Community
BY VANESSA HOLT
Jerry MacDonald points to a rendering with a conceptual drawing for a future performing arts center near the Pavilion.
PHOTOS BY VANESSA HOLTCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Jerry MacDonald recalls two decades with Pavilion venue in The Woodlands Jerry MacDonald had considered pursuing a career in golf before he found a calling in arena management in the 1970s, but golf clubs still adorn the oce of the president and CEO of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion as the leader nishes 21 years with the outdoor amphitheater. MacDonald will leave the Pavilion in March, according to a July news release from the organization. The outdoor amphitheater, which opened in 1990, is part of the nonprot The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands. This interview was edited for length and clarity. For a longer version, visit communityimpact.com. What are some of the unique challenges of managing this venue? Well, it’s an outdoor venue. ... [You have] all of the outdoor weather elements to deal with. Gen- erally, you’re most concerned with rain, thunder and lightning, and things like that. This year, we’ve been more concerned with the heat; it’s been so hot that it’s been a problem. And it’s actually aecting sales a little bit. ... One thing we did this year that’s a little unique ... is we put our rst 20 feet or so on the lawn, we changed that over to Astroturf. We’re going to probably put another; we’re going to
expand that bottom to a little bit higher going on 20 feet or so up on the lawn, which is good; it has been well received by the patrons. Are there any other improvements that either have been installed this year or that are coming next year? Since I’ve been here, we’ve done around over $30 million in improvements. The biggest one was in 2008-2009 when Hurricane Ike came through and tore down [and] damaged the full canopy structure. So that was when we decided to expand our seating. We covered the seating area at that time, expanded the canopy to about three times what it was before. ... That was $10 million. Do you see any further expansion of facilities, any extension of the season or changes in the future? Well, our focus really is with [The Woodlands] township on trying to get up a performing arts center. We would like to be a part of that. And we’ve been working with the township on how we can move forward to get a 1,500- to 1,800-seat perform- ing arts center, which we would support. Again, we would most likely operate it also. The site is right on the corner of that parking lot ... on the corner of Six Pines and Lake Robbins. What are your personal plans in the future? I’m kind of open; I mean, I’ve been here 21 years, I’ve been in this business for 48 years. So, I’m not saying I’m going to retire, but I still may be here as some type of special adviser going forward. ... I still may be on past ... my contract at end of February.
... The biggest thing was when I came on in 2003, that I was asked to improve nancial situation of the Pavilion. It was ... nally struggling a little bit nancially. We were $10 million in debt. And now ... our endowment now is up to $50 million. Do you have any memorable moments to share? Some of my most memorable times were times I got to spend with [The Woodlands founder] George Mitchell. ... He loved the Pavilion and told me many times that one of the best decisions [he had] ever made was building the Pavilion. ... When he passed away, his memorial service was at the Pavilion. And ... part of the biggest honor I’ve ever had, the family asked me to be the master of ceremonies, and introduced everybody on stage. It was the last time that I’ve seen the whole family together. ... Every- body was there. So to see that and the Houston Symphony perform on stage during his ... memorial service was very memorable.
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Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands www.woodlandscenter.org
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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