Sara Shevlin
Venue Manager, The Historic Park Theatre and Event Center, Spectacle Live
Sara Shevlin isn’t quite starting from scratch as manager of the Historic Park Theater in Cranston, Rhode Island, but the venue — 100 years old and under new management under New England-based Spectacle Live — mostly is starting from scratch.
“Everything was finalized earlier this year, so it’s pretty new to us,” says Shevlin, 27, who joined Spectacle Live in June to run the theater, a privately-owned venue that signed with the company to manage and book the facility in May.
The 1,000-capacity theater was previously run in-house and has been underutilized in recent years but, with major renovations funded by its ownership will reopen in October with “Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert,” a live production set to music of the popular fantasy film starring David Bowie. “It’ll be 100 years old in November, so it has that historic touch, but hopefully we can bring some new life to it, which is exciting.” Other shows on the books into next year include Jake Shimabukuro, Lonestar and The Irish Tenors.
Shevlin, a Rhode Island native, most recently was with Live Nation, as operations manager at the 20,000-capacity Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, where she began as an intern at 17 years old and also served as ancillary revenue manager. “Ultimately, this is when I fell in love with venue management and decided that this was the career path I wanted to follow,” said Shevlin, who credits her parents for taking her to concerts by Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones as a child, instilling a love for live music.
At the Park Theatre, Shevlin is working alongside production manager Kevin Steinhauser as “boots on the ground” to get the venue ready for opening night, including touch-up paint sprucing up dressing rooms as well as hiring additional full time staff.
“Anyone I talk to, when I mention Park Theater, everyone has their own story, of coming here when they were a kid and seeing a show or a movie. Everyone’s so excited about the theater reopening. There’s a lot of great momentum we’re bringing with Spectacle Live, and I think people will be impressed by the new energy.”
While eager to restore a historic venue to its former glory, Shevlin says it’s important to stay with the times and move the business forward on a social level as well.
“It is really important that live events be inclusive and accessible to all, the recent improvements in physical accessibility, sign language interpreting, and fostering sensory-friendly environments are really exciting,” Shevlin says. “As events are becoming platforms for change, there is an opportunity to partner with local businesses to raise awareness for specific causes and help stimulate the local economy.”
