IU Auditorium prepares for fall

The concepts of a show at the IU Auditorium may seem simple to an audience member, but a complex process goes into creating an upcoming season.

Doug Booher, director of the IU Auditorium, said the work begins a year before, and programming interns assemble all the performance materials received from different booking agencies.

Booher said the auditorium surveys the public to find out what attractions they want to see.

A list is then compiled of all the shows that would make sense coming to Bloomington. It is then narrowed down to 100 shows. 

Booher said when choosing shows, he tries to meet the critical needs of both IU students and the Bloomington community.

“We like to bring things that you know you’d like to see and things that you don’t know about yet,” Booher said. “We like to make sure each of the shows complement each other and are not only entertaining but educational, while providing an opportunity for people to broaden their cultural understanding.”

Booher said he then begins to work with booking agents who represent the shows.
He negotiates ticket prices, dates and other details that are required in putting on a show.

The final step, he said, is to sign a contract with the agency and work on season marketing materials. The full process takes seven or eight months.

Booher said the upcoming season at the auditorium has a lot of variety and so far, “Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles,” which will be at the auditorium Oct. 15 and 16, is the number one ticket seller for students.

“We’ve got the largest percentage of students in our audiences against all the Big Ten schools,” Booher said. “We take pride in that. We really shape our program in response to student interest and desires.”

Stage Manager John DeLong said there are also many details to prepare when a show’s in town.

DeLong said he has many responsibilities, including arranging the equipment and the labor schedule, as well as being the mass carpenter for the show. 

But despite all the manual labor, DeLong said the most challenging part of the job is leading human resources management. He has to make sure all the right people are in the right places.

“Logistics are logistics,” DeLong said. “You put down the list and once you start talking personalities and understanding everybody’s side of it, you’re not going to make everybody happy all the time.”

Jennifer Maddox, house manager, said she works with several groups at the auditorium, including all the volunteer ushers.

“Honestly, it’s the camaraderie – the sense of community – that goes beyond just work,” Maddox said.  “It’s fun and a place to meet friends. We try to go above and beyond work. You get skills you can take in to your personal life as well.”

Maddox said what led her to taking the job as the house manager  was the internship she had at the auditorium.

“I really like that the auditorium didn’t cater to just Broadway musicals, but a wide range of shows and events and diversity in the community and being a patron,” Maddox said. “I got to see the culture.”