William B. Conner, Jr., president of Clear Channel Entertainment—Boston, will be the next president and CEO of the Chicago Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), effective Sept. 1. Conner, 50, succeeds Douglas F. Kridler, who left CAPA in February to become president of The Columbus Foundation. A six-month search, led by the CAPA Executive and Strategic Planning Committees, led to Conner's selection from a field of 300 industry leaders from major arts institutions internationally.
CAPA, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1969, is one of America's most respected theatre managers and diverse arts and entertainment presenters. As president and CEO, Conner will head a three-city, $20 million operation that encompasses six venues with more than 13,000 total seats that together present approximately 300 events each year. Theatres under CAPA management include the Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre, and Riffe Center Theatre Complex (Columbus); the Chicago Theatre (Chicago); and the Schubert Theater (New Haven, CT). In Columbus, CAPA is governed by a Board of Trustees of 35 community leaders. In addition, local supporting boards operate in Chicago and New Haven. Administrative operations at the Chicago Theatre are headed by Jim Hirsch, CAPA vice president/executive director of the Chicago Theatre.
Conner will be charged with pursuing CAPA's two-fold mission—the further development of programming and exploration of new ventures that continue CAPA's leadership role and contribution to its downtown locations. In addition, he will further CAPA's goal of building strong community support for the performing arts by collaborating with local arts institutions, particularly resident groups in CAPA theatres.
"The prominence and success of Bill Conner's work in the for-profit and non-profit arts and entertainment world made him our top choice to lead CAPA," commented David Meuse, chairman of CAPA's Board of Trustees "Bill comes to us from a key position in one of the world's largest and most diverse entertainment and media organizations, where he successfully linked the interests of community, the arts, three historic theatres, and the demands and opportunities of Broadway and concert presenting. At the same time, his significant experience in the performing arts, particularly in the developing of theatrical work and support of classical music at a nationally known arts center—the Ordway Music Theatre—is immensely valuable to CAPA."
Management of non-profit arts centers is an important part of Conner's background. From 1990-1995, he was president and CEO of the Ordway Music Theatre (home of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, the Schubert Club, and the St. Paul season of the Minnesota Orchestra). During his tenure, he introduced first-run Broadway and major concert events and he developed and implemented "The Ordway Presents," a dance/theatre multicultural education program presented at the Ordway, McKnight, Orpheum, and State Theatres. Under his leadership, subscriptions rose from 3,000 to 30,000.
From 1986-1990, he was executive director of the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, the nation's largest producing company for theatrical productions for young audiences, where he oversaw subscription growth from 7,000 to 33,000 patrons.
Conner worked in Chicago for several years. From 1985 to 1986, he was a producer and co-founder (with Jane and Bernie Sahlins and Russ Smith) of the Chicago International Theatre Festival, a $2.5 million festival that featured six international companies and 11 Chicago companies. More than 600,000 people attended the festival's 100+ performances.
He was managing director of the Court Theatre in Chicago from 1981-1985. There, he oversaw the transition of the theatre from small operations to a working regional theatre. From 1980-1981, he served as managing director of Chicago's St. Nicholas Theatre Company.
He started his career as a field representative for Actor's Equity Association's Midwest Region (1977-1980) in Chicago.
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