The Principals and their Career Venues
Mr. Kurt C. Swanson
Mr. Kurt Swanson has over 20 years experience in the performing arts field. His experience includes being the city management person in charge of the development of the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. His responsibilities included oversight of the original feasibility study, selection of the theater design group and construction management and overall responsibility for organizational development and operations. Mr. Swanson assumed the role of Executive Director for over one year and was responsible for the presentation of over 100 performances and the negotiation of over 120 future performances. Responsibility for the theater operation continued until his retirement in 1999. In 2000, Mr. Swanson was asked to return to the venue to provide executive management services as a consultant. This assignment lasted until 2002 during which time he negotiated over $4 million in performance contracts, presented more than 200 performances and provided all of the management duties associated with the Executive Director position.
Mr. Swanson has had additional career experience with Gallo Performing Arts Center, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and Lewis Family Playhouse of California. He has over the years been President or a Board member of various professional and special interest organizations.
Mr. Swanson has a Bachelors degree from California State University Long Beach and Masters Degree from the University of Southern California (USC).
Mr. Peter Lesnik
Mr. Peter Lesnik has over 20 years of experience in all aspects of the performing arts field. Experiences include that of author, performer, producer, director and presenter. Mr. Lesnik has held non-presenter positions as Director of the 13th Street theatre in New York City, acting teacher and director at the Performing Arts Foundation in Huntington, New York and resident Director at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles.
As a presenter/manager of performing arts venues Mr. Lesnik has held positions of Executive Director of the Herberger Theatre Center, Phoenix, AZ, the Kelsey Theater at Mercer College, New Jersey, Norris Theatre for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles, CA, and is currently the Executive Director of the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach, CA.
Mr. Lesnik regularly participates on various panels and boards and consults internationally on programming, arts in education, theatre renovations and related topics. He is currently a Board member of California Presenters, a Commissioner on the LA County Arts Commission and a board member of the Diavolo Dance Company.
Mr. Lesnik has a Bachelors degree from University of CA Riverside, a Masters Degree from Pennsylvania State University and has completed work toward a Doctoral degree at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Craig M. Springer
Craig Springer holds Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees in communications and marketing from Northwestern University which is also where he started his career in arts management. Dr. Springer served as General Manager of Northwestern University's Pick-Staiger Concert Hall for eight years before moving to Los Angeles' University of Southern California in 1993. During his eight years at USC Dr. Springer served the university as Assistant Dean of Cultural Arts and Activities and in a faculty position with the School of Theater where he lectured on issues related to arts marketing and fund-raising.
Dr. Springer joined the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts as Executive Director in February of 2002 and is responsible for the programming, marketing and operational management of the $60 million dollar facility and it annual 150 event performance seasons.
Throughout his career Dr. Springer has served on the boards of California Presenters, Western Jazz Presenters Network and the Western Arts Alliance. In addition, he consults and lectures extensively throughout the country on arts marketing and market research to non-profit organizations, arts practitioners and professional associations.
Our Career Venues
Theatre Management Associates principals have career experience working with a variety of venues:
- Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, CA
- Gallo Performing Arts Center, CA
- Redondo Beach Center for the Performing Arts, CA
- Lewis Family Playhouse, CA
- Northwestern University School of Music, Evanston, IL
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
- Kelsey Theatre, Mercer College, NJ
- 13th St. Theatre, NYC
- Utah Shakespearean Festival
- Glassboro State College, NJ
- Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
- Norris Theatre for the Performing Arts, CA
- Herberger Theatre Center, AZ
- Carpenter Performing Arts Center, CA
