J.L. ‘Lynn’ Singleton

Two gorgeously restored performing arts houses in Providence make a nice set of bookends, geographically speaking: Veterans Memorial Auditorium is perched on Smith Hill and Providence Performing Arts Center claims the other end of the skyline on Weybosset Street.

Another thing they have in common is that both are managed at the top level by J.L. “Lynn” Singleton.

Since 1983, Singleton has been the very hands-on president of PPAC, and since 1988 he has been president of Professional Facilities Management, which operates 12 theaters in eight states. That adds up to a lot of weight in the theater world.

Singleton has steered PPAC, a restored 1920s movie palace, through the city’s downtown restoration and a major expansion of the backstage in the 1990s that allowed big shows, like “Phantom of the Opera,” to play in Providence for the first time.

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Back in the 1980s, Broadway producers would tell Singleton they could not open in Providence ahead of Boston. This kicked a Providence opening back at least two years and sent Rhode Islanders’ theater spending to Boston. But in the past half-decade, Singleton has prepped PPAC to open several Broadway shows in the Ocean State.

Broadway road openings in particular are huge for Providence’s economy. The spending on local labor alone for a Broadway show has been from $500,000 to $1 million. Studies show that theatergoers spend about $75 locally above the cost of a ticket. Looking to the future, Singleton said the theater invests in developing future patrons by making some tickets very affordable for younger guests. •

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