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Special Episode: Foster Cronin on building Orlando’s touring season
00:22:00
On today’s episode, Matt Tamanini is in conversation with the vice president of programming and education for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida, Foster Cronin. In their conversation,
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- [00:00]
Foster Cronin
Foreign.
- [00:09]
Matt Tamnini
Radio. My name is Matt Tamnini. We are doing something a little different today. I don't know that we have ever spoken to somebody who does this type of work in theater here on my nine plus years at Broadway Radio. Today I'm speaking with Foster Cronin, who is the Vice President of programming and education at the Dr. Phillips center for the Performer Performing Arts here in Orlando. And we're talking about not only the Dr. Phillips Center's upcoming 2025, 2026 Broadway season, but also some of the things that go in to making a season happen. Foster goes into some of the details about the shows that are in this season, but then we also talk about some of the benefits of being a subscriber to a Broadway series. That is true on a micro level here in Orlando at the Dr. Phillips center, but on a macro level is true almost universally across the board and all of the touring houses across the United States. Foster also addresses some of the misconceptions that people have about the subscription process, especially if they are doing it for the very first time. And then we get into some of the nuts and bolts about how programming a new season actually comes together because as he said in our conversation, they're already working on the 2026, 2027 season as we speak. Now, if you are in the Orlando or Central Florida area and would like to get a subscription to this incredible season of shows which we talk about at the top of the interview so you don't wait too much longer to hear all about that. They're only available end of this week on Friday, July 18th and then they will start working on the individual show sales. So listen to this great conversation, hear a little bit of firsthand insight into the subscription process and then head over to the Dr. Phillips Center's website to purchase your tickets, of course, I will have a link in the show notes. All right, with all of that out of the way, here is my conversation with Foster Cronin. Foster, as a longtime Central Florida resident and a longtime subscriber to the Dr. Phillips Center, I know when you guys released this upcoming season I was very excited for some of the shows that are going to be a part of it. Run through real quick. What shows are coming and what is the show or two that you are most excited to bring to an Orlando audience?
- [02:18]
Foster Cronin
Sure. I'm really excited about this next season's subscription package and the add ons that we have. We're starting the season with the beloved classic the Wiz. That's from September 30th to October 5th. Then a new show that was just on Broadway called Water for Elephants, which involves wonderful puppeteering and it's based on that beloved novel that we have is November 4th through the 9th. It also has some circus elements. It's a pretty incredible show. Then the show that just won the Tony Award for best musical in 2024, the Outsiders, which I saw on Broadway. Super incredible. And what was on Broadway, they're actually bringing out on tour. So if you sell it on Broadway, you're gonna get what you got here, which is amazing. And Juliet, which is just a love, you know, poppy, wonderful show based on Romeo and Juliet. It's a fun twist of that. That's January 6th through the 11th. Then we get the only Florida play on this run in the first time that it's coming through, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. That's going to be here for about four weeks. January 24 through February 21. Hell's Kitchen, which is the Alicia Keys musical just about her life and growing up. And it's incredible music and wonderful to hear about her. That's March 3rd through the 8th. Kimberly Akimbo, which also won in 2023 the Tony Award for Best Musical. That's coming April 14th through the 19th. Then the Notebook is the last on the subscription part of things, which is based on the beloved novel, May 12th through the 17th. Then our two add ons, we have Hadestown, which everybody loved November 28th through the 30th, that's coming back and right over Thanksgiving weekend so you can bring your family. And then the show that sold out the first time it came here, it sold out pretty much instantly. The musical Six, based on the Henry VIII wives, June 2nd through the 7th.
- [04:20]
Matt Tamnini
As someone who has seen all of those shows, it is an incredible season and one that I'm really looking forward to not only seeing, but helping cover as well. But as I said, I'm a subscriber to the Dr. Phillips center as well. So I know that there have been some changes in how you guys have done things from previous seasons to this season one in terms of how people sign up for their subscriptions. Moving from a Ticketmaster platform to the Dr. Phillips center platform. How has that gone? And maybe give some insight as to how that's different from how things have been done in the past to how things are being done now.
