PAC's debt due to poor planning, not performances

In the depths of the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, the United States Air Force Band held a recording session on Thursday for an upcoming compact disc release.

Starting Tuesday of this week, over 1,200 collegiate actors will descend upon the center for the week-long American College Theater Festival.

The Touhill has given the public a new reason to notice the UM-St. Louis campus, but has the $52 million performing arts center proven its worth? Much of the unexpected $887,000 deficit can be attributed to poor financial planning, though location and accessibility should also be held responsible.

In November, the PAC staff revealed to the University Assembly's Budget and Planning Committee that the Center's year-end debt would be six times more than initially anticipated. The fact that the PAC was operating on a deficit was hardly a surprise; the Touhill staff originally projected a deficit of $68,000, later revised to around $132,000.

However, the magnitude of the Center's debt hinted that the Touhill's operation planning and execution may have been woefully ill-prepared prior to its opening in September 2003. The departure of John Dale Kennedy after only a year as director of the Touhill seemed to portend that trouble was on the horizon for the center.

At the November meeting, the presentation to the Budget and Planning Committee showed that the Touhill's trouble partly involved underselling events: original financial reports expected 70 percent occupancy for shows, when actual occupancy lagged behind at 47 percent.

So, why have the numbers been so disappointing?

Certainly, the problem is not the facility itself. The Touhill is an architectural gem. With its striking glass and brick exterior, the multi-level Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall and the intimate Des Lee Theater, the Touhill defies visitors to walk away aesthetically unsatisfied.

Ironically, the Touhill's singularity may be one of its fundamental problems. North County does not have a reputation as a hotbed of quality cultural programming, so even the most glorious oasis of culture has to overcome a public more accustomed to thinking of a place like the Grand Center as "the place to go" for cultural entertainment.

Parking availability and location may have an impact on attendance. For some visitors, the long, winding sidewalks and muddy landscape between the parking lot and the PAC are merely an inconvenience. However, for elderly patrons, the marathon walk can prove uncomfortable or impossible. The new parking lot between the Student Center and Tohill will improve this problem, but as attendance increases, the problem will arise again.

The Touhill shares the same general struggle of UM-St. Louis: to be viewed as a prominent institution and more than just "the school by the airport."

While some critics have presented the Touhill as a financial albatross around the neck of the campus, siphoning off badly-needed funds from other University programs, the reality is that the PAC is here and we need to make the best of an imperfect situation.

The Touhill's management seems to be getting on the right track. Rather than defensively sticking to money-losing methods, the PAC's leaders have taken action to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated.

The PAC staff plans to book types of shows that have proven to sell well, such as comedy performers and popular musicians. Not all big-name performances draw a crowd, and the staff should carefully consider its selection.

The meager 10 percent student discount was not enticing enough for those who battle with school bills. The Touhill has upped its discount from 10 percent to 25 percent, which hopefully will draw a larger UM-St. Louis crowd.

By making improvements in efficiency, the Touhill may be able to pull itself out of the cavernous deficit. The PAC's performances, not its finances, should take center stage.

The Performing Arts Center is still in its infancy, and to a certain extent, missteps are to be expected. However, with a smarter operation, the Touhill should be able to serve the campus as a first-rate performance facility, a laboratory for the University's performing arts students, and as a persuasive recruitment tool.