Year in Review 2022/23

2022/23 YEAR IN REVIEW

San Luis Obispo

MANAGING DIRECTOR’S REPORT

It’s been a vibrant 2022-23 season here at the Performing Arts Center, filled with transition, a return to normalcy, phenomenal shows, and hard work in setting the foundation for exciting things to come.

As I o icially take on this new role, I first want to thank my predecessor, Chris Miller, for his 6+ years of service and work here at the PAC. We honored Chris and celebrated his retirement in October and wish him the very best in this next chapter. It was pleasure to work with him during his tenure, and we truly owe him our thanks for his e orts and leadership shepherding the PAC and our sta through the pandemic and preparing us all for the future.

This season finally felt like a return to normal here at the PAC. While we had live events return last year, we were still unable to have students in-person for School Matinees, a program essential to our mission. A er nearly two and a half years, we were incredibly thankful to have roughly 6,500 students join us in-person this year, many for the first time ever, to experience the excitement, joy, and power of live performing arts.

We were also thrilled to support the successes of our local arts organizations, as they had an amazing year showcasing their talents and passion on our stage. We’re immensely lucky to have so many dedicated and talented people in our community and seeing them share their work has been one of my many highlights this season.

I am very thankful to be here at the PAC and for the opportunity to lead this organization into the future. I have an amazing team that puts in so much time and energy into their work. They truly care about this space, what it stands for, and the place it has within our community. From transitioning ticketing systems and websites to a successful three-day run of The Book of Mormon, our team at the PAC had an unbelievable year.

We’re endlessly grateful for the support of this community and thankful to be given the opportunity to serve you. We hope to see you again in the 2023-24 season and can’t wait to show you some of the exciting things we have been working on.

Ryan Gruss Managing Director Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo

CarlaMorrison(CalPoly Arts)

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

We had the honor of having a diverse range of events on our stage this season. Cal Poly Arts brought over 20 new artists to San Luis Obispo, including Mexican pop sensation Carla Morrison, comedian Michelle Wolf, Scottish actor Alan Cumming, shadow dance company CATAPULT, and the Broadway hit The Book of Mormon.

Our resident companies brought some incredible productions to the Harold Miossi Hall stage, including Ballet Theatre’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, OperaSLO’s Carousel and Die Fledermaus, and Civic Ballet’s The Nutcracker, along with phenomenal season performances by SLO Symphony, SLO Master Chorale, and our other resident arts organizations.

Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa’s annual fundraiser featured the incredible Pink Martini this season. Making their return to SLO, the band rocked the house yet again performing to a sold out crowd.

One of the most special events this season was Chabad of SLO & Cal Poly’s sold-out speaker event with 100-year-old Holocaust survivor Joe Alexander. It was a privilege to have Mr. Alexander here to share his remarkable story of survival through 12 concentration camps in Nazi Germany. It was truly an unforgettable experience here at the PAC.

Joe Alexander(Chabad of SLO & Cal Poly)

NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

TOTAL EVENTS AT THE PAC

159

NON-TICKETED EVENTS

153

312 TICKETED EVENTS

*Numbers include events held in Spanos Theatre.

66K

TOTAL TICKET BUYERS

OUTREACH

We were thrilled to finally return to in-person School Matinee field trips a er three years, welcoming over 6,500 local students back to the Performing Arts Center for free performances. Programming this year included speakers, music, and theater. In addition to in-person events, we also o ered a virtual matinee, NORTH: The Musical, telling the story of a young boy and his mother as escaping to seek freedom from the Deep South through the Underground Railroad. In May, PAC Outreach hosted The Greatest Showman Sing-Along for a fun a ernoon of family activities and a screening of the hit film, drawing over 500 attendees.

SCHOOLS REACHED

7.7K

63 STUDENTS SERVED

10

FREE MATINEE FIELD TRIPS

50%

STUDENTS FROM LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS

TheGreatest ShowmanSing-Along

“As a Title 1 school, many of our students have never had an experience similar to this. The fact that they are able to be on a college campus and experience seeing a performance of this level in the Performing Arts Center is something that I know they will take with them for the rest of their lives.”

Dana Elementary Teacher, Grades 4th & 5th

TICKETING & MARKETING

260

EVENTS TICKETED THROUGH THE BOX OFFICE

142K

WEBSITE VISITORS

1.1M pageviews

This season, our marketing and ticketing teams successfully transitioned to a new ticketing system and launched a new PAC website, in addition to providing marketing support for over 140 events and ticketing 260 events around campus.

$2.5M

TICKET REVENUE FOR LOCAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS

91

VIDEOS CREATED FOR MARKETING

2,294

+27%

5,633 FOLLOWERS

FOLLOWERS +1%

Pink Martini (Rotary de Tolosa Benefit)

FOUNDATION FOR THE PAC

The Foundation for the Performing Arts Center is thankful to report an incredibly exciting and successful year.

In August, we hosted our Cirque des Artistes Gala and Loading Dock A erparty, which demonstrated the generosity and connectedness of our community. It was a record-breaking event in fundraising and attendance, and we were able to provide a special scholarship to a local young artist, Sarah Hill, who is continuing her passion for dance and joining a professional dance company. It was beautiful to watch Sarah grow over the course of this year.

Our commitment to supporting youth continued through our School Matinee Program. We welcomed roughly 6,500 students back to the PAC in person, a er an unfortunate hiatus due to the pandemic. It was inspiring and joyful to see young children fill Harold J. Miossi Hall once again. The kids connected with world renowned artists and many students came to the PAC for the first time.

Our belief that philanthropy is a cornerstone of community drove our desire to connect with new donors through the creation of our “Crescendo Club.” The Crescendo Club is a monthly giving society that encourages giving by making it a ordable and creates space for donors to gather with other arts supporters socially. It is our intent to honor and celebrate our founders and faithful supporters of the PAC by welcoming new donors and providing information about the history and community collaboration that brought our world class venue to life.

As we look toward the future, we will ensure the sustainability and accessibility of the PAC, while continuing our mission of elevating the arts in our community. We are honored to support the PAC and to contribute to the e ort of thriving local artistry. As we celebrate a full season of incredible performances, we thank each person, business, and winery partner who helped make this year extraordinary.

Thank you for supporting our mission and service to our community through the arts.

Kristin Hoover Executive Director Foundation for the Performing Arts Center

Joey Leslie Board President Foundation for the Performing Arts Center

FOUNDATION HIGHLIGHTS

Launched the Crescendo Club Monthly Giving Society. 50+ members joined in first two months!

Had a record-breaking Gala and Loading Dock Party. Raised over $200,000 in support of the performing arts and hosted over 550 attendees.

Added four new board members and celebrated 100% board giving.

Collaborated to finalize the Plaza Redesign Project, which is set to break ground in summer 2023.

$100K

DONATED TO SUPPORT YOUTH ACCESS TO THE PAC

500+

ARTISTS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE SWANSON FUND GRANT THIS YEAR

NEW BUSINESS & 8

The Foundation for the PAC helps ensure that the Performing Arts Center remains accessible to all community members and local performing arts groups.

LEARN MORE AT FPACSLO.ORG

SarahHill, recipient of youngartistscholarship

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Dock Party & Gala

*Annual financial contributions by the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), Cal Poly, and the City of SLO are made per the Operating Agreement for the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo.

RYAN’S

THE BOOK OF MORMON OPERA SAN

BALLET THEATRE SLO

CAL POLY ARTS

CORE DANCE

CAL POLY ARTS

GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV

CIVIC BALLET OF SLO