- [04:56]
Foster Cronin
Yeah. Our team and our partner that we have, Broadway across America, we've all been working together to make it as seamless as possible for the consumer. So from a consumer perspective, there should be Actually, no real change. What we have done is we were, like you said, we were on two separate ticketing systems, which when you're on double ticketing, it just increases the chances of some issues or problems or anything like that. So we all agreed to go down to one system, which is our local system here, and we made that switch over. The only difference that we had that what it did was we weren't for this first year able to do auto renewals, which a lot of people were used to. And so it just allowed for some people, they have to be reminded a couple times that they need to do it, you know. And what it is great is that, don't worry, everybody's saying, oh my gosh, there's probably no seats available left or anything. There are seats available for each of the nights of the week and in each section of the orchestra, mezzanine and balcony. So we still have availability, it's going very quickly. And we only have one of the big shows for four weeks. The rest of them, you know, we have just one weekers, except for actually the Outsiders, we have three additional single ticket shows that are right before Christmas, to be honest. So great availability there. But that really is it. What, what it's really accomplishing is all of the ticketing is becoming centralized into one location so we can service the patron as best as possible here at the Dr. Phillips Center.
- [06:40]
Matt Tamnini
And what always fascinates me about this process of whether it's an auto renewal or just everyone having to go in and renew, is how many moving parts there are to getting all of this stuff done. Because obviously you have to contend with who's coming back, who's not, who wants to change seats, who wants to change days. As you are going through there, I'm sure that that creates some confusion for people like, well, when can I do this, when can I do that? And then maybe people who don't have subscriptions thinking that, oh, I know this person was able to pick their dates, that means I must have missed it. So when you are going through and scheduling these things and laying out the steps for that, how are you going about and making sure that either the people that are currently subscribed or the people who want to subscribe that aren't already on the list are kept informed about where you are throughout that process?
- [07:29]
Foster Cronin
Yeah, that's a great question. We did purposefully this year make the renewal period for our loyal subscribers for so many years. We made that much longer this year because we knew we wouldn't have the auto renewal timeframe. We knew we had to reach out to those people because you do get your same seats every single year in their premium seats. So we made that happen a little bit longer. So it truncated a little bit of the opportunity for the new subscribers to be able to get their subscriptions. Now that is going all the way until this Friday. We extended it all the way to July 18, and then we have to start going on sale for our single tickets with. With the Wiz and eventually Water for Elephants. So it just is. This is part of the reason why we're coming out and having these conversations also with you and other folks and people, just to let people know that there are still subscriptions available. If you were, quote, unquote, on the wait list, that was just an opportunity for us to make sure that we had reached out to you in some capacity, which I'm hoping that, you know, you did receive that. But if not, if you're on the waiting list and you're still like, you know, when am I going to be taken off the waiting list? Don't wait, give a call to the box office, go online. There are still subscriptions available and they can go and get those. But we did really want to make it so that we had enough time for our loyal subscribers because we care deeply about them to be able to keep in their same seats.
- [09:05]
Matt Tamnini
So we're recording on Monday. Subscriptions are available through Friday. That's only, you know, four or five days left. So does that mean that even though you said there are still seats available, does that mean there's no good seats or the only ones that they have that are left are the super expensive ones? Like, what are we looking at in terms of inventory?
- [09:24]
Foster Cronin
Inventory? There are, like I said, there are still seats available in each section of both the orchestra, mezzanine and balcony. So it does mean, you know, our Broadway season is incredibly popular and we try and get as much Broadway as we possibly can and keep as many of the shows as we can here. So there is availability. You know, we are recording this today and Friday is the last day. So if people are hearing this and they're like, oh, my gosh, I really want to get in before single tickets go. And these, these shows, as you said, they're so popular, I believe they're going to just completely sell out when we go on single ticket sale. So get in there. One of the things too is that as you're going, if you get a subscription, you can call and you can exchange your seat, you can move things around. Subscription allows for you to not only get the best deal for all of the shows, but it allows the most flexibility for that person. So you get in as best you can. And then if you really want to try and work something out, people are exchanging all the time, call up the box office and say, hey, I really want to see if I can move something. And we're going to make. We're going to try and move mountains to make something like that happen.
