The newest performing arts center on the block in South Florida, The Carnival Center in Miami, is about to enter its second year of operation. Running that facility is no easy task with all the politics involved. I feel for the leader Michael Hardy and his staff as they prepare for Year Two.

It's a brutal market down here for the entertainment dollar, I've said that many time before. Much more so than in many places in the U.S. Many theaters have large metropolitan markets all to themselves. They are the top dog. The Carnival Center, like the Coral Springs Center for the Arts and Broward Center and many others, are in a different situation. We are all chasing the same bone. Greater risk...less reward.

When a theater takes it upon themselves to promote a show, and inherit the great risk involved in doing so, the man or woman who makes that decision lives on edge until the show is over. Did it win? Did it lose? How much? Do I still have a job?

The Carnival Center took some risks during Year One to feel out the market as they opened, and have decided to scale back promoting their own shows during the upcoming season, according to the Miami Herald. For more information on the Carnival Center, check out this link below.

http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/250459.html