Arts has key role to play in bolstering state economy

ACTING OUT: David M. Wax, managing director of the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, describe the organization’s work as “contemporary theater that’s thought-provoking and stimulating, plus some classics.” / COURTESY GAMM THEATRE
ACTING OUT: David M. Wax, managing director of the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, describe the organization’s work as “contemporary theater that’s thought-provoking and stimulating, plus some classics.” / COURTESY GAMM THEATRE

When the board of directors of the Gamm Theatre looked for someone to replace former Executive Director Yvonne Seggerman, who went on a sabbatical in June and resigned in October, the focus turned to David Wax, with his extensive arts-management experience and his knowledge of the Gamm, gained while serving as a member, then president, of the board. Wax is also a member of the Rhode Island Council for the Arts.
“David’s selection is one of the easiest decisions we have ever made,” Gamm Theatre board President Sam Babbitt said recently in announcing Wax’s selection to succeed Seggerman.

PBN: You’ve been acting as executive director for several months. Now that you’ve been named to permanently fill the position [effective Nov. 30, 2012], which now has the title of managing director, what’s your first priority?
WAX: To provide resources to the artistic side of the theater, which I tremendously respect, so the Gamm can continue to do the kind of quality theater it does, and to do it on an ever-increasing level and to larger audiences. The kinds of plays we’re doing now, we’re not just getting regional notice, we’re getting national notice. We’re doing the American premier of a British play, “Anne Boleyn,” that was at the Globe Theater in London. This is no small deal for a 137-seat theater in a suburb of Providence. It shows the kind of work being done in the theater.

PBN: The Gamm does a wide variety of productions. Do you think it has a specialty or a niche?
WAX: Primarily, we do contemporary theater that’s thought-provoking and stimulating, plus some classics. That doesn’t mean it’s always serious. It can be very funny. We do Shakespeare. Our “Hamlet” last year sold more tickets than anything we’ve ever done. Our plays are not for people who just want to be entertained.

PBN: Do you think the location of the Gamm in Pawtucket discourages some people from coming to a play, just because it’s a bit off the beaten path?
WAX: The people who come to the Gamm come because it’s the Gamm. Our subscriptions this year are up more than 20 percent, which is astounding in this economy. That’s because people recognize this is really exciting theater. And we like to think we’re a large part of making Pawtucket more of an arts destination.

PBN: Funding is obviously a challenge for all the arts. How do you envision keeping the theater financially healthy?
WAX: We’re not all that atypical, except we’re so small. … About 45-50 percent of our income is earned, primarily from ticket sales and advertising programs. The rest is contributed. We keep our ticket prices low. Part of our mission is to make it accessible. A lot of our foundation grants and such go to cover our very extensive education programs, primarily oriented toward Pawtucket.

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PBN: With the Rhode Island economy struggling, do you think a small theater like the Gamm, and other arts organizations, have roles to play in improving the state’s financial situation?
WAX: No question. I’m a member of the state’s arts council and have been involved in advocacy for the arts. One thing people don’t realize is that the arts as a whole have an impact on the economy of the state. People don’t [have] an appreciation for the impact of the creative economy. We have actors, teachers, designers, visual artists. A lot of businesspeople don’t realize the arts don’t just contribute to the quality of life, or have just an indirect impact, like people go to PPAC and going out to a restaurant. I mean the direct impact, the number of jobs and the amount of money we generate.

PBN: Considering your Ph.D. in political science, did you envision a leadership role in the arts as a possible career path?
WAX: I was interested in state and local government. My first job out of college was in New York City housing and development administration. Then I worked for a neighborhood health center, doing management stuff. I’m not an actor, but I took piano lessons and I’ve been a choral singer since high school.

PBN: What’s your vision for the future of the Gamm?
WAX: There are long-term dreams. The theater is tiny. There is basically no backstage. At some point down the road, we’re going to run out of time. We have expanded our runs of our theater productions, added performances because of demand from the audience. We finished a production of “Red” on Sunday, after it ran for 43 performances. Our typical production runs for 29 performances. We struck the set on Monday. That was done by Tuesday noon and they were already beginning to set up for the next play, so the actors could begin to rehearse.
There’s no dark time in our theater. If we want to add weeks, we have no dark time to use.
The set and production designers do amazing work, giving the limited physical resources. Down the road we could use a larger theater with better technical resources. This is not going to happen next year. This is long-range. We would certainly start our search in Pawtucket, without question, and find a building that could be converted or build from the ground up. •

INTERVIEW
David M. Wax
POSITION: Managing director, Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre
BACKGROUND: He held senior management positions with the North Carolina Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Sacramento Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra. He was executive director of the Houston Symphony from 1987 to 2000 and executive director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic from 2001 to 2008. He joined the board of directors of the Gamm Theatre in 2008 and became board president in 2011. Wax began serving as acting executive director of the Gamm July 1 and on Nov. 30 was named to the permanent position.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in political science from University of Wisconsin, 1963; master’s in political science from Harvard University, 1965; Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University, 1969
FIRST JOB: Stock clerk and bagger in a supermarket
RESIDENCE: Pawtucket
AGE: 71

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