Patrons Satisfied With Status Quo, Center Officials Say

Top officials of the Orange County Performing Arts Center say one reason they have not booked contemporary pop and rock acts is because the Center is doing fine and its audiences are satisfied.

“There’s been no clamoring from the public for pop and rock concerts at this facility,” says Center President Thomas R. Kendrick.

Board member and vice chairman for development Roger W. Johnson agrees that Center audiences don’t want anything more than they’re already getting: classical music, dance and Broadway musicals. Johnson cites a recent Center-sponsored survey which, he says, shows a high level of audience satisfaction with Center programs.

But Irvine pollster Mark Baldassare, who conducted the survey, says the question cited by Johnson was not intended to elicit responses on the Center’s overall programming mix.

“We asked people ‘How satisfied are you with performances you have attended?’ ” Baldassare said. “I would interpret that as a reflection of their satisfaction level with specific performances.”

In 1990, attendance for Center-sponsored events averaged 77.3% of capacity, down from 88% in 1989, according to Center figures.

Still, Johnson maintains, “the Center is sold out--the audience is not the issue. “There’s not any time to do other types of programming,” Johnson continued. “Would we if there were? Probably not. I think we would prefer to bring in more of the kinds of things we (already) do.” Center officials have declined to provide specific data about how many nights are available for additional programming.

Board member Kathryn G. Thompson, who is co-chair of the Center’s Performance Fund campaign, also points to the poll’s findings and says, “If people are happy with what they are seeing--if it’s working--why fix it?”

But, she adds, “that’s not to say we’re not looking at everything we can do to increase support. (Occasional pop and rock programming) sounds like it’s an area we should look into.”