Large Off-Broadway performances like The Lion King — which is running through October — have become double-edged swords.
While bringing revenue to Popejoy and the University, the scheduling of popular visiting shows tends to take top priority, causing smaller student organizations to have to schedule around them or find another venue.
Faith Grattan, a junior music education major, said there has been difficulties with planning student performances because Popejoy schedules events that bring in revenue. In turn, they take precedence over on-campus groups — even UNM Theater productions.
Grattan said while in the past concerts have been held in Popejoy Hall, shows are unable to be performed for the next few weeks due to showings of The Lion King, one of the most popular contemporary Broadway offerings.
Popejoy Marketing Manager Terry Davis said the performing arts facility is an enterprise entity on UNM campus that is attached to the University. Thus, when working to get a return on the facility’s expenses, officials have to make sure hosting productions isn’t losing more money than they are bringing in.
“The thing that makes us the money is the Broadway shows, and bringing those in that requires us to have scheduling so we can set them on the schedule first. Then we start sliding everyone in after that,” Davis said.
Having a flexible schedule is essential when it comes to Off-Broadway shows, due to decisions that go into hosting them, he said. That includes deciding on where productions are able to travel and the cost of that travel.
“We have to maintain the flexibility in our calendar, otherwise we wouldn’t have those Broadway shows here in New Mexico,” he said.
Davis said there certainly are restrictions with scheduling, when looking at terms of availability, on Popejoy’s calendar due to the opening of the Lion King.
The show is running for four weeks and obviously has an impact on the calendar in terms of what's available, he said, adding the purpose of Popejoy was not just to be a venue for UNM performances.
“When Popejoy was initially built in 1966, the president of University at the time basically said this would be a hall to serve as a handshake with the community,” Davis said. “In that regard, its function is then to do all kinds of performances and it wasn’t necessarily made to be a student-first or University-first. It was just a way to get the public and the UNM community together.”
Davis said talks with UNM have been the same the last 15 years, and in order for Popejoy to get the Broadway shows in at all, they have to be able to allow them time for their schedules.
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“Broadway shows have to be first just because their tours are so changeable, so our flexibility is very important in that process,” he said.
Music Department Chair Eric Lau said his department gives four to eight performances in Popejoy Hall every semester, and neither the Music Department nor the College of Fine Arts have any direct control over Popejoy scheduling.
Performances that are presented in Popejoy are primarily given by the UNM Symphony Orchestra, University Chorus, Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, he said.
“The Music Department does have to modify our programing to meet the curricular needs of our students due to the lack of access to Popejoy that their other programming creates,” Lau said. “In addition, the lack of access requires the Music Department to look for alternative venues for our student performances.”
Davis said although Broadway shows must be top priority, scheduling basically works out as Popejoy sets the schedule for all of their leading constituencies for the rest of the year.
Davis said once the calendar is opened up there are multiple organizations looking for dates other than just UNM, including student groups and those looking to rent the hall for graduation ceremonies.
As one would imagine, it tends to lead to some overlap and competing dates, but Davis said officials try to make it work for everyone.
He said the Music Department currently has a schedule with Popejoy and there is a rental fee for the hall, but they allow anyone to rent when dates are available, regardless of production size.
Off-Broadways shows are open to scheduling now, and UNM students can begin scheduling after they are set. He said this is because Popejoy can’t set in stone dates for other groups until Broadway shows are confirmed.
However, he said, if the opportunity arises, Popejoy can try to “pencil in” other organizations looking to rent.
When asked if a student organization could possibly plan to perform a show in Popejoy if there was an opening as early as December, Davis said, “At this point if there was an opportunity in an opening we could do that.”
For Grattan, her concern is with the venues students have to alternatively rely on and how it will affect both large performances and even rehearsals.
For example, she said Keller Hall — UNM’s recital hall — although a beautiful venue, it is not large enough to accommodate some of the ensembles.
“People were turned away from the orchestra concert on Tuesday because there were not enough seats in the hall,” she said. “Popejoy has ample seating as well as better acoustic properties for larger ensembles and it is a shame that we are unable to use this resource like we have in the past.
Nichole Harwood is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Nolidoli1.
