The Carnival Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, now in its second year of operation, has fired its leader and CEO Michael Hardy, according to the Miami Herald.

Tough job for anyone down there these days. It's such a beautiful venue, I truly hope they succeed in the long run. The parking issues and poor attendance and budget problems have plagued the theater since its opening last season. Read more here...

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/288334.html

The Sound Advice Amphitheater in West Palm Beach has been experiencing some major security problems recently. Read more about it in Encore newsletter....

http://encore.celebrityaccess.com/index.php?encoreId=101&articleId=23628

Magician David Copperfield, scheduled to appear at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in February, is in hot water with the FBI. Details are sketchy at this point, and we have no information on his scheduled appearances here as of yet. Check back for more information or call the box office at (954) 344-5990.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071019/tts-entertainment-copperfield-people-c1b2fc3.html

Things are getting hairy in NYC with stagehands set to strike any day now on Broadway. Both sides presented their final offers last week to strike a new deal to no avail. Check out the latest information here:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117974044.html?categoryid=15&cs=1

I'm always on the lookout for new websites that dish inside scoop on the entertainment business. If you are a diehard Broadway fan, check out this site that may not be on your radar screen...

http://broadway.yahoo.com/;_ylt=AgAqTCezshAWxLlw44jBEL87OYt4

To book top acts or Broadway shows at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts, we have to be aggressive with agents on pricing as we compete with the Hard Rock Casino, Broward Center, Sinatra Theatre and others.

To secure the shows, our ticket prices are strictly a matter of how much do big-name entertainers and Broadway tours charge us. We must break even at an acceptable percentage of the house (60%-75%) to make it feasible for us to do the show and make money.

Our ticket prices for most of the high profile shows here range from $50-$80. Occasionally, we consider offering discounts where appropriate, if our break even is lower than normal. We are very sensitive to pricing matters and do our best to keep tickets reasonable.

Bigger houses can discount much more often than us, especially when a show is sitting down in a theater for multiple performances. In New York and across the country, theaters struggle with this dilemma.

Check out this great article on trends in ticket pricing these days in the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/theater/07ishe.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Is Florida Over?

That's the question the Wall Street Journal posed recently in a brilliantly crafted story covering all the topics on the minds of residents these days. Are we in a lull? Or has Florida lost it's luster forever? Read all about it here:

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119100802312142956.html

Every season at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts we try to find one marquee, high profile show to anchor the rest of our lineup. One show to market all of our other shows around, a performance that is instantly recognizable, one event we can put front and center on our brochure to dazzle and whet our customer's appetite for the upcoming season. This year, that show was David Copperfield.

TV networks and movie studios do the same thing. Fox has American Idol, ABC has Lost and Grey's Anatomy, CBS has CSI, NBC has...well that's another story.

Movie studios are always looking for one big film to carry the summer, they call them "tentpoles" in the business. Spiderman, Shrek, James Bond are all "tentpoles" and can make or break a studio's year.

In the Broadway world, each season in New York City is marked with this same anticipation. Monster shows like Wicked, The Producers, Jersey Boys and others can help prop up box office grosses for the whole theater district as people come into to town to see those popular musicals and stick around for a few days to see some others.

Check out this recent article in Variety to learn more about this phenomenon and the 2007-2008 season.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972242.html?categoryid=2699&cs=1

Launching a national Broadway tour without opening in New York used to be taboo. These days, however, more and more big-name producers like Andrew Lloyd Webber are doing just that. Many are looking to the U.K. as a starting point. Read all about it in this very interesting Variety article.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972241.html?categoryid=2699&cs=1