Joanne Steller

I got hooked on theatre in high school -- couldn't act, sing, dance or sew a costume.  So, I was chief publicist for Headin' to a Weddin', a farce that featured the future mayor of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.  We sold out and I was sold on show biz...wisely staying back stage and focused on promoting theatre rather than trying to be in it.  During my tenure as marketing staff and director at Kennedy Center (1983-2000), I got to work on hits, bombs, and with legends, has-beens, rising stars, producers, directors and playwrights.  My favorite program of all time: the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays.  And, I helped sell millions of dollars in tickets.  For the past decade, I've been a consultant, strategist, and communications specialist for the firm TRG Arts -- working with colleagues who have a lazer focus on revenue and building patronage.  Had I known then what TRG now teaches, we would have upped the price of Headin' to a Weddin' and extended the run.