses move to San Antonio for a variety of reasons but among them are arts and cultural offerings. They ask: Do you have a symphonic orchestra? Do you have a ballet company? We are a big piece of the package that San Antonio offers.

What are the changes that have occurred since the opening of the Tobin?
COVID occurred. It affected what we do. But we were one of the very few performing arts centers – maybe the only one in the country – that did not close. We stayed open. We did movie nights, we did local country music acts, etc., so we were able to keep the doors open.

Isn’t that also the time when you started your own local theater company, 100A?
Yes. During COVID it was hard to bring performing companies because no one wanted to travel.And it occurred to me sitting in my office with a skeleton crew of staff one day, that if we produce our own content, we own it. As soon as possible I brought in Rick Frederick who is now our executive producer for 100A productions. Last fall we produced “39 Steps” and we just opened last night “Crimes of the Heart.” Not only does this provide content, but we are employing local actors, directors and other theater professionals. They all get paid. And we decided not to do any musicals. Others do musicals in town.  It’s all going to be plays. So far, they sell out. ((The Tobin is also considering moving the plays into the large theater, and if that works out, maybe sending these shows on the road.)

Does San Antonio feel like home for you and your family?
It does feel like home. My brother has lived here for 40 years. So, when I got here in 2013, I was already familiar with the community. And I am happy where I am.

Do you feel like you are in competition with the Majestic and Empire theaters?
Over the past ten years, we have identified San Antonio as a market, a viable market for shows. That’s why you are now seeing places like The Espee, the new venue at Pearl Stable, the Boeing Center… Now you are seeing these things come on line because they were watching what we have been doing, and realizing there was money in this business. These venues are not really competing with us for shows, but they are competing for the entertainment dollar. But speaking of the Majestic, they have a good Broadway Series. I am actually a subscriber and go to all of those shows there. Here, at the Tobin, we do not have two-weeks of dates to do, say, “Hamilton.”

But the market has indeed become more competitive due to what we have done here at the Tobin. And remember, we are a non-profit. These others are for-profit. But we are cooperative. If our building is not available and a show wants to come to San Antonio, we’ll work with other venues to find the right spot for that show. Kind of how Tobin Entertainment started. It started when we began getting phone calls for dates that we did not have available, we would do things at the Majestic or the Freeman Coliseum, for instance. And then we started doing shows in Houston and other cities.

Who chooses the programming for the Tobin?
There’s a programming team (that includes: Brian Moore, VP of Programming, and Callie Hoch, Programming Director.) They handle all the programming and booking. I do meet with them. If the dollar amount for a show goes over a certain number, they know to come and talk to me.

What type of shows attract the biggest crowds?
In San Antonio, it’s 80’s Rock, Country Music and Mexican music acts. When we do those shows, we can pretty much guarantee that they are going to do well. (Examples: Clint Black, Wynona Judd, America)
No matter how often they come back; people always want to see them. The band, America, is playing here every 18 months and that’s because the audiences want them. They play 80’s soft rock.

Do you have audience surveys?
Yes, after every show. We don’t ask questions about the show because that’s not something we control. We ask questions such as: Do you feel safe in the parking garage? Is the walk from the garage to the building easy? How easy was it to get a cocktail? And we have some results from those surveys. On a 1-5 scale, most replies are in the 4.7-4.9 range. (About 70% of the people are return visitors.)

Do you receive any city or county funding?
No, zero. We have a great relationship with the city and the county but there’s no formal relation. We meet regularly with city and county representatives, informally and both entities use this building from time to time.

Why have you not invited the San Antonio Philharmonic to perform at the Tobin, as many have expected?
The building was built for all the resident companies, including the San Antonio Symphony. The latter no longer exists. There was a very scary vacuum that was created when the symphony went out of business. The opera and the ballet were left hanging with no orchestra to play for their shows. CMI (Classic Music Institute) filled that vaccum and they filled it famously. They were on stage for the recent Andrea Boccelli show. And for all the other shows by the ballet and the opera. So, we already have an orchestra.

What kind of comments do you get from visiting performing artists?
Paul McCartney, who participated in one of the opening shows, back when the Tobin first opened, stopped in the middle of a song and said: “I have to tell you that this building is so gorgeous that I feel I should be doing Shakespeare here.” That’s just one example.