by Joao Bicalho
Staff Writer
Milton Russos, executive director for the Florida Community College at Jacksonville Artist Series, is the person behind the different performances that have led generations to appreciate the theater. Through the Artist Series, he has also impacted the Jacksonville community in many different ways.
“It’s not something one does alone,” said Russos, who recognizes the effort of his staff, which works to assure things go smoothly.
Russos was hired as an American history professor at FCCJ and has been there since the college opened. He was in charge of the Students Activity Program at “an old elementary school in San Marco.” Universities and colleges were the only presenters of cultural events at the time, he said.
“That’s how it started,” said Russos.
In the beginning, Russos would purposely schedule Artist Series events during times in which there wasn’t any other programming scheduled. The fear was with multiple events set for the same day, the audiences would not show up. Now they have up to three different programs that run at the same time and the audience is always there, he said.
“It grew drastically in 40 years,” said Russos.
And so did the city. Today, there are over one million people living in the Jacksonville area and that population is helping keep the Artist Series alive.
During the 1970s Russos realized Broadway could be used to help stabilize FCCJ programs. It is still a valuable tool to the Series.
“We always hope they’re available for us,” said Russos.
He remembers when “Cats” was in town for the first time. The show had the first full week with eight performances and over 24,000 people attended the shows, he said.
“’Cats’ in Jacksonville had more than nine lives in 22 years,” said Russos, adding he’s proud that he has helped account for the different generations that have been attracted to the theater.
“Everything was manual,” said Russos, referring to a time when people had to call or go to the theater to get their tickets.
He is glad times have changed.
“You can even pick up your seat online now,” said Russos.
When Russos brought the “Phantom of the Opera” to Jacksonville, he was worried about ticket sales and the reception the show would get.
“It did very well. We brought it back in 2006 for a three week engagement and it did very well once again,” said Russos.
His Series also helped with breaking some taboos.
When “Menopause” the musical, came to Jacksonville, people could not say the name of the show, he said.
“The tickets were sold one and a half weeks before (the show),” said Russos.
With a strong sense of community, he likes to think that he has contributed to a positive impact locally, he said. Russos thinks of the many different “communities” he has helped to accommodate, feed and shelter when the productions came to town.
“’The Lion King’ (production) was 23 trucks,” said Russos, who helped manage a community of 150 people with the show.
He seizes the impact of those who come to Jacksonville through his Artist Series and it helps foment other sectors of the local economy as well. Most people stay in hotels, eat at local restaurants and go shopping, he said.
“They come and the economic thing multiplies,” said Russos.
He also said he notices an audience coming from other states to see Series shows. People that come from Southeast Georgia, for instance, will spend a day or two in Jacksonville to watch some of the performances.
“We helped make Jacksonville a much more attractive place to live,” said Russos, who also takes into consideration those who moved to Jacksonville and enjoyed an active cultural life before.
“That’s our biggest contribution,” said Russos.
The Series features different shows over the next few months.
“Wicked” will be a three-week engagement from April to May and is “one of the hottest shows touring the country today”.
The musical has lots of comedy, Russos said, and it deals with a lot of prejudice. The play also tells a part of another story.
“It tells what happened to the witches before the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” said Russos.
The untold story of the witches Dorothy and her gang helped to defeat has won 20 awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards.
But wait, that’s not all.
Russos has a “huge” show coming to the arena.
“It is the biggest one Jacksonville has ever seen,” said Russos.
He is bringing “Walking With Dinosaurs” and its full-size automated puppets that will entertain and educate at the same time, he said. Drivers control dinosaurs movements such as head, arms and legs inside the building, he said.
“It is just spectacular,” said Russos. “The ultimate family event of the season.”
There is a common thread between the past and the present for Russos. He said that the magic behind a theatrical play will not make people leave with smiles all the time. It can be dramatic and moving as well, he added.
“You appreciate the theater for what it is,” said Russos.
He knows that some shows will do better than others “and that is OK.”
The next night he knows the curtains will go up and the audience will enjoy the show.
“This is the neat thing of what we do here,” said Russos.
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