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Matt Tamnini
I can speak from experience that I have done it many, many times, not calling the box office, but doing it online, where I've changed the performance data, the performance time, or move to better seats or more central seats or something. So I can attest to how flexible these subscriptions are. But another thing about how flexible they are, and I mentioned that, oh, maybe there's only super expensive tickets available, but there is flexibility in how people pay for their subscriptions as well. Obviously, we're a little late in the process, so it's a. It's a little, as you said, truncated now, but there is flexibility in terms of whether having to pay upfront or in installments and things like that.
- [11:15]
Foster Cronin
Yeah, it's. It's the only subscription or it's the only ticket package right now that we have at the Dr. Phillips center that is in. That can be on a payment plan because we know it can be expensive. It's a lot cheaper than just buying the single tickets for all six. But you can set up a payment plan with, I think it's four payments that you can do to just help mitigate some of this as you're going along. And those payments come throughout the year. So it's not like you have to, you know, it can be very flexible with how you use the tickets and how you make the payments. So it's just the best way to try and get people who really want to go and see it but need to help manage things a little bit more. We want to provide that option.
- [12:01]
Matt Tamnini
I had the opportunity back before the Dr. Phillips center was even open to come in and get some tours and be there for the opening night and see it a little bit as it was getting the final touches put on. But for people who either live maybe on the outskirts of Central Florida and haven't had a chance to come see the Dr. Phillips center in person, can you talk about just what an incredible venue this is for theater, but for so many other things, not only is it a great performance space from a technical standpoint, but also it's just, it's beautiful. So for people who haven't had an opportunity to visit the venue, tell them about what they can have the opportunity to see if they either subscribe or come to a single ticket event.
- [12:41]
Foster Cronin
Yeah, it's. It's really. I know I work here and I'm. And I'm. Maybe I'm guilty of favoritism, but it's one of my favorite venues in the entire country. Just the mission of the building and of Dr. Phillips center is arts for every life. With that, it's just built in the way that we want to be accessible to everybody. We want to be welcoming of everybody. The whole Orlando area is known for customer service. I can say without a doubt we are on par with the level of customer service that we have here. From the first minute you enter in, you go through security. We also have a ton of people. The lobby opens an hour and a half before. We have a number of food and beverage locations, a lot more than most of the performing arts centers out there. You can come grab a drink, grab a quick bite, walk around. And then the theaters themselves are state of the art. Every time that we either have a Broadway show or I can speak to a lot of the artists that come through, they are so impressed with just how state of the art the entire facility is and how they're built in such a way that the architecture really tries to make the audience have a direct connection with the performers. So even the way the Walt Disney Theater was designed, even if you're all the way in the last seat of the balcony, which I've sat up in, you still feel there's this little kind of push towards the stage where you still feel. Feel like you're a part of the action and still welcome there. So it's wonderful. The entire facility, Steinmetz hall, is great. And our new facility, Judson's, is this small jazz club or music room that is just fabulous. So you will not be disappointed. The other thing, too, we have lots of parking around, so we're located right off of 408. And there's literally, I can name six garages that are within half a block of where we are. So come down park, come right in. You can get there an hour and a half before and just have a wonderful evening.
- [14:50]
Matt Tamnini
Yeah, well, you mentioned you're already starting to think about the 2026, 2027 series. And I'm. I'm not going to ask you what shows are going to be in there because I have a feeling you won't be able to tell me. But if you want to tell me, please feel free.
- [15:03]
Foster Cronin
But I.
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Matt Tamnini
But I am interested. When you do start to think about planning a season, is it just as simple as what are the shows that are really popular on Broadway from this past season that are heading out on tour or is there a little bit more crafting going into it? I feel like probably earlier in the Dr. Phillips Center's life, you maybe had to prove that you were worthy for some of the first year tours. Now, as big and successful as the venue has become over the past decade, is there a different kind of mentality as to how you are pairing shows together throughout the course of a season?
