Meet the Director of the Performing Arts Center: Daniel Brown

August 21, 2024

The Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Georgia Southern has been known locally for hosting programs such as children and family shows, tours, special events and more for the community for years. The PAC has recently undergone renovations and has a new staff, which includes Director Daniel Brown, who has been in this role for about a year, Technical Director Harley MCCumber and Patron Services Manager Allyson Lee.

We spoke with Brown to discuss the recent changes and his plans for the future at the PAC. Read on to learn more about Brown and what is in store for the PAC. 

Q: Tell us a little about yourself

A: I’m from Alabama, so I’m not too far away. As an undergrad, I thought I was going to go into psychology, but I got involved with the theater department and met this wonderful group of people and went from there. My undergraduate degree is in theater, and then it took about 12 years to go back for my master’s degree. I got my master’s degree in arts administration, which led me to this position, something I’m very excited about.

Q: Were you always interested in performing arts?

A: Not really. Growing up in Alabama, which was more rural, I went to a Christian school and there was zero aspect of performing arts, so it was never on my radar until I got to undergrad where I took a theater appreciation class. The professor offered extra credit if we auditioned for a play production. The play was a Greek comedy called ‘Lysistrata.’ When I got there, I was like, ‘What am I getting myself into?’ At the time I had about nine facial piercings, and the costume designer there said, ‘If you’re going to be in this play, you have to shave your head and take all that metal out of your face.’ I was like, ‘Who is this person telling me what I need to do?’ Because when you’re 18 you think you know it all. But all the students there were already theater majors and were really cool and encouraged me. So I agreed to shave my head and then took all the piercings out. I ended up auditioning, getting cast in the play, and then auditioned for the next one and got cast. From there, I just got surrounded by what I felt like was, for the first time, a group of people who were accepting. I changed my major and I haven’t looked back since. 

Q: What type of events are hosted at the PAC?

A: Part of our programming is dedicated to external tours, and we host bands, theater shows, dance shows or performances like that. In addition to the tours we host kids shows. Typically we host four to six kids shows but this year we are hosting eleven. Something that was important to us was to expand that programming. We hope to sell out all of those shows because it is important for us in our programming to hopefully get some future Eagles. We also do a lot of student organization events, and that’s something that we’re hoping to expand on this year. We also do some of the administrative events like the Fries Lecture Series, and the president will do his State of the University address here.

Q: You mentioned there was a gap between your undergraduate and graduate degrees. Tell us about that. 

A: When I was in undergrad, I was very focused on theater, and most people who are in theater do summer stock, which is where you go from May to August to a theater around the country. So when I was a college undergraduate student, my professor said “Hey, I work at this theater, come out here with me.” So I did that, and then I booked the next gig and I went back to the following summer. It just became this consistent thing, thankfully. 

Q: Was that primarily acting or was it management too?

A: I think a lot of people who don't go to a magnet school for theater or something think only of acting. That’s of course, where I was those first couple of semesters. You’re auditioning, you’re going to state and national screenings. And most of the time, there are very specific people that they are looking for and it doesn’t matter how talented somebody is.If you are getting an audition and get to the third callback, you’re going to walk into a room and it is the scariest thing because you’re standing in a room with 30 people who look just like you. 

So the further I got along into it, I was like, OK, there are only so many roles. One thing my undergraduate program made sure to do for theater majors is they forced us to work in front of the house, backstage, on stage and more. They made sure we covered all of our bases. So I slowly got away from acting and was working in the front of the house and doing other things. 

Q: How do you feel all of that experience working in all of the different realms of theater and performing arts has prepared you for this role?

A: Without having an understanding of how everything works, you can’t be the person who’s facilitating the space. The theater or the entertainment industry is very competitive, and my college professors wanted to make sure we were prepared. Although you might want to go for acting, if there’s a lighting or a design job open, you could still have a paycheck. So that was something that prepared me for a role like this. I do feel comfortable if I have to fly in some scenery for a performance, if I have to go speak at a small business meeting, or be on the phone or design something. There are so many different aspects to theater that help make a cohesive entity.

Q: What is your primary mission for the performing arts center? 

A: My primary mission is to be able to facilitate a space that serves the community, but also I want this to be a space that serves the students, educationally speaking. We’re hosting the School of Music students, theater students, the art and film students and Greek life students. I want this to be something that students understand is a space for them that they can come and learn, but also use and have fun. This is a multipurpose space. 

Something that was really important to us as a staff is to bring the theater students and the music students in a space where they historically may not have been allowed to do a lot of their programming. I understand we have a black box theater on campus and it’s beautiful, but while there are some things that can only be learned in a black box, there are also some things that can only be learned in a proscenium stage. I think getting students practical experience in a space like this is necessary. The biggest thing, as far as the mission goes for me, is to be able to have a facility that supports education as well as the community.

Q: How does the PAC engage with students on campus?

A: We’re hosting the Gretsch School of Music students, the theater students, the art and film students and Greek life students for their philanthropy events. Something that we’re actually trying to figure out is how to connect with students better. If students are interested, we do have volunteer opportunities, but also we have a student rate for tickets. No matter what we have going on, students can come for $10.

Q: How does the PAC interact with the community outside of campus?

A: In addition to the tours, we also do rentals. I did not realize how many dance companies one county could hold, but we have so many different dance companies and they all come here. We do weddings or other things as well. But in addition to that, family programming is something that’s important to us. The shows that we’re picking are mostly family-oriented because with the Hyundai plant coming, we know the growth that’s about to be experienced here. That’s why I’m trying to put these things in place, like the Christmas show and the “Dinosaur World” live shows, to get the kids and the families here. We’re affordable, too. Our ticket prices for adults typically stay in the $15 to $20 range. We also have a senior citizen discount, faculty and staff discounts, and student discounts. We want to make it accessible to everybody because we want the community to be here.

Q: What is the selection process like for the tours that you bring in in the season?

A: This season was already picked by somebody else before I got here, so I have been looking at historical data as far as what shows sell and looking at what is going to be successful and what’s not. I will say the biggest driving factor for me is price versus quality. When selecting, I try to find quality at an affordable rate and I want something that is going to appeal to somebody under 60. The lifeblood of most theaters is an elderly crowd — I don’t want to ever exclude them. But to get future donors and future season subscribers, we’ve got to do programming that resonates with families. We are an educational facility first and foremost, so when it comes to those tours, I also have to make sure what I’m picking is in line with the University’s mission. It’s an exciting dynamic navigating programming that’s going to sell, appeal to both the university and Bulloch County communities, and actively remain in line with that mission.

Q: What are your favorite events held at the PAC?

A: If I had to pick a favorite event, I really enjoy the kids shows. Having a background in theater, and seeing all of the kids come in, and to see their faces just light up is really cool.This has been my first year here and I really enjoyed the Fries Lecture series this year. Each year that lecture series hosts a different guest speaker, but this year, the speaker was Leopold’s Ice Cream’s founder Stratton Leopold. So that evening he was here, he gave a snippet of his life, but also gave free ice cream to everybody. It was really cool to see people from a larger community than just Bulloch County. We had a lot of people coming from around the

state here. 

Q: How can people get in touch?
A: I would always say PAC@georgiasouthern.edu is the best way to reach us. Whether you want tickets, whether you want to rent the space, whether you just have general inquiries or want to be added to our mailing list, that is the way to go. We do have social media handles, but also they can call us too at 912-478-7999.