On December 9, 2022, Lincoln South Rotary Club heard from Lied Center Associate Director of Event & Facility Services, Mark Moore.
We learned early in Mark's presentation that the Director of Event and Facility Services includes many responsibilities. He works with the trucks delivering for eac show, with the City of Lincoln when there is road construction planned, the stage hands and sometimes one-on-one with the talent. He was also responsible for writing the process for re-opening after the pandemic and the current renovations to the building.
He first started with the Lied 32 years ago but, after a number of years tried a different career. He was invited to come back and he had to hit the ground running. He started on a Monday an "Phantom" opened on Wednesday.
One of the things the Lied is known for is the handling of the equipment and props for the shows. There is sufficient room to move the crates into the building and leave them there so that they don't have to move in and out of the trucks multiple times. At the end of act 1 on the last show, the crews can put items into the crates and start to load the trucks, saving hours off the packing process. So, for a show like "Phantom" with 70 crew members, 26 semis full of equipment and props, they can cut the hours in half saving a great deal of money.
They use local stage hands - the same crew that works events at Pinnacle Bank Arena, State Fair, events in Omaha, etc.
They also have modern, spacious dressing space. There is room for 135 people with space, chair and power outlet.
It is acoustically set up - even though there are 10 air handles, they cannot be heard inside the facility. He did say that the sound goes both ways - that one of the artists once told the audience that he could hear them as well as they could hear him.
Mark shared some stories about the individual artists. Some are quite easy going while others can be difficult. He said it is interesting to watch and work with them all. He watched as one of the artists started the show very nervous and gradually relaxed and was pretty light-hearted by the end of the show.
BIO
Mark Moore is the Associate Director of Event and Facility Services at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Another title he holds is the COVID Compliance Officer. He works with staff in all aspects of the building and mostly on the patron experience. The security and safety is the ever changing part of this facility. During COVID, he wrote the re-opening procedures and policies for the Lied. This work was shared with theaters across the country and the Lied was the first theater in the country to re-open. His changes at the Lied are keeping the staff, performers, and guests safe from not only a soft target threat but a health threat. This coordination unifies common functions and provides reliable two-way communication. Time is also spent in logistical support in outreach, marketing, development and technical aspects. This position is also responsible for the Lied calendar and all scheduling inquiries.
Mark has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre and Dance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with post-graduation work in Arts Management.