Page 52 - July 2017 inLeague and Conference Program

Conference Speakers Continued

fundraisers, and generated more than $600,000 in new amusement taxes to support local government and
schools. In 2015 on the theater’s 90th birthday, Gabel launched the Majestic Centennial Endowment Fund
which has raised $3.5 million to enhance programming. In 2016, Gabel was elected chairman of LHAT’s national
board, on which he’s served since 2011. The same year Gov. Tom Corbett appointed him to the Pennsylvania
Council on the Arts. Before joining Gettysburg College, Gabel was Executive Director of the Portsmouth, NH
1876 Music Hall, where he reversed the theater’s negative financial position by increasing annual donations
by $200,000, launching the Telluride by the Sea Film Festival and securing a $400,000 Save America’s Treasures
grant. Prior to his historic theatre career, Gabel enjoyed a 15 year career in arts management including PBS,
foundation grant-making, and as Chuckles the Clown, who appeared as a special guest on the national
television series "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood."

Erik Gable is director of marketing and audience development for the Croswell Opera House in Adrian,
Michigan. A former newspaper journalist, he also holds a degree in history from Grinnell College. During the
Croswell's recent sesquicentennial celebration, he compiled the theater's history into a 246-page book and
wrote the dialogue for a full-length musical about the Croswell's 150 years in existence.

Elissa Glickman, CEO of Glendale Arts, the private nonprofit that manages the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale
California. Elissa has been with the organization since 2004. In 2014, she oversaw a $6 million dollar renovation
of the theatre which added 6600 square feet of backstage, loading dock and production space to the 1925
venue. Under Glickman’s management, the Alex has received several community awards including the
Business of the Year from the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, The Preservation Award from the Glendale
Historical Society and The Theatre of the Year Award from the Los Angeles Theatre Foundation, to name a few.
Over the past few years, the Alex Theatre has been used as a film location for: RuPaul’s Drag Race, Last Comic
Standing as well as a number of national commercials, comedy specials and live concert events.

Becca Goland-Van Ryn, Managing Director for Spektrix, oversees North American operations and looks after
how to continuously develop Spektrix's offerings to meet the needs of arts organizations. She has an extensive
understanding of the arts industry from experiences working at non-profit and commercial arts organizations
such as Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City Center, Arden Theatre Company, The Pearl Theatre Company,
Serino/Coyne and most recently as Director of Operations at the digital marketing company Capacity
Interactive. Spektrix works with 300+ arts organizations across the US, Canada and the UK, including New York
Theatre Workshop, Round House Theatre, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts and The Curran.

Jeff Greene, President and founder of EverGreene, has led large-scale interior conservation, restoration, and
new design work for theaters and other significant spaces across the US. He is considered one of the foremost
experts in both traditional and innovative techniques for murals, ornamental plaster and decorative finishes.
Jeff, the recipient of the Institute for Classical Art & Architecture's Arthur Ross Award, has served on numerous
boards, including the League of Historic American Theaters, and Association for Preservation Technology.
Significant projects include the restoration of the Curran Theatre (SF) and Pantages Theatre (LA).

Bruce Greenhill, is the Ironwood Theatre’s sole full-time employee. Bruce joined the Ironwood Theatre team
in January 2012. An 11-year career in hospitality management and tourism marketing was followed by a
return to school to earn his degree in Policy & Planning from Melbourne, Australia’s RMIT University. The major
focus of his studies was rural and regional economic development. A stint in a rural municipality’s planning
and zoning office was followed by four years of strategic planning with the highly-respected Trevor Budge
planning consultancy, where Bruce made significant contributions to numerous projects including housing
and social needs assessments, community recreation plans, heritage protection guidelines, a regional tourism
development policy, and economic development plans. Bruce migrated to Northern Wisconsin in 1991, where
he applied the skills he learned in regional development planning to management of a couple of not-for-
profits including a member-based tourism promotion agency and later, a community-supported environmental
education center. He views his management of the Historic Ironwood Theatre as the natural progression of a
career that is all about connections – people to places, people to ideas, and people to people. Says Bruce:
“Theatre has always been a favorite extra-curricular activity of mine, so the opportunity to combine the
management of a performing arts facility with heritage protection, economic development, and community
engagement, well…it was just too good an opportunity to pass up!”

PAGE 50| INLEAGUE League of Historic American Theatres