- [15:37]
Foster Cronin
A lot of thought goes into was, you know, Florida over has a really strong Broadway market and a lot of the tours go down there. But, you know, to tour a show of Broadway is incredibly expensive and incredibly daunting for that tour. So they're very selective of the places that they end up going, especially the first round of things. What's been great, especially, you know, and we worked very hard to try and get this, but the Harry Potter is only going out with one tour right now. Sometimes there's multiple tours, like in east and west coast, there's only one tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child going out and they could only do one Florida play. And when they were looking at everything, just the level of, you know, love for Broadway in Orlando and how strong of a market and also how well shows are received here, it just, it worked out for the producers. So as long as we can have audiences coming and enjoying the shows and, you know, us providing a great customer service not only to the, to the audience, but also to the tours, it's just going to keep winning. We just finished up Shucked, which is great comedy show, and the tour itself said, man, I wish we were playing here like for three weeks because the audiences were so into it and they could just feel that back. You're going to get the best shows that you possibly can get because of that interaction.
- [17:09]
Matt Tamnini
I was going to say you might be partial and biased towards the Dr. Phillips Center. I'm on the other side, a little partial and biased towards the Dr. Phillips center audiences because when I went and saw Shucked and I had other family members go on different nights, we all agreed that, like, I don't know that I've ever seen an audience appreciate a comedy more than they did for Shucked when it was in town a couple weeks ago. So I definitely understand and appreciate that. So I'll wrap it up here. Appreciate the time. But I've got one last question. What is your favorite Broadway tour memory from your time working at the Dr. Phillips Center.
- [17:49]
Foster Cronin
An incredible time. We participate with some very wonderful sponsors here at the Dr. Phillips center in what we call our community give backs. And I remember when Hamilton came around the first time and it was, you know, it's the hottest. It was the hottest ticket still is probably on Broadway. But we were able to get a couple sponsors to buy. Cause we buy all of these tickets from Broadway for these community give backs. We were able to buy a series of tickets, 200 or so. And we were able to go to local community groups with kids who have never seen Broadway before. And we got them on buses, they came down to the Dr. Phillips center, they got a lunch in our DeVos family room and a little information session that was a fun trivia thing with them about Hamilton and everything. And then they went and saw for their first Broadway show ever, they got to see HAMILTON in the Dr. Phillips Center. And I don't cry normally when stuff like that happens, but it was something, it was so special. So that is really my most favorite memory on Broadway here.
- [19:08]
Matt Tamnini
Well, that's great. Is there. I'm assuming you've seen many if not all of the shows that are coming in this season, whether on maybe you've seen the tours that aren't first year tours or seen it on Broadway. What's the one you're most looking forward to not only seeing again but also to having an Orlando audience see.
- [19:26]
Foster Cronin
Oh man, it is such a dynamite season. It is really difficult to do this. But I think the two that I am really most excited for. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. Huge. And my daughters are too. My 8 year old is now getting into Harry Potter and it's such a family generational thing and it's a continuation of that story. It's not what you've read in the books. And so it's a continuation of that and it's done on Broadway sort of magic. Which you know, for kids who have never seen Broadway or something, that is truly special. And the grandparents will love it too. The other one too is which really surprised me was the Outsiders. I love the book, but the music, the story and then there's this, the choreography in that show, you know, it's a little bit more of a serious thing. But there are some beautiful moments that are actually. They made sure that that stuff was coming out on tour because it's what really made the whole event. So. So that's coming. So you don't want to miss that one either.
- [20:33]
Matt Tamnini
Yeah, there's there's one element that is consistent with both the Outsiders and the Notebook that I'm interested to see how that is done on tour and how they're able to integrate that thing on tour. I won't say any more thing more, although most of our listeners know exactly what I'm talking about. But yeah, any last parting information that we didn't hit about the subscriptions that people in and around Central Florida need to know?
- [20:55]
Foster Cronin
Foster I think just, you know, everybody should understand we do still have seats left. It's a dynamite season. If you've if you really want to be impressed with almost all the shows and you love Broadway, you should really take advantage of this opportunity. Until July 18th, single tickets will be going on sale too, and Broadway will be alive and strong continuing on. And we hope that we can convert a number of subscribers to this and keep it growing.
- [21:29]
Matt Tamnini
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for the time I Like I said, I can't wait for the season to get back underway in the fall and hopefully we'll get a chance to chat again in the future.
- [21:37]
Foster Cronin
All right. Thank you so much.
- [21:51]
Matt Tamnini
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