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 Name:
Richard L. Barr
Title: General Manager
Facility/Company: Pasadena Civic
Auditorium
City-State-Country: Pasadena,
California, USA
Year CFE obtained: 2003
Email:
rbarr@pasadenacenter.com
What facilities have you worked in?
I had a 15-year career as a theatrical stage manager,
production manager, and producer off Broadway in New York and in regional
theatres on the east and west coasts, and industrial shows at hotel
properties all over the country and internationally. I landed as a facility
manager in 1985 as the director of production for the Music Center of Los
Angeles County for six seasons and am now in my 15th season as general
manager of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
What is your favorite food or restaurant?
I like the old, classic restaurants such as Sardi’s in New York,Musso
Frank’s in Hollywood, and the Taddich Grill in San Francisco.
What book are you currently reading (or what is
your favorite book)?
Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter.
What CD or cassette is in your car right now?
Jazz and classical.
What is the weirdest event you ever had in a
facility you've worked in?
With the excellent help of the Pasadena Police Department I
once had to shut down a television awards program because fights broke out
in the audience and backstage between rival “talent.”
Strangest merchandise? Strangest anything?
It is always strange to me what people are willing to buy in
the lobby and at high prices.
What is a motto, inspiration or quote you try to
live by?
The Golden Rule.
Why did you choose to pursue the CFE?
I was encouraged to do so by a performing arts colleague and it seemed like
a challenge.
What has been a benefit or is a benefit of
having a CFE?
Being a theatre manager, I was surprised at the similarities that we all
face whether we manage a convention center, arena, or stadium. It was
self-affirming to pass the test with fairly high marks and I know that the
classification means something positive in our industry.
Would you recommend attaining CFE to other
international colleagues?
Why? Certainly, this is a global
society.
What couldn't you live without?
My excellent son Daniel P. Barr.
What's your most prized possession?
A pair of oak rocking chairs that belonged to my grandparents and other old
family things.
What's your favorite place on earth?
A cove on the Pacific Ocean at Montana de Oro State Beach near Morro Bay.
What's your most favorite moment in sports
history?
I’m not much of a sports person, but I always enjoy going to the Rose Bowl.
What's the one thing most people would be
surprised to learn about you?
That I was the casting director of a major motion picture starring Jack
Nicholson.
Is there
anything else you would like to add?
I have attended the Performing
Arts Facility Administrators Seminar for 14 years since its beginning in
Chicago and the relationships that I have formed at those meetings have been
some of the most valuable in my professional life. It is a joy each year to
go to a different city and poke around someone else’s theatre, office, and,
in some cases, home and see how they do it. Mary, Janet, Robyn, Ted, Rodney,
Paul, Steve, etcetera (that means everyone) have been an inspiration to me
professionally and personally and I am grateful to the IAAM for having such
a group